Posts Tagged ‘potatoes’
Brown Sugar Baked Fries
May 7, 2013 | 
Author Dishwashers are a perk when it comes to kitchens and made sure mine had one when I moved 4 years ago. However, I would probably get more use out of my dishwasher if it were cabinet space. Cooking for one, I don’t generally build up enough dirty dishes to fill it, since I like to hand wash my pots and pans, before I need something that’s been sitting in it for the past 5 days. Oddly enough, I have used it as a drying rack for items that I hand washed. But being obsessed with fun baking bans and kitchen gadgets while residing in a tiny kitchen means storage space is much more desirable.
But I digress. Let’s talk about fries that require not fancy pans or gadgets to make. Brown sugar fries? Yes, I was skeptical at first too but their crispy-ness and slightly sweet yet salty flavors will win over even the most judgmental fry-person. And they are baked in the oven! Who knew such beautiful fries could be made without a deep frier? These tasty fries would pair quite well with any burger, but I enjoyed them alongside an edamame burger.
One year ago: Pineapple Burgers
BROWN SUGAR BAKED FRIES
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 lb. Russet potatoes
4 Tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Directions:
- Peel and rinse off the potatoes. Cut them into uniform-width fries. Plunge the cut potatoes into warm water and let them soak for 20 minutes. Drain and lay them out over a bed of paper towels and pat dry.
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
- Coat a rimmed baking sheet with 3 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle on half of the salt and pepper. In a bowl coat the now dry potatoes with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Lay them out on the rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle on the remaining salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 5 minutes then remove the foil.
- Continue baking for 8-10 minutes then rotate the pan. Continue baking for another 8-10 minutes, then use a spatula or tongs to flip each fry. Sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and continue to bake for another 5 minutes or until desired doneness.
- Remove the fries to a bed of paper towels to remove excess oil. Sprinkle on the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar just before serving.
Source: Adapted slightly from A Beautiful Mess.
Baked Eggs with Crispy Hash Brown Crust
After two days staying home sick I am finally out of the house again. No I am not feeling all that much better, but I don’t think I am contagious anymore and I was getting pretty bored at home (did I mention I don’t have cable or internet or smart phone?). I brought data results and research papers home with me to work on my own, but I find I am more in the mind-set to write sciencey things when I am at my desk at lab. So even though I do not have any bench work to do, I am at lab to get those nerd-brain-juices flowing.
The one benefit to staying home was cooking breakfast for myself (at noon when I finally dragged myself out of my sick bed). You should start one of your mornings this week/weekend with this fun breakfast because it has a crispy hash brown crust topped with eggs and cheese. It’s like a breakfast skillet pie! This recipe can also easily be doubled or tripled for a family-sized breakfast, just remember to use a bigger skillet.
One year ago: Cheesy Cat Treats
Two years ago: Funfetti Cake Batter Smoothie
BAKED EGGS WITH CRISPY HASH BROWN CRUST
Serves 1-2
Ingredients:
1/2 cups shredded potatoes (I used frozen, and thawed)
Salt and pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
2 Tbsp olive oil for cast iron skillet
Chopped green onions (optional)
Directions:
- Press potatoes firmly between two dish towels or a few layers of paper towels. The goal is to get as much moisture out of the potatoes as possible so they’ll brown up nice and crisp.
- Heat a 6-inch cast iron skillet with the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the potatoes and use the back of a large spoon to spread them evenly and then press them down firmly into a flat pancake. Let them sit and brown, undisturbed, for about 3-4 minutes. Make sure your heat isn’t so high that it burns the potatoes – you want them to get golden brown but not burn. You can use your spoon to lift up an edge and take a peek to monitor progress.
- When the first side is brown, use a large spatula to flip the whole thing over. They shredded browned potatoes should be intertwined with each other enough that this isn’t too difficult to do. Let the 2nd side brown for an additional 4 minutes.
- When both sides of the crust are browned, remove from heat and crack the 2 eggs evenly over the top. Season with a little salt and pepper if desired, then sprinkle the 1/4 cup of shredded cheese over the eggs.
- Pop in the oven on broil for 5-7 minutes, depending on whether you like your eggs to be soft or hard. Top with green onions, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Source: Down-sized from Two Tarts.
Hoisin Glazed Corned Beef with Colcannon
Yesterday I had friends over for my annual St. Patrick’s Day feast. I served corned beef with the usual suspects of potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage and friends brought bought over Hot Reuben Dip, Soft Guinness Pretzels, grasshopper brownies, and even homemade BBQ! Of course I also served my Hidden Pot o’ Gold Cupcakes.
Every year I try out a new glaze for my corned beef and this year since I had two slow cookers full of corned beef I decided to try two different glazes. One was Guinness glazed and the other (which I am sharing with you) was Hoisin glazed and they were both fabulously delicious. Everyone had their own favorite or couldn’t decide between the two, but my favorite was the hoisin glazed.
I also tried something new with the potatoes from one of the crock pots, something called Colcannon which is Irish mashed potatoes. The original recipe had the potatoes and cabbage cooked separately, but I went ahead and used the ones that had slow cooked right along with the corned beef in order to get that extra flavor.
Two years ago: Stuffed Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies, Guinness Bread with Honey Butter, Roasted Cabbage with Lemon, and Corned Beef with Honey Marmalade Mustard Glaze.
HOISIN GLAZED CORNED BEEF
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
8 medium red potatoes, quartered
1 pound carrots, cut into 1/2-inch wide sticks
3-4 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp pepper
1-3 lb corned beef brisket with spice packet
1 small head cabbage, cut into wedges
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
couple dashes of pepper
Directions:
- Place the onion, potatoes and carrots in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, pepper and contents of spice packet; pour over vegetables. Add more water if necessary to cover vegetables. Top with brisket and cabbage.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf and meat.
- In a small bowl, mix hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, pepper, and ginger together. Take half of this glaze and reduce it down in a small saucepan till it’s a bit thicker (you can add more honey of you want it thicker). Keep warm.
- Preheat the oven to broil. Remove brisket from cooking liquid, and place in a high-temp safe baking dish or cast iron pan. Spread some of the hoisin glaze all over the brisket. Put under broiler until a nice crispy top is achieved, I’d say about 4 minutes or until your likeness. Serve with remaining glaze
Source: Adapted from All Recipes and Vanilla Sugar Blog.
COLCANNON
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 pound red potatoes, cooked*
1/4 head of a small cabbage, cooked* and sliced thinly
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Minced parsley, for garnish (optional)
*I used the potatoes and cabbage that slow cooked with the corned beef
Directions:
- Mash the potatoes in a large bowl. Mix in the cabbage, green onions, heavy cream, butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with parsley if desired.
Source: Adapted from Closet Cooking.
Posted in Beef, Entree, Holidays, St. Patrick's Day | 
Tags: cabbage, carrots, corned beef, hoisin sauce, onions, potatoes | 
2 Comments »
Pass the Cook Book Club: Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin
Welcome to the first month of Pass the Cook Book Club, hosted by Kita of Pass the Sushi. This club strives to dust off those unused cookbooks as once a month we post and share recipes from a randomly selected book. Don’t own the cookbook selected? No worries! Kita sends out three recipes to choose from to cook and share. For more info on how you can join the fun, check out the club’s Facebook page.
To kick off PCBC, we cooked from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier. I chose the perfect potato au gratin and served it with oven-fried chicken. These potatoes were incredibly easy to prepare. For some reason I was convinced I would have to use my mandoline to slice the potatoes, but was relieved to find out all I needed to use (and clean up) was a knife and cutting board. The ease of creation means these already irresistibly creamy and cheesy potatoes are even more dangerous. Good luck only eating one serving.
One year ago: Homemade Almond Butter
Two years ago: Over Easy Breakfast Bagel Sandwich
PERFECT POTATOES AU GRATIN
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
1/2 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
1-1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the potatoes into sticks, then dice. Place in a large baking dish. Combine the milk and cream in a bowl. Add the flour, garlic, salt and pepper and whisk. Pour over potatoes and dot the top with small pieces of butter.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and and bake for another 20 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Sprinkle on the green onions and serve hot.
Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier, page 226.
Cheesy Potato Casserole
Last night I finished the final book in The Hunger Games Series, The Mockingjay. Oh and I stayed up until 1:30am in order to do so. As you can imagine my brain isn’t firing at 100% today which is probably good for anyone who hasn’t finished the books because otherwise I would jabber away about it. Instead, enjoy the cheesy goodness I am about to present to you.
The first time I had this potato dish was at a potluck at work. Emma brought it in and I immediately needed the recipe. It was so creamy, rich, and satisfying. But when I finally got around to making it on Sunday to go along with the ham, I decided to use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I love substituting sour cream, mayo and other similar ingredients with Greek yogurt! And no one else even noticed that it was a bit healthier 
.
Stay turned tomorrow for a fabulous bake sale featuring many of your favorite food bloggers, with all proceeds going towards The House of Mews Annual Food Drive! Get your bidding faces on.
CHEESY POTATO CASSEROLE
Makes 10-12 side servings
Ingredients:
POTATO MIXTURE
1 pkg. frozen hashbrowns (cubes), thawed
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Minced onion to taste
TOPPING
2 cups crushed corn flakes
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the potato mixture together and pour into prepared pan. Combine topping and sprinkle over the potato mixture.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly and the topping is golden.
Source: Adapted from Emma.
Split-Pea Soup
Before I dive into the St. Patrick’s Day themed Holiday Recipe Club post today, I suppose I should tell you how my mom’s surgery went after the dramatic story I told yesterday. Agreed? I feel like I am dangling something tantalizing in front of you.
The pre-op business took all of the morning and then the balloon test to make sure they could proceed with the real surgery took a little while longer. Surgery didn’t truly begin until mid-afternoon. Originally the plan was to cut off the carotid artery as she had enough blood flow without it due to a precious surgery, but the process was causing her to become sick (vagal response) despite all of their efforts. Being a life-threatening situation, they went ahead and tried something else which only had a 1% chance of being completed…
They got it to work! The doctor was ecstatic (myself and family included) and said the carotid artery was saved via stent and the aneurysm itself was now filled 95% with coils. He may have to go back in to fill the remaining 5%, but we shall see how things go. Of course I didn’t have a clue how these coils worked so after my aunt explaining to me what she was told by a nurse, and a little research on the web, it is a platinum coil that causes a clotting reaction to occur within the aneurysm itself and will hopefully eliminate it! I even found a little video if you care to watch on YouTube.
I didn’t get to speak with my mom but she is feeling well despite the nausea from the anesthetic. She will be held in the ICU overnight and will likely be in the hospital for another 2-3 days. I am very much relieved for it to be over. (Update: if the MRI results today look good she’s going home tomorrow!)
As for the bouquet of cake balls, being that the hospital is 2 hours from their home they have not made their presence known yet. Wish I had gotten them in the mail sooner so that they could have arrived on Tuesday instead. I wasn’t thinking it through and just wanted them to be there when she was done with surgery so I went for Wednesday. Hopefully their neighbor was able to scoop up the package so that it won’t be sitting outside the entire time they are gone.
But now I must redirect you into thinking about the upcoming holiday, St. Patrick’s Day. For today’s post we had to choose between pistachios, potatoes, and beer. My mind immediately went to soup. And a green one such as split-pea, with potatoes and beer. Little did I know that split-pea is an acceptable Irish food item with which to celebrate the holiday. Learning stuff is cool!
This was my first time ever making split-pea soup. In fact the last time I witnessed it being homemade by anyone was decades ago by my grandmother. I don’t recall how she makes it (and I doubt she does either because she’s from the generation that doesn’t need recipes), but I kind of like my split-pea soup a bit thicker. With the chunks of potato and carrot it ended up stew-y, and it was awesome. Especially when served with asiago biscuit twists. If you like a thinner split-pea, then simply stop cooking it when it reaches your preferred consistency.
Want to get in on the HRC fun? Sign up and get more information HERE. Also, don’t forget to check out all the other bloggers’ recipes at the bottom of this post.
One year ago: Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos
SPLIT-PEA SOUP
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups dried split peas, rinsed
9 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2″ thick
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
1-1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 quarts reduced sodium chicken broth
1-12 oz. bottle of ale
Salt and pepper
Directions:
- In a large stock pot or French oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Combine the remaining ingredients, except salt and pepper, in the pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cover slightly with the lid. Allow to cook for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue to cook until it reaches a desired consistency (I cooked mine a little on the thicker side). If it cooks down too much, simply add more chicken broth or water.
Source: Adapted from Teenie Cakes
Posted in Entree, Holidays, Soup Stew Chili, St. Patrick's Day | Tags: beer, carrots, onions, peas, potatoes | 20 Comments »
Beef with Barley Soup
My experiments at lab seem to have me functioning in awkward and inconvenient time frames a lot the past 3 months. Thankfully the results have been pretty good thus far, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain so long as it continues to cooperate. It is comforting to feel like your efforts weren’t for nothing.
Speaking of things being comforting how about this soup?
Yes I just made yet another cheesy transition. (Are you keeping count on how many times I do that?) But truly I loved this soup. This soup actually almost didn’t even happen. First it appears that barley is a rare commodity in these parts, so it took awhile to even find that final ingredient after I originally saw this recipe. And then when I was ready to make it one weeknight, I neglected to read the recipe through ahead of time (fail) and realized dinner wouldn’t be ready for a little over 3 hours. I may have had dessert for dinner and then dinner for dessert that night.
So the lesson here is to first live in an area that has decent grocery stores, and second to read recipes fully before you make them! Unless you like having soup for dessert. (I have to admit however, I didn’t mind ending my meals for the day on the note of this soup.)
BEEF WITH BARLEY SOUP
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. beef cubes (for stew)
1 large onion, medium diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, smaller ends cut into rounds, larger ends diced
2 russet potatoes, peeled and large diced
1-1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
6 cups beef stock
2 cups water, if needed
1/2 cups pearl barley
1/2 tsp thyme
1 whole bay leaf
1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes
Directions:
- Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil.
- Brown the beef cubes for three minutes in the oil, then add the onions and garlic. Lower the heat to medium low and cook until the onions are cooked and just start to caramelize. Stir as needed to keep onions and garlic from burning. Lower heat if necessary; drizzle a little more olive oil if needed to keep food from sticking.
- Add everything except the tomatoes to the pot and stir well. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat as necessary to keep soup at a slow simmer. If the soup thickens too much, add a little more water or broth.
- Taste to correct seasonings, then add tomatoes and simmer for another hour. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Source: Tasty Kitchen, discovered on How Sweet It Is.
Posted in Beef, Entree, Soup Stew Chili | Tags: barley, carrots, onions, potatoes, tomatoes | 12 Comments »
Cheddar Baked Potato Soup
Soup. It’s just about the only food I can think about other than pizza since the holidays, so be prepared for more of both. Not really sure what about January makes me want pizza, but soup at least makes sense. Even though the temperatures are not quite right for this time of year (high of 66 today? Seriously?), it’s cool enough for a bowl of comforting and creamy warmth.
For anyone who made the usual resolution to eat healthier, this isn’t really the recipe for you. Although I did use 2% instead of whole milk! Does that make up for the heavy cream and cheese load? Probably not so I guess it’s a good thing my resolution* didn’t involve anything in the food section. Although I just realized while typing, that this was made before New Years so it wouldn’t have mattered either way! Guess it does for all of you though doesn’t it? Boo, my apologies for not sharing sooner.
This quick soup will fill you up right and keep you warm from the inside-out. I enjoyed my first (and second) serving with a rosemary roll, MmMmm!
*What was my new years resolution? To relax. I know that may sound kind of odd, but I have a hard time allowing myself to do just that. It’s no wonder my upper back and shoulders are always tense. Go-go-go all the time yet somehow I have managed my 26 years on this earth without coffee. I am an enigma to most people.
One year ago: Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
CHEDDAR BAKED POTATO SOUP
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp butter
1/2 pound bacon, cut up
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 Tbsp minced wet garlic
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup 2% milk
12 oz beer
4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup grated extra sharp Cheddar
1 cup grated white sharp Cheddar
1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
Directions:
- In a stockpot over medium heat, heat the butter, and add chopped bacon until cooked. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add flour to the pan and continue to stir for a couple of minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add the stock, then whisk in the milk, cream, and beer. Add in the potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Add the cheeses, 1/2 cup at a time, stir to melt after each addition. Add more salt and pepper, to taste. Add hot sauce and Worcestershire, if desired.
Source: Adapted slightly from She’s Becoming Doughmesstic.
Posted in Entree, Soup Stew Chili | Tags: bacon, beer, carrots, celery, cheddar, heavy cream, onions, potatoes, white sharp cheddar | 15 Comments »
Breakfast Pizza
Sometimes I really dislike that I don’t force myself to wake up earlier than 30 minutes before I need to be out the door, because it prevents me from eating things other than cereal and bagels for breakfast. Last night I had one of those moments and decided to make up for it by having breakfast for dinner with this pizza.
I made this pizza once before when I first saw it on Smitten Kitchen, and it was wonderful. This time around I wanted to change up the toppings a little bit and decided to add some hash brown potatoes from Simply Potatoes. As with any breakfast you cannot go wrong serving it with some crispy potatoes, and the same applies here. Even though they didn’t get as crispy, it’s not their fault – they were surrounded by cheese after all! The potatoes added a great texture to the pizza toppings, and made the breakfast pizza complete.
In the directions you will notice that it says to crack the eggs over the pizza after you have transferred it to the pizza stone. This is not a mistake. I changed it from the original recipe, because the process of shaking the pizza from the peel onto the stone makes the eggs slide all over the place. However, if you are going to be using a pizza pan instead of the peel/stone then go ahead and put the egg on before putting in the oven.
Want to win a year’s worth of free Simply Potatoes products? Enter the sweepstakes HERE.
And also don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a piece of spiffy cookie jewelry!
One year ago: Baked Oatmeal
BREAKFAST PIZZA
Makes 1 pizza
Ingredients:
1 recipe pizza dough (or 1 refrigerated pizza dough), at room temperature for an hour
1 cup Simply Potatoes frozen shredded hash browns
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 eggs
Salt and pepper
Parsley
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 500 degrees 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake your pizza, with a pizza stone placed on the bottom rack.
- On a lightly floured countertop, pat the dough into a disc with your fingertips, then drape the dough over your fists and carefully stretch it from beneath to form a 12-inch circle.
- Generously dust the surface of a pizza peel (or large inverted sheet pan)* with cornmeal and place the stretched dough on it. Sprinkle the dough with the potatoes, cheddar and bacon.
- Shake the pizza peel slightly to make sure the dough is not sticking. Carefully lift any sections that are sticking and sprinkle a bit more cornmeal underneath, then slide the pizza directly onto the baking stone in one quick forward-and-back motion. Crack 3 eggs over the top of the pizza and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating after 5 minutes. When the crust is golden, the cheese is melted and the egg yolks are cooked, use the peel to transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Sprinkle with parsley. Let cool for 2 minutes, slice and serve immediately.
*If you do not have a pizza peel and/or stone, do these steps on the pizza pan or baking sheet you will be cooking the pizza on.
Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Disclosure: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a coupon for a free Simply Potatoes product of my choice. Opinions are my own.
Steph’s Virtual Bridal Shower: Stuffed Flank Steak with Potato Cakes and Amaretto Chocolate Cheesecake
Kita, from Pass the Sushi, contacted me about contributing to Steph’s (from Steph’s Bite by Bite) surprise virtual bridal shower and I definitely knew I wanted to be a part of it. Even though some of us (myself included) are already donating desserts to her dessert bar for the big wedding day, this was a fun idea to do in addition since it is after all, a surprise! Who doesn’t love surprises?
Another thing that I really liked about this idea, is that even though I am very aware that Steph is fully capable of pleasing her soon-to-be-hubby’s belly, she will now have a big new list of great date-night meal ideas to play with. I don’t know if that was the original intention behind this masterful plan, but I think it makes sense.
I decided to go all the way and do a full meal. Naturally, I created a huge mess in my kitchen making everything for this, but I drank a glass of wine in the process so it make it not seem so bad. And had another glass after cleaning up after myself. And then maybe I invited Katie over and we finished the whole bottle while watching Project Runway and being amused by my cat playing with a rubber band. Maybe… yes. Yes, I am getting sidetracked.
I prepped the potato cakes first, then let them sit for a few minutes while I prepared the flank steak. Once the steak was in the oven, I cooked up the potato cakes. The timing was just perfect and I can’t believe how well it all went together. The juicy flavorful steak was served curled up on top of the crunchy potato cakes that were super moist and heavenly. It is a fancified (I may have just made that word up) meat and taters!
As for the cheesecake, it was the logical choice for the end of this meal. With the Italian-ish feel of the steak, having a dessert with Amaretto and mascarpone just seemed right. And it is made one day in advance so the kitchen mess gets spread out between two days. But the dessert really doesn’t make much of a mess. Except maybe a mess of your diet, because I decided it needed a drizzle of Nutella on top while I was at it. Go ahead and try to tell me I was wrong.
Happy surprise virtual bridal shower, Steph!
FLANK STEAK STUFFED WITH SUNDRIED TOMATOES, GOAT CHEESE AND BASIL
Serves 2
Ingredients:
10 oz. (ish) flank steak
2 oz. goat cheese, brought to room temperature to soften
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, drained and chopped
3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Butterfly the flank steak, and then pound is to flatten it slightly. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt and pepper.
- In a bowl, combine the softened goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, basil, a few grinds of pepper. Spread the mixture on top of the flank steak, and then roll it up to form a log. Secure the steak with kitchen twine or toothpicks.
- Heat a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the flank steak and brown it on all sides. Place the flank steak in the oven to finish cooking to your desired level of doneness (about 1o minutes for me). Place the steak under a foil tent to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
SPINACH POTATO CAKES
Makes one dozen
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup packed fresh spinach, stems removed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large Idaho potato, boiled and mashed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup canola oil
Directions:
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter, melt, then add the spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool. Squeeze the spinach dry and finely chop; place in a large bowl. Add the egg and stir until well combined. Add the mashed potatoes, Parmesan, and lemon zest, and season with more salt and pepper; stir until well combined. Stir in the bread crumbs and flour until the mixture holds together. Pat into 2-inch by 1/2-inch-thick cakes.
- Pour Panko bread crumb into a shallow bowl. Coat each potato cake and press down slightly to adhere. Gently shake off any excess and transfer to a plate.
- Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the cakes and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
AMARETTO CHOCOLATE MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE BARS
Makes 9 bars
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour, divided
1/4 cup powdered sugar
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
8 oz. mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp Amaretto
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Nutella, melted
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8″ x 8″ square pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang, and set aside.
- Cut the butter into 1 cup of the flour and powdered sugar until crumbly. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until light brown.
- Meanwhile, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Add mascarpone and 2 Tbsp flour; beat until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula.
- Gradually add sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in Amaretto. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
- Divide the batter in half. Add cocoa powder to one of the batters and mix until fully incorporated.
- Pour chocolate filling into pie shell. Carefully spoon plain Amaretto batter on top. Scatter chocolate chips if using.
- Bake cheesecake until top is golden and cake is almost set (center 2 inches will still move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 40-50 minutes. Cool cake on rack 1 hour before refrigerating uncovered overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
- Before serving, lift out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper before cutingt into 9 squares. Drizzle melted Nutella over the top is desired.
Source: Flank Steak from Elly Says Opa. Potato cakes adapted from Epicurious. Cheesecake adapted slightly from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. Cheesecake shortbread crust from King Arthur Flour.
Posted in Beef, Brownies & Bars, Cheesecake, Desserts, Entree, Side Dish, Valentine's Day | Tags: basil, chocolate, cocoa, cream cheese, goat cheese, mascarpone, Nutella, Parmesan, potatoes, spinach, steak, sun-dried tomatoes | 25 Comments »
