16 posts tagged “potatoes”
Tourlou tourlou is a funny name for a seriously tasty dish. The tou is pronounced like "too" (not like tour). Can you roll your Rs? I sure hope so because my high school Spanish teacher claimed that if you couldn't roll your Rs, you were a mutant. She was a special lady. But if you have issues with R-rolling, it's more authentic sounding to make a D sound. So it's like toodloo toodloo. Got it? You are most welcome for your Greek Lesson of the Day (:::Elly cues "The More You Know" backdrop. "Da da da daaaaa!":::)
Moving on, tourlou tourlou is basically a medley of vegetables roasted over a long period of time. It's essentially the same thing as briam, which you may have seen on the menu at your local Greek place. The vegetables vary frequently, but I would argue that potatoes and zucchini are usually staples. You can use anything I've used, plus green beans, okra...whatever you want. Except cauliflower. Don't use cauliflower because cauliflower is the debil. :P
So, big deal right? Roasted vegetables. Been there, done that. Not like this you haven't. By roasting the vegetables for a really long time, all of their natural sweetness comes out and makes this dish super delicious. So delicious, in fact, that my husband told me when he was reheating his leftovers at work, a virtual stranger stuck his face in front of the microwave to see what smelled so good.
This main dish is especially popular during times when Greeks don't eat meat, but it can also be a side dish for some type of protein. We ate this with some Greek-seasoned chicken breast. As I mentioned, the vegetables can vary as can the herbs. I've used dill and parsley in mine. There is something I just love about dill with certain vegetables, and especially with anything tomato-based.
(Mysteriously absent from photo: garlic)
Tourlou Tourlou
Serves 6-8 as a side
1 eggplant, sliced into about 1/2" slices (peeled or unpeeled, your call)
2 large zucchini, sliced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 large yellow or vidalia onion, cut in half and then sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and sliced or cut into chunks
1 green bell pepper, sliced or cut into 1" bites
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
fresh dill..oh, about 3T or so?
1/2 cup olive oil (you could probably get away with 1/3 but since everything else here is so healthy, it's ok to splurge)
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 375. Toss all the vegetables, salt (use a healthy amount, it's a lot of vegetables!) and pepper, and the herbs with the olive oil in a large pan. Mix the crushed tomatoes with 1/2 cup of water and then pour the mixture over the whole pan.
It will look something like this:
Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 1.5 hours. Then it will look something like this. Oh sure, it's not the prettiest thing, but who cares? It tastes awesome.
Nutritional Information for 1/8 of the casserole: Calories: 231 / Fat: 13.9g / Saturated Fat: 1.9g / Carbs: 25.7g / Fiber: 5.5g / Protein: 4.3g
If you've followed this blog, you know of my deep-seated hatred for mayonnaise. I literally have to look away when I find myself at a place like Subway and the person in front of me orders mayo on their sub. Sometimes, the sandwich preparer will automatically pick up the squeeze bottle of mayonnaise when it's my turn to pick out my condiments and I get a look of panic on my face, hands flying up into stop signs. Nooooooo! No mayo, please!
So, it's safe to say that I am not a huge fan of the traditional summer salads, like chicken, potato and pasta. And it's sometimes a shame because these things are everywhere, to the point where I often find myself side dish-less at summer parties and barbecues.
When I was about 9 years old, my stepmom (then just my dad's girlfriend) asked if I would like some potato salad with my meal. I debated. Do I try this just to be polite since this could be my future stepmother? Certainly writhing in fear and disgust was not an appropriate reaction. But then, I peeked into the bowl she was pointing to. Hmm. It sure didn't look like mayonnaise. It looked pretty good, really. So, I scooped some onto my plate.
And, I fell in love. This Greek-style potato salad quickly became one of my favorite side dishes. I don't know that you can really refer to it as a "salad" but why not? My stepmother is also a first-generation Greek, but I had never seen this particular dish before growing up because of the differences in Greek regional cuisine. It has the same flavors, though, as those roasted potatoes everyone loves: lemon, olive oil, oregano. A trifecta of awesomeness.
This dish is best served at room temperature or just slightly warm, making it perfect for picnics, potlucks, and barbecues. It's incredibly easy to throw together and it's so, so tasty. This is one of the few dishes where I really enjoy raw onion (I love them cooked, but I have never been big on them raw). I do use a milder red onion, though. My stepmom doesn't add parsley to this, and whether I add it or not depends on my laziness, but I do find it's a good addition to sprinkle just a little on top for more freshness. I like lemon quite a bit so if you want a more muted flavor, just reduce the lemon juice by a little and add more olive oil.
Greek-Style Potato Salad
2 lbs. russet potatoes, cut into uniform pieces
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 red onion, finely diced
salt and pepper to taste
parsley for garnish (optional)
Put your potatoes into a pot and add cold water. Bring the water to a boil, add some salt and then cook until the potatoes are just fork tender.
Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano and set aside. Allow the potatoes to cool just a bit (not too much as the dressing will be more absorbed when they are still warm). Mash the potatoes slightly and stir in the onions and salt and pepper. Add the dressing while stirring the potatoes, to be sure it gets everywhere. Adjust seasonings and serve at room temperature. Top with chopped parsley if desired.
A great mix of fingerling potatoes (including purple) was on sale this week, so I had to pick up a bag. I love fingerlings, but they are always so much more expensive than other potatoes that I generally don't buy them.
One of our favorite ways to eat small potatoes, such as baby reds, is to boil them until just fork tender, smash them by pushing down on them one time, and then pan-roast in some olive oil until crispy. The result is a crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside potato (that I need to blog about at some point...).
I used that basic premise tonight with the fingerlings but because of their shape, I decided to slice them in half rather than smashing them. I also added bacon because, well, everything is better with bacon and bacon-flavored potatoes are A-OK in my book. This is a really simple, delicious side that's probably a break from your standard potato side dish.
Pan Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Bacon
Serves 2
10 oz. fingerling, purple, or baby red potatoes
2 sliced bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
Scrub the potatoes, leaving the skin on, and then add to a pot of cold water. Bring the water up to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are just fork tender, 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Cut each fingerling potato in half lengthwise. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook the bacon in a skillet or pot (I just used the same pot I used to boil the potatoes) and remove with a slotted spoon when crisp. If there is more than a tablespoon of grease left in the pot, drain it so that only 1 Tbsp. remains.
To the pan, add the smashed garlic and stir around until fragrant. Add the potatoes, cut side down. Brown them until slightly crisp. Pluck out the garlic and stir the bacon back in. Top with chopped parsley.
Jenn, The Leftover Queen, started hosting the Royal Foodie Joust back in July. I participated in the first event, but I haven't really gotten my act together to participate in a second :) Every month, three ingredients are chosen by the previous joust's winner and you must create a dish using those three ingredients.
Last month's winner was the pie lady, with her absolutely delicious looking white chocolate lavender ice cream with merlot poached pears. Mmmm. Brittany has chosen three ingredients that are pretty easily accessible to everyone, as well as staples in a majority of my dinners :) Those ingredients are mushrooms, cheese, and herbs.
As you may have gathered by now, Sundays are my soup/stew days when the weather gets cool. So, what better way to use these ingredients than in a chowder?
Mushroom, Potato and Smoked Gouda Chowder
1/4 lb. bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 lb. mushrooms (your choice, I like to use a variety), sliced
a few sprigs of fresh thyme or a good pinch of dried
1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
1 bay leaf
3-4 cups yukon gold potatoes, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups half and half (or milk, or cream)
2 oz. smoked gouda, shredded
In a stockpot or dutch oven, cook the bacon until it has rendered its fat. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
In the bacon fat, cook the diced onion over low heat for about 2 minutes before adding the mushrooms. Add a little salt and pepper and continue cooking over low or medium-low heat until the mushrooms have released their moisture, about 10-15 minutes. Increase the heat and add the sherry or wine. Cook until almost all of the alcohol has cooked off.
Add the potatoes and the garlic, stirring to combine. Add the bay leaf and broth. Bring to a light boil and simmer until potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the bay leaf. Put as much or as little of the mixture as you want into a food processor and pulse it. This isn't necessary but it creates both texture and thickness to the soup. Return the pureed soup to the dutch oven. Add the half and half and gouda. Simmer until the soup has heated through and the cheese has melted.
Garnish bowls with diced bacons and more cheese, if desired.
A while back, I read on Julie's blog that she liked a truffle cheese from Trader Joe's. It sounded delicious, so I looked for that cheese every time I went to TJ's for the last couple months--always to no avail. I finally found some on my last trip. It is seriously delicious!
I decided to make au gratin potatoes with it and I also think it would be great in risotto. But, it would be just as good on a burger or...well, pretty much everywhere :)
Potato and Truffle Cheese Gratin
Serves 2
2 small potatoes, sliced thin
1 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. flour
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded truffle cheese
Preheat oven to 400 and spray a small casserole dish (or individual gratin dishes) with some cooking oil.
Layer the potatoes in the casserole dish, sprinkling each layer with a little salt and pepper.
In a saucepan, melt the butter. Cook the onion until translucent and then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Stir in the flour and cook to get rid of rawness, a minute or two. Pour in milk and continue to heat until the mixture thickens.
Stir in cheese, except for a couple tablespoons, until melted. Season to taste.
Pour cheese mixture over the sliced potatoes. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover and bake about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 5-10, or put the potatoes under the broiler for a couple minutes to brown.
I really don't know why we don't eat breakfast for dinner more often. Breakfast food has got to be some of my favorite stuff, and we rarely go out to eat breakfast. Eggs, waffles, biscuits and gravy...you name it, I love it.
Since I was craving breakfast, I decided to make a hash with some odds and ends I had in my fridge.
Originally, I was going to cook the eggs separately, place them on top of the hash and make the dish all pretty-fied. But....a) sometimes a pretty picture is not worth an extra dirty pan; and b) some things are not meant to look pretty so much as they are meant to look "rustic" and homey :)
Hash Scramble
Serves 2
1 Italian sausage link (I used chicken sausage), casing removed
2 slices bacon, diced
1 Tbsp fat (olive oil, butter, margarine...pick your poison)
1/4 cup diced onions
1 large potato, cubed
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4-6 eggs (I used 2 eggs + 3 egg whites)
1-2 Tbsp milk, cream or sour cream
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
salt and pepper
In a large skillet, brown sausage, crumbling as you brown. Remove from skillet.
To the same pan, add the bacon and cook. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Pour off all but about 1 tsp. of the bacon fat. Add butter/oil to the skillet.
Add onions and cook for about a minute before stirring in potatoes. Cook potatoes, stirring to brown on all sides, for about 3 minutes. Add peppers and cook for a minute. Saute garlic until fragrant, and then season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
Cover skillet and cook over low heat until potatoes are tender (should just be a few more minutes). In a bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and add salt and pepper to taste.
To the skillet, add the sausage, bacon and eggs. Stir frequently, just as you are making scrambled eggs.
When eggs are slightly undercooked, stir in the cheese to melt. Remove from heat and serve.
When I first started a food blog, the hardest part for me was actually paying attention to/documenting the amount of ingredients I used (well, and taking pictures that didn't make my food look repulsive, haha). I am definitely not much of a recipe kind of girl and one of my favorite parts about cooking (as opposed to baking) is that most of the time you can continue to season things as they are cooking to your desired taste. Tonight's meal pretty much exemplifies the problem I have with recipe documentation because it's just one of those intuitive types of meals, and the amounts of things will vary on your diet, the size of your chicken, etc.
Veloute is pretty much just a fancy way of saying thickened stock. All it is, really, is starting with a roux of flour and butter, adding stock and then thickening and seasoning simply with salt and pepper. Because it's so simple, it really is great if you can use a homemade stock. I don't really know if what I made tonight can be considered a veloute since it had mushrooms, garlic and shallots in it, but it sounds a little fancier than "chicken and broth" or "chicken and shrooms." ;) So like I said, what is below may not be particularly accurate, but this is a really simple weeknight dish that can be modified a million different ways.
Chicken kinda sorta Veloute
Butter, olive oil cooking spray or a combination (whatever you want to use to pan fry chicken)
2 chicken breast halves
1-2 Tbsp butter
1 small shallot, minced
4 oz. baby bellas, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper
Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Pan fry until cooked through. Set aside and keep warm.
In the same skillet, add a little butter and cook the mushrooms and shallot until tender. Stir the garlic in until fragrant.
If you need more butter to make a roux, add it now. Then, add the flour. Stir, cooking off the raw flour taste.
Slowly add the chicken stock. Heat and stir until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon sauce over chicken.
We had this with some fontina mashed potatoes. Basically I made my regular old mashed potatoes. I should probably not mention the fact that I used *gasp* skim milk AND (here's the part where foodies cry in agony) Smart Balance. I stirred in 6 Tbsp of fontina (for the two of us), split the mashed potatoes in 2 mini crocks and topped them each with 1 Tbsp shredded fontina and placed in the oven (400) for about 10 minutes. A nice change from plan mashed or parmesan (which is originally what I was planning on doing until I remembered we had fontina).
While I've had (and loved) gnocchi in restaurants, I've never actually made a dish with gnocchi at home, so I bought some of the fresh refrigerated gnocchi while it was on sale the other day. I was food blog surfing when I came across this recipe for Gnocchi with sausage and spinach on Delish. I had all the ingredients (or actually, variations of the ingredients) on hand, so I decided to make it. I also had some leftover mushrooms so I threw those in. This was a really great, simple dish that came together in about 15 minutes. The only thing I would change next time is to use less spinach because an entire package was just too much for the amount of gnocchi I had. Otherwise, easy and delicious! This served both of us for dinner, and I have enough for lunch tomorrow.
Gnocchi with Sausage, Mushrooms and Spinach
Adapted from Real Simple/Delish
1 package (13.5 oz) refrigerated gnocchi
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 package (I would use a little less next time) frozen spinach, thawed
4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the gnocchi in salted water, according to the package directions, reserving about 3 Tbsp of the cooking liquid.
Meanwhite, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and onion. Crumble the sausage and continue cooking until the sausage is about halfway done. Then, add the mushrooms and cook until done. If necessary, drain.
Add the garlic and saute about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the gnocchi, reserved cooking liquid and parmesan cheese. Toss until combined
Between the country ribs and the bacon, this entry certainly won't be getting a "light" tag. I know, I know, I am *supposed* to be eating healthier now that I'm back to cooking, but these country ribs were just staring at me from the freezer. I bought them a month or two ago really, really cheaply and froze them. I've never made ribs before. Actually I never really liked ribs all that much until fairly recently.
Since this was my first time making ribs, I went the easy route and used bottled sauce. Our favorite is Sweet Baby Ray's. I accidentally bought the hot and spicy kind, but it was great.
As for the country ribs, I just rubbed them with some salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder. I cooked them at 250* for about 2.5 hours.
Then, I brushed some sauce over the ribs, covered them with foil and continued to cook them an additional 45 minutes, basting once with more sauce halfway through.
These came out tender and delicious, but next time I would probably increase the time in the oven by another hour or so, just to get them even more tender.
Now, I love grilled meats and attending barbecues but I tend to not like barbecue food all that much. See, most of the picnic/barbecue food I have been privy to, like coleslaw and potato salad, is swimming in mayo-based sauce. I don't know if I have ever mentioned this before but I really, truly HATE mayonnaise. More than a hate, it is actually a fear. I cannot even look at it without getting a little queasy.
So, to keep with a barbecue theme but keep myself from becoming ill, I decided to make a vinaigrette-based cabbage slaw and a German potato salad. Not much to the slaw. The dressing was just red wine vinegar, oil, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic.
The German potato salad recipe is one of Bobby Flay's. I modified it slightly. We both loved it. But then, how can you NOT like potatoes and bacon?
1 to 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes (I used baby Yukon golds)
1/4 pound bacon
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped (I omitted)
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
Fresh snipped chives, optional garnish
Minced parsley, optional garnish
Hard boiled eggs, optional garnish
Scrub potatoes and cook in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and, while hot, skin and cut into 1/4-inch slices. You should have about 4 cups. Set aside.
Place bacon in a skillet and fry until almost crisp. Remove bacon from pan and add onion and celery, cook until tender and transparent, remove from pan.
Drain off all but one tablespoon of bacon fat; add flour, sugar, salt and pepper to skillet stir until slightly browned. Add vinegar and water and cook until mixture is slightly thickened. Add back the bacon, onion, and celery.
Pour hot dressing over potatoes; stir gently to blend. The potatoes should look glossy. Garnish with hard-boiled egg slices, sprinkle minced parsley, and chives over top. Serve warm.
Someone on a cooking board I frequent posed the question today of whether it bothers others when they spend more time making a side dish than they do a main dish. I promptly answered no, because I love my sides and will often do something really simple for a main dish, like a roast piece of meat, but spend more time making a risotto or side dish someone may consider more time consuming than normal. It didn't even occur to me that tonight's dinner was actually a case in point :)
Tonight we had oven-fried chicken strips with pesto potatoes and corn on the cob.
Earlier today, I seasoned some buttermilk with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then I marinated 1" chicken breast strips in the mixture. You can also just dip the chicken into this mixture, rather than marinate it.
Then, I rolled the pieces in panko. I sprayed a cookie sheet with Pam, put the strips on there and then sprayed the top of the strips. Baked in a 375 degree oven for about 8 or 9 minutes per side, and finished them off in the broiler for about a minute.
Tom and I both love pesto and we love pesto potatoes. This is a fairly frequent side for us, and after I get my basil plant this weekend, I have a feeling it will become even more frequent.
The pesto potato recipe was actually part of my very first vox post! I am going to copy and paste it below so it's easier, though.
Pesto Potatoes
1 lb. potatoes (I prefer Yukon gold, but redskins and russets work just fine)
cooking spray
1 cup fresh basil
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, divided
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375* and spray a small baking dish with cooking spray.
In a food processor, process toasted pine nuts and garlic until combined well. Add basil and 3 Tbsp parmesan cheese, and process until all ingredients are combined and basil is in small pieces. Stream in olive oil and pulse until desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.
Peel and slice potatoes in 1/4" thick circles. Place slices next to each other in baking dish, forming one layer and sprinkle with a little salt. Top layer of potatoes with layer of pesto. Continue layering, ending with a layer of pesto.
Pour chicken broth over potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of parmesan cheese, and bake uncovered another 5-10 minutes.
