Vinegar Roasted Potatoes

Vinegar has long been used in many home remedies, for everything from easing arthritis pain to curing hiccups.  This winter I used some to make homemade cough syrup.  But what I really like to do is cook with it.  Vinegar adds a ton of flavor to dishes without adding calories and there are so many varieties it makes it fun to experiment.

I wanted to add a little twist to my basic roasted red potatoes.  I won’t claim any great health benefits, but as far as I’m concerned, this zippy little side dish was just what the doctor ordered.

Vinegar Roasted Potatoes

Vinegar Roasted Potatoes

1-2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
Salt & pepper
2-3 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400˚  Toss potato wedges with vinegar and oil.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Drizzle, toss, sprinkle. Pop in the oven!

Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring once after about 15 minutes.  Cook until potatoes are tender and a bit browned.  If you want more of a vinegar taste, sprinkle a bit more on top when they are done.

When they look like this, you are ready to eat!

Looking for other easy potato sides?  Try Downright fancy baked potatoes, or homemade garlic fries!

Dinner on a Cookie Sheet

After a day of doing chores and running errands I did not want to do dishes.  And I didn’t want take out.  I had good food to cook but I was interested in minimal effort.  And so I went to my cookie sheet solution.  I do this from time to time when I have nice ingredients but nothing fancy in mind.  Everything on one cookie sheet, lined with foil.  Zero dishes.  Maximum taste.  Good, simple food.

You could really use whatever ingredients you want for this.  Have fish instead?  No problem.  Different veggies? No problem!  Just spread them out like so and it will be just perfect. Adjust quantities to match the number of people you’re feeding.

Honey Mustard Chicken Breasts with Smashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Dinner on a Cookie Sheet – Honey Mustard Chicken with Smashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Chicken breasts
1 tsp. honey
1 tbsp. coarse dijon mustard
Small red potatoes
Green beans
Mushrooms
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

In a small saucepan, boil whole potatoes until fork tender.  Preheat oven to 400˚.  Line a cookie sheet with foil.  Spray with cooking spray.  Mix honey and mustard and smear all over chicken.  Place on the cookie sheet.  Place potatoes on cookie sheet and use the flat surface of a spatula or the flat of a knife to smash.  Spread out the green beans.  Scatter a few mushrooms about.  Sprinkle everything with salt & pepper and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once halfway through.

One cookie sheet, everything you need for dinner. Wad up the foil and call the dishes done.

Creamy Baked Potato Soup

I rarely eat leftovers in the same form as they were first presented as dinner.  I don’t know if this is some sort of culinary ADD or what, but I just get bored eating the same thing over and over again.  Does anybody else experience this?

Leftover baked potatoes were staring at me and I had eaten baked potatoes the night before, so I decided to do something different with them.  Following the path of many a leftover in my house, they became soup.  But not just any soup.  Wonderful, creamy, delightful baked potato soup.  It will take the chill off, it will cure what ails you, it will just make your tummy happy.  And best of all, since the potatoes are already cooked, it’s a snap to throw together.

Creamy Baked Potato Soup

Creamy Baked Potato Soup

1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, sliced or chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2-3 giant baked potatoes (3-4 cups cubed potato)
4 cups milk (I used 1% but any kind will do)
2 oz. cream cheese
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
1 tsp. dill
Salt & pepper (start with 1 tsp. of each and add more if needed)
For garnish – crispy bacon, grated cheese and/or minced parsley

In a soup pot, sauté onion, carrots, and red pepper in a little oil or butter until tender.  Add potatoes and milk.  Heat until it just barely starts to boil, then immediately turn down to a simmer.  Add cream cheese, butter, dill and salt & pepper. Simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to make sure veggies are all cooked through and to let flavors blend.  Using a stick blender or potato masher, mash up or puree the soup, leaving some chunks (you can skip this if you want a chunkier soup).  I leave mine a little chunky but mashing some of it gives a nice texture and thickness that I personally like.  Do a little at a time and stop when it looks good to you.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.  Top with your favorite garnish and eat.

 

A Studly Spud

Normally I keep potatoes firmly in side dish territory.  They are one of my favorite foods but rarely do the get the whole spotlight at any meal.  However, last night I found myself with several large leftover baked potatoes and a tired, lazy attitude.  I peeked in my fridge and they looked just like dinner to me.  Turns out if you pile some good stuff on top, you really don’t need anything else!

A studly spud. All dressed up and ready to eat!

Studly Spuds
For each potato:

Large russet potato
2 strips bacon
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1-2 tsp. butter
Salt & pepper
Greek yogurt for topping

Poke each potato several times with a knife or fork and bake at 375˚ for an hour or so until tender.  Turn off oven and leave them sitting in there so they stay hot while you cook the topping.  In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp.  Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel.  Discard grease.  Add onion to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and butter and cook and stir 1-2 minutes more.  Crumble bacon back into the mixture. Add a pinch of salt & pepper and stir to combine.

Slice the top of the baked potato down the center.  Fluff insides with a fork.  Pour bacon/tomato mixture over the top.  Add a dollop of plain greek yogurt or sour cream to the top if desired.

Baked potatoes to die for. A little greek yogurt on top finished it off perfectly!

Downright Fancy Baked Potatoes

Need a fancy side dish that 99% of people will absolutely love?  Look no further. I’ve made these a few times and they are always a huge hit.  Not only do we love them, but when we have dinner guests they add a little fancy touch to dinner that an ordinary baked potato just wouldn’t have.  They are easy to make but get an A+ for presentation. If these were a house, you could charge extra just for the curb appeal.

You can use any potatoes for this.  I used Yukon Gold potatoes basically because I was too lazy to peel and not a huge fan of russet potato skins.  But feel free to use whichever spud floats your boat.

Downright Fancy Baked Potatoes

 

Downright Fancy Baked Potatoes

Yukon Gold potatoes (or whatever kind you like)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. butter
A pinch of salt, pepper, & dry Italian seasoning (or use whichever seasonings you like best)
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400˚.  Slice off a thin piece on one side so the potato will sit still and not roll around while you are trying to slice it.  Make thin slices all the way across the potato, but not going all the way to the bottom.  You want the potato to stay together so stop short about 1/4 inch from the bottom (don’t beat yourself up if you slice one in half, it will still taste fine).  Slice garlic very thinly and slip between potato slices here and there.  Slice butter thinly and insert here and there into potato slices as well.  Sprinkle potatoes with seasonings.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  Place on a baking pan and bake for about 1 hour until fork tender.

Why not make a couple extra? They are terrific the next day.

I always try to make a couple extra because the next morning I like to do this:

Pull apart, toss in a pan, add a couple of beaten eggs, scramble. Top off with hot sauce. Breakfast of champions.

Bring Me My Turkey Pot Pie!

I woke up to snow falling this morning.  Well, sort of snow.  More like slush.  But it’s Portland, Oregon, and I’ll take whatever snow I can get.  I caught a flake on my tongue and it didn’t taste like rain.

What to do on a snowy/rainy evening?  Whip up a little comfort food of course.

I grew up eating frozen chicken or turkey pot pies.  You know the little individual ones I mean.  I always liked them, even though I burned the roof of my mouth every dang time.  For some reason, I don’t ever buy them.  Probably haven’t eaten one in 20 years.  But in this case, no frozen pie was needed.  I made my own and it was even better than I remember.  I still burned the roof of my mouth.  Sometimes you just can’t wait.

One of the things I don’t like about most turkey pot pies is the mushy crust on the bottom.  Problem solved by not using one.  I used a top crust only and it was every bit as delicious.  Not to mention a little more healthy since the crust is the most fattening part of the whole thing.  I am not a pie crust expert, so I used a refrigerated roll up crust by Pillsbury.  One of the best convenience products ever invented in my opinion.  This was a huge hit in my house.  Hope it is in yours as well.

Turkey Pot Pie

2 cups cooked turkey or chicken
3 medium potatoes
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup frozen peas
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
2 tbsp. chives
1/2 tsp. creole seasoning
1 refrigerated pie crust

Stab the potatoes and microwave for 5 minutes or so, until fork tender.  Remove, let cool a bit and dice.  Add a drizzle of olive oil to a skillet and add carrots, onion and mushrooms, along with a pinch of salt & pepper.  Saute until veggies are tender.  Add frozen peas and toss with the other vegetables.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Whisk flour into the butter until it’s all absorbed and mixture is smooth.  Whisk in milk gradually, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.  Continue to whisk until mixture is bubbly and thickened.  Remove from heat.  Stir in a big pinch of salt & pepper, chives, and creole seasoning.  Combine sauce in a large bowl with vegetables, potatoes, and turkey.  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Preheat oven to 375˚.  Prep a casserole dish with cooking spray.  Add your turkey and vegetable mixture.  Cover with a pie crust and tuck around the edges.  Make a few slices in the top for steam to escape.

That is a beautiful pie crust that I didn’t make.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown on top.

Perfect Turkey Pot Pie

And the cutaway shot, showing all the yummy goodness lurking underneath that crust. Note the absence of gooey gross bottom crust.

Shepherd’s Pie Goes Veggie

Yesterday I posted about an amazing Shepherd’s Pie I made with pulled pork.  It was delicious.  But what I didn’t tell you is that I made a vegetarian version at the same time since I had a friend over who doesn’t eat pork (or anything else with a face).  It was easy enough to layer things in two dishes instead of one.  This is one of the things that I really like about this recipe.  Since you prepare the ingredients separately, it’s very easy to customize to different tastes.  You could even do individual servings if you wanted to really go crazy.

I have to say, I love the vegetarian version just as much as the meat version.  But then, there ARE mashed potatoes involved, and how can you go wrong there?  Want the meaty version?  Click here for the recipe.

Shepherd’s Pie Goes Veggie

Shepherd’s Pie Goes Veggie

8 oz. (or more) sliced mushrooms (I used a mix of button mushrooms and shiitake)
1/2 cup pearl onions (I use the frozen, peeled ones because I hate peeling these things)
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped into 1-2 inch pieces
2-3 medium red potatoes, with skin on
1-2 cloves garlic
Salt & pepper
1-2 tbsp. butter
1/4- 1/2 cup milk
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Quarter the potatoes and cover with water in a large sauce pan.  Throw in the whole, peeled cloves of garlic.  Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or so until fork tender.  Drain the water.  Add butter, milk and salt & pepper to taste and mash with a potato masher.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet saute mushrooms in a little butter or olive oil with fresh thyme and a pinch of salt & pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes until softened and set aside.  Put green beans and pearl onions in a glass bowl with a little water, cover with a plate or plastic wrap (undone a bit to let steam escape) and microwave for a 2-3 minutes.  Drain water.  (You could alternatively boil these on the stove for 3-4 minutes if you prefer).

Preheat oven to 375˚. Assemble your pie by mushrooms in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Top with green beans and onions.  Pile on the mashed potatoes and spread out to cover everything evenly.  Sprinkle with green onions and parmesan.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  Pop it in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until everything is hot and mashed potatoes are starting to brown on top.  Dig in!  Makes 2-3 servings.

One Pork Roast, 3 Dinners. Day 3: Shepherd’s Pie

The grand finale of pork week was Shepherd’s Pie.  While it’s a humble dish at heart, the presentation is beautiful and it was oh, so delicious.  I’ve never made it before, but having eaten it I knew that the basic recipe was a meat something, topped with a veggie something (usually peas) and then lots of yummy mashed potatoes.  Could you go wrong with that?  I didn’t think so, and it seemed simple enough that I decided to wing it without a recipe.  I already had leftover pulled pork and it was the perfect base for my pie.  And you thought pork pies were just an English thing, didn’t you?

Interested in Day One and Two of my pork roast saga?  Click here for BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Shredded Pork & Black Bean Tacos.  If you’re stretching the dollars, these are three easy meals that were very nice to my food budget.

Shepherd’s Pie. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Shepherd’s Pie

2 cups (or so) Basic Pulled Pork
4-6 oz. mushrooms (I used a mix of button mushrooms and shiitake)
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped into 1-2 inch pieces
4-5 medium red potatoes, with skin on
3-4 cloves garlic
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp. butter
1/4- 1/2 cup milk
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Quarter the potatoes and cover with water in a large sauce pan.  Throw in the whole, peeled cloves of garlic.  Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or so until fork tender.  Drain the water.  Add butter, milk and salt & pepper to taste and mash with a potato masher.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet saute mushrooms in a little butter or olive oil with fresh thyme and a pinch of salt & pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes until softened and set aside.  Put green beans in a glass bowl with a little water, cover with a plate or plastic wrap (undone a bit to let steam escape) and microwave for a 2-3 minutes.  Drain water.  (You could alternatively boil these on the stove for 3-4 minutes if you prefer).  If your pork is cooled in the fridge, warm it up slightly in the microwave.

Preheat oven to 375˚. Assemble your pie by spreading pork (and any pork juices there might be) in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Top with mushrooms.  Then spread green beans over the top.  Pile on the mashed potatoes and spread out to cover everything evenly.  Sprinkle with green onions and parmesan.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  Pop it in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until everything is hot and mashed potatoes are starting to brown on top.  Dig in!  Makes 4-6 servings.

Cutaway View of Shepherd’s Pie. Also known as my lunch the next day.

Baked Eggs with Potato & Brie

And it’s time for another round of “What Can I Throw In A Ramekin?”  Today my fridge was looking a little bare since I’m way past due for grocery shopping, but I did have eggs and potatoes and really, I could survive on that, no problem!  Add a little scrap of brie and some leftover herbs and I had myself a gourmet breakfast.

Baked Eggs with Potato & Brie

Baked Eggs with Potato & Brie

For each ramekin:

1 small yukon gold or red potato
1-2 eggs
2-3 slices of brie cheese
fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 400˚.  Spray your ramekins with cooking spray.  Poke the potato with a fork a few times and microwave on high for 5 minutes, until fork tender (or you can use leftover baked or mashed potatoes for this if you have any).  Slice and place in the bottom of the ramekin.

A lovely bed of potatoes.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt & pepper.  Break eggs over the potatoes.  Top with cheese and thyme.

Ready to pop in the oven.

Place in the oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes, until eggs are set.  Dig in!

Stuffed Baked Potato Frittata

I have had a theory for quite some time that almost any leftovers can be mixed with scrambled eggs to make a perfect breakfast.  A frittata is one of the best ways to put this to the test.  On this occasion, I had leftover baked potatoes and broccoli from the night before.  Combined with a few other ingredients, it reminded me exactly of a stuffed baked potato.  But for breakfast.  Mmm. I love breakfast.  But I would eat this for any meal of the day.

Stuffed Baked Potato Frittata

Stuffed Baked Potato Frittata

2 baked yukon gold potatoes (or microwave for 5 minutes or so until tender), sliced
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup steamed broccoli
4 strips bacon
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 eggs
Salt & pepper
Sour cream (optional)

Get all your ingredients ready before you start cooking.  Beat eggs with a little salt & pepper in a bowl and set aside.  Shred cheese, chop veggies.

If you don’t have leftover potatoes and veggies, just nuke them in the microwave for a few minutes until tender.

Cook bacon in a medium skillet until crisp.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.  Drain off bacon grease, just leaving enough to coat the bottom of the pan (1-2 tsp.).  Add potatoes and onion to pan.  Sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally until onion is tender.  Beat eggs with a little salt & pepper in a bowl and set aside.  Crumble bacon and add that and the broccoli to the potatoes.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Pour eggs over the top and swirl around to coat all the ingredients.

Swirl around evenly in the pan. Don’t worry if the veggies are sticking out of the egg mixture.

Cover and turn heat down to medium low.  Cook for 10 minutes or so until eggs on top are cooked (will look a little poofy).

All set up and ready to eat!

Cut into wedges, top with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy!