Baked Potato Salad

This dish is a very non traditional potato salad. It's also a bit weirdly named. We'll use boiled potatoes but the overall flavors of a twice baked potato. I preferred to eat this a little warm or at room temperature as a nice side for some Tri Tip or other BBQ items. 

Ingredients:
1 lb red potatoes
3 strips of bacon, cooked crispy
2 Tbsp. grated cheddar cheese

Dressing:
4 Tbsp. mayonnaise
4 Tbsp. sour cream
1 Tbsp. finely diced chives
1 tsp. finely diced shallot
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (if desired)

Directions:

1. Peel half of the skins from the red potatoes. Cover in cold water and bowl potatoes whole until fork tender. About 20 minutes. 

2. While potatoes cook, make the dressing. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, shallot, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper if using. Mix with a spoon until everything is combined. 

3. Drain potatoes and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle you can cut into 1/2 inch chunks and place in an empty bowl. 

4. Top warm potatoes with half of the dressing mixture. Stir gently to combine but not break up the potatoes. Add in the bacon and cheddar cheese. If the potato salad looks dry or not creamy enough, add some more of the dressing. 

5. Once everything is combined taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve potato salad warm or room temperature. 

Pimento Cheese Sandwiches

This week is The Masters golf tournament so I tried recreating the famous Pimento Cheese Sandwiches. Now I'm not a fan of pimento cheese and I've never tried the real thing so recreating this dish was a bit tricky. I went ahead and analyzed a bunch of other recipes and used what was the most common ingredients. My husband Brian said it was decent so there you go.... :)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Monterrey jack cheese
1/4 cup diced pimentos
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 load white wonder bread

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients (except the white bread) into a food processor. Pulse until everything is combined into an even mixture. 

2. Spread the pimento cheese mix onto slices of untoasted white bread. 

3. To serve you can wrap in parchment and cut in half like they do at the masters or just eat as is. Enjoy! 

Pommes Anna

As you know, I love potatoes! You can mash them, fry them, roast them, bake them.... I could go on as long as Bubba goes on about shrimp in Forrest Gump. When I saw this new way to make essentially a potato pancake I had to try it. 

Ingredients: 
3 russet potatoes, washed but not peeled
Butter
Olive Oil
Salt
Non-stick sauté pan about 8-10 inches wide. 

Directions:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp. of butter with 2 tsp. of olive oil in a non stick saucepan over medium low heat until the butter melts and starts to foam slightly. Turn off the heat. 

2. Using a knife, or better yet a mandolin, slice the potatoes into very thin slices about 1/8 inch thick. 

3. Arrange the potato slices around the pan in concentric circles starting at the outside of the pan and working inward toward the center, slightly overlapping the potatoes as you go. Season with a pinch of salt. Repeat this step until you have 3 layers. 

4. Turn the heat back on to medium heat. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and dot a few pats of butter around the edges of the pan. As the pan starts to sizzle, you will see the fat bubbling up and spitting a bit. Put a lid on the pan and seal tightly for a minute or two, giving the potatoes a little steam bath, helping to soften and cook the flesh.

5. Remove the lid and swirl the pan with a little muscle to see if the potatoes are binding together as their starch begins to heat up. If they slip loosely all around the pan, tuck the slices back into the tight circle using a heat-proof rubber spatula and allow to sizzle and cook longer uncovered. Bump up the flame a little if the cooking sounds and looks listless — you want to hear sizzle.

6. When you start to smell the potatoes turning golden and crisp — like the smell of toast — swirl the pan again to confirm that the potato layers have formed a cake, and then flip the pommes Anna and cook on the other side also until golden and crispy. Slide onto serving plate or cutting board, season with salt, and cut into wedges.

Potato Gnocchi

Even the best cooks are always learning, including me. I went to a Sur La Table cooking class with my friend Andi to learn this gnocchi. The secret to this dish is a tool called a potato ricer. It mashed the cooked potatoes but still keeps them light which is crucial for a light gnocchi. The other tool is a gnocchi board. This is for shaping the gnocchi to add ridges for the gnocchi to hold the sauce later. You could use a fork instead but the gnocchi board is really helpful.

Gnocchi is traditionally served with a brown butter and sage sauce. While this is delicious it felt too heavy for me. Instead I used a pesto sauce with a touch of cream. For the best flavor make your own pesto but premade at the store works well too. 

Ingredients: 
2 pounds russet potatoes
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for simmering
1 cup grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 400°F.

2. To make gnocchi: Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. Place the potatoes onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven until tender, about 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

3. Using a kitchen towel and paring knife, carefully peel the potatoes and immediately process potatoes with a potato ricer or a food mill and evenly spread out on a clean flat surface or baking sheet. You’ll want to do this step while the potatoes are still warm. 

4. Using a fine-mesh strainer, dust the potatoes evenly with flour. Drizzle egg and salt over the flour and knead until you have smooth, cohesive dough, about 2 minutes. You don’t want to over work the dough. Gently combine with a bench scrapper and try not to over mix. 

If the dough feels sticky, incorporate up to 1/4 cup more flour. Set gnocchi aside, covered with a kitchen towel, to rest for 20 minutes. (This is a good time to make your pesto or sauce of choice). 

5. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and cut into quarters with a bench scraper. Roll each portion into a long rope, about 3/4 inch in diameter. Using the bench scraper or a knife, cut the rope into 3/4-inch long pieces. Take each piece and roll down your gnocchi board or back of a fork to add small ridges. Set the finished gnocchi on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel as you form the rest.

6. Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil and season generously with salt.

7. To cook the gnocchi: Add gnocchi, in batches, to the simmering water and cook until they float to the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer cooked dumplings to the skillet with the pesto sauce, gently stirring to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

9. To serve: Transfer dumplings to warmed shallow pasta bowls or large rimmed serving platter; garnish generously with grated Pecorino and serve immediately.

Pigs in a Blanket

This dish was for a holiday party which came right after we went camping. I had a bunch of hot dogs to get rid of so this was a great way to get through them. I’d recommend 3 pigs in a blanket per guest. 

For the hot dogs you can use either 8 full size hot dogs cut into thirds or 24 mini hot dogs. 

Ingredients:
1 tube cresecent roll dough
24 mini hot dogs (or 8 large hot dogs cut into thirds)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 egg
1 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. sesame seeds or poppy seeds for garnish 
Ketchup and mustard for serving. 

Directions:

Make ahead part - can be done 4 hours in advance

1. Unroll the crescent roll dough onto a cutting board. Cut each triangle into thirds long ways. 

2. Brush each crescent dough triangle with a light layer of dijon mustard. I suggest using a pastry brush for this but you could also use the back of a spoon. A light layer is what we are looking for. 

3. Place a hot dog on the thick end of the dough triangle and gentle roll up so the dough wraps around the hot dog. 

Place the dough covered hot dogs in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to bake. 

When ready to heat and serve:

1. Remove the pigs in a blanket from the fridge and leave covered with plastic while oven preheats to 350 degrees. 

2. Add the egg and water in a small bowl or ramekin and whisk until combined. Uncover the pigs in a blanket. Using a pastry brush lightly coat the top of each hot dog with the egg mixture. Sprinkle with a small amount of sesame seeds or poppy seeds if using. 

3. When the oven is preheated bake until the pigs in a blanket are golden brown about 25 minutes. 

4. Allow to cool until able to handle and arrange hot dogs on a platter. If you're trying to get festive you could turn them into the shape of a christmas wreath or football for superbowl. 

5. Serve with a ramekin or small bowl of ketchup and/or mustard for dipping and enjoy! 

Chocolate Pot de Creme

There's nothing better then a silky smooth chocolate dessert. This recipe took me about 10 minutes to make and a few hours to setup in the fridge. This would be a great make ahead dessert for a dinner party. It can be dressed up to make it fancy with some crunchy toffee or pecans as well as some chocolate shavings. 

Ingredients: 
9 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
5 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipped cream

Directions:

1. Place the chocolate in a blender. Whisk the milk, 1 cup cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula and almost boiling, 5 to 6 minutes.

2. Immediately pour the milk mixture over the chocolate in the blender. Cover and hold the lid with a thick kitchen towel; blend until combined and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Divide the chocolate mixture among ramekins or small cups and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

3. Whip the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the confectioners' sugar with a mixer or in the blender until soft peaks form. Top the chilled pots de creme with whipped cream.

Champagne Beurre Blanc

 A beurre blanc sauce is a fancy French way to say a white wine butter sauce. Instead of white wine I decided to be a bit more decadent and use champagne. When selecting the champagne use a cheap bottle for cooking and save a good bottle for drinking with this dish. This is great with lobster or any other shellfish. 

 

Ingredients:
1 cup champagne or prosecco
1 shallot, finely diced
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 tbsp. butter, cut into cubes, keep butter super cold until ready to use

 

Directions:

1. Add 1 tsp. of butter to a pan and cook shallots over medium low for about 2 minutes, until shallots are soft. Add champagne, lemon juice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Allow this to cook and reduce until there are about 2-3 tablespoons left. This step can be done up to 3 hours in advance but leave it out at room temp. 

2. To finish off sauce take stick of butter and cut into small cubes. Add 1-2 cubes at a time and stir into reduced sauce over low heat whisking continuously. Allow each addition to melt before adding the next one. Incorporate all butter then leave pan on the lowest setting to keep warm.