Roasted Potatoes and Onions

 

Who doesn’t love a good potato recipe? If you don’t, you’re not normal! Potatoes are delicious, an all American food, right? Well, I’ve roasted them with rosemary, parmesan, herbs and just salt and pepper so I thought I’d throw in some onions, lots of garlic, more herbs and make roasted potatoes seem new with a roasted potato AND onion dish. Throw in the onions and it’s a totally different dish. It’s like it’s brand new and you’ve never seen it before. Okay, if you don’t think it’s creative and fresh, don’t tell me! Either way, this was really tasty and the onions caramelized a bit and made it even better. And oh, don’t forget the punch from the garlic. De-lish! Give this one a try. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds red skinned potatoes, cut in 1 1/2 to 2-inch chunks
• 1 large sweet onion, cut in large chunks
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or whatever herbs you choose, I added rosemary too)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Spray a large shallow baking dish with cooking spray or lightly grease. Heat oven to 400°.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or food storage bag; toss to coat thoroughly.

Arrange in the baking pan or cookie sheet

 

and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until potatoes are tender and nicely browned.
Serves 4 to 6. Enjoy!

 

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Who doesn’t love a good potato recipe?? Potatoes go well with every dish and everyone loves them. If they don’t, they might have a screw lose. Don’t trust them. We love our meat and potatoes around here. I was making a beef dish for dinner the other night for dinner and I wanted a quick and flavorful potato recipe and luckily Ina came to the rescue. I referred to my Barefoot Contessa cookbook and voila, there was just what I was looking for. Thanks Ina! Not only do we love potatoes, we love rosemary too. Especially fresh rosemary. You really can't beat the flavor it adds to a dish. Luckily I’m growing a lot of fresh rosemary this year so I just clipped some, tossed in olive oil and had a yummy dish in time for dinner. If you don't have your own rosemary plant, of course you can use dried, but you can also pick up a little bunch for about $1 in the grocery store. Now let's get started on a new quick, go-to, recipe for your box as well:

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1 1/2 pounds small red or white-skinned potatoes (or a mixture)
• 1/8 cup good olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoons minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated.

 

Dump the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread out into 1 layer; roast in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning.

Remove the potatoes from the oven, season to taste, and serve and enjoy! It doesn't get easier than that, does it??

 

Chunky Potato Soup w/Ham

We love soup around here and homemade soup is even better. I love potato soup, but what would make potato soup even better??? Hmmmmm.....let me see....oh ham! Not spam, Ham! Potato and ham is such a great combination, especially in soup! I made a ham for New Years’ Day and needed something to do with the left-overs so I pulled this recipe out and wondered why it was in hiding. I have so many recipes, I forget about what I have. This is an oldie but a goodie. I created this recipe by pulling together the best of many potato soup recipes. Again, I’ve done all of the work for you to bring you the best potato and ham recipe you will ever find! I’m not kidding. We just had a bowl of this soup for dinner and my husband was going on and on about how flavorful this soup is. I think you should take his recommendation and give this soup a try. Let’s get started:

Ingredients:

3-4 large potatoes (I used red)

1 medium onion

4 cups chicken broth

3 Tablespoons butter

2 1/2 cups milk

3 Tablespoons flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup swiss cheese

2 cups diced ham

2 large carrots, thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley

Instructions:

Sautee’ onion, garlic, celery and carrots until onion is clear.

Add potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer 15-20 minutes or until veggies are tender. Lightly mash. I used the back of a soup ladle to just mash the potatoes a bit.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt butter, then stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil. Continuing cooking and stirring for about 2 minutes or until the mixture is thick. Pour milk into potato mixture. Add ham. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add parsley, salt and pepper. Turn heat off and stir in cheese. Garnish with fresh parsley. This is so hearty and delicious! Enjoy now and left overs later.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Who doesn't love potatoes?? Something is definitely wrong with you if you don't love a good potato! A perfectly cooked and salted baked potato with a steak, or mashed potatoes.....delish! Well, I know we all try not to eat as many potatoes these days, but I think once in a while is okay. Trust me, would I lie to you?? I don't like to serve them the same way all of the time so I was really excited when I found this recipe. I actually can't remember if one of my friends on the Food Network told me about this one or my favorite site for recipes, allrecipes.com. Let's just call it my recipe, shall we??

These turned out really nice and were so flavorful. A great addition to any meal. Oh, and super simple. Here's what you need to get started....

• 9-10 small baby Dutch yellow potatoes or little new potatoes
• 3-4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Garlic powder, to taste
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil a large pot of water and boil the potatoes for 4-5 minutes. Remove from water and let cool. Or you can steam in the microwave, which is what I did. Once cooled, slice into quarters and combine with olive oil, garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper as well as the Parmesan. Mix thoroughly and place in a baking dish that has been sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.

Place into the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and taste, season with sea salt, cracked pepper, or garlic powder if needed.

 Garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy.

Fried Smashed Potatoes - So Good!

My friend, Giada, was making these one day while I was watching the Food Network. I sure am going to miss watching the Food Network all day when I go back to work. Do you think they’ll let me watch it a couple of hours a day until I can wean off of it?? I really think it’s only fair. I’m going to miss Ina and Giada and Paula and all of my other friends. I’ll ask about it on my first day. BTW, in case you haven’t heard....I GOT A JOB! Yep, I am going to be a contributing member to society again. Well, let’s just say I have a job and we’ll go from there. I promise my blog won’t suffer. I will try to blog a couple of times a week, but let’s face it, I’ll be happy if I can blog once my first week! Once I get the hang of working again after 8.5 months of unemployment, I’ll get my groove back. Stay tuned and don’t give up! Many more good recipes to come.

(In case you keep up with my blog, you know I have been working for a few weeks now. I wrote a few blogs ahead so I wouldn't disappoint my readers!)

Back to my friend, Giada. She was whipping these up one day and I needed a good idea for a side item because my sister and brother-in-law were coming for a visit. He’s a little (okay, A LOT) picky so I try to stick to the basics but dress them up a little. These little potatoes seemed perfect for that. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t love potatoes with a little oil, parsley and lemon drizzled on top?? These really are tasty. I’ve made them about three times since Giada taught me how to make them. Add them to a family dinner, and I think you’ll add them again and again. Let’s get started.....

Ingredients for the Potatoes:

• 2 pounds baby or fingerling potatoes (I used little red potatoes)
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra as needed
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I used a little less lemon juice, it was a little too lemony for me the first time I made them. Try using 1-2 T, depending on your taste)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 lemons, zested
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

For the potatoes: Put the potatoes in an 8-quart stockpot with enough cold water to cover by at least 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow to dry for 5 minutes. Using the palm of your hand, gently press the potatoes until lightly smashed. I smashed on a sheet of wax paper. See below.

In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup of oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly brown, about 1 minute. Remove the garlic and discard. In batches, add the potatoes and cook, without stirring, until the bottoms turn golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Using a spatula, turn the potatoes over and cook, drizzling with oil, if needed, until golden brown on the other side for another 5 to 8 minutes. Mine fell apart a lot when I flipped. They might not have looked as pretty, but they sure did taste good!

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Isn't my tiny wisk cute??

Spoon the dressing over the potatoes and toss gently until coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl and serve. It kind of looks like a hot mess, but trust me, they were delicious!