Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

This is so good! I couldn't stop "tasting" it to make sure it was seasoned correctly. Yum! Often butternut squash gets a sweet treatment with brown sugar or maple syrup, or the classic pairing with sage and brown butter. This pairing with roasted garlic, thyme, and a hint of spice is just awesome. Roasting everything gives a great, deep flavor. Can't wait to make it again!

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

2 garlic cloves (skin on)

a few springs of thyme

pinch of smoked paprika

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1/4-1/2 cup whole milk, warm

Directions:

Sunchoke, Celeriac, and Potato Purée

I bought sunchokes (or Jerusalem artichokes) at the farmer's market thinking I'd make a salad. Over the course of the day, as I mentally thought out my evening's menu (scallops with ramp butter over a sunchoke puree), I realized I would need more sunchokes. By the time I left work, the market was closed so I was out of luck. I still wanted to make a puree that was springy and somewhat lighter than potato. I picked up a celery root and one potato and it turned out wonderfully. It's tasty and like and has the consistency of whipped cream. It has a little bit of an artichoke taste (even though sunchoked/Jerusalem artichokes are not at all related to artichokes). It works very well under scallops, and would work equally well as a base for short ribs. Definitely a keeper!

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1/2 a large or 1 small russet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium-sized celeriac/celery root, peeled and cut in half and then into 1/2 inch slices

2 large sunchokes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup half and half, warm

Cider-Glazed Lamb Chops and Buttery Cauliflower Puree

When Jamie started eating these lamb chops, he immediately demanded, "Are you going to put this on the blog? Will this be on the blog?" Needless to say, he loved them. They were so tender and tangy and just delicious. The reduced ginger-garlic-cider-soy-vinegar glaze is complex and sweet and salty and has a great zip from the vinegar. The cauliflower puree is a little sinful, but wow is it good. It's light and fluffy and rich.

Lamb Chops (from this recipe) it's supposed to serve 4 people, but Jamie and I ate it all
Ingredients:

1 cup apple cider

2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger

2 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)

1 tablespoon honey

8 rib lamb chops (3/4 inch thick), cut from 1 rack

1 scallion, finely chopped

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, boil cider, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 12 minutes, and cool. Preheat broiler.