Breakfast Casserole

All the Major Breakfast Groups



This breakfast casserole features the major breakfast food groups - eggs, sausage, and potatoes. With some coffee and juice to wash it down, you're ready to take on King Kong. Nevertheless my standard breakfast is a few cups of coffee, some yogurt or a banana, and a couple of cigarettes (although if I have to go somewhere in the morning I like getting a sausage biscuit at Burger King) so I make this for supper more often than breakfast. But whenever you make it, it's a great, easy, and inexpensive meal.

Recipe here...

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Potato/Beer Chowder

Brewpub Basic



It's odd how the lunch culture varies from workplace to workplace. I worked at one company where everyone would go out and get fast food then (usually) bring it back and eat it at their desks. At the next place I worked I got involved with a crew that went out to lunch every day. Sometimes there'd be six or seven of us, sometimes just two or three, but it was always the same basic group.

In Oregon everyone brought their lunch to work, although we'd go out to eat at one of the three greasy spoons in the area about once a month (we called these "editorial bonding lunches"). While in New Hampshire everyone ate at the company cafeteria

We'd go out to eat at one of the three greasy spoons in the area about once a month (we called these "editorial bonding lunches").

In California we'd grill burgers outside every now and then, but for the most part everyone ate alone at their desks. However, there was a brewpub not far from the office and every three or four months we'd go there for lunch. The beer was good and the food, typical pub fare, wasn't bad on the whole. However they served a potato/beer chowder that was outstanding. So I'd usually order a cup of chowder and half a sandwich

Of course I had to try to duplicate the recipe and I managed to come very close, the trick turned out to be the combination of milk, beer, and chicken broth. The chicken broth took me awhile to figure out.

Potato/Beer Chowder
Serves 4.

1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes — peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 strips bacon
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 lg onion — peeled and diced
1 c beer
1 c milk
2 c chicken broth
6 oz sharp cheddar cheese — shredded
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne pepper

Cook the bacon to desired doneness in a large soup pot over low heat. Drain bacon (reserving rendered bacon fat in the soup pot) and crumble.

Heat milk and beer in the microwave on high.

Add onion to bacon grease and cooking until lightly browned — about 5 minutes. Add flour to pot and stir, cooking, about 4 minutes longer. Stir in the milk and beer, being careful to avoid clumping and continue cooking until thickened.

Stir in the chicken broth. Add the potatoes and simmer until tender. Stir in the cheese a handful at a time, stirring between each addition until soup is homogenous. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Serve garnished with bacon and chopped green onions.

Try this chowder with...
Schwarma
Garlic Bread
Tomatoes Parmigiano

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Tartiflette au Reblochon

Stinky Cheese and Potatoes



I don't do New Year's resolutions — in fact that resolution is the only one I've ever kept. However, a year ago I decided to eat less meat. I was prompted by a couple of factors, first I wanted to simply eat less meat simply because I decided I was eating too much meat and second because when I did eat meat I wanted to take more care in sourcing it from local producers — and at those prices I can't afford to eat a lot of meat.

As a consequence I've become more sensitive to main-dish recipes that include little or, well, little meat. Somehow I just can't quite get to the point of going completely meatless. However, there are loads of dishes such as stir fries, casseroles, soups, and so on that, while they include some meat, it doesn't hold center place. When I saw a recipe for Tartiflette, a potato and cheese casserole form the Savoy region of France that contains a bit of bacon I immediately had to learn more.

The word "reblochon" is derived from reblessa, which means "to steal."

From what I could find tartiflette isn't a traditional recipe but was created in the 80s by an association of reblochon cheese-makers to promote their cheese. Reblochon is a soft, washed-rind cheese similar to brie in appearance. Unlike brie, though, it's a somewhat "stinky" cheese.

The word "reblochon" is derived from reblessa, which means "to steal." During the middle ages the farmers were taxed on their milk so they would milk once for the tax collectors and then sneak back out later and milk the cows a second time thus stealing the milk. The second milking produced milk much higher in butter fat. The true reblochon is made fome raw milk and is aged no more than six to eight weeks. Because it's aged less than 90 days the true reblochon can't be imported.

Although gruyere is often recommended as a replacement, gruyere is a hard waxy cheese. On the recommendation of a cheese expert, I chose Italian talegio as a substitute, he also suggested Italian Bel Paese. A French chef on a forum suggested a young French raclette as well and I can see that working.

I was really pleased with the dish. It's deeply rich and savory with an unctious mouthfeel and a distinctly pungent odor.

Tartiflette
Serves 6.

1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes — peeled
1/2 lb reblochon (or telagio, bel paese, or soft raclette)
5 oz bacon
1 md onion — diced
1/4 c dry white wine
6 tbsp crème fraiche
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter

Choose potatoes that are roughly the same size, and boil for about 20 minutes until slightly tender but not cooked through. Drain and allow to cool.

Heat oven to 350F.

Slice cheese 1/4-inch thick and do not remove rind. Reserve.

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium low heat until just slightly crisp. Drain bacon on a paper towel and pour all but about a tablespoon of bacon grease out of the skillet. Let bacon cool a bit, then chop very coarsely. Increase heat to medium and sauté until translucent. Add wine and reduce by half.

Cut potatoes into 1/3-inch thick slices. Butter a 9-inch casserole dish (the photo above is of individual casseroles) and layer 1/2 of potatoes in the bottom. Season generously with salt and pepper. Spread with crème fraiche. Then layer with onions, bacon, and half the cheese.

Layer on remaining potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and add remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil, turn on broiler, and broil until golden brown.

Try the tarteflette with...
Braised Red Cabbage
Pureed Cauliflower
Triple Fudge Brownies

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You Say Potato

I love potatoes, especially fresh potatoes dug from the earth with the past day or so. They have an ineffable sweetness and you can even taste the earth they grew in. We forget that as well as potatoes keep, they're best when absolutely fresh.

But freshly dug or not, here are a few of my favorite potato recipes:

Potatoes O'Brien: This recipe is great way of using up leftover boiled potatoes. In fact it's such a great way of doing so that I often cook too many potatoes so I'll have some leftover. I got this recipe from a book named Mrs. Rasmunssen's Book of One-Arm Cookery that my mother gave my grandmother and my grandmother eventually passed on to me.

Maine Fries: This dish is one of the best ways of cooking potatoes I've ever had. Unlike the usual fried potatoes (including the Potatoes O'Brien above) these begin with raw potatoes and are slowly cooked until very crisp outside and buttery inside. Apparently it's often eaten as a main dish in Maine.

Potato/Carrot Gratin: I don't recall where this recipe came from, but I've been making it for around 20 years. It's not only delicious but looks great on a plate making it a good choice for dinner parties. On the other hand, it's easiest enough to make to be a good choice on a week night if you have a little extra time.

Patatas Bravas: I love Spanish food and this is a great example. The potatoes are sauteed in olive oil with bell peppers, dried chiles (hence the bravas), onion, and then finished with a beer glaze. As you'll see in the recipe, I often serve them with a Spanish lamb dish named Cochifrito.

German Potato Salad: Another great way to used leftover potatoes, my approach is to cook some bacon, then brown potatoes and onion in the bacon grease until lightly browned. Deglaze the skillet with apple cider vinegar and stir in sour cream. In fact, I frequently have this as supper with at most a green salad or some steamed cabbage.

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes: An English friend told me about these and so I had to try them. They are extraordinarily (even spectacularly) good — far better than garlic mashed potatoes — and couldn't be any easier to make. The horseradish flavor is a delightful complement to the mashed potatoes, offering a similar earthy flavor, as well as a surprising foil to the potatoes inherent blandness.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | side dish | potatoes

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Maine Fries with Duck Confit

Over the Top



Do you ever get the urge to go over the top in the kitchen? To make a dish that will give you goose bumps; make your jaws ache; curl your toes? I get this urge all the time. In fact, I have to keep the inclination bottled because it's like a drug — the more I do it the more I have to do it. Sometimes you need to buy a pizza, or make scrambled eggs, or grill a minute steak. Sometimes you need to back off.

Backing off and eating a Quarter Pounder or even homemade Buffalo Wings brings the bar back in focus. It enables you to remember that simple is often best. That if we can engage all five tastes and add some flavors to them we can eat like kings. And such is the case in this meal.

This is a meal too fundamental, too unencumbered with frivolity to ever succeed in a restaurant.

This wasn't a quick and easy meal — I had to make the duck confit first. That's a multiple-day process as the duck legs first cure and then simmer ever-so-gently in duck fat, something I'd done a few weeks ago with six legs (if you're going to that much trouble, make it worthwhile). Nor are Maine Fries quick, it takes an hour to cook them, again over very low heat.

So what I did was add a couple of tablespoons of duck fat to a cast iron skillet over low heat. Then I added a couple of potatoes (Yukon Golds) cut into bite-sized chunks, covered the skillet, and left it alone for 20 minutes. At that point I turned the potatoes to a new side to brown and gave them another 10 minutes. I turned the potatoes one last time and pulled the meat off the drumstick in shreds (reserving the thigh for a future use) and added it to the pan along with the skin from the leg (and thigh), some salt, and some cracked black pepper and gave it another 10 minutes. At this point I had the salty and savory (and some sweet from the just-harvested potatoes) tastes in hand.

Meanwhile, I made a vinaigrette using balsamic vinegar (sweet and sour), olive oil, and Dijon mustard (hot and sour).

When the potatoes were done I dressed the salad of frissee and arugula (bitter) and sat down to eat a simple meal of fried potatoes and salad. I doubt you can find a more-satisfying meal in any restaurant in your town. This is a meal too fundamental, too unencumbered with frivolity to ever succeed in a restaurant. And yet it brings together all five tastes, a multitude of complex flavors, and textures ranging from silky smooth to crisp to chewy. It was completely over the top.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | main dish | duck | potatoes

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Mashed Potatoes

SG Archives: Horsing Around



Several years ago garlic mashed potatoes became popular. And almost inevitably that led to other variations on mashed potatoes like chipotle mashed potatoes, artichoke mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes with various kinds of cheese, and even Lipton Onion Soup mashed potatoes. But one variation I haven't seen anywhere was suggested to me by an English friend — horseradish mashed potatoes.

These are extraordinarily (even spectacularly) good and couldn't be any easier to make. The horseradish flavor is a delightful complement to the mashed potatoes, offering a similar earthy flavor, as well as a surprising foil to the potatoes inherent blandness.

Recipe

Make up a batch of mashed potatoes the way you always do.

Add horseradish to taste.

(Note: My favorite potato for mashing is Yukon Gold.)

(Note too: Of course you have to serve either roast beef, fried chicken, or meatloaf with mashed potatoes.)

Try Horseradish Mashed Potatoes with...
Bacon-wrapped Meatloaf
Rack of Lamb with Caramelized Onions
Schnitzel

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | side dish | potatoes

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Paisano: Maine Fries

Simple Supper



I've just started rereading John Thorne's Serious Pig: An American Cook in Search of His Roots. In case you don't know Thorne, he is one of the finest food writers alive today — if not the finest. His writing is careful, thoughtful, clear, and evocative. The recipes he offers are the same. In fact, they're more than simple recipes, they're an expression of the fundamental characteristics of the ingredients, for instance, potatoes.

This simple, almost meatless, meal was perhaps the best thing I've eaten this year.

There's a chapter named "Maine Fries" that examines Maine potatoes and their affect on Maine culture and ends with a careful explanation of how to make pan fries. These are not simple leftover potatoes quickly cooked in hot fat. No, these are 1/2-inch cubes of raw potato slowly cooked in butter or lard until they're browned and crispy on the outside and molten on the inside. He recommends taking an hour or so to cook them over very low heat — and he's right, the slow cooking, as slow cooking often does, makes a huge difference building new flavors, extracting hidden flavors, and intensifying all flavors.

So last night I made a batch of Maine fries for supper. Not as a side dish, but rather, according to Thorne's recommendation, as the main dish. I confess, I did run out of patience (it didn't help that I didn't start cooking them until almost eight) and didn't thoroughly brown all sides of every potato. But I did use home-rendered lard and toward the end I added some diced onion and my last bit of homemade pork confit cut into cubes. This simple, almost meatless, meal was perhaps the best thing I've eaten this year.

I highly recommend getting the original recipe from Serious Pig, but here's what I did:

Maine Home Fries
Serves 4 as a main dish.

4 md. Red Bliss potatoes (about 5 oz. each) — cut into 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 tbsp lard (or bacon fat)
2 oz. pork confit (or 4 strips bacon)
1/2 md. yellow onion — diced
Salt and pepper

(If using bacon, cook it gently in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat until medium crisp. Remove bacon and drain, then coarsely chop.)

Heat lard or bacon fat in a 12" cast-iron skillet over low heat until it begins to give off steam. Add potatoes. You should be able to see the bottom of the skillet between pieces — you want separation so the potatoes fry instead of steaming. Cover the pan and cook 20 minutes.

Turn potatoes over. (Thorne warns to use a thin spatula to make sure the browned potatoes don't stick to the pan, but I had zero sticking problems with my cast iron skillet.)

Cook, uncovered, another 10 minutes then turn potatoes over to an un-cooked face. Repeat twice more and after third turn, add onions and confit or bacon to pan. Season generously with salt and pepper and cook a final 10 minutes.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | potatoes | main dish

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Paisano: German Potato Salad

My Take



As they say, I've been around the stove a few times.

Well, actually, I've never heard anyone say that. But you get my gist: my car could use a coat of paint, or that coffee's starting to jell, or don't teach your grandmother to suck pomegranates because the seeds get caught in her dentures. All of which is to say that traditions are always different.

Over the years I've essayed a lot of so-called traditional recipes such as paella, jerk chicken, choucroute, pasta carbonara, lamb daube, and so on. Often I've followed recipes from natives fairly closely (allowing for differences in available ingredients) only to have someone write that: "No! No! No! I grew up in Hungary and we never put mushrooms in paprikash!"

The thing about traditional recipes is there are as many traditions as there are cooks.

The thing about traditional recipes is there are as many traditions as there are cooks. Fine, so your grandmother never used mushrooms, but Barbara's grandmother did and I liked the sound of Barbara's grandmother's recipe. Sure, there are some things that are obviously non-traditional. Things not part of the culinary heritage such as soy sauce in an Italian tomato sauce, but on the other hand, anchovy paste is common in red sauce and does exactly the same thing soy sauce would adding umami and a bit of salt.

So here's my recipe for German potato salad. The bacon and vinegar seem to be highly traditional. Sometimes sugar is added and dill isn't uncommon. I don't like the sugar - it jangles me the wrong way - but I do like dill. Sadly the grocer didn't have any when I made this so I skipped it. The sour cream is, I think, completely my idea.

German Hot Potato Salad
Serves 6.

1 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes — cut into 3/4-inch chunks
6 strips bacon
1/2 md red onion — diced (about 1 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 c sour cream

Cook potatoes in a sauce pan or microwave until tender. Drain and set aside.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until barely crisp. Drain on a paper towel then coarsely chop.

Add onions and potatoes to skillet and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and onions are browned. Remove from heat.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | potato salad

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Fried Purple Potatoes

A Strange Pudding



Purple potatoes. Julienned.

Duck fat. Hot.

Garam masala. Sprinkled.

Salt and pepper. Pinched.

Purple potatoes, duck fat, garam masala, salt and pepper. Served.

Delicious. Oddly sweet. Tastes like a strange pudding.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | potatoes | vegetables | side dishes

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Potato/Carrot Gratin

Orange and White



Back before the World Wide Web my dinner parties began with me sitting down on the living room floor, surrounded by cookbooks and back issues of magazines like Gourmet and Bon Appetit to put together a menu. At that time (the late 80's) my favorite go-to books were the three Silver Palate cookbooks, but I also relied on the magazines as well and I think this recipe came from on of them. As I found interesting recipes I'd jot down the name of the recipe, the book or magazine I found it in, and the page number on a yellow legal pad.

In some ways that old process was more fun and satisfying than what I do now.

Now days I browse the Internet and copy links into a Word document. It's far more efficient and I have far more recipes to choose from, but in some ways that old process was more fun and satisfying than what I do now.

I've long since gotten rid of those old back issues, and I doubt I ever wrote down this recipe — I certainly don't have it now — but I was so pleased with the results and it was so simple that I've made it many times since then. It's best when the first new potatoes appear in the market and you get that incredibly earthy flavor but even in the dead of winter it's a great dish. Be sure to use small waxy potatoes.

Potato/Carrot Gratin
Serves 4.

1 lb. sm. waxy potatoes, sliced 1/4" thick
2 med. carrot, peeled and sliced into 1/4" thick rounds
6 oz. Gruyere, shredded
6 Tbsp. minced fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, or parsley)
6 Tbsp. chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350F. Butter a small baking dish.

Cook potatoes and carrots in boiling water until just barely tender.

Arrange a layer of potatoes and carrots in the baking dish, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, sprinkle with a tablespoon of herbs, sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Repeat for two more layers. Add chicken broth.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | potatoes | carrots | gratin

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Potato Chowder

In Between



Yesterday was… well… not overcast so much as thoroughly cloudy but without real promise of rain. The high was only about 76 and when I went to bed it was dripping rain (accumulation 1/8th of an inch in the puddles). The leaves on the trees (except for the ones that have gone straight to brown and taken a header into the turf) are sorta, kindly, mostly green with a brownish-yellowish tinge they've had since the drought/heat wave began back in June. So I don’t have a lot to work with here in terms of seasonal clues.

But my body and mood; the color of the light and it's length; and the dry, dusty leaf smell all tell me it's fall — or should be. I've got a serious jones for Autumn and I'm looking for compromises to handle this seemingly deathless summer. I hate summer heat and endless days and lack of rain and just want it to all go away. My belly and soul are craving soups and braises and stews and the weather makes most of them inappropriate. Not that I haven't cheated a time or two, but food exists in a context and the climatic context for those dishes just isn't right.

I'm looking for compromises to handle this seemingly deathless summer.

If there's anything I learned from my ex-wife (besides never loan your ex your car) it's listen to your body. You don’t have to do what it tells you, but you should at least be polite and listen and my body is demanding heavy food and then saying, in a very whiny tone when I offer it something deeply savory, "No. That's not what I want." Then I had an idea: Potato Chowder.

It's not too heavy, but it is hearty. It's savory. It's adaptable. It's perfect for a cloudy, warmish, wanna-be fall day. So I made a batch.

Potato Chowder
Serves 6.

6 strips bacon
1 large onion — coarsely diced
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes — cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 lb gruyere — grated
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 cup heavy cream
additional salt and pepper to taste

Toss grated gruyere with flour. Dump in a sieve and shake to eliminate excess flour. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, cook bacon over medium-low heat until semi-crisp. Drain bacon, chop coarsely, and reserve for garnish. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of grease.

Add diced onion and cook until it begins to brown. Increase heat to high, add a bit of chicken broth and deglaze the pot. Add remaining chicken broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat medium, add potatoes, salt, and simmer until potatoes are tender — about 10 minutes.

Whisk together Worcestershire Sauce, mustard, and cream. Stir into soup and heat to a simmer (but don't boil).

Reduce heat to low and allow to cool (there should be only tiny bubbles appearing) and stir in gruyere a handful at a time. Serve garnished with bacon, chopped green onions, garlic bread on the side.

Listen to your body. Pay attention to the seasons. And don't loan your car to your ex-wife.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | soup | chowder | potato

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Potatoes Parmigiano

Simple Perfection



I stepped out the front door at 2:45 and before I'd gotten half way down the stairs I was already sweating — at least to the degree that I sweat at all. Getting in the car took my breath away and when I started the car it reported the outside temperature as 97 degrees Fahrenheit. Figure in the humidity and it was 103. Figure in that I barely sweat however hot it is (my personal cooling system has never worked well) and it was probably close to 109 in terms of personal comfort. In the car itself it was probably a literal 130. Nasty, nasty, nasty weather.

But it was Friday and the farmers' market started in 15 minutes, so what choice did I have?

I bought chicken from Tracy who owns Laurel Creek Farms; a red bell pepper, zucchini, and green beans from Earl and Laura Badgett; and Early Girl tomatoes from Donna.

I started the car and cranked the AC all the way up and within five minutes was comfortable again — at least for the next 10 minutes. Then it was back into the inferno. I bought chicken from Tracy who owns Laurel Creek Farms; a red bell pepper, zucchini, and green beans from Earl and Laura Badgett; and Early Girl tomatoes from Donna. Donna has not only the best tomatoes, but the widest variety. In years past I've bought an assortment, but aside from a few easily recognizable varieties like Cherokee Purple or Green Zebra, I could never remember which was which when I got home. So this year I'm buying one variety at a time and making a note of what it is.

I also stopped at stall where a fellow was selling potatoes. Aside from the fact he had all his teeth, he was the epitome of a hillbilly. Long and lanky with a long gray beard that would make ZZ Top envious, he completed the picture by wearing overalls. He also had some of the prettiest little Yukon Golds I've ever seen.

There still don't seem to be any CSAs in this area, but the farmers' markets have come a long way in the past four years. There are now five to choose from, in fact on Saturday morning (when it's cooler) I have a choice of two, but they're further away than the market I usually go to. Finding anything other than the most common veggies was rare when I started shopping them, but the options seem to be increasing exponentially with each passing year.

At any rate, I bought a half dozen gorgeous 1 1/2-inch diameter potatoes and brought them home for dinner.

Potatoes Parmigiano
Serves 2.

6 baby potatoes (1 1/2" - 2" diameter)
3 tbsp shredded Parmigiano Reggiano
fruity olive oil
minced chives
salt and pepper

Boil potatoes until tender — about 15 minutes depending on size. Remove to a bowl, break up and mash lightly with a fork. Drizzle with oil. Add salt, pepper, chives, and cheese and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning and cheese. Serve immediately.

This is the essence of good food. Perfectly fresh potatoes that still taste of the dirt they grew in, excellent olive oil for mouth feel and richness, parmigiano (and it's natural MSG) to bring out the savor in the potatoes and oil, chives to add a hint of onion for complexity, pepper for a spicy floral note, and salt to brighten everything. Simple, quick, and easy to make up for the nasty heat.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin weeks | seriously good | potatoes | side dish | farmers market

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Potato Salad

Not Your Grandmother's Potato Salad



My family has few traditional recipes. There's Mummo's Bourbon Cake, a Christmas treat that's made Thanksgiving weekend and then aged (with regular shots of bourbon) until Christmas. And while Mom made the bourbon cake, Dad would make eggnog, which was also aged until Christmas.

During strawberry season there would be one Saturday or Sunday night supper that consisted solely of Strawberry Shortcake, which Mom made. And summers featured Dad's salad dressing, a soy sauce-based dressing that's particularly good on a green salad that includes leftover grilled steak.

Food has replaced sex in my life, now I can't even get into my own pants ~ Unknown

In fact, for a brief period of time my brother Loren cooked for banquets at a local hotel. The first time there was leftover steak from the banquet he brought it out to my parent's house for the dogs. My mother had a fit over feeding "perfectly good steak" to the dogs so she cut it up for salad. Loren was too squeamish to eat it, but I happened to be there that day and I agreed with my mother — after all, the only things that had touched the meat were a steak knife and my brother's hands.

But those few recipes are about it for traditions, except for Sutherland Potato Salad. And although this isn't your grandmother's potato salad, it is my grandmother's — maybe even her grandmother's.

This is an old recipe (if you can even call it a recipe) from my mother's family that's unusual because the dressing is just oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. The salad itself consists of nothing but potatoes and onions — no eggs, celery, pickles, relish, mayo, mustard, or anything else. Those who've never had this salad are often put off by the idea because it's so drastically different from most potato salads. Nevertheless, one bite always produces raves. It really is a case of the total being greater than the sum of it's parts.

But, given such simple ingredients, every Sutherland who makes it has their own little tweaks. Some swear by baking potatoes while others prefer red potatoes. Some use white onions and others red onions or yellow onions. My Aunt Gloria insisted on white vinegar while I think cider vinegar is best. My mother added fresh dill to her's for a while and I've come to consider the dill essential.

The basic recipe consists of:

3 lb potatoes
1 lg onion
salad oil (vegetable, corn, or canola)
vinegar
salt and pepper

My version consists of:

3 lb Yukon Gold (or baking/Russet/Idaho) potatoes
1 lg red onion (3" diameter)
canola oil
cider vinegar
1/4 c minced fresh dill
salt and pepper

Ingredients
Yukon Golds are perfect for this salad. I like their hint of sweetness and they're a medium-high starch potato. I avoid low starch potatoes for two reasons. First, higher starch potatoes are absorbent and will soak up the oil and vinegar, while with low-starch potatoes the dressing tends to pool in the bowl. Second, high-starch potatoes crumble a bit during mixing and these potato particles absorb more of the dressing and cling to the larger pieces of potatoes resulting in something akin in texture and function to mayonnaise. (Look at the photo, it isn't out of focus, it's grainy because of the potato sauce.)

Red (Bermuda) onions are relatively mild and slightly sweet, which offers a nice contrast to the sour vinegar. Also, the purple color makes for a much more visually appealing dish.

I use canola oil, but any neutral oil will do. The purpose of the oil is mouth feel, not flavor, so avoid olive oil.

I prefer cider vinegar, but white (distilled) vinegar is also fine. Avoid wine-based or flavored vinegars, they detract from the whole rather than contribute to it.

You can skip the dill, but of all the variations on this recipe that I've eaten over the years dill is the only one that works (although, Aunt Gloria was horrified by the idea). The dill adds an herbal, grassy note that gives the salad a freshness it is otherwise missing. And, like the red onion, it makes a more visually appealing result.

Assembly
Cut the onion in quarters vertically, then each quarter in half horizontally. Separate the layers and cut the larger pieces in half again. You should end up with a collection of 1/2 inch squares and some randomly-sized pieces from the center. Dump the onion into a large bowl.

Peel the potatoes and cut into bite-size pieces (1/2 to 3/4 inch square). Cook in boiling, salted water until completely cooked — about 12 minutes. Drain and immediately add to the onions. Mix with 1/2 cup of oil, 1/4 cup of vinegar, a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of black pepper. It's essential that the potatoes be hot when mixing in the oil and vinegar because they'll absorb the liquids.

Let the salad sit for a couple of minutes, then taste it (be sure to include a bite of onion). You will almost certainly need to add more oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper but at this point how much of each is a matter of your personal taste. Ideally the flavor will be on the tart side because the tartness will decline as the salad ages.

Let the salad cool to room temperature, then mix in minced dill. Taste again and tweak as needed. Chill for at least four hours, but ideally overnight. Stir and taste one last time before serving.

Note, with the coating of oil and acidity of the vinegar, this is probably the safest potato salad you could take on a picnic.

Technorati: Food | recipe | potato salad | potatoes | picnic | barbeque | salad

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Potatoes O'Brien

Simple Satisfaction



I fixed pork chops the other night (Shake-n-Bake — I know, but I really like them) and needed a side dish. I was standing in front of my cookbooks and noticed one I hadn't referred to in quite a while: Mrs. Rasmunssen's Book of One-Arm Cookery.

This little 102-page book was published in 1946 and was given to me by my mother's mother in 1973. The inscription reads:

Dear Kevin,

I hope you will find as much pleasure in this book as I have found since your Mother gave it to me many, many years ago. With much love, Mummo

It is the only thing I have of her's.

The book is called one-arm cookery because Mrs. Rasmunssen ran a diner and most of the dishes could be prepared with a beer in one hand. This supremely simple dish makes each flavor clear as a bell and still, somehow, manages to create a perfect gestalt.

Potatoes O'Brien

4 smallish firm-fleshed potatoes
6 scallions, cut into 1/2" slices
1/2 small green pepper, 1/2" dice
1/4 c grated parmesan
salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter or oil

Boil potatoes until just done, chill in cold water, and drain. Cut into 3/4" dice.

In a medium bowl toss potatoes, onions, green pepper, Parmesan cheese, and salt ad pepper to taste.

Melt butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add potato mixture. Press flat with a spatula. Cook uncovered for one minute. Cover and cook two minutes. Remove cover and continue cooking for three to four minutes — don't stir — until a dark brown crust forms on the bottom. (Lifting an edge gently with the spatula to check for a crust is permitted.) Serve immediately.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | potatoes | side-dishes

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