What's On the Side: Pan-Roasted Smashed Potatoes

Alright, confession time. I completely intended to replicate Giada's fried smashed potato recipe (linked below). However, when it came time to smash the potatoes, rather than ending up with perfectly round, but-still-mostly-together potato discs, I ended up with bits of potato flying hither and thither. Perhaps I underestimated my potato-smashing strength? Whatever the case, even after trying to smoosh them back into shape in the frying pan, flipping them over just revealed what a terrible mess that I had made.

In a moment of frustration I kind of angrily stabbed at the potatoes with my spatula, and voila! Pan-roasted smashed potatoes were born. I tweaked the "dressing" recipe a bit, adding in some more herbs and a little bit of Dijon mustard to give it a more substantial feel. The lemon-herb combination, made just a tad zesty with the Dijon mustard, really helps to make these smashed potatoes that much more interesting (and tasty). Lesson learned: sometimes smashing things to smithereens is the right answer. Well, in some cases, anyway.

Pan-Roasted Smashed Potatoes (printer-friendly version)
makes 4-6 servings

Potatoes:
6 medium-sized Yukon gold or red potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice from one lemon
zest from one lemon
1/2 teaspoon (heaping) chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes, and reduce the heat to medium or medium-low. Let the potatoes simmer until they are fork tender, 20-25 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, put together the vinaigrette. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme, rosemary, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. Once the potatoes have cooked, remove them from the water and let them cool for about five minutes. Once cooled, lightly smash each potato by hand.
4. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and saute until fragrant and lightly browned, 30-60 seconds. Remove the garlic from the oil and discard. Add in the smashed potatoes and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 5-7 minutes. Flip each potato and cook until lightly browned on the other side. Use the bottom edge of your spatula to smash the potatoes until they resemble coarsely-mashed potatoes. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until evenly browned (or the potatoes reach your preferred level of crispiness). Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the vinaigrette, evenly coating the potatoes. Serve immediately.

Another variation:
Instead of adding the vinaigrette, after smashing the potatoes, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

 (inspired by this Giada De Laurentiis recipe)

What's Growing: Fresh Herbs

The growing season in Laramie is quite short, making growing a garden a bit of an ordeal. Add on to that the fact that we rent our home, and there really is no incentive to put the work in to building raised beds, figuring out an irrigation system, and doing all the other work that would be necessary for making a garden grow here at 7200 feet.

However, I am a bit of a sucker for fresh herbs. And every time I purchase a package of fresh herbs from the store, though I have the best of intentions, it seems I am never able to use it all before it starts to go bad. So it makes a bit of sense to grow a herb garden outside. This past weekend, D turned the soil in a little patch along the side of the house and planted a bunch of fresh herb plants that we've been gathering over the past month or so. As you can see, our garden is a bit basil-heavy, but that's definitely one of the herbs we use most often. Rounding out our little garden is a rosemary plant and a few mint plants. (Because nothing says summer like a mojito made with fresh mint, right?)

Recently, I made my first harvest from the garden and plucked some basil leaves to put together a quick basil pesto to serve over pasta.

Fresh Basil Pesto

makes about 1 cup

2 cups basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts (or both together), lightly toasted

1/4 cup freshly grated romano cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

freshly ground black pepper

fine sea salt
olive oil

1. Toast the pine nuts (and/or walnuts) in a skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Stir frequently and remove from the heat as soon as the pine nuts and/or walnuts become fragrant.

2. Place the basil, garlic, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine the ingredients.

3. Add in the cheeses. Pulse to combine. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides if necessary.

4. Add the olive oil in a slow stream while pressing the "on" button.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Serve over pasta or as a spread for a toasted baguette. Store unused portion in a tightly-covered container in the fridge. If the pesto is a bit dry, pour a layer of olive oil over the top of it prior to refrigerating to prevent the pesto from turning brown.