Cooking During Stolen Moments» Potatoes

Mediterranean Hash

Kate — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:41:54 +0000

Have you ever bought an ingredient just because it was on sale and looked really good? I hate to admit it, but I have a tendency of falling into that trap, especially when I break the cardinal rule of never grocery shopping while hungry. That’s exactly what happened earlier this month when I made a quick stop to pick up some yogurt and milk and my eyes landed on a container of Feta cheese. Although I had no idea how I’d use it, I couldn’t resist!

So, I’ve had this container of Feta sitting in our refrigerator while I tried to decide on a great way to use it. Finally, I decided on something a little different that just sounded so good to me for some reason. It turned out exactly as I hoped. The Feta added a perfect little kick to the dish.

I used sliced Chicken & Spinach sausage because I had some on hand, but I think the meat could definitely be swapped for something else. Chicken would great.

Mediterranean Hash

2 lbs. baby red potatoes, quartered
2 T. olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. butter
1 lb. chicken sausage, sliced (or substitute with another meat of your choice)
2 c. frozen spinach, thawed
1 t. salt
1 t. Rosemary
1/2 t. pepper
1 6 oz. can sliced black olives
1/2 c. crumbled Feta cheese

1. Place potatoes in a large pot filled with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, just until fork tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add butter and cook until melted. Stir in sausage, spinach and seasonings. Cook for 5 more minutes, then add potatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until potatoes and browned and crisp.

3. Remove from heat and stir in olives. Top with Feta and serve immediately.

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Veggie Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes

Kate — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 01:14:13 +0000

There’s just something about adding extra veggies to an indulgent dish that makes it seem healthier. Zucchini muffins are much healthier than chocolate chips muffins, right? Same with carrot cake.

So by that logic (however flawed it may be), rich and cheesy twice baked potatoes loaded with bacon are made healthier by the addition of a few handful of veggies. Which means you can have two instead of one without feeling guilty. At least that’s what I tell myself, so if you disagree, please just keep that to yourself, okay?

Now, just so you know, in addition to upping the “healthiness” of these potatoes, the extra veggies add a great taste and texture. Seriously, these things are so good and they could easily count as a complete meal. (See, there IS justification for eating two at once!)

Veggie Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes

10 medium sized Russet potatoes
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. sour cream
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 t. salt
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. black pepper
1 zucchini, finely diced or shredded
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced or shredded
4 diced green onions
1/2 – 1 lb. diced, cooked and drained bacon
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1. Scrub potatoes and pierce several times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about an hour, until soft to the touch. Cool until easy to handle.

2. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the potato to with 1/4 inch of the skin, being careful to leave the skin intact. Place the scooped out potatoes in a large bowl and mash until smooth.

3. Stir milk, butter and sour cream into the potatoes until creamy. Add remaining ingredients and stir until completely combined. Spoon the filling into the potato shells.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned and crisped on top. If you want the top to be extra crispy and browned, place under a broiler for about 3 to 5 minutes.

This recipe definitely makes a lot, which I do on purpose. Since it’s an involved process, I like doing a lot at once so that I can freeze half for another time or even just keep the leftovers in the fridge for lunch the next day. You could easily halve the recipe though if you’d want to.

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Steak & Potato Salad

Kate — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 01:14:54 +0000

I think Sundays are my favorite day of the week in the summertime. We spend the day together, not doing much of anything at all, running a few errands or enjoying the weather and just being outside with each other. Then at some point it occurs to us all that we should probably eat something. So a quick but special dinner becomes top priority.

Steak & Potato Salad is definitely quick, delicious and just special enough to make the perfect Sunday night dinner at our house!

Steak & Potato Salad

2 lbs small Yukon Gold or red skin potatoes
1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed
1/3 c. sliced green onions
1 c. sour cream
3 T. rice wine or red wine vinegar
2 T. prepared horseradish
2 T. olive oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 – 1 1/2 lb. strip steak
Additional salt & pepper
Lettuce

1. Place potatoes in a large pot filled with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and rinse with cold water. Meanwhile, add asparagus to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, just until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Cut potatoes into quarters and place in a large bowl with the asparagus and sliced onions.

3. In a small bowl stir together the sour cream, vinegar, horseradish, olive oil and salt and pepper until well combined. Pour on top of the potatoes and asparagus and stir to coat. Refrigerate until using.

4. Season steak with salt and pepper on both sides and grill until desired doneness. Let rest for 5 minutes then slice into thin slices.

5. Line plates with lettuce and top with potato salad and steak. Enjoy!

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Stuffed Jalapeno Pepper Dip

Kate — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 02:18:17 +0000

Stuffed jalapenos are so good. I’ve made them several times, (my friend Amy’s Stuffed Jalapeno recipe is wonderful!) but sometimes I’m just too lazy to go through the process. So I embrace the laziness and make Stuffed Jalapeno Pepper Dip instead.

The dip gives you that same awesome taste except it’s ready in just minutes. You gotta’ love that, right?

Stuffed Jalapeno Pepper Dip

1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
1 t. salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t. black pepper
3 – 5 jalapeno peppers*, diced
1/2 lb. diced and cooked bacon, drained and divided
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips, potato chips or corn chips

1. Stir together cream cheese with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Mix in diced peppers and half of the bacon. Spread into a pie plate or cake pan.

2. Top with shredded cheese and remaining bacon. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with chips.

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Cornmeal-Dusted Potato Wedges

Kate — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 01:46:31 +0000

So what do you do when your crazy mom grabs a plate full of food, her camera and heads outside just before you’re supposed to eat dinner? Obviously, you tag along and pose in the background the entire time.

And really, who cares about food when this face is staring at you?

How do you keep the camera trained on the food when you’ve got a little girl posing in every way she knows how?

And when that little girl realizes she’s now the subject matter and not the food, it’s impossible to not stop snapping shots!

Sometimes, I have to mix the kids in with the food because life can’t always be just about food! I have a feeling I might be posting another series like this in the near future since all the other kids will want their own post as soon as they see this one.

And now on to the recipe…

Cornmeal-Dusted Potato Wedges

4 – 6 red-skinned potatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 T. oil
1 c. cornmeal
1 t. salt
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. cumin
1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1. Combine melted butter and oil in a large bowl. Pour cormeal and seasonings into a large plastic zippered bag. Shake bag a few times to combine.

2. Add the cut potatoes to the bowl with the butter and oil. Toss to coat. Transfer a portion of the potatoes with a slotted spoon to the plastic bag. Shake to coat and place potatoes on a cookie sheet. Repeat until all of the potatoes are coated.

3. Bake potatoes at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes, until fork tender inside but crispy on the outside. Enjoy!

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Barbecue Roasted Potatoes

Kate — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 01:01:22 +0000

Eric and I have decided that this is going to the summer of grilling. We lived in a condo for years where we couldn’t grill and then last summer, we were busy moving in to our new house and I was busy being pregnant. Our grilling repertoire revolved largely around hot dogs and bratwursts.

But this year we’re already off to a great start with Eric manning the grill on a regular basis. We’ve had a few ups-and-downs along the way, but overall it’s been a very good experience. I can’t wait to experience all the new meals we enjoy as a result of this new-found love!

For our previous (minimal) grilled meals, I always relied on a combination of the same sides – corn on the cob, watermelon, French fries, potato salad, pasta salad or cantaloupe. Now I’m determined to broaden our options as we increase our grilled main dish choices. These barbecue roasted potatoes were my first experiment and they turned out so good. Each bite of potato was just bursting with flavor and it was a perfect accompaniement to our grilled pork chops.

Barbecue Roasted Potatoes

2 lbs. yellow potatoes, cubed
1 t. salt
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 T. butter or olive
1 1/2 c. barbecue sauce (homemade or bottled)

1. Place potatoes in a large pot filled with cold water. Bring to a boil, add salt and continue boiling over medium-high heat until potatoes are just tender. Drain.

2. In a large bowl, toss potatoes with onions, pepper and butter or olive oil. Pour in barbecue sauce and stir until potatoes are coated.

3. Transfer potatoes to a baking dish or aluminum foil pouch. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or grill in pouch for about 20 minutes.

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Lemon Infused Potatoes

Kate — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:53:15 +0000

As I was cleaning out our pantry the other day, I came across a bag of red-skinned potatoes. They were on that borderline verge of still being good. I sorted out the bag and had to throw a few potatoes away, but there were enough good ones left that I knew I could make a side dish with them. Since 1/3 less wasted food is something I’m working on this month, I decided to scrap my original plans for that night’s dinner so that I could use up the potatoes. I quickly opted for some marinated chicken breasts and decided to mix together a quick side dish of Greek-inspired lemon infused potatoes.

Although it might sound like an unusual combination, let me assure you that these potatoes are absolutely delicious! The tanginess of the lemon is mellowed slightly by the other ingredients to leave just a zesty flavor that’s unforgettable. This is a great way to mix up your usual potato side dish routine.

Lemon Infused Potatoes

1 large lemon, juiced and zested
1/3 c. olive oil
2 T. butter, melted
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper (freshly ground, if possible)
2 – 3 lbs. red-skinned potatoes, cubed

1. In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, zest, olive oil, melted butter, parsley, salt and pepper. Add cubed potatoes and toss to coat well.

2. Transfer potatoes to a baking sheet or casserole dish and bake at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until tender, browned and crisped.

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Irish Potato Casserole

Kate — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 01:00:02 +0000

I love St. Patrick’s Day. When I was a kid, I relished the sliced corned beef, potato pancakes and rye bread that my mom would pick up from a special deli/butcher. I still love all those foods. And even though I now make a corned beef brisket twice a year (once for Eric’s birthday and once for St. Patrick’s Day), I can still taste those goodies my mom would get and still long for them.

Okay, anyhow…our usual St. Patrick’s Day dinner consists of corned beef brisket with boiled cabbage and carrots. We also always have rye bread and potatoes of some kind. Crashed potatoes have been our potato of choice with this meal the past couple years, but when I saw this recipe in an old church cookbook, I just knew we’d all love it and that it would be the perfect accompaniment for this year’s dinner. I made a few changes (I just can’t resist) and ended up with a dish that we all loved. These potatoes are creamy, cheesy, rich and delicious!

Irish Potato Casserole

6 – 8 medium Russet potatoes
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 t. paprika
1 c. shredded cheese

1. Peel potatoes and cut into small cubes. Add to a large pot of boiling water. Boil for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, sour cream, melted butter and seasonings and stir until thoroughly combined. Stir in cooked, drained potatoes. Transfer to a casserole dish. (You can refrigerate at this point until baking, if desired.)

3. Cover potatoes with shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is completely melted.

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