Boiled, Baked and Fried

I'm a little obsessed with potatoes right now. It's been a long winter in New England and indulging in comfort food has kind of taken over. My last post, Twice Baked and Loaded inspired this decadent, yummy potato casserole and the fried potato pancakes that came soon after. Get ready for some good eating. Yes this is a rich side dish, and as a matter of fact it's one of the most decadent concoctions I've ever put together. But it's a side dish, so you don't have to eat it all in one sitting (you'll want to save some for the Bonus Fried Tater Cakes), and it does have it's redeeming qualities- like it's loaded with veggies (artichokes and spinach), slow roasted garlic and of course lots of love. Ready? Let's cook.

Artichoke and Spinach Dip Potato Casserole
Serves 6-8

Roasted Garlic 1 small head of garlic
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

The Dip
8 oz Neufchatel cheese (lower fat cream cheese) softened to room temp
1/3 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup reduced fat shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup lite sour cream
1/3 cup lite mayonnaise
5 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed or defrosted in the microwave, then squeezed dry to remove any liquid
1 medium-large can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 head of roasted garlic
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp hot sauce

The Taters
5-6 Yukon Gold potatoes (medium sized) cut into 1 inch pieces
2-3 T unsalted butter
1/4 cup 1/2 and 1/2
salt and pepper

To roast the garlic: Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Place a baking sheet in the oven as it pre heats. Remove some of the outer layers of the garlic skin if they are plentiful. Cut the top off the head of the garlic and place on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Seal the foil and place on pre-heated baking sheet. Roast 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and squeeze the roasted pulp into your mixing bowl (discarding the skin) with the Neufchatel. We're going to put the dip together.

 

To roasted garlic and Neufchatel, combine the rest of the dip ingredients.

While you're making the dip, get the potatoes started. Put diced potatoes into a medium size saucepan, cover with salted cold water and bring to a boil on stovetop. Cook about 20 minutes until fork tender. Remove from heat, drain water, and let taters dry a bit in the hot pot they've cooked in. Time to give these babies some love. Add your butter and Half and Half to the potatoes and lovingly give them the mash of their lives. If I had a ricer, this would be when I would grab it- it's the perfect utensil for the creamiest mashed potatoes. But my old fashioned potato masher did almost as well.

 

That is one pot of creamy goodness. Take a taste, add a bit more salt and pepper if you think it needs the additional seasoning. I added a tad more salt. Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees and spritz your baking dish with a veggie oil spray. In medium sized mixing bowl combine the mashed potatoes with the dip. Take another taste. I think you should be very pleased. If you're feeling extra decadent, sprinkle a little more Parm on top of the casserole, you know I did.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes and serve.

If, and I stress if, you have any leftovers, you're going to want to try these tater pancakes inspired by Sarah Moulton, one of my favorite cooks ever. I only had enough left over to make 3 pancakes (well.... I did make them rather large and could have gotten maybe 5 or 6). I followed her recipe to the letter, and yes, you do have to cook them at least 15 minutes per side on medium low. Fabulous recipe, and a fulfilling experiment for me.

Happy Spring! And now that the weather is changing, let's bring on the salads, I'm ready!

Twice Baked and Loaded

I've been craving that ever-so-famous, ooey, gooey spinach artichoke dip lately and decided to combine it with some lovely looking Russet potatoes I have also been craving. This was an experiment because I wasn't sure the two would work well together, and (confession here) I've never made a twice baked potato. So join me while I take you on my Sunday afternoon cooking adventure.

Roasted Garlic, Spinach, and Artichoke Twice Baked Potatoes
serves 4 (1/2 stuffed potato per person)

2 medium to large Russet potatoes scrubbed
3 T butter
2-3 T half and half
pinch or two of kosher salt

Roasted Garlic
1 small head of garlic
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper


The Dip
4 oz neufchatel cheese (lower fat cream cheese) softened to room temp
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup reduced fat shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup lite sour cream
1/4 cup lite mayonnaise
1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach thawed or defrosted in the microwave, then squeezed dry to remove any liquid
4 whole artichoke hearts (from a can), drained and chopped
1 head of roasted garlic
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp hot sauce

To roast the garlic: Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Place a baking sheet in the oven as it pre heats. Remove some of the outer layers of the garlic skin if they are plentiful. Cut the top off the head of the garlic and place on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Seal the foil and place on pre-heated baking sheet. Roast 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and squeeze the roasted pulp into your mixing bowl (discard the skin).

While garlic is cooling, bake your scrubbed potatoes in the already preheated 400 degree oven for 1 hour. Before baking, I poke my potatoes with a fork to allow steam to escape, although I'm not sure if that is necessary. While potatoes are cooking, make the dip, and that's a pretty simple task. Combine all ingredients with a flexible spatula, taste and see if you need more hot sauce. I stuck with the 1 teaspoon, but was debating whether or not I wanted to add some chopped water chestnuts to the mix for a nice crunch, but opted against that as well.

Remove potatoes from oven and when they are cool enough to handle, slice them in half and carefully hollow out the pulp and place in small mixing bowl. I wasn't as careful as I should have been and ripped one. Lesson here: Next time I will make at least one extra potato. Also, leave about 1/4 inch of potato clinging to the skin. It makes for a sturdier package. Oh, now is a good time to set your oven to 350 degrees, getting ready for the second bake.

In mixing bowl add 3 T softened butter and 2 or 3 T half and half to the potato pulp. I added a pinch of salt as well, just because potatoes love to be salted.

I tried to get my mixture as smooth and silky as possible. Now take your artichoke dip and add it to the luxurious potatoes.

Combine well and fill your potato canoes. Top with a little extra mozzarella cheese and bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Don't you just want to dig into this little bit of decadence? I went right for the middle one with the slightly browned cheese on top.

Crash Hot Potatoes Slightly Re-Mixed

I've been changing up The Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potato recipe and decided it needed some bacon. Here's my version of her side dish (I made it for two) that would be great with a steak and a welcome change from your standard baked potato. It's so simple and has wonderful textural things going on- like soft and creamy, and lots of crunchy. And the flavor is buttery and rich. Make either version of these Crash Potatoes, you won't be disappointed.

Crash Hot Potatoes Slightly Re-Mixed
serves 2

2 medium size Yukon Gold potatoes
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
2-3 T canola oil
kosher salt
black pepper
sour cream
2-3 strips of cooked bacon crumbled

In medium size pot add your potatoes and cover with water. Cook about 30 minutes until they are fork tender.

Drain in colander and to warm pot that you cooked the potatoes in, add 1T of butter and 1T olive oil. Put pot back on stovetop and heat about 1 minute or less until butter is melted.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, place them on a well oiled baking pan. I used a few tablespoons of canola oil. With a potato masher, smash these taters. I gave each a good smash, then rotated them 90 degrees. This gives them the ability to get crunchy in the oven. Which reminds me, pre heat your oven to 450 degrees sometime before the simmering potatoes are done on the stovetop. Once smashed, drizzle or brush with the melted butter/olive oil mixture (I use my barbecue brush) . Now sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and black pepper.

Bake for 25 minutes. Or until you just can't wait anymore. But I do recommend that you give them time to become crusty and crisp in places.

I am a loaded potato lover, so I garnished with crumbled bacon and sour cream. Well how could I not add sour cream? And if I had some chives, they would have gone on too.

I'm thinking these taters would be great with some salsa, black beans and jalapeno peppers for a Tex-Mex twist. Or a topping of chili if you really want to take it to the Tex-Mex max. I'm also thinking about a nice melty cheese sauce. The possibilities are endless.  

Tater Salad Fake Out

Is anybody besides me ready for a barbecue and some time outdoors? I'm just about losing my mind with the snow, rain and cold this year. When I get my first invitation this spring to an outdoor event, I know what I'm bringing... my newest potato salad recipe.  It's low carb and delish. And nobody, and I mean nobody will realize the fake-out unless you tell them. But I'm happy to tell you- it's 1/3 potatoes and 2/3 cauliflower. And the dressing is out-of-this-world good. The Brown Eyed Baker gets the credit for this dressing for sure. There's something magical that happens when you add a bit of bacon fat to your mayo mixture. Double, triple or quadruple this recipe when you're sharing with others. Otherwise this will serve 4.

Cauliflower Potato Salad

2 cups  cauliflower florets chopped
1 cup potatoes diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 hard boiled eggs chopped
1 stalk celery finely chopped
1 T onion finely chopped
5 slices bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup mayo (I use the low fat)
1 to 1-1/2 T (or a little more) bacon fat
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp capers

Cook potatoes on stovetop for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, let cool and set aside. While the potatoes are cooking, microwave the cauliflower florets for 3 minutes. When they are done, set them aside and let them cool as well. On medium heat, fry your bacon. Doesn't this look good?

When bacon is browned, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Pour bacon fat from pan and reserve about 1-2 tablespoons. You'll be using this in your dressing. I actually made my dressing in the pan that I cooked the bacon in. To bacon drippings add your mayo, mustard, sugar, salt, chopped celery, and onions. Whisk to combine.

I think we're ready to put this dish together. In large mixing bowl combine your eggs, potatoes, cauliflower and bacon.

Now add the heavenly dressing and as many capers as you like. I opted for about 2 teaspoons. I give you permission to add more (note- Brown Eyed Baker didn't use capers but used a pickle relish I think).

I ate this immediately, but if you're making it ahead, refrigerate and if the dressing seems a little tight- just add a teaspoon or two of vinegar to loosen it up. I know that will work for sure.

Hurry up Spring- Can't wait to make this dish for my friends!

O'Dalton's Holiday Cooking

I love a nice holiday meal. It doesn't matter if I celebrate the holiday per se, I just like to enjoy the foods that others eat to commemorate their special gatherings. I got this holiday/food sharing bug from my mom Elaine. She cooked a roast for Christmas, Lamb for Easter and of course we ordered take-in for Chinese New Year. And there was no one Irish in our family, but I could always come home to a corned beef and cabbage dinner for St Patty's day. In honor of my mom's festive spirit, I made corned beef with all the fixin' today and Fran (my gardener friend) and I will indulge tomorrow. It's very simple to put together and surprisingly budget friendly.

Linda O'Dalton's New England Boiled Dinner
Inspired by Elaine Dalton with a little help from Fannie Farmer

3 pounds flat cut corned beef brisket
3 onions peeled and quartered
3 Russet potatoes halved
6-7 carrots cleaned and halved
1 medium head green cabbage quartered and cored
2 dried bay leaves

Remove your brisket from the package and cut off some of the excess fat that you'll find on one side.

I did the best I could. Maybe you'll do better than me, but it seems that the small amount of fat I removed did the trick. There was very little scum in the pot when I started cooking. In large pot place your brisket and cover with at least a few extra inches of cold water. Bring water to a boil and lower heat to a gentle simmer. In the first 10 minutes of cooking, you will notice that some impurities release themselves from the meat and you need to skim them off (that's the scum I was just referring to). I used a slotted spoon. Now add 2 dried bay leaves, cover pot and lower heat a bit more so that your meat is just barely simmering. Set your timer for 1-1/2 hours and prep your vegetables. I keep my peeled carrots and potatoes in cold water. The onions I just let sit out. The cabbage I get to at the last minute.

After an hour and a half, add your onions. In my version, the onions are more for flavor and not really served as a vegetable. Cook an addtional 1/2 hour and add your potatoes. After 15 minutes of the potatoes cooking, add your carrots and cook 30 minutes more. By now your kitchen is smelling heavenly. We're almost there. Remove your brisket, potatoes and carrots and set aside.

 

 

To your pot of flavored broth, add the quartered cabbage and cook about 10-15 minutes. Remove and get ready to plate this O'happy meal. The cabbage is cooked to perfection, the meat has settled a bit and you're ready to do some surgery.

Slice your brisket against the grain. It's the only way to serve this piece of meat. It makes it very presentable and easy to eat. See that little stash of end pieces in the upper left corner of the picture? That's what I like to nibble on while I'm cutting the meat. It's Oh so yummy, so remember to treat yourself.

Transfer sliced meat and veggies to a large platter and serve with horseradish sour cream sauce. It's a great compliment to both veg and meat.

I have a raisin beer bread in the oven now and if it's a winner, I'll post the recipe tomorrow.

Mexican Chicken Soup

I'm loving my internet cooking friends. Their recipes are tried and true and they are sure helping me out these days. I'm getting ready for the World Food Championships which is less than three weeks away and there is hardly any time to make dinner. But a gal's got to eat something other than desserts, right? So last night I made Laura Lynn Lopez's Mexican Chicken Soup and wowzer! is this a great recipe. She makes hers in a crock pot, but I put this together on my stove top in about 35 minutes. Here's the recipe with a few of my additions (and omissions):

Mexican Chicken Soup
Inspired by Laura Lynn Lopez
Serves about 6

2 Idaho potatoes peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2-1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie from my market)
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
1 can Campbells cream of potato soup
1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
1 4 oz can diced green chiles undrained
2 T minced fresh cilantro
1 package taco seasoning mix (I used Old El Paso Hot and Spicy)
3 cups chicken broth
8 oz sour cream (I omitted this ingredient but if I had some on hand I would have certainly used it)
4 oz jalapeno pepper Velveeta cheese cubed (I used the 2% plain because that's what was in my fridge)

Directions:
Cook diced potatoes for about 12 minutes on stove, starting potatoes in cold water. Drain and set aside. In large soup pot combine chicken, corn, both canned soups, chicken broth, cilantro, cooked potatoes and taco seasoning. Stir until heated and smooth. Now cook on low for about 10 minutes. Add your cheese and serve. Delish!

I just reheated this tonight and added some chopped bacon and home made corn chips as a garnish.
Thank you Laura, I love your recipes.  

Sliced, Baked and Loaded Potato Appeteasers

 

My friend Julianne posted a picture from Eagle Butte's web site on facebook and I fell in love with the idea. I saw the pic, read the simple instructions and these little darlings were made in under 45 minutes. I've been a bit under the weather lately and am just doing the daily necessities, like going to work and coming home, so I really don't have a lot of food in the house. But I had everything I needed to make these little bites of heaven. I'm hoping they're just the thing to get me feeling better and up and about tomorrow.

Loaded, Sliced, Baked Potatoes
With this method, anything goes- I believe you could spice it up Italian, Mexican, American, Greek, Indian- just give your favorite a try

1 medium Russett potato sliced 1/4 inch
coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 slices cooked bacon crumbled
1-2 scallions chopped
shredded cheese- I used low fat Mexican 4 cheese blend
cooking spray
Garnish with salsa and low fat sour cream and cilantro would be nice (didn't have that though)

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spritz with cooking spray. Lay potato slices on foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake 15 minutes and turn over. Bake another 15 and you're almost done.

To the cooked potato slices add chopped bacon, scallions and shredded cheese.

Bake another 5 minutes and remove from the oven.

They look delish now, but I think a garnish or two is in order. Add a dollop of salsa and sour cream and dig in.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

And as I said earlier, don't stop with this recipe. How about a bit of chili and cheese on top and a slice of pickled jalapeno ? Or what about pesto, or pizza sauce and cheese? I think the potato is open to any flavor ideas you have in mind. Have fun, and let me know if you have some great combos to share. Thanks Julianne!

Potato Soup

As I do every new year, I cut out the carbs for a few weeks then go back to eating properly. So my first treat to myself this February was a simple potato cheese soup. I've never even made potato soup before but figured, how hard could it be? Answer... simple simple, quick, and yummy to boot.  Here's the recipe:

Simple Potato Cheese Soup
will feed 3 or 4

4 slices of turkey bacon- I would have used real bacon, but the turkey was half the price
1 tsp canola oil
1 medium onion diced
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
2 Russet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 can 14.5 oz chicken broth - I use the no fat, low sodium
1 can 14.5 oz water
8 oz low fat Velveeta cheese chopped in 1/2 inch pieces- I think any other cheese of your choice would work, I just love the meltability of Velveeta
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
Toasted bread

This is so simple, so get ready to cook and eat shortly afterwards. Really, it's that fast. Brown bacon in fry pan until crisp. Chop into bite size pieces.

With whatever fat is left in the pan, saute onions and Old Bay. I must say, I was disappointed in how little fat my bacon gave off and had to add a bit of canola.

Now it's time to cook the potatoes. In small to medium pot simmer potatoes for about 15 minutes. They should be cut small enough so they don't need a lot of cooking time.

Drain potatoes (I didn't even rinse mine), set aside and get ready to make the soup. In large to medium soup pot add stock, water and onions. Now add potatoes and bring to simmer. Add cheese, half the chopped bacon, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted and soup is hot. Dinner's ready. Serve with toasted bread and remaining bacon. Yummmm. This was so quick and satisfying. I think you'll enjoy.

Re-mix- Add a small can of evaporated milk to soup for an even creamier texture. And I'm even thinking a can of corn would be a nice addition.

Stuffed

I've had quite a summer stuffing egg roll wrappers, and this weekend I definately hit the jackpot with two new recipes- one inspired by my cooking muse Lynn Socko and the other- well it just seemed to be a nostalgic way to use up the perishable wrappers and some sorry looking potatoes in my pantry. So in this post we have two recipes and I'm really happy to share them. Here's recipe #1:

Baked Portabello and Ricotta Roll-Ups
Inspired by Lynn Socko

5 egg roll wrappers
10 slices (1/4 inch) Portabella Mushrooms
Tomato/meat sauce- store bought or home made
8 oz part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2/3 cup grated part skim mozzarella cheese divided

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. In medium size bowl mix ricotta cheese, egg, basil, pepper flakes, parmesan and 1/3 cup mozarella cheese.  Set aside. In 9 x 13 inch pan spread tomato/meat sauce on the bottom. Set aside and get ready to rock and roll. Normally I roll my egg roll wrappers on the diagonal, but for this recipe I cut the wrappers in half and rolled them just like you would for canneloni and left the sides open. Place each of 5 split egg roll wrappers on work surface, add a T of ricotta mixture and a mushroom slice.

Top with a sprinkling of mozzarella, make your roll ups and place in baking dish.

Cover with remaining tomato sauce, top with a bit more mozzarella cheese and bake 35 minutes uncovered in pre heated oven. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and serve 2 or 3 roll ups as a main course with your favorite garlic bread and a green salad. You won't be disappointed.

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If you're not familiar with this blog, you probably don't know that I'm a New York gal, born and bred. And the local deli has always played a major part in my food memories. My grandpa Abe used to drive from Brooklyn, whisk me up on Sunday mornings (from the time I was 4 years old) and we'd go get bagels, lox, smoked whitefish and potato knishes for my family for breakfast. We'd set the table and get ready for a feast that would last until we were ready for nap time. It's a memory that keeps showing up in my recent thoughts.

Anyway, it has been so long since I've had a knish (pronounced kanish) that I decided that I'd make a version of this traditional deli treat using my left over egg roll wrappers. So here's recipe #2:

Egg Roll Potato Knishes
not an authenic knish recipe

4 medium size Russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 small onions finely chopped
2 tsp butter
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Additional salt if necessary
Generous grind of fresh black pepper
1 large egg
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 large egg plus 1 T water to make an egg wash

Cook potatoes on stove top until soft, about 20 minutes. When the potatoes are done, pour into colander and then place back in the hot pot to let any liquid evaporate. 

While potatoes are cooking, sweat onions in butter and oil on low for 10 minutes. I cover the pan. When onions have softened, raise heat a bit and let them brown slightly uncovered.  Add onions to cooked potatoes and mash to a fine consistancy. Add seasonings, cheese and  the egg. (the egg helps the mixture bind together). Now you're ready to roll up the knishes. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees and prepare your egg wash using 1 egg and a splash of water.

I rolled these babies up just like you would an egg roll. Place 2 T of potato mixture on egg roll wrapper.



 

Roll bottom of wrapper over potato mixture, fold the sides over the top, brush edges with egg wash to help seal and complete your roll.

 

 

Brush top with egg wash. This will help the knish brown. Bake in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Turn over and bake another 15 minutes. Don't these look toasty and good? The combination of the crispy egg rolls and the creaminess of the mashed potato filling was to me, comfort food at its best. 

 

 

They were definately yummy, but I must admit that my tastes have changed since I was a child, and I would have liked to have added some roasted peppers or even some ground spicy sausage or bacon. But for today, this was a blast from the past. And what an easy recipe! Next time I'll be a little more daring. It could be real soon, since I STILL have more egg roll wrappers, potatoes, bacon and cheese on hand. Here's the finished product, served with a yellow mustard and sour cream sauce.