Twice-Baked Poblanos

I recently received a new meal kit that required poblano peppers but then time got away from me and I didn't make the meal. I stowed the required meat in the freezer and put the peppers in my produce drawer.  My dad is a fan of a little spice so when I realized he was coming over I knew it was time to use the peppers!  All the recipes I saw made them into a meal and we were already having grilled sausages so that would be too much.  I consulted with a friend and we came up with Twice-Baked Poblanos.  Basically Poblano peppers stuffed with mashed potatoes with all the accouterments. 

This recipe is actually quite simple combining roasted techniques and making mashed potatoes. I apologize in advance that I don't know my exact mashed potato recipe because I 100% made it up on the fly but any mashed potato will work here.  I also had WAY TOO MANY POTATOES and I just used 5 russets! Probably you only need 3 potatoes: 4 peppers ratio.  This dish has a little hint of spice but it is not overpowering at all - the perfect bite!



Ingredients
4 Poblano Peppers, seeded and halved
Olive Oil
lots of Salt
4-5 russet potatoes, peeled & cubed
2 Cups Sharp Cheddar, shredded
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 C Sour Cream
1/2 - 1 Cup Half & Half or Milk
2 T Butter

Directions
1. Preheat the Oven to 425, take the half and half, butter and sour cream out of the fridge and set on the counter
2. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Place peppers inside-side up on the tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.
3. Roast peppers for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Take the peppers out of the oven and let rest while preparing the mash.
4. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add salt so that the water tastes like the sea.
5. Boil potatoes until tender about 15 minutes, testing with a fork
6. Drain the potatoes
7. Add sour cream, butter, salt to taste and 1/4 C half & half to the potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Continue to add half & half, a little at a time until the consistency comes together as desired
8. Mix in 1 C cheese and bacon to the potatoes
9. Preheat the oven to 350
10. Spoon potato mixture on top of the peppers, top with cheese
11. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted, serve immediately or leave in warm oven until ready to serve

Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

My parents made lots of leftover turkey so we could take some home. I decided to use it to make Shepherd’s pie. This particular recipe was simple and fast! I liked it but Joey wished for regular gravy - so you can use that instead of this sauce!

Ingredients
2 C chopped leftover turkey
1/2 onion chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 C frozen peas or frozen vegetable mix
1 1/2 C beef broth
2T tomato paste
1T worsteschier sauce
2t olive oil
2 C mashed potatoes
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 C grated cheese
Salt

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 or if you want a crispy top, turn on the broiler
2. In a small skillet sauté onion and garlic until the onion is soft
3. Add salt, tomato paste, Worsteshier sauce, broth and thyme, stir and bring to a simmer
4. Simmer 2 minutes then add peas and turkey. Simmer 2 more minutes. Salt to taste
5. Divide meat mixture between two oven-safe ramekins
6. Top meat mixture with mashed potatoes and add cheese on top
7. Bake 5-10m at 350 until cheese is melted and dish is warmed through
*If broiling, keep a close eye because cheese can catch on fire 2-5m
**If you want to use gravy instead of the sauce, omit broth, tomato paste and worsteshier sauce and replace with gravy.

Happy Eating!

Roast Chicken & Oven Fries

We recently discovered the best roast chicken recipe and we make it nearly twice a month now! Whole chickens are usually cheap $3-5 and feed as many people. This recipe takes a little advance planning but it's worth it! This time I served it with oven fries because I needed to use up some potatoes.

Ingredients

Chicken:
 1 whole chicken rinsed and patted dry
Kosher salt
1/2 orange
1/2 onion or 3 shallots

Special equipment:
Metal rack that fits in rimmed baking sheet
Refrigerator space for the above
8-24 hours

Fries (cut the potatoes day of)
1 small russet potatoes per person, cut into matchsticks
1 T olive oil per potato
Salt
cooking spray
foil

Directions:
1. 8-24hrs before you want to cook your chicken dry it off, truss the legs and rub salt all over the chicken. Use a lot of salt, don't worry, you will rinse before you cook!
2. Place the chicken on a metal rack over the rimmed baking sheet and put it in the refrigerator for 8-24hours- the longer the better.

----
3. Preheat the oven to 450
4. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Then place back on the rack
5. Stuff the chicken cavity with half onion and oranges
6. Bake the Chicken 40-50 minutes or until juices run clear and cooked through (just use a thermometer). Let rest 5 minutes before carving.

7. Meanwhile toss the potato matchsticks with olive oil and lay them on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
8. Toss with salt and spread fries flat
9. The fries take about 25-30 minutes so put them in when you are about 30 minutes into your chicken cooking.
10. Serve the chicken with hot fries.

Shepard'a Pie

Sometimes it's hard to decide what to do with ground beef. Today was one of those days so I made Shepard' pie. The toddler didn't eat it for unknown reasons but the rest of the family loved it. This recipe is so customizable to your tastes and what you have in your fridge, freezer and pantry. I was proud to have all the ingredients at home!!

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef or turkey
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 T butter
Milk or broth up to 1 cup
Salt & pepper
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 C carrots, chopped
1/3 c frozen peas
1/3 c frozen corn
1/2 c broth
1 T worstescheir sauce
2 t olive oil

Directions
1. Boil water in a medium pot, add potatoes and cook simmering until soft when pierced with a fork. Drain and return to pot.
2. Mash the potatoes with a masher or immersion blender. Add butter and then milk in 1/4 c increments until desired texture. Season with sale and pepper. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet.  Add onion and carrots and cook until onion is soft. Add beef, garlic and cook until meat is browned. Add broth and worstecheir. Cook 5 minutes on medium.
4. Add peas and corn and cook 5 more minutes. Liberally season with salt and pepper
5. Preheat oven to 400
6. In a 2 qt oven proof container or an 8x8 dish, add meat mix and layer potato on top.
7. Cook 30 minutes until potatoes are browned.

Smoked Salmon Potato Salad

I've been on a real potato salad kick this summer! Last weekend, I attended a salad baby shower and decided to make a smoked salmon potato salad because 1. It was the single opportunity I've had in years where there would be fish eaters there and 2. I recently had a similar salad at the restaurant Lemonade and was interested in recreating it.  I think mine was better!  I adapted the recipe from Serious Eats and basically tried to recreate all the great things of bagels & lox but with potato salad.  I think I did a pretty good job and so did the guests! I got multiple requests for the recipe!!

I didn't take any pictures though :(

Smoked Salmon Potato Salad

Ingredients

2+lbs new or fingerling potatoes, cut into large chunks (the recipe calls for 2lbs but I'm sure I used more because that was a lot of potato salad)

16oz sour cream

juice of one lemon

2 3.5oz packages of lox-style smoked salmon, sliced into strips

1 bunch of dill, removed from stems

1 bunch of tarragon, chopped

salt & pepper

1 red onion, chopped

1-2 T white or apple cider vinegar

capers, optional

1. Put the potatoes in cold water and bring to a boil. Boil 10 min or until tender. Drain and place potatoes in a bowl. Immediately douse them in the vinegar.

2. Mix sour cream, lemon juice, herbs and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.

3. When potatoes are cooled slightly or room temperature, toss them, the lox and the onions, the capers (if using) in the sour cream mixture

4. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Best Potato Salad

This afternoon I read an article about potato salad and then immediately wanted some. I had all the ingredients so I whipped it up! This salad is the best I've had in awhile, all because of a new trick I learned.

Serves 2 as a side

Ingredients

3 T mayo
3 T olive oil
1/2 T whole grain mustard
Lots of salt
2 T finely chopped red onion
6-8 finely chopped green olives (can substitute cornichons or pickles or dill pickle relish)
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped (use whatever herb you have on hand)
3-4 medium red potatoes, cubed
Vinegar (I used apple cider)

Directions

1. Boil a large pot of water. Add potatoes and cook until fork tender - about 10 minutes. Drain
2. Mix olive oil, mayo and mustard, 1 t vinegar in a small bowl with salt until combined.
3. Once you drain the potatoes sprinkle with vinegar (separate from dressing) and salt, let sit 3 minutes.
4. Toss potatoes, dressing, olives, onion and cilantro in a large bowl. Add salt to taste and serve.

Lomo Saltado

Lomo Saltado is a Peruvian beef dish with peppers, onions and french fries!  I like the one they used to serve at a Peruvian restaurant in Burbank (although I like Pollo Saltado a bit better overall) but this version was pretty good too! Sure to be a family favorite, omit the jalepeno if you aren't into spicy.

And even better, all cards were stacked against my husband going for this dish. We even had soup reserved in case. But it was actually a hit! He said it was good!!  This is 300 calories only as long as you don't have too many french fries. But then again, if you do have more - the main thing was only 300 calories...

Recipe by Skinnytaste along with the Potato Board

Putting it here cause I really want to make it again and don't want them to delete the recipe like sometimes happens!


Ingredients

For the Baked Fries: canola cooking spray
1 medium (5.3 oz) potato, russet or yellow, washed and dried
1/4 tsp garlic powder
kosher salt

 For the Beef:
 1/2 lb lean sirloin, cut into small, thin strips (I got the stir fry sirloin pre-cut)
kosher salt, to taste
1/4 tsp cumin
black pepper, to taste
garlic salt/garlic powder
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, sliced into thick strips
2 mini yellow bell peppers or 1 large
1 large jalapeno, ribbed and seeded, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, sliced into wedges
1 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

 Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Cut the potato lengthwise into 1/3-inch thick slices; cut each slice into 1/3-inch fries. Place on the baking sheet and toss with another spray of oil to evenly coat. Season with garlic powder, and salt.

 Place on a single layer onto the greased baking sheet. Bake uncovered on the lower third of the oven for about 25 minutes or until tender crisp and golden. Meanwhile, season meat with salt, pepper and cumin.

Heat a large wok over high heat. When hot add the oil and the steak, cook about 2 minutes, until browned on both sides. Add the onions, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and cook 2 minutes.

Add the tomato, soy sauce and vinegar and cook 1 more minute.

 *If your fries aren't done yet, turn the heat to low and wait and then heat one more minute on high when ready.

 Season with more salt as needed, remove from heat and finish with cilantro. Serve immediately with french fries and divide evenly between 2 plates.

 Calories: 308.5 Fat: 9g Cholesterol: 48mg Sodium: 522mg Carbohydrates: 28g Fiber: 4g Protein: 28g

Herb Oil Rubbed Pork Roast with Carrots and Potatoes

We decided that we needed to cook tonight, so we went to the store to see what was on sale. This is part of a 3 1/2 lb bone-in sirloin pork loin roast. It was only $13. Meat sales are really the best.  This took about 20 minutes of prep and 2 hours to cook. It is tender and juicy and flavorful.  The potatoes and carrots were also amazing - likely because they were soaked in the herb oil rub and crispy on the bottom.  We all loved this and so did Hazel!

This dish uses a cutting board (with a wash in between) and one dish and a few knives. Pretty easy clean-up too!

Ingredients:
1 bone-in pork loin sirloin roast
1/4 C olive oil
1 T butter, melted
1 T herbs de Provence
1/2 T thyme
1/2 T rosemary
salt
pepper
6 cloves garlic (I used 3 of the largest garlic slices ever), minced
1/2 onion, sliced
3 white potatoes, medium dice
3 carrots, medium dice

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Place the onion slices on a rimmed baking sheet to hold the pork up from the bottom.
2. Prepare the herb butter by combining oil, melted butter, garlic and all the herbs. Stir.
3. Place the pork on the onion slices and rub all over with salt and pepper. Rub the herb-oil onto the pork and let it drip onto the tray
4. Tent the pork with foil and put it into the oven for one hour
5. After an hour, add the potatoes and carrots along the edges and sprinkle them with salt
6. When the pork reaches 145 degrees, remove it from the oven and set it on a cutting board to rest.
7. Increase the oven temperature to 400 and cook the potatoes and carrots 15 minutes longer.
8. Slice the pork and serve with carrots and potatoes. The onions on the bottom are also pretty delicious.

Duchess Potatoes

There are a lot of meals I make that would taste good over potatoes. But making potatoes on a week night is not usually an option. Baked and mashed potatoes take too much time and even crispy roasted can take 40 minutes. After my commute, I'm not usually dreaming about cooking potatoes.  Recently, I saw on Everyday Food a recipe for portion-sized make ahead mashed potatoes. Sold!  These potatoes are slightly richer than mashed potatoes and can be used even for a big event. I just spooned my duchesses onto a pan but I bet they'd be beautiful piped onto the pan!

I froze these right away and then baked two stacks to go along with my cherry pork. It took exactly 15 minutes and they were absolutely fantastic. I did not put an egg wash on at baking and I did not miss it. I love having these on hand. The recipe makes 8 stacks but it could easily be doubled.

Duchess Potatoes
2 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes
salt & pepper
3 T cold unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
1/4 C heavy cream
pinch of nutmeg

1. Peel potatoes and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cover the potatoes in a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until tender about 15 minutes. Drain, let sit 5 minutes and return to pan.
2. Add butter and mash together with a potato masher until smooth. Season with salt
3. Add cream and stir with a spoon to combine. Add egg yolks and stir in.
4. Mound potatoes in 8 mounds on a buttered and parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Make a well in the center of each mound for gravy with the back of a spoon
5. Freeze at least 15 minutes, then bake. Or Freeze 15 minutes until solid. Add potato mounds to a gallon-sized ziploc bag and keep in the freezer.
6. To bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees, spray a baking sheet with cookie spray. Space potato mounds on the sheet and bake 15 minutes straight from the freezer. Serve.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice-Baked potatoes are one of those foods that sound delicious and comforting but also seem to be a lot of work. People only seem to make them for holidays!  We decided to change all people's ever traditions and make them on a regular Saturday night!  These potatoes weren't actually as hard as expected. So maybe the reason people save them for holidays is actually because they aren't very healthy! The only snags we had were keeping the potato shells together, but nothing a little edge of the pan couldn't help with!

If you are interested in wowing your friends and family with a fun side then you should make these twice baked potatoes!

My father in law raved about these potatoes and said they wer one of the best he'd had in years. Why were these particular potatoes so good? We think it has to do with the 5-year aged sharp cheddar we used which helped make the potatoes not just cheesy but instead cheesy and flavorful.  So when you make these, use at least in part a really sharp cheddar.

This recipe serves 4 with a large half of cheesy yummy goodness. If you are serving to kids or other people with smaller appetites, you could easily have them share a single half.

Original Recipe, quartered.

Ingredients
2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and dried
4 T butter, cut into pats
6 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated, separated
1/4 C light sour cream
1/2 t salt
black pepper to taste
1/4 C crispy bacon bits
1 green onion, sliced
1 T canola oil + more salt, preferably kosher
1/8 C milk (you may not need this)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Rub the cleaned potatoes with oil and salt and poke all over with a fork. Place potatoes directly on the oven rack with a tray on the next shelf to catch drippings. Bake for 1 hour or slightly longer until potato is soft inside and outside is crispy.
3. Let sit until they are cool enough to handle.
4. Meanwhile, add butter, sour cream and bacon to a bowl.  Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out potato pulp leaving a small rim for stability. Add potato to the bowl.  Smash together with a potato masher or a fork.
5. Add 1/4 C cheese, green onions, salt & pepper and stir together. If your mixture is too stiff add up to 1/8 C milk
6. Scoop potato insides back into the potato shells and top with cheese
7. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake 15-20 minutes until warmed through and cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Valtellina Pizzoccheri

When I was young my family spent two different occasions in Sils-Maria, Switzerland at the Hotel Privata. My sister and I only were there in the winter but my parents have returned several times.  Sils-Maria is this beautiful small town nestled in the Engadin valley of Switzerland. It was cold but crisp when we were there and the hotel provided us breakfast and dinner along with our room.  We got to know the owners pretty well and I raved about the food after our vacations were over.  I just loved everything but my favorite was always the pizzoccheri.  I begged for this dish to be on the menu when we were there and it was surprisingly there both times.

Pizzoccheri refers to buckwheat noodles. At the hotel, the owners made their own noodles from scratch and mixed them with whatever vegetables were available and a healthy dosage of cheese.  This Northern Italian comfort dish is not to be missed! Well, actually if you talk to my husband you could pass on it but I really like it. I love making my own noodles and mixing them with the cheese and vegetables and sage butter.  For those not fans of vegetables you could set aside some pasta and cheese and butter and heat that separately into a delicious and creamy mac & cheese.

Valtellina Pizzoccheri
Serves 8 as a main course

For the Buckwheat Noodles:
*I couldn't find buckwheat flour anywhere which was sort of sad so I made noodles with a few different flours but I still missed the buckwheat
100g all purpose flour
200g semonila flour
200g whole wheat flour
(or 300 g all purpose flour + 200g buckwheat flour)
2 eggs
pinch of salt
4-5oz water

In a bowl stir together flour, eggs and salt.  Add water a little at a time until the dough forms together in a firm dough ball. Let sit 2-3 hours in the bowl covered with plastic wrap.

Roll pasta dough out on a floured surface as thin as you can. Cut into long noodles about 1cm wide or the width of a metal skewer. Separate noodles and set them aside until ready to cook.

Other Ingredients:
1 lb potatoes, cubed
1/2 lb Swiss chard, cut into 1 inch pieces, stems cut into small pieces but separate
1/2 lb spinach
8 oz Fontina cheese, grated
4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
4 oz Mozzarella cheese, grated
salt
black pepper
2 T butter
10 sage leaves
4 cloves garlic, sliced

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add salt and potatoes and boil about 7-8 minutes until fork tender.  Add Swiss chard stems in the last minute of cooking. Remove potatoes and stems to drain but don't dump the water!
2. Add Swiss chard and spinach leaves to a steamer basket and steam, covered 2-3 minutes over same water (turn down the temp when you put the lid on). Set aside
3. Bring water back to a boil and add pasta with some more salt.  Cook pasta 3-4 minutes until it resembles pasta.  If you are using buckwheat noodles this could take a little longer. If you are using dried buckwheat pasta this could take up to 17 minutes. Drain pasta, you are free to get rid of the water.
4. In a heavy bottomed skillet brown butter with sage and garlic about 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
5. Preheat the oven to 450
6. In a large casserole dish layer pasta, vegetables and cheese along with salt & pepper to taste.  Pour garlic/sage/butter mixture over the top.
7.  Bake 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and serve warm.   This is delicious with a simple salad on the side.

Mashed Potato Cake with Zucchini and Egg

 If you don't like eggs, stop reading right now!  If you DO like eggs, particularly with runny yolks that add depth and flavor (and protein!) to the foods you eat, continue on.

Today I had a smallish lunch and found myself to be starving by 3. I knew our cupboards were sort of bare and I wanted something quick and delicious.  My usual fallback at this point is egg in the hole.  However, that didn't sound good to me today.

So I ducked my head into the fridge to look at the cheese situation. It was dire. Instead, I saw leftover mashed potatoes, a zucchini on it's last legs and eggs.  I can make something from that right?

This dish was one of those things you might see someone on Chopped start out doing. Trying to mix together three things that don't always meet on a plate.  The potato cake was the only real experiment and it was delicious!  I liked the slight crunch from the potato cake and the runny egg and the additional texture from the vegetable.  If you need a snack, this is one to try!

For One

1 egg
1/2 small zucchini, sliced into thin half moons
scant 1/4 t lemon pepper
1/4 C mashed potatoes
salt
pepper
a tiny bit of butter or oil

1. Heat a small skillet over high. Add the butter and melt it all over the pan. Form the mash into a small patty and place in the pan to one side. On the other side, add the zucchini and lemon pepper and stir to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until one side of the cake and zucchini is light brown.

2. Flip the cake and zucchini and cook an additional two minutes.

3. Clear a space in the pan. Break an egg into the pan and let cook until whites are opaque and yellow is cooked but still runny, about 1 1/2 minutes more.

4. Serve in a stack and break the egg to pour al over the potato.

Chili Baked Potatoes

One of my friends told me about a canned chili called Dennison's 99% fat free Turkey Chili. When I went to the store I learned that Dennison also makes 99% fat free beef chili. I've never really compared chili nutrition labels before--but I did this time between beef chili with beans and 99% fat free beef chili with beans I was totally surprised by how much fat the former had! 2 grams of fat vs 16 grams of fat? I bought the 99% fat free.

Why did I even buy canned chili you ask? Well as you recall, earlier this week we attempted to make Everyday Food's Texas Red Chili planning to serve the leftovers on baked potatoes. Unfortunately, the resulting meat soup was not made for topping potatoes so in order to follow through with my dinner plans, I decided to buy the chili.

Dennison's 99% Fat Free Beef Chili get's both Joey's and my stamp of approval--a good topping chili but not good enough to just eat in a bowl for dinner.

Again being short on time I baked our potatoes in the microwave. Our microwave has a handy baked potato setting! I used it and it took about 11 minutes to bake our two giant potatoes. Meanwhile, I heated the chili in a pot on the stove and shredded a little sharp cheddar. Dinner was ready in 12 minutes and we were on our way to a relaxing Friday night at home.

Pork Chops with Peaches & Whipped Potatoes

For the first time ever, I have made mashed potatoes that actually taste like mashed potatoes! I can not tell you how awesome this is. These potatoes are both easy to make and quick to make and also delicious. However, they do use olive oil instead of butter and the flavor of my particular olive oil is really distinct, but I still found these potatoes delicious.

The pork chops I bought were much thicker I guess than I was supposed to use because it took them far longer than six minutes to cook through. I also thought that that the peach topping was just okay and probably would've been better if it was a peach syrupy thing (like cinnamon apples) instead of just peaches and onions. However, those particular peaches were perfectly ripe and delicious regardless.

This recipe is from the Everyday Food Magazine, September 2011

Ingredients:

2lbs russet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1 inch pieces

salt & pepper

2 T + 1 t olive oil

1 C whole milk

4 bone-in pork chops (I only made two)

1/2 onion, diced small

2-3 firm but ripe peaches cut into wedges (nectarines or plums can be substituted)

Directions

1. In a large pot bring potatoes to a boil in salted water. Boil until fork tender about 8-10 minutes. Drain, return potatoes to pot. Mash with a potato masher until there are no big chunks. The method for mashing with a potato masher is to press and turn so that not only do you mash but you don't collect too much potato through the slits. When mashed to desired fluffiness, add milk and 2 T olive oil and whisk together. Add salt to taste and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a large fry pan heat remaining 1 t olive oil. Add pork chops and cook until brown and cooked through about 6 minutes turning once (mine took at least 10 minutes). Remove from pan and keep warm on a plate.

3. In the same fry pan add onion and cook stirring occasionally until translucent. Add peaches and cook about 3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Serve peaches atop the pork and potatoes on the side.

"Roasted" Potatoes

I spied a recipe online recently for roasted fingerling potatoes that used chicken broth in lieu of any oil. I thought I'd give it a try tonight. Before making them, I discussed the possible outcomes with a friend. We decided that the potatoes would likely be flavorful and moist but not crispy.

That's exactly what happened. I hate to even call these roasted. They are more steamed but in the oven. I thought the flavor was great though--a little garlic, some rosemary--some of the best steamed potatoes I've ever had. They're also pretty healthy for you as far as potatoes go.

Ingredients:

12 oz new potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces or so (this was 3 potatoes for me and we ended up with about three half cup servings)

1/2 C fat free reduced sodium chicken broth (the real recipe calls for 1 C broth separated because they claim the broth will steam off, this didn't happen for me so I used half)

1/2 t salt (I actually used a rosemary salt instead of using rosemary & salt)

1 T rosemary, dried

1/2 t pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 400. In a small oven-safe dish with higher sides mix potatoes, and all other ingredients (but only 1/2 cup of broth). Arrange potatoes in one layer on the bottom of the dish. Bake 15 minutes, check to see if the broth steamed off and if so add another 1/2 cup. Stir to flip the potatoes. Bake an additional 15 minutes until fork tender.

Baked French "Fries"

A few weeks ago, I was browsing some blogs and I came across this recipe for baked French Fries. I knew I had to try it--just needed to have the right potatoes and the time. Today was just the day for it.

The prep for this recipe is easy and fast--it takes less than the time to heat the oven. The hard part of this recipe is making sure not to overcook your potatoes--I had a few pieces that weren't as uniform as the others that burned--and mine were probably mostly ready after exactly 45 minutes.

I also recommend reducing the salt. I used the 2t the recipe called for and we all agreed less salt would've been better, you can always add more later.

Recipe and better pictures here.

Beer-Braised Sausage & Warm Potato Salad

Tonight for dinner I made this recipe which can be found on Martha's site and also in one of the recent Everyday Food magazines. The recipe didn't take long to make and was distinctly autumn. However, it didn't have that much flavor. The sausages tasted like Italian sausage without sauce and the potatoes--even when drowned in the sauce and a little oil & vinegar were bland. I probably won't make this again, but if I do, I'd add some seasoning, use bratwurst or apple sausage, add some apples to the pot and cook as directed.

Slightly disappointing, but it made the house smell great!

Herbed Potato Salad

We went to the Hollywood Bowl last night and brought a picnic. I have been craving some good potato salad for a long time but I always thought it was too hard to make and too much for me to eat alone. I decided this was the perfect opportunity. I decided against the mayo kind of potato salad and instead searched the web for a vinaigrette variety. I found this one from Kayotic Kitchen. I really didn't follow the recipe exactly but close enough that I can't claim it as my own, plus, she took pictures while I did not.

Herbed Potato Salad

1/2 bunch mixed herbs (I used basil, parsley & dill)
2 lbs baby potatoes of any color
1 small lemon
salt
1 bunch green onions
3 T olive oil
2 T white vinegar (I used 1 rice and 1 distilled white, wine might have been better, I didn't have any)
2 T chicken broth (or veg)
1/2 T dijon mustard

1. Halve tiny potatoes (no need to peel) and boil 8-10 minutes in lightly salted water until fork tender
2. Meanwhile, whisk together oil, vinegar, broth, mustard & juice of one lemon. Add salt to taste.
3. Mince the fresh herbs and green onions.
4. Drain potatoes and toss with vinaigrette.
5. Tip: If you are serving this potato salad later, set aside your herbs and onions until less than an hour before serving--this way they will look green and crisp and not like bits of overcooked spinach.
6. Toss potatoes with herbs and onions & vinaigrette again. Add salt to taste and serve immediately.

Italian Shepherd's Pie

This recipe is from a new cookbook I got and has been a big hit -- easy to make and it is very fun to serve in little individual casserole dishes (these are ones that Kath gave me). I think I am using a little more meat and you can decide if you really want to make it into less than six servings. And, the tomato paste in a tube rather than opening a can helps.

Italian Shepherd’s Pie

PREP: 30 MINUTES BAKE: 25 MINUTES STAND: 15 MINUTES OVEN: 375°F

¾ cup shredded pizza cheese or Italian cheese blend (3 ounces)

2 cups mashed potatoes or refrigerated mashed potatoes -- it takes about a lb of potatoes if you make them yourself

8 ounces lean ground beef

4 ounces bulk sweet Italian sausage

½ cup chopped onion 2 cups sliced zucchini or yellow summer squash

1 14 ½ -ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

½ of a 6-ounce can (1/3 cup) tomato paste

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Paprika (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Stir 1/2 cup cheese into potatoes; set mixture aside.
2. In a large skillet combine ground beef, sausage, and onion; cook until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir zucchini, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, and pepper into meat mixture in skillet. Bring to boiling.
3. Divide meat mixture among six 10-ounce individual casserole dishes or ramekins. Spoon mashed potato mixture into mounds on top of hot meat mixture in dishes. Sprinkle with remaining quarter cup cheese. If desired, sprinkle with paprika.
4. Place dishes in a l5 x 10 x l-inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Source: diabetic LIVING Cookbook

Grilled Pork Chops with Savory Butter and Hasselback Potatoes

I was craving pork chops likely because someone at work mentioned them in the morning. I really am trying to use our new grill as much as I can so that I really get to know it as an old friend. So, I scoured the internet as I finished up my last couple of things and found a recipe on The Other White Meat website. I decided on a whim to try out the hasselback potatoes I read about so long ago and dinner was born. I actually did buy some green vegetables but, in the heat of the moment, forgot to make them.

The potatoes weren't right, I guess they didn't cook long enough. I used a recipe that someone had converted so I suppose I could have just searched a little more and found something better. I think these potatoes needed about 20 minutes more in the oven to be crisp on the top and cooked in the middle--but the thought was there.

The savory butter made the pork chops taste absolutely fantastic. It melted into the meat and gave depth to the flavor. The meat cooked perfectly also, and the best part? One pork chop with the butter is only 250 calories! I will use this butter recipe again for other grilled meats!

Hasselback potatoes are supposed to be crisp on top and soft on the inside. I used these gigantic russet potatoes and that could have easily been the problem. I saw this recipe after and wish I had gone with it instead.

Pork Chops with Savory Butter
Ingredients
2 pork loin bone in pork chops
1 meat thermometer
1/2 stick butter
1 T steak sauce such as A1
1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t Lawry's seasoning salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
dash hot sauce
salt
pepper

Directions
1. Heat grill to medium-hot heat. Salt and pepper pork chops (not too much salt because the butter is salty--you could probably skip the salt).
2. When the grill is perfect, place the pork chops on the grill and cook 12-15 minutes, flipping once, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees
3. Meanwhile, soften the butter. Mix together in a small bowl all the other ingredients and the butter. Set aside.
4. Serve pork chops with the savory butter on top while hot, the butter melts in and gives the meat the flavor.