Showing posts with label potatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potatoes. Show all posts
A Special Saturday Lunch
12/18/10: Breaded Pork Cutlets with Harvard Beets and Mashed Potatoes
Meal details: Last Saturday I pulled together a nice menu for lunch. It included pork cutlets breaded with simple bread crumbs and egg, beets braised in beet juice, sugar, and vinegar, and home-style mashed potatoes.
Defining moments: I have never made pork cutlets before nor Harvard Beets. Entirely new to me!
Recipe sources: I had no printed recipe for the pork cutlets, I was actually told how to do these by Annemarie. She loves pork cutlets and is really the reason behind me choosing cutlets for Saturday! So I can better remember how to make them later, I will write the recipe down here.
Annemarie's Breaded Pork Cutlets
Ingredients:
- 8 pork cutlets
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups canola oil
- 3 cups plain bread crumbs (I used the Panko variety, but Annemarie typically uses the finer type)
- 6 eggs, beaten with a fork
- 2 teaspoons salt
Directions:
Fill a large, deep skillet with 1/4" to 1/2" of oil and start heating oil on medium-low heat. Place bread crumbs and eggs in separate pie plates. Take a single pork cutlet and dredge it in the crumbs, dip it in the beaten egg, then return it to the crumbs. Make sure the cutlet has a good coating.
Check to see if the oil is at the right temperature by sprinkling some bread crumbs into the oil. If it starts to crackle and pop, the oil is ready. If it spurts up at you, it is probably too hot. Gingerly slide the cutlet into the oil, taking care not to spatter. Allow first side to brown, then flip. When second side is brown, remove cutlets to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels. Total cooking time is between 15 and 20 minutes. Do second batch, if necessary. To keep the pork cutlets warm, cover them with aluminum foil and place in a warm (200 F) oven.
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The Harvard Beets recipe comes from allrecipes.com. Find it here. Our mashed potato recipe--a staple in my house--is very straightforward. Here is the simple recipe that we use:
Simple Mashed Potatoes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
3 pounds potatoes (about one cookie sheet worth)
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons salt
Directions:
Wash potatoes and cut them into halves. We leave the skins on, we love the flavor and texture that they add. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with 1" of water. Heat to boiling and boil until potatoes are fork tender. For us, it usually takes fifteen minutes to reach boiling point and thirty minutes to cook.
Once fork tender, drain potatoes in colander and return to pot. Mash with potato masher or use an electric, handheld blender. Stir in butter and salt.
What I learned: I am very glad to have chosen these three dishes for Saturday because I have never made them before (in the case of the cutlets and beets), or haven't made them much (speaking of the potatoes). The cutlet recipe is truly remarkable, I think, because there are no fancy ingredients evident at all. All simple, pantry staples: bread crumbs, eggs, and salt. And it isn't that hard to execute, either. May be a bit difficult the first time when coating the cutlets, but you quickly get the hang of things. And, as you will find out later in this post, the results are perhaps the true remarkable facet of this recipe!
I like the beet recipe a lot, too. Very accessible ingredients: beets, beet juice, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch.
Since we still had some beets from our past farming season, I used them for this recipe. I boiled them until they were fork tender and I kept some of the boiling liquid (beet juice) to use for the sauce. By adding cornstarch to the beet juice, I was able to make it thick and smooth.
Any modifications? No.
How did it taste? Everyone loved the pork cutlets, they were tender, crispy, and flavorful. The mashed potatoes--a tried and true side dish--was superb once again. The beets were OK. They weren't as tender as I wanted them to be; they still had a bite to them. Now, I'm not totally sure what this was caused by. Perhaps I didn't boil them long enough? Or maybe they are past their "expiration" date? I'm not sure.
How about a 2nd time? Yes.
Take it 'Without' a Grain of Salt
6/20/10: Grilled Hot Dogs with Foil Packed Potatoes and Beets. Accompanied with Marshmallows on a Stick. ;)
Meal details: For this Sunday we started up the grill for the first time this year and grilled hot dogs, potatoes, beets, and of course, marshmallows.
Defining moments: This is a pretty standard outdoor menu (see my previous post for evidence), so nothing new for me this week!
Recipe sources: No recipe is needed this time. But for those who are wondering what I do to prepare the beets, here are some quick directions for you. Let me point out that I do the beets a couple ways.
Quick Grilled Beets
Remove leaves from beets and clean under running water. Peel and slice beets into quarters; if your beets are on the smaller side, keep them whole. Place beets in pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to boil and boil for ten minutes. Drain into colander and transfer to a long sheet of aluminum foil. Wrap into small packages and seal securely. Don't make packages too large, you need to maneuver them easily when grilling! With tongs, move packages to prepared grill and place over indirect heat. Grill for 10-20 minutes, or until fork tender.
Smokey Grilled Beets (direct approach)
This method gives more of a char flavor to the beets because of the sear that is gained from exposing them to direct heat.
Remove leaves from beets and clean under running water. Peel beets and keep whole. With tongs, place beets on grill over indirect heat. Grill for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Move beets to direct heat and grill for 10 minutes more.
What I learned: I learned a few tips this week. To start, the grill takes about 30 minutes to get up to temperature, the potatoes take an hour and a half to cook, it is a much better idea to baste the hot dogs with BBQ sauce during the last few minutes than ahead of time, I should have used Pam for Grilling, and. . . I think that's it. :D
Any modifications? None at all.
How did it taste? With all those fresh veggies and charred hot dogs, how can you not say, "Wonderful"? Everything was so flavorful that I begin to wonder how food, with no seasoning such as salt, can taste soooo good.
How about a 2nd time? As we dive deeper into the farming season, I'm not sure if we can heat up the grill again any time soon. We have to see.
Meal details: For this Sunday we started up the grill for the first time this year and grilled hot dogs, potatoes, beets, and of course, marshmallows.
Defining moments: This is a pretty standard outdoor menu (see my previous post for evidence), so nothing new for me this week!
Recipe sources: No recipe is needed this time. But for those who are wondering what I do to prepare the beets, here are some quick directions for you. Let me point out that I do the beets a couple ways.
Quick Grilled Beets
Remove leaves from beets and clean under running water. Peel and slice beets into quarters; if your beets are on the smaller side, keep them whole. Place beets in pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to boil and boil for ten minutes. Drain into colander and transfer to a long sheet of aluminum foil. Wrap into small packages and seal securely. Don't make packages too large, you need to maneuver them easily when grilling! With tongs, move packages to prepared grill and place over indirect heat. Grill for 10-20 minutes, or until fork tender.
Smokey Grilled Beets (direct approach)
This method gives more of a char flavor to the beets because of the sear that is gained from exposing them to direct heat.
Remove leaves from beets and clean under running water. Peel beets and keep whole. With tongs, place beets on grill over indirect heat. Grill for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Move beets to direct heat and grill for 10 minutes more.
What I learned: I learned a few tips this week. To start, the grill takes about 30 minutes to get up to temperature, the potatoes take an hour and a half to cook, it is a much better idea to baste the hot dogs with BBQ sauce during the last few minutes than ahead of time, I should have used Pam for Grilling, and. . . I think that's it. :D
Any modifications? None at all.
How did it taste? With all those fresh veggies and charred hot dogs, how can you not say, "Wonderful"? Everything was so flavorful that I begin to wonder how food, with no seasoning such as salt, can taste soooo good.
How about a 2nd time? As we dive deeper into the farming season, I'm not sure if we can heat up the grill again any time soon. We have to see.
Redoing Stew
1/24/10: Beef and Butternut Squash Stew with Fluffy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Meal details: For the main course I made a bright colored stew using round steak and butternut squash. And for a side, I made a special type of mashed potatoes using heavy cream and roasted garlic.
Defining moments: The first thing that pops into my mind is the cut of meat. My Papa, an old hand at choosing cuts of meat, chose a round steak for the stew. The steak was pretty darn big and it is probably the largest piece of meat I ever wielded. But I wielded it, and that is a good thing. Another significant part of this meal for me was the use of sun-dried tomatoes. I never used nor tasted them before. It's always very interesting to try out something new.
Recipe sources: The beef and butternut stew is a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, the host of Everyday Italian and Giada at Home, both which air on the Food Network Channel. The mashed potato recipe is a George Duran creation. George Duran is the host of Ham on the Street (a show that comes on Food Network sometimes, but I believe it has been canceled), and now is the new host of the Ultimate Cake Challenge on TLC. I chose these two recipes because I am part of the Food Network Chef Cooking Challenge that is being hosted by the I Blame My Mother blog. Learn more about this challenge here.
What I learned: I learned that my Papa has had bad results with stew beef before so I needed a different cut of meat. When he was at the store he chose a round steak which is a lean cut of meat that comes from the thigh of the cow. Since it is lean it needs to be stewed or cooked in some sort of liquid (braising will work here) for a long time to make the meat more tender. So as you can see this cut works will with this technique!
I didn't want to cut the whole piece of meat when it was raw (mainly because we don't have a large cutting board specifically for meat), so I roasted it for about 25 minutes in a 375F oven. I was then able to cut it into 1"cubes with no fuss or mess.
About the mashed potatoes. I learned from Annemarie that beating the potatoes with an electric beater for a few minutes really makes them fluffy, especially with this particular recipe since it has heavy whipping cream.
Any modifications? Yes, I made some to the stew recipe. I used round steak instead of stew beef and I cut them into 1"cubes instead of 2"(easier to chew). I also prepared the meat in a different way and I used one acorn squash instead of butternut.
How it tasted? I am very happy to say that the stew was enjoyed! Stew doesn't have a great reputation around here. The stew had a muted orange color--much different from your typical dark and gloomy broth--and the beef was tender and flavorful. The addition of squash, wine, and tomatoes was the key to making this stew great. The squash was soft and it soaked up all the goodness of the broth and the tomatoes were like little pockets of flavor.
The mashed potatoes was also very good. I kept on the skins so they weren't totally smooth (we like it that way), but the cream really made it fluffy. I roasted the garlic in the oven and added it to the potatoes but I didn't detect much garlic flavor. Roasted garlic is mellow so I'm guessing I needed to use more; maybe 3 heads for 2 times the recipe?
How about a 2nd time? Yes, I would do both recipes again.
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Meal details: For the main course I made a bright colored stew using round steak and butternut squash. And for a side, I made a special type of mashed potatoes using heavy cream and roasted garlic.
Defining moments: The first thing that pops into my mind is the cut of meat. My Papa, an old hand at choosing cuts of meat, chose a round steak for the stew. The steak was pretty darn big and it is probably the largest piece of meat I ever wielded. But I wielded it, and that is a good thing. Another significant part of this meal for me was the use of sun-dried tomatoes. I never used nor tasted them before. It's always very interesting to try out something new.
Recipe sources: The beef and butternut stew is a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, the host of Everyday Italian and Giada at Home, both which air on the Food Network Channel. The mashed potato recipe is a George Duran creation. George Duran is the host of Ham on the Street (a show that comes on Food Network sometimes, but I believe it has been canceled), and now is the new host of the Ultimate Cake Challenge on TLC. I chose these two recipes because I am part of the Food Network Chef Cooking Challenge that is being hosted by the I Blame My Mother blog. Learn more about this challenge here.
What I learned: I learned that my Papa has had bad results with stew beef before so I needed a different cut of meat. When he was at the store he chose a round steak which is a lean cut of meat that comes from the thigh of the cow. Since it is lean it needs to be stewed or cooked in some sort of liquid (braising will work here) for a long time to make the meat more tender. So as you can see this cut works will with this technique!
I didn't want to cut the whole piece of meat when it was raw (mainly because we don't have a large cutting board specifically for meat), so I roasted it for about 25 minutes in a 375F oven. I was then able to cut it into 1"cubes with no fuss or mess.
About the mashed potatoes. I learned from Annemarie that beating the potatoes with an electric beater for a few minutes really makes them fluffy, especially with this particular recipe since it has heavy whipping cream.
Any modifications? Yes, I made some to the stew recipe. I used round steak instead of stew beef and I cut them into 1"cubes instead of 2"(easier to chew). I also prepared the meat in a different way and I used one acorn squash instead of butternut.
How it tasted? I am very happy to say that the stew was enjoyed! Stew doesn't have a great reputation around here. The stew had a muted orange color--much different from your typical dark and gloomy broth--and the beef was tender and flavorful. The addition of squash, wine, and tomatoes was the key to making this stew great. The squash was soft and it soaked up all the goodness of the broth and the tomatoes were like little pockets of flavor.
The mashed potatoes was also very good. I kept on the skins so they weren't totally smooth (we like it that way), but the cream really made it fluffy. I roasted the garlic in the oven and added it to the potatoes but I didn't detect much garlic flavor. Roasted garlic is mellow so I'm guessing I needed to use more; maybe 3 heads for 2 times the recipe?
How about a 2nd time? Yes, I would do both recipes again.
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Thinking Outside the Box -- Macaroni and Cheese with a Secret Ingredient
1/10/10: Macaroni and Four Cheeses with Classic Lyonnaise Potatoes
Meal details: For the main course I made a baked macaroni and cheese casserole that contains a surprising secret ingredient. And for a side I made a baked potato dish that has butter and lots of onions.
Defining moments: I've done casseroles before, so nothing was new for me this week.
Recipe sources: Both recipes came from the Food Network website. The mac 'n cheese recipe is a recipe created by Ellie Krieger, the host of Healthy Appetite and the potato dish was created by Emeril Lagasse, the host of Emeril Live and the Essence of Emeril. I specifically chose these two recipes because I am a member of the Food Network Chef Cooking Challenge that is being hosted by the writer of the I Blame My Mother blog. I've been a bit behind in the challenge for awhile, especially now since I've been testing some recipes from my new cookbook, but I'm still chugging along!
What I learned: OK, now to tell you the secret ingredient in the mac 'n cheese. Hope you're sitting down! Ready? The ingredient is. . . Butternut squash. You weren't ready for that, were you? If you're hovering the mouse cursor over the "back" button, hold on! Just scroll down to the "How it tasted?" section of the post; you might be surprised.
Besides learning how to pick out a recipe that scared the pants off my sister, I didn't gather any new techniques or tips from these two recipes. They both are very straightforward recipes and do not require a whole lot of ingredients, so that is probably the reason for it! But I think it is extremely good that I try some easy recipes every so often; if I don't I would go out of my mind. It is like what Ina Garten said on her show, Barefoot Contessa a couple of weeks ago: "I love to cook, but I don't like to spend the whole day cooking." I'm like her.
Any modifications? Yes, I made some changes to the mac 'n cheese recipe. I omitted the ricotta cheese (because some people on the website said that the ricotta made a grainy texture), I just used sharp cheddar cheese, and I used Ritz cracker crumbs instead of bread crumbs (because didn't have plain bread crumbs in the house).
Another modification I made, and this time to both recipes, was the oven time. I left both dishes in the oven for an hour--a whole lot longer than what the recipes say. We like our casseroles and potatoes to be a bit crispy on the edges.
How it tasted? What was more surprising than using our frozen butternut squash in the recipe was that every single member of my family (eight in all) liked the macaroni and cheese! Even some who don't care much for squash in the first place! A lot of them, including me, couldn't really detect the squash flavor. The squash, however, did add something to the dish and that was: texture. It made for a really creamy casserole.
The Lyonnaise Potatoes were alright. I think I should have cooked the onions for a longer time so they would have been sweeter. I don't think it is the best way to prepare potatoes.
How about a 2nd time? I would pull out Ellie's recipe again but I think Emeril's potato recipe will be in my recipe binder for awhile.
Falling for the Fall Harvest
10/11/09: Butternut Squash Soup with Herb Roasted Potatoes
Meal Details: The main course consisted of soup made with butternut squash and as a side, I roasted red potatoes and Kennebec potatoes with sage and other flavorings.
Defining moments: This is the first time that a squash soup entered my family's meal lineup and it is the first ever Martha Stewart recipe I did. I never thought in a million years that I would be doing something from Martha!
This is also the first time that we have used Kennebec potatoes and first time to cook with fresh sage.
Recipe sources: The butternut squash soup came from the October 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living. (The original recipe was titled "Roasted Pumpkin Soup" but I substituted the pumpkin with butternut squash.) The Herb Roasted Potatoes came from the Food Network website and was thus chosen for this week because Anne Burrell is the recipe creator. I am part of the Food Network Challenge that is being hosted by the writer of the I Blame My Mother blog. Learn more about this fun challenge by visiting this page.
What I learned: First and foremost I learned that this soup is probably the least expensive soup you can ever make. With only four medium sized butternut squash you can make FIVE whole quarts of soup. And if you take a look at the recipe ingredient list you can see you don't have to load the shopping cart with many items!
I also learned that there is no need to use an immersion blender to blend the soup, just take out your electric beater and whisk away!
And instead of roasting the squash on a cookie sheet like we usually do I think it is better to use the large roasting tray that is meant for the turkey. It allows for me to quickly toss them so they can bake evenly.
And the potato recipe? I learned that the Kennebec potatoes have a very thin skin and can be easily washed.
Any modifications? Yes, only to the soup recipe. I took out the shiitake mushrooms that were called for and I peeled the squash with a potato peeler before I cubed them. I thought peeling them prior to baking would be a whole lot easier.
How it tasted? Both dishes were warm, rich, and full of flavor. They went exceptionally well together! The squash soup was smooth (it did have an occasional lump here and there but I didn't mind) and bright as a sunset. The potatoes, especially the Kennebec, had wonderful garlic flavor and those that had the sage (I only did half a tray with sage, as a test), were really good, too. The Kennebec are longish in shape so they are perfect for oven fries.
How about a 2nd time? Yes, absolutely. And I would like to pair these two recipes again, since they worked so well together.
Thank you, Anne with an "E", for the great potato recipe!
Meal Details: The main course consisted of soup made with butternut squash and as a side, I roasted red potatoes and Kennebec potatoes with sage and other flavorings.
Defining moments: This is the first time that a squash soup entered my family's meal lineup and it is the first ever Martha Stewart recipe I did. I never thought in a million years that I would be doing something from Martha!
This is also the first time that we have used Kennebec potatoes and first time to cook with fresh sage.
Recipe sources: The butternut squash soup came from the October 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living. (The original recipe was titled "Roasted Pumpkin Soup" but I substituted the pumpkin with butternut squash.) The Herb Roasted Potatoes came from the Food Network website and was thus chosen for this week because Anne Burrell is the recipe creator. I am part of the Food Network Challenge that is being hosted by the writer of the I Blame My Mother blog. Learn more about this fun challenge by visiting this page.
What I learned: First and foremost I learned that this soup is probably the least expensive soup you can ever make. With only four medium sized butternut squash you can make FIVE whole quarts of soup. And if you take a look at the recipe ingredient list you can see you don't have to load the shopping cart with many items!
I also learned that there is no need to use an immersion blender to blend the soup, just take out your electric beater and whisk away!
And instead of roasting the squash on a cookie sheet like we usually do I think it is better to use the large roasting tray that is meant for the turkey. It allows for me to quickly toss them so they can bake evenly.
And the potato recipe? I learned that the Kennebec potatoes have a very thin skin and can be easily washed.
Any modifications? Yes, only to the soup recipe. I took out the shiitake mushrooms that were called for and I peeled the squash with a potato peeler before I cubed them. I thought peeling them prior to baking would be a whole lot easier.
How it tasted? Both dishes were warm, rich, and full of flavor. They went exceptionally well together! The squash soup was smooth (it did have an occasional lump here and there but I didn't mind) and bright as a sunset. The potatoes, especially the Kennebec, had wonderful garlic flavor and those that had the sage (I only did half a tray with sage, as a test), were really good, too. The Kennebec are longish in shape so they are perfect for oven fries.
How about a 2nd time? Yes, absolutely. And I would like to pair these two recipes again, since they worked so well together.
Thank you, Anne with an "E", for the great potato recipe!
Grill Drill
7/12/09: Grilled Dinner Sausage, Red Potatoes, and Beets with Steamed Broccoli and Beet Greens
Meal details: Main course, dinner sausage from Schwan's. Reminds me of a brat.
Side dishes, red potatoes and beets that were grilled along side broccoli and beet greens that were steamed and pan fried, respectively.
Here is the dinner sausage that I first boiled.
Our new Weber grill in its full glory. :)
A close up of the red potatoes that I grilled in a foil package. I place them right on top of the hot coals.
And hail the mighty beets!
Meal details: Main course, dinner sausage from Schwan's. Reminds me of a brat.
Side dishes, red potatoes and beets that were grilled along side broccoli and beet greens that were steamed and pan fried, respectively.
- Recipe sources: Didn't follow a recipe this week either.
- Defining moment: We had some of our own farm grown broccoli! Haven't grown this vegetable for years (I barely can remember it) so this was a mighty big occasion, indeed.
- What I learned: I learned that beets are not easy to clean and prepare! I'm so glad I worked on cleaning them the day before. I also learned how to do beet greens (I simply placed them in a pot with a bit of water and a slab of butter), steam broccoli, and cook three large links of dinner sausage. The broccoli took about 20 minutes to steam.
- Any modifications: Didn't have to use a recipe this week.
- How it tasted: I got good feedback about the broccoli, beets, and I really liked the dinner sausage. We have potatoes almost every week so they are sort of self explanatory. :)
- How about a 2nd time? Everything except the beet greens I would do again.
Here is the dinner sausage that I first boiled.
Our new Weber grill in its full glory. :)
A close up of the red potatoes that I grilled in a foil package. I place them right on top of the hot coals.
And hail the mighty beets!
Oven Fried Chicken with Curly Fries
4/05/09: Oven Fried Chicken with Curly Fries
- Sources: For the chicken--allrecipes.com, for the curly fries--original recipe (see below).
- Defining moments: First time using cornflake coating for chicken and first time making homemade curly fries.
- What I learned: I learned how to use the curly fry machine (aka Tater Twister).
- Modifications: I changed the spices for the chicken from sage seasoning to poultry seasoning, and I also went lighter on the rosemary. For the curly fries, I just added olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- How it tasted: Good reviews from everyone.
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