What's On the Side: Potatoes Anna

Potatoes Anna is a classic French dish composed of thinly sliced potatoes cooked in beaucoup de melted butter. Not surprisingly, it is delicious.

I had plans to make salmon for dinner the other night, and wanted to make some sort of potato dish on the side. I tend to make mashed potatoes, but was looking to try something new. The major selling point of this recipe from Martha Stewart is that it can be made up to 8 hours in advance and reheated just before serving. This meant I could take one item off my to-do list when it came time to cook dinner that night.

Though the presentation is quite elegant, the recipe itself is rather simple. All it takes is a couple of sliced potatoes, some melted butter, a little seasoning, and voilà--you have a stunning dish for your dinner table.

Potatoes Anna (printer-friendly version)
makes 2-4 servings

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

coarse sea salt
freshly ground pepper
herbes de Provence

fresh thyme leaves, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Using the slicing blade on your food processor or a very sharp knife, slice the potatoes about 1/4-inch thick.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of melted butter to a 8-inch cast iron skillet and brush to cover the bottom.
3. Beginning in the center of the skillet, arrange the potato slices in a circular pattern to cover the bottom of the skillet. The slices should overlap slightly. Brush with melted butter, season generously with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with a small pinch of herbes de Provence. Repeat for at least two more layers.
4. Place the skillet over high heat and cook until the butter begins to sizzle, about 1-3 minutes.
5. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the potatoes are fork-tender. This should take about 60 minutes, but check after 45. Remove from the oven.
6. Serve in the skillet, or use a large spatula to loosen the potatoes from the skillet, then flip onto a serving plate. Garnish with fresh thyme before serving.
7. Alternately, potatoes can be made in advance, allowed to cool, then covered with aluminum foil and refrigerated. To serve, reheat in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.

(adapted from this Martha Stewart recipe)

What's On the Side: Oven-Baked Potato Crisps

Dustin and I were in Madison on Saturday as he was enrolled in a whole hog breakdown class at Underground Meats in the afternoon, and I was there to, uh, get my shop on and run errands while he learned the art of butchery. Once we arrived in town, we stopped for brunch at Weary Traveler Free House. Along with two eggs and toast, D's breakfast came with garlic fried potato slices. And, oh, were they good. (And yes, the egg-wich I ordered was also delish, but sadly potato-less.)

As much as I enjoy fried food, I figured I could bake some just-as-good -- or, okay, perhaps in the very least, nearly-as-good -- garlic potatoes in the oven.

These potato crisps get a toss in olive oil, dried herbs, and minced garlic followed by a sprinkle of salt and pepper before roasting in the oven for 30 minutes. We ate our potato crisps alongside a green salad and oven-roasted salmon.

It's been about a million years (slight exaggeration) since we last had salmon at home-- the salmon at our local grocery store's seafood case is typically the poster child for "what not to buy" when it comes to fresh (or, okay, more likely "recently thawed") fish. So, during my requisite visit to Whole Foods in Madison, I was stoked to see some gorgeous wild-caught coho salmon fillets for sale in the seafood department; I quickly snatched up two fillets for our Sunday dinner. Nothing like a little fish and chips (er, crisps) to end the weekend on a good note!

Oven-Baked Potato Crisps (printer-friendly version)
make two hearty servings

1-2 cups thinly sliced russet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
2 cloves garlic, minced
fine sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sliced potatoes, olive oil, herbes de Provence, and minced garlic. Toss to coat.
3. Place the potato slices on the wire rack; it's okay if they slightly overlap. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
4. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden and slightly brown on the edges. Serve immediately.

What's On the Side: Twice-Baked Potatoes

Ordering a twice-baked potato is my favorite indulgence when eating at our local supper club. I mean, why get a plain baked potato when you can get one stuffed with cheesy goodness? Last week, D requested a meat-and-potatoes dinner for his birthday, and he specifically asked for twice-baked potatoes on the side. Of course I couldn't say no! These twice-baked potatoes are full of buttery and cheesy flavor. Sauteing the green onions in the butter helps to lend them a slightly caramelized flavor, and thus lessens the "bite" that raw onions sometimes have. If you're feeling extra-indulgent, I'd recommend adding a bit of chopped crispy cooked bacon to the potatoes; we'd eaten bacon with our breakfast that day, so I figured we'd already met our bacon allowance for the day.

Twice-Baked Potatoes (printer-friendly version)
makes 4 servings

olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
4 green onions, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, plus more for topping the potatoes
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Poke the potatoes all over with a fork. Rub the potatoes with olive oil, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the potatoes comes out easily. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes.
3. Once cool enough to handle, carefully slice the top quarter off each potato. Use a fork to spoon the potato flesh into a bowl (leave about a 1/4-inch of flesh remaining around the edges of the skin so that the potatoes don't collapse). Don't forget to spoon the flesh from the cut-off tops, and then discard the skins.
4. Melt the butter in a small sauce pot over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add in the chopped green onions and saute until lightly browned. Remove from the heat and carefully pour into the bowl with the potatoes. Stir to combine. Stir in the sea salt, yogurt, and cheese.
5. Spoon the mashed potatoes back into the potatoes, completely filling the potato shells. Once they are filled, mound any remaining mashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle each potato with extra cheddar cheese (about 2-3 tablespoons per potato).
6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese has completely melted. Garnish with chopped chives and serve.

(adapted from this No Recipes recipe; check out the post for great step-by-step photos)

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 For Dinner: Dal Bhat (Lentil Soup Over Rice)

Dal bhat (lentil soup served over rice) takes me back to our trip to Nepal. It is the most popular dish in Nepal -- and we ate a lot of it during our trip. I happened upon a recipe for red lentil dal a while back, and now during my month of eating unprocessed foods, I figured it would be a good time to give it a try. Since potatoes also fare heavily in Himalayan meals, I decided to add in some chopped red potatoes to my dal for additional texture. Eating this meal brought me right back to the dining rooms of the teahouses that we lodged at during our trek in the Everest region -- although happily this time I didn't need to wear a hat, puffy North Face jacket, and gloves while eating it.

Dal Bhat (printer-friendly version)
makes 6-8 servings

1 tablespoon organic canola oil
2 cups chopped onions (1 large onion)
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups water
1 cup dried red lentils
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground curry
1 1/2 cups chopped boiled red potatoes
1 cup basmati or jasmine rice, cooked according to package directions
2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup onion and 1 minced garlic clove and cook until tender and golden, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside.
2. Fill a medium sauce pot with water. Bring to a boil. Add the red potatoes and boil until tender, about 10-15 minutes depending on size. Once tender, drain and return to pot. Set aside.
3. Combine the water, lentils, turmeric, cumin, ginger, curry, remaining 1 cup chopped onion and 2 minced garlic cloves in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil.
4. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
5. Transfer about half the lentil mixture to a food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. (If using blender, keep the lid slightly askew to allow air in.)
6. Return the puree to the pot. Mix in the sauteed onion and garlic mixture. Stir in the chopped boiled potatoes. Stir and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
7. Spoon rice into bowls. Add the dal over top the rice. Top with chopped tomatoes and fresh cilantro.

(adapted from this Epicurious recipe)

What's On the Side: Boiled Red Potatoes

Boiled Red Potatoes (printer-friendly version)

makes two servings

10 red potatoes, rinsed

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon Herbes de Provence (or other seasoning of your choice)

freshly ground black pepper

fine sea salt

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Add the red potatoes. Boil for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.

3. Remove the potatoes from the water and pat dry.

4. Place the dried potatoes in a shallow dish. Add the butter and the Herbes de Provence to the potatoes. Gently toss to combine the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

5. Serve immediately.

What's For Dinner: Venison Steaks

Well, venison and roasted fingerlings, to be specific. Since we're moving at the end of the year, the time is right to start using up everything in the freezer. And one thing we definitely don't want to go to waste is the venison we have in there. I put D to work on cooking up the venison steaks and I cooked up the roasted fingerling potatoes (recipe coming tomorrow). Long story short, it's a fairly simple meal that's full of flavor.

Venison Steaks (printer-friendly version)

makes 2 servings

2 6 oz venison steaks

2 tablespoons olive oil

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Season the steaks liberally with salt and pepper.

4. Sear each side of the steak in the heated skillet for two minutes per side.

5. Place the skillet into the oven and cook for an additional six minutes.

6. Place the steaks on a cutting board and let rest for five minutes.

7. Cut each steak against the grain into slices and serve.