Leek and Potato Soup, with Kale and a Turnip

My mom always made leek and potato soup and served it with salad and buttery toasted pita. It's such a great dinner for a cold day. I wanted to make the usual soup, but I also picked up a turnip and a bunch of kale to change it up a little. I ended up making way more soup than necessary, so I'll be eating it for days. All of the ingredients cost $10. It's really tasty, and the kale gives it a nice green color (and some extra healthiness). Serve it with some pita toasted with butter and a salad.

Ingredients:
5 medium-sized potatoes (any kind you want), peeled and chopped into 1" cubes
3 large leeks, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 turnip, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
2 tbsp butter
1 bunch kale, rinsed and ripped into pieces

Sunday Night Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

Yesterday was a rainy Sunday and I was just really in the mood for a nice roast chicken. Roasting a chicken on top of root vegetables is always an easy 1-pot dinner, and I had some extra time, so I brined the chicken, too. (You don't need to brine a chicken if you buy a kosher chicken.) I think it added some flavor and made it juicier. This is a really nice Sunday dinner, hearty and with good flavors. Feel free to change the root veggies and do carrots or potatoes or butternut squash - whatever you like.

Ingredients:
1 4 lb chicken

Brine:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup salt
4 garlic cloves, crushed
tbsp black pepper corns
water

Scalloped Potatoes and Turnips with Horseradish

This is not a light side dish, but boy is it tasty. The addition of turnips lightens it up a bit and adds a slight difference in texture. I accidentally poured the potatoes into too big of a dish, resulting in a really thin scalloped potatoes, but it was great! More crispy crust on everyone's plate. The horseradish is barely noticeable, but it gives the dish a little more complex flavor. I would make this again any time. It's so great.

Serves 6
Ingredients:
3 large Yukon gold potatoes, sliced about 1/8" thick
2 large turnips, sliced about 1/8" thick
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half and half
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp kosher salt
a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tsp whole black pepper corns
1 bay leaf
coffee filter
3 teaspoons jarred and drained horseradish (scoop it out of the jar and press it through the tines of a fork to drain it)
1-1/2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Roast chicken with root vegetables

I went to the farmers market yesterday and picked up some good looking root vegetables. I got carrots, yellow carrots, a parsnip, a big leek, a turnip, and an onion. I decided they would be a great bottom to the roar chicken recipe I'd been wanting to try from Simple Fresh Southern. It turned out wonderfully, even though I nixed the wine because I didn't have any. It filled Jamie's apartment with the most homey, delicious smell (he smelled it when he opened the door downstairs and was hoping it was coming from his apartment). Plus with only two of us, there's plenty for leftovers and stock - after we cut all the meat off I threw the carcass in the freezer along with the neck.

Ingredients:
A selection of root vegetables including some onions and/or leeks
A few sprigs fresh time
Oil
1 lemon
1 3.5 lb chicken
1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Cut up vegetables into 1 inch chunks and put onto a cast iron skillet with thyme. Toss with oil, salt, and pepper.




Rinse and dry the chicken and bring to room temperature if you have time. Put the chicken breast side down on the vegetables. Squeeze half a lemon over the back and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes. Take the skillet out of the oven and carefully take off the chicken. Stir the veggies and add 1/2 cup broth. Put the chicken back on top back side down and squeeze the remaining lemon half in top and season liberally. Put back in the oven for 40 minutes. Take it out and let rest tented in foul 10 minutes. Carve up and serve with veggies!