I love my mom’s potato salad, but it takes several hours to make and sometimes I don’t have that much time (or energy! phew…. this pregnancy stuff is draining!). I came across this potato salad recipe eons ago on Brown Eyed Baker and its simplicity intrigued me. I have made it twice in three weeks, which is not something that I generally do. Because it is so easy to make, so tasty, and it goes well with so many main courses, this will be a mainstay in our house. Best part? No potato peeling required! Yahoo!

Continue reading: herbed vinaigrette potato salad

When I saw this casserole on How Sweet It Is, I wondered if it tasted as good as it looked. The presentation certainly was gorgeous and the idea of chopping pecans with oatmeal and nuts to make a crumble topping was brilliant. I could not wait until Thanksgiving day to make this recipe.

I halved the recipe and cooked it in a mini-springform pan as a trial run. I ate a scoop for lunch and took the rest to share with friends. They each grabbed a spoon and before long the entire dish had disappeared. I thought the casserole could use a little more sugar, another deemed it just right and another friend said that he’d reduce the sugar a bit. So that settles it. You’ll have your own opinions, so taste the sweet potato mixture before you top it with the crumble. I also thought a little orange zest would add a fun kick to this dish. Someone in our group playfully threatened to stab me with a fork when I mentioned this. If you want to try the orange zest, maybe you should run it by your family before you do. :

Continue reading: prettier (and healthier!) sweet potato casserole

I’m not sure if mashed potatoes will ever be considered a health food, but I certainly don’t feel guilty about giving myself a double portion of these. Instead of having a stick of butter, they have a mere tablespoon. To give the potatoes that same smooth, buttery taste, a bit of sour cream and a splash of milk goes a long way. The secret to these amazing potatoes isn’t just the ingredients, though. It’s also in how they’re cooked. Cook’s Illustrated originally posted the recipe for their light mashed potatoes in one cookbook and their alternative cooking method for full-fat potatoes in another cookbook. I decided to experiment with combining the new cooking method with their light mashed potato recipe and boy oh boy! These were the fluffiest, smoothest, creamiest, most delicious mashed potatoes I have *ever* eaten. The cooler fall and winter weather is a perfect excuse to load up my plate with these spuds.

I promise you that if you try these mashed potatoes, you’ll never go back to the old ways of making taters again!!!

Continue reading: “lite” fluffy mashed potatoes

scalloped potatoes
slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated The New Best Recipe

2 tbsp unsalted butter (or 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp bacon grease)
1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1  tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 1/2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick*
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup half-and-half or whole milk
2 bay leaves
4 oz cubed ham (optional)
2 oz roasted chili peppers (optional – my parents prefer these potatoes with roasted Anaheim peppers, but I’m a spice-pansy and omit them)
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
2 tbsp panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or regular bread crumbs

*You will never slice potatoes this thinly by hand. Instead use a mandolin or food processor fit with a slicing attachment. You can read more about this on my other scalloped potato recipe.

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Melt the butter over medium high heat in an oven-proof dutch oven or 12-inch cast iron skillet. When the foaming subsides, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the potatoes, broth, cream, half-and-half or whole milk, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Add in ham and roasted peppers, if using. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of a potato slice with some resistance), about ten minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

Combine the cheese and the panko. Sprinkle the potatoes evenly with the cheese mixture. Transfer the mixture to the oven. Bake until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Cool 10 minutes before serving.

herbed potatoes anna
adapted from TLC’s Steamy Kitchen Blog

3/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
5 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
2 lb baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices* (I recommend Yukon Gold potatoes)

*You will never be able to slice potatoes thin enough using a knife. To get your potatoes 1/8-inch thick, use a mandolin slicer or a food processor with the 1/8-inch slicing disc.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, zest, and thyme. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a small side dish.

Swirl the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron or ovenproof heavy skillet over Medium heat. Arrange a single layer of potato slices, slightly overlapping, in a circular pattern in the pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon of the herb mixture. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the potatoes with the melted butter.

Repeat the layers five times, ending with the herb and butter mixture.

Continue to cook on the stove until the potatoes on the bottom of the pan are just starting to turn brown. Immediately cover and transfer to the oven. Cover and bake for 20 minutes or until a knife can easily pierce the potatoes. You can serve the potatoes in a skillet or loosen the edges with a spatula and turn over onto a plate.

potato salad

2.5 pounds of russet potatoes (you can use a mixture of russets and yukon gold if you prefer)
1 tbsp salt

vinaigrette

3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup salad oil
1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles + 1 tbsp of the pickle juice
1-2 stalks celery, chopped into small pieces
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

mustard dressing

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tsp prepared horseradish
1/4 tsp celery seeds (optional)
1/4 tsp salt

Peel and cut potatoes into 3/4 inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan and add water to cover by one inch. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of salt, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring once or twice, until potatoes are tender, about 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife.

Combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, and oil for the vinaigrette while the potatoes are cooking. I like to use a food processor, but you can use a whisk if you don’t have one.

Drain the potatoes and while they are warm, add the vinaigrette. Stir gently to coat all the potatoes. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or as long as overnight.

Prep your pickles, celery, eggs and mustard dressing and gently stir them into the chilled potatoes ensuring that all the potatoes are well coated.

Allow to sit in refrigerator for 1-3 hours and serve chilled.

For those of you who like to make casseroles and freeze part of them for later, you need to know that potatoes do funny things when you freeze them, so I’d say just hedge your bets and eat all of this when it’s fresh. To play it really safe, just eat it all the first night. This dish is so tasty, that shouldn’t really be a problem.

Phew… the holidays are over. If you’ve wondered whether I dropped off the planet, the answer is no. I had wonderful family time on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then packed off to the mountains for a couple of days with my hubby so he could test out his new Christmas present – some snow tubes that promised to go FAST! Now we’re back home and recovering from our New Year’s party! Sometimes I feel like I need a vacation from the Christmas/New Year’s vacation.

But enough about me. You’re really here to read about the most amazing minestrone recipe ever, so let’s get to that. This is one of my favorite and most-often-served recipes, probably because it’s the embodiment of what everyone wants on cold winter days such as these: hearty, healthy, tasty, and versatile. And boy, oh boy is it versatile. If you’re vegetarian, you can just omit the chicken sausage and substitute vegetarian broth. If you aren’t a vegetarian, you can choose any flavored sausage that you think would suit this soup (chicken and roasted garlic & chicken and sun dried tomato are my favorite, but I’m sure there are many others that would appeal!). If you are accustomed to seeing noodles in your minestrone, go ahead and add some pre-cooked noodles to the end of this dish (just beware: if you refrigerate it overnight with the noodles inside, they will absorb most of your broth and your soup will become stew!). I prefer to skip the noodles and to serve this with a crusty bread instead.

I got my inspiration for this dish from another book, but I have made so many modifications that I think that I can now call the recipe my own.

Mashed potatoes are mashed potatoes, right? I mean, you boil some potatoes, whip in a stick of butter and some milk, add a touch of salt, and you’re done, right?

Wrong.

Well, okay, you’re right – if you just want boring old mashed potatoes that will go straight to your arteries. Once again, Cook’s Illustrated has saved the day. They came up with a light mashed potato recipe that tastes amazing. You’ll never know they are light, and you’ll be saving money on butter while you’re at it!

If you can find some creamer potatoes, you will never return to Plain Jane russets or Yukon golds again. My produce market carried creamers for a short time last year and my husband and I pushed aside the meat and veggies and just ate potatoes. When creamers aren’t in stock, Yukon golds will have to do. Don’t use the red potatoes for these. Russets (the brown ones) can be used in a pinch. They won’t taste as good as the creamers or Yukon Golds, though!
mashed potatoes
The Best Light Recipe

2 lb creamer or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
salt
1/4 sour cream
1/2 cup milk (divided)
1 tbsp butter

Place potatoes in a pot of water, covered by at least a few inches, and add 2 teaspoons salt. Boil for 10-15 minutes, or until potato pieces are easily pierced with a fork. Depending on which potato you use, this process could go faster or take more time.

Drain well in a colander. The more water you shake off, the less watery your potatoes will be. These things seem obvious, but they must be stated.

In a large bowl or standing mixer, place potatoes, sour cream, butter, and 1/4 cup of milk. Mix to your heart’s desire. Some people like chunks and some don’t – it’s your choice!

Add more milk to thin the potatoes if you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Because these potatoes don’t have the fat that our usual mashed potatoes do, they don’t hold as well. Best to just eat them out of the mixing bowl is what I say.