Hashbrown Fondue

I have been looking for an excuse to make this recipe for years, ever since I saw it on Alex's Day Off 5+ years ago. Last weekend, a whole big group of us went to my friend's house in the Poconos, I finally had a group big enough, and I was assigned breakfast duty - perfect! They were so, so good. So decadent and perfect for a group. This is not light in the least, but with enough people you're not eating too much of it. The wine adds a really nice flavor, but if you don't have any around, you can swap in chicken broth with a little vinegar in it. I used a mix of potatoes, including purple, just because they had them at the market, but any regular potato with do. 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter

2-3 large potatoes, cut into 1 1/2" cubes

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 bunch scallions, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cup white wine

1 small wheel of Camembert or Brie with the rind cut off the bottom

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Once it starts to lightly smoke, add the butter and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until they become tender and crispy. Add the scallions and the wine. 

Season again with salt and pepper and increase the heat. Cook for 5-8 more minutes so the potatoes are browning, adding more butter if needed. 

Put the cheese on top of everything in the middle of the skillet, open side down.

Pop the whole thing in the oven until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. 

The potatoes should be tender when pierced with a knife. 

We had a nice al fresco breakfast with some delicious strawberries and blueberries. 

And, of course, some bacon and eggs. Also, our friends got ENGAGED later that day. Congratulations Lane and Burgee!!

Crushed New Potatoes with Horseradish

This is sort of a mix between potato salad and mashed potatoes, and it's great. While a lot of the other recipes are pretty involved, this one is actually quite simple. A nice change from classic mashed potatoes. The original calls for sorrel, but I left it out because I didn't have any. If you want to add sorrel, add 4 tbsp of chopped sorrel with the dressing.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 1/4 lb new potatoes

7 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 oz horseradish (prepared or fresh)

1/2 cup watercress

2 scallions, thinly sliced

salt and pepper

Directions:

Wash the potatoes and don't peel them. Put them in a pan with plenty of salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until tender. Drain well and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Herb-Crusted Pork Chops

This is a great, great weeknight meal. The bread crumbs keep the pork chop super juicy and are crispy and flavorful. You can use any herbs you want/have. I served the pork chops with roasted purple potatoes and green beans.

Ingredients:

2 pork chops

1 slice bread, crusts removed

big handful fresh herbs (I used tarragon, rosemary, thyme, and parsley)

lemon slices for serving

salt and pepper

egg

flour

1 tsp dijon mustard

Fried Eggs and Latkes

 

Another Smitten Kitchen recipe. This is a nice change from hashbrowns and a great little breakfast.

Ingredients:
1 large baking potato, peeled
1 small onion, peeled
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
vegetable oil
fried eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 and line a baking sheet with foil. In a food processor or with a box grater, coarsely shred the potato and onion. Transfer it to a cheesecloth or paper towel or dish cloth and drain it. In a large bowl whisk the flour, egg, baking powder, salt, pepper, ad egg together. Stir in the potato mixture until all the pieces are evenly coated.

Pomegranate-Glazed Seared Duck Breast with Ramps and Crispy Potatoes

I went to the Union Square market yesterday to see what looked good and I decided to try ramps! I've always wanted to cook with them but have never tried. I love garlic, so I figured I couldn't go wrong. I also got a duck breast. I had potatoes at home. I figured I could make something good with this. (Potatoes + duck fat = yum yum yum yum) I saw a good looking recipe from Anne Burell with how to perfectly sear the duck breast, and she used pomegranate molasses (a totally awesome ingredient). I thought hers sounded a little too syrupy sweet, so I changed it up a bit. It was delicious! I highly recommend this for impressing someone for dinner. The pomegranate molasses is tart and sweet and sticky and the duck is rich and salty. The ramps look beautiful on top, and the potatoes are perfect to soak up the extra juice. Make it while there are still ramps!

Serves 2
Ingredients:
3 ramps (bulb and leaves) roots removed, 1 finely diced
1 duck breast, fat scored in a crosshatch pattern
1/2 lb small potatoes
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup reduced chicken broth (I used a cups worth of bouillon with 1/4 cup water)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp (big pinch) cumin
1/8 tsp (big pinch) coriander
1/8 tsp (big pinch) chipotle powder
2 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions:

Mix the pomegranate molasses, chopped ramp, stock, and herbs in a bowl or measuring cup. Heat a skillet to medium-low and put the duck breast and the ramps in (duck skin-side-down).

Roasted chicken with potatoes, asparagus, and lemon

Yum! This is so, so tasty! And easy! One pot, too. Pretty perfect meal. I found this great recipe on MarthaStewart.com. The potatoes are super crispy on the outside and soft inside and sweetened from the lemon, and the roasted lemon is very mellow and sweet instead of tart and acidic. The asparagus is cooked perfectly and still has a little crunch and the pan juices are flavorful and great drizzled on top. She recommended a roasting pan which I think would work fine. I only had a pyrex one, so I opted for a cast iron skillet instead so the potatoes would be crispier. It worked perfectly. Also, I got 4 chicken legs instead of a whole chicken cut up because it was way cheaper. I recommend that, as long as you like dark meat. The whole dinner cost $12 and would serve 4 (or 2 and then lunch the next day). Jamie was so psyched about it he asked, "Do I get to live like this forever?" with a big grin on his face.

Ingredients:
4 chicken legs
1 1/2 pound little red potatoes, halved
3 tbsp butter cut into little pieces
salt and pepper
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
1 tsp dried thyme (she says fresh, but I didn't have any)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475. Put the potatoes and 1 1/2 tbsp butter in the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

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