HEART-SHAPED FONDANT POTATOES

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Valentine’s Day is coming up, so if you are cooking at home, this would be a perfect side dish… A little bit tricky to get the timing of everything right the first time, but we absolutely loved this recipe.

HEART-SHAPED FONDANT POTATOES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

Medium-large Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 quart warm water
4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
sprigs of rosemary and thyme

1 heart shaped cookie cutter, preferably metal

Cut the potatoes in slices as thick as your cookie cutter. Use the cookie cutter to get heart shapes, as many as you want and will fit an oven-safe skillet in one single layer. Place the slices of potato in a bowl with the warm water and salt for 2 to 6 hours.

Remove the potatoes from the brine, dry them well. Heat the olive oil in a skillet, when really hot, add the slices of potato and let the first side brown well. Season with a little pepper, you might want to skip the salt due to the brining. Brown the first side for about 4 minutes. Flip the slices over, add the butter, once it melts, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the chicken stock, to about half the height of the potatoes. Add the rosemary and thyme.

Cover the pan and transfer to a 400F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the sprigs of herbs, and spoon some of the cooking liquid over the potatoes. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Fondant potatoes are a classic, but as you might imagine, I had to reduce a little bit the amount of butter. It did not compromise the taste, they were melt-in-your-mouth tender and super flavorful. In the classic version, cubes of potatoes much larger are used, and the cooking time is longer. It is al little tricky to make it work with thinner slices, but worth the trouble. Leftovers, in case you are wondering were spectacular still two days later. We enjoyed them with beef tenderloin and asparagus. Ate like Royalty. Not surprising, since a Prince lives with us…

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16Jan2024

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE TIMES FOUR

Posted in Air-Frying, Appetizers, Incredibly simple, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

It’s been quite a long time since I shared recipes that are so easy, it’s hard to call them as such. Come to think of it, my most recent post in this series was from May last year (check it out here). So, without further ado, let’s get this ball rolling!

APPLE-PROSCIUTTO APPETIZER

Get some apples, cut them in wedges, any thickness you like. Sit the slices over a couple of crisp Romaine lettuce leaves cut the same size as the apples. Place a slice of cheese on the other side, roll it all together with prosciutto. Sit on a serving plate and drizzle balsamic vinegar reduction (store-bought is totally fine).

AIR-FRIED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Use small sprouts, if you can find them. Cut them in half. Place them in a bowl with very hot water for 10 minutes. Drain. Coat them lightly with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Air-fry at the highest temperature your fryer goes, until golden brown. Probably 15 to 20 minutes. Shake them around every once in a while. I drizzled a little balsamic reduction when I served them. Love that ingredient so much… If you don’t have an air-fryer, simply use your oven at 420F.

YUKON GOLD ROAST POTATOES

Cut each potato in half. Place them in cold salted water and boil gently for 12 minutes. Drain. Drizzle olive oil over a baking sheet that can hold them in one single layer, covered with aluminum foil (non-stick foil works great). Place them cut side down, season lightly with salt and herbes de Provence. Roast them at 420F without moving them for 20 minutes, then flip them around and roast for 5 to 10 minutes more.

ZA’ATAR AIR-FRIED EGGPLANT

I don’t bother salting eggplant anymore, but you can if you prefer. Cut the eggplant in half, score it with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern to expose the flesh. Mix a little olive oil with lemon juice, salt and za’atar. Brush all over the surface, then air-fry at 385F for 25 minutes, until the flesh is cooked, test with a fork.

I hope you enjoyed this small collection of super easy recipes. The apple appetizer is really delicious, I was inspired by a recent show from Molly Yeh (Girl Meets Farm) to make them. Normally I am not too fond of prosciutto without cooking it (like on pizza), but in that recipe it worked nicely with the apples providing nice texture.

ONE YEAR AGO: Zucchini-Prosciuto Parcels

TWO YEARS AGO: Double Peanut Sourdough Loaf

THREE YEARS AGO: Fennel-Rubbed Shrimp in Light Coconut Sauce

FOUR YEARS AGO: Puff Bread Balls, Two Salads and a Cookbook Review

FIVE YEARS AGO: Pistachio-Caramel and Apple Mousse Cakes

SIX YEARS AGO: La Couronne Bordelaise

SEVEN YEARS AGO: A Special Birthday Dinner

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Duck Confit for a Special Occasion

NINE YEARS AGO: Tuscan Grilled Chicken and Sausage Skewers

TEN YEARS AGO: Celebrate Wednesday with Pork Tenderloin & Apples

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Salmon Wellington

TWELVE YEARS AGO: The Green Chip Alternative

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Weekend Pita Project

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Let it snow, let it snow, eggs in snow

20Nov2012

500 POSTS AND THE BEST THING I EVER MADE

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

Yes, folks, this is my post number 500! Five hundred times that I’ve hit the PUBLISH key, and sent my words and images into the blogosphere! I wanted this post to be special, but at the same time I had to go with life’s flow, which lately has not allowed me to indulge into fancy cooking. But one cannot go wrong with a recipe described as “The best thing I ever made”. If you are familiar with the FoodTV, you may know they have a show with that exact title, and it’s actually pretty interesting: chefs describe their favorite recipe in a particular category. This was Alton Brown’s best take on chicken. Chicken thighs are de-boned, and roasted with an olive stuffing under the skin, and a smoked paprika rub. They cook over thin slices of Yukon gold potatoes. I could have those potatoes on a daily basis. For breakfast. For lunch. For dinner. For a late night snack. Oh, yes, the chicken was awesome too! 😉

SMOKED PAPRIKA CHICKEN THIGHS WITH POTATO AND ONION
(from Alton Brown’s Best Thing I ever Made)

6 ounces pimento stuffed green olives, chopped
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, grated
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 + 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled
1 medium yellow onion, cut in small pieces

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the olives, lemon zest and garlic in a small bowl, and set aside. Mix the smoked paprika, olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and pepper into a paste in a large bowl.

De-bone the chicken thighs using a pair of kitchen shears: make a cut down the length of the bone to expose it, then cut the meat away from the bone. Discard the bone. Add the boned chicken thighs to the paste and massage well to coat. Let it sit for half an hour or so.

Thinly slice the potatoes on a mandoline, about 1/4-inch thick. Arrange the potato slices and onion pieces in an even layer on a foil-lined half sheet pan and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt.

Stuff about 2 tablespoons of the olive mixture under the skin of each chicken thigh. Arrange the chicken thighs, skin-side up, on a cooling rack and set the rack over the potatoes and onion in the half sheet pan. Bake until the skin is crispy and the potatoes are tender, 55 to 60 minutes. If you prefer the potatoes crispy, remove the rack with the chicken and return to the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The only tricky part of this recipe was de-boning the chicken thighs, but it’s not that hard. I normally cook chicken thighs on the bone, but there’s something special about cutting through those pieces of meat, all juicy with the stuffing, without having to work around the bone. It is a technique that could be applied to other types of stuffing. The liquid that drips during roasting infuses the potatoes with incredibly rich flavor.

In typical Sally fashion, onion and garlic were omitted, but I gave you the recipe the exact way Alton made it in the show. I never thought very highly about pimento-stuffed olives, but they are simply perfect in this dish. Alton Brown had a moment of inspiration when he conceived this recipe, everything works together extremely well. Since it’s a reasonably heavy dish, you won’t need anything else to round the meal.

Five hundred posts published and no special celebration? Well, stay tuned, my friends. A special milestone is waiting around the corner, and for that one I’ll have a little giveaway to my readers! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Back in Los Angeles

TWO YEARS AGO: White House Macaroni and Cheese

THREE YEARS AGO: Korean-Style Pork with Asian Slaw