August 7th, 2009
While in Michigan, we stayed with my brother and his family. Bill planted a garden this year for the first time in a long time. I was amazed by the harvest he is pulling out of the rich dark soil. He is digging potatoes and onions, gathering pole beans, and picking cucumbers. Our visit coincided with a visit from his Florida grandchildren and son and daughter-in-law. His other granchildren and daughters live in town so we had quite a large gathering. Bill kept four grills going for our dinner feast and all of the vegetables came from the garden except for the Michigan sweet corn. His corn is not quite ready yet so he got it at a farm stand not far away. The pictures below are of Bill and some of the grandchildren gathering the vegies.
My Sister-in-law Barb claims that she is not a good cook. I would beg to differ. She is a great cook and has a way of scouting out easy recipes. She fixed this potato casserole recipe for us while we were there using potatoes from the garden and it was easy and very good. It has all of the qualities and taste of a fantastic stuffed baked potato without all of the work. I liked it so much I made it when we got home. It is a very adaptable recipe. You can make it for a crowd or just dinner for two. Enjoy!
EASY POTATO CASSEROLE
1 to 2 to 3 lbs. red skin or white potatoes
1 cup Ranch Dressing or more
1 to 1 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar cheese
4 to 6 slices of cooked crisp bacon
Creole seasoning to taste
Clean potaotes and cut into quarters. Place in pot with cold water and cook until tender. Drain and place in casserole dish. Sprinkle with seasoning, add ranch dressing to coat and top with shredded cheese and bacon. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
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June 2nd, 2009
Every once in a while, a dish catches your eye and you think “yes, this is something I would fix on a regular basis”. That happened to me the other day when I was half-heartedly watching the Food Network and cleaning the house. Guy Fieri was on, and though I don’t ususally watch his show, he does have some great ideas. He was cooking several dishes at the same time, but the potato dish looked so interesting and easy that I stopped what I was doing and went to the computer to copy the recipe. I fixed the potatoes that very night because they are not complicated or require any exotic ingredients. But, because of the simple method of fanning the potatoes in the pan and then transferring the cooked potatoes in the same manner to the plate, you have an elegant presentation for family or guests. It is true, we eat with our eyes first and I find this a visually pleasing way to serve lowly potatoes. And they taste good too.
FANNED POTATOES
1 Tbls butter
2 Tbls olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbls paprika
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
Parsley for garnish
Slice the potaotes and set aside. Heat a 10″ to 12″ saute pan and add the butter and olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and fan out evenly. Season with salt and pepper and paprika. Deglaze with white wine and chicken stock. Cover and cook over medium heat until most of the liquid is absorbed and the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
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April 29th, 2009
There is a new variety of potato in the supermarkets that I have not seen before. It is called Klondike Rose and it is a red skinned Idaho potato. The flesh is a golden color and it has a buttery taste. It sounded like the perfect vehicle for a potato gratin because the potatoes would hold their shape when arranged decoratively in the dish. Russet potatoes fall apart when cooked and are better suited for baking or mashing and because they have a high starch content make excellent french fries, potato pancakes, or galettes. The Klondike Rose is a waxy potato and is good roasted, boiled, or in au gratin dishes. When I peeled these potatoes they indeed were very golden and it was easy to slice them thinly. They held up well, but I have adjusted the recipe because I cooked them for 8 minutes on top of the stove and they did fall apart somewhat. I tucked the broken potatoes under the perfect rounds which I overlapped to make the dish look better. Cook for only 3 minutes on the stove top because they are in the oven long enough to finish cooking. This was a very satisfying dish – shades of Patricia Wells in Provence.
POMMES DE TERRE AU GRATIN
2 pounds Klondike Rose potatoes ( or any waxy potato ), peeled and sliced thinly
1 chicken bouillon cube and enough water to cover potatoes
4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
Fresh thyme sprigs, chopped
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put thinly sliced potatoes in large sauce pan. Cover with water and add bouillon cube. Bring to boil over medium high heat and cook for three minutes. Drain potatoes and cool slightly. Combine rest of ingredients, excluding 1 ounce of Swiss cheese and breadcrumbs, in large bowl. Toss potatoes in mixture. Arrange coated potatoes in buttered au gratin dish, overlapping them slightly. Pour contents of bowl over potatoes and sprinkle top with remaining grated cheese and the breadcrumbs. Bake for 45 minutes.
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April 4th, 2009
We are back from our motorcycle trip south. Instead of going to Sanibel we decided to ride A1A, which skirts the east coast of Florida. We had beautiful ocean views the whole way and ended up stopping in Jupiter, near Palm Beach. Now I have to tell you, I could not be near Palm Beach without shopping on Worth Avenue.
Every famous designer in the world has a shop on this posh avenue. Above is the Hermes store. David was thrilled that I came away empty- handed. I mean really – would you pay $980.00 for flowered beach pants? I think not. Instead I spent my money on a lovely lunch of Cuban crab cakes with black beans and rice and a nice white zinfandel.
Now that we are back in Palm Coast I am cleaning the refrigerator and pantry in preparation for our return to Lake Lure. I had sprouting potatoes that needed to be put to good use, so I made a potato galette, pictured above. I love potato dishes. If you hand me two baking potatoes, my first thoughts are not of baked potatoes, but something more complicated like a gratin or a scalloped casserole. And I am always on the look out for good recipes. We had a wonderful signature potato dish at a bistro in Jupiter and I am going to see if I can get the recipe from the chef. I ‘ll report back if I have any success. It is best to use russet or Idaho potatoes for galettes as they are starchier and you need that for them to adhere into a cake. The outside is crispy and the interior is creamy with flecks of thyme. Four wrinkly, knobby potatoes were turned into a thing of beauty. The magic of cooking!
POTATO GALETTE
4 medium Idaho or russet potatoes, peeled
3 Tbls butter, divided
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, minced
Melt 1 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a 10 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Grate potatoes and add thyme leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Add to skillet and press down and cook until underside is nicely browned. Place a plate over the skillet and invert potato cake onto the plate. Add 1 1/2 tablespoon more butter to skillet and slide potato cake back in to brown the second side. Serves 4.
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