Tag: potatoes
Potatoes Corn and Carrots with Dill
This is a great side or main dish. I made it as a main dish for meatless Monday. The classic is a combination of potatoes, carrots and peas.. but as I started cooking, I realized I didn’t have frozen peas… what?? I had no idea.. so I used roasted frozen corn instead and the combo was great!!!
- 2 tablespoons ghee/butter
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 3 medium yellow skinned potatoes, chopped into 1 inch dice
- 3 carrots, chopped into 1 inch dice
- 1 cup roasted corn, frozen
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh chives, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat a saucepan with ghee/butter on a medium heat. Add the green onions and ginger. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, carrots and corn. Add salt, ground coriander and cayenne pepper. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and cover with lid and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or till the potatoes and carrots are cooked through. Mix well and taste for seasonings. Turn heat off and add the herbs. Mix well and serve.
Mexican Stew
- This is a great one-pot meal to make .. especially since it has started to get cold…
- 1 pound chicken thighs
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 2 to 3 large yellow potatoes and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons roasted cumin
- 2 cups chicken broth
Sauce
- 2 poblano peppers, sliced in half
- 1 anaheim pepper, sliced in half
- 1 small garlic head, wrapped in aluminum
- 1 small yellow onion cut in half
- 2 to 3 green onions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup chicken broth
Place the peppers, garlic, onion and green onions onto a lined baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the salt. Roast in the oven for half an hour, or until the vegetables are soft. Take out and blend in the blender with the cilantro and ½ cup broth until smooth.
Heat a saucepan and add the oil and roasted cumin. Add the carrots and celery and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat. Add the green sauce, 2 cups broth and the chicken thighs. Mix well and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour and a half. Serve hot with bread.
Grilled Vegetables with Potatoes
- 1 pound green beans, washed and trimmed
- 2 squash, sliced
- 5 to 6 variety of potatoes, sliced and cooked
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 to 5 garlic cloves, grated
- Salt
- Pepper
Add the green beans, squash and potatoes into a large bowl. Add the oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well and add to a grill pan. Add to the grill and cook on medium heat. Stir occasionally making sure the vegetables don’t burn. Serve warm with the burgers.
Istanbul Day 3- A Palace, Crispy Potato And Grilled Lamb
Day three started with some wind, rain and a delicious Turkish breakfast. We bundled up and headed to the Topkapi Palace, which was walking distance to our hotel. We spent a few hours viewing the Blue Mosque and the Palace. Somehow walking around in museums, etc makes me hungry. We came out and immediately started looking for somewhere to warm and eat. On the way, we found a vendor selling crispy potatoes. He had a machine to cut the potato open onto a stick. He then fried the whole thing and sprinkled it with spices and salt- it was delicious! We stood there for several minutes devouring many sticks of potatoes. 
We also had some of the Turkish pretzel again- this one was not as crispy and fresh as the other one. We finally found a restaurant/cafe and ate some kebabs and lavash and drank some buttermilk.
We then headed to do some shopping. They have beautiful ceramics, rugs and stoles all over Istanbul. The trick is to bring the prices way down by haggling with the vendors- which is a skill I don’t possess but I think I held my own as I shopped.
After a few hours of rest, lots of research, we headed to a restaurant near our hotel called Tria. As we were 9 of us, we decided to order family style and instead of an entree each, we ordered lots of appetizers. They started us off with baskets of lavash, black olives and olive tapenade- delicious!
Olive Tapenade
Meze Platter
We ordered their house red wine which was also delicious. The wine I have had so far has been quite yummy- the problem is that alcohol is not served in the very down to earth eating joints- which is where I like to eat when we travel.
The appetizers kept coming- a plate of meze, which is like eating Turkish tapas. It consisted of lots of interesting things like grated eggplant in a white sauce, lentil kebab, tomato sauce with a kick, a fresh cheese spread, some kind of grilled fish, etc. The grilled squid was yummy as well! We were quite full and satisfied when the grilled lamb over mashed eggplant arrived. I was a bit skeptical about the mashed eggplant- but it was by far the most delicious thing on the table. It was soft, velvety and delicious! Believe it or not we were too full for dessert!
Grilled Lamb
We decided to walk some family members to the tram station which was near our favorite dessert place.. somehow the walk made the idea of dessert more palatable… so we strolled over and sat down for a few sweet things..
Tomorrow, we are off to Cappadocia!!
Indian Style Sweet Peppers and Potatoes
I thought it would be good idea to highlight some vegetarian dishes to highlight healthy eating. I am not for giving up meat or anything else unless medically necessary but I do believe in moderation and incorporating a bit of everything in ones diet.
I try to make a vegetarian meal once or twice a week. Indian food is a great way to do so. I usually cook some beans or lentils as well as some delicious vegetables. I pair it with fresh whole wheat rotis and I am able to serve my family a delicious, well balanced meal.
So, the first one today is made with sweet peppers and potatoes. It is a very simple to make. I started with some oil and cumin seeds. I added onions, garlic and tomato sauce to the mix. Potatoes and peppers were next followed by a variety of spices.
This dish can be an entree or a side dish. It is perfect with any fish or meat…. but we are sticking to vegetarian options this week… another one to follow tomorrow.
read more …
Pancetta and Balsamic Roast Chicken
This is a delicious way to make a one pot meal. It all goes into a big roasting pan and you are done! I started with leg quarters- if I am not roasting a whole chicken, I like to cook leg quarters. Dark meat has a lot of flavor and is very forgiving as it doesn’t over cook.
When using very few ingredients, it is important to use very bold flavors. In this case, I used garlic, pancetta and balsamic glaze. I cooked the pancetta and then mixed it with the garlic, thyme and the glaze. I then slathered the chicken with the yummy mixture and roasted it.
To make things more interesting, I lined the roasting pan with slices of delicious sour dough bread and some potatoes. The potatoes and the bread come out deliciously crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I especially love the bread- all the flavors absorb really well.
I served this delicious meal with a green salad and a delicious glass of red wine. I love simple, delicious food with very good quality ingredients!
- 4 leg quarters with skin
- 6 to 8 slices of sour dough bread
- 4 to 5 small potatoes, peeled and cut in half
- Salt
Marinade
- ¼ cup pancetta, chopped
- 5 to 6 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
Cook the pancetta in a hot frying pan until the fat is rendered on medium heat- it should take about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn heat off and take out in a bowl.
Pound the garlic, salt and thyme in a mortar and pestle till smooth. Add the olive oil and balsamic glaze. Mix well and add to the cooked pancetta. Mix well and keep aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the bread slices in a medium, lined baking sheet (9X13). Smear some of the marinade on the bread. Add the chicken quarters and the potatoes. Rub the marinade all over covering all the surfaces. Sprinkle salt generously all over. Roast in oven for 30 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil and finish roasting till the chicken is done. Serve a piece of the chicken on top of the cooked bread with potatoes on the side.
Roasted and Mashed Butternut Squash and Potatoes with Cheddar Cheese
This is one of the sides I came up for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. I was in Trader Joes, as usual, and came across already peeled and cut up butternut squash. I am quite lazy and usually never pick up a whole one- so when I saw a package of organic cut up squash- I was thrilled.
I usually always make some kind of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. There is also some kind of sweet potato or butternut squash dish. I wanted to combine the potato and butternut squash and come up with one dish.
Usually for a mashed dish, potatoes are boiled and then mashed. I decided to roast pieces of butternut squash, potatoes and garlic with some olive oil, salt and pepper instead.
Once the vegetables were soft, I ran them through a food mill and added grated cheese, half and half and fresh sage. I baked the dish once more with some grated cheese on top. It was simply delicious! Roasting the vegetables instead of boiling them gave the dish a more intense flavor. It was creamy and the sharp cheddar cheese and sage made it taste like a fabulous holiday side.
I was thrilled with this concoction- please try it for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
- 1 pound cut up butternut squash (Trader Joes has it already cut and peeled)
- 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut up same size as the squash- about 2 inch pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, whole with skin
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a lined cookie sheet, add the squash, potatoes and garlic cloves. Drizzle the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or till the pieces are tender. Take out and let cool. Run the roasted mixture through a food mill or a potato ricer.
At this point the mixture can be refrigerated up to 2 days.
- 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated and divided
- ½ cup half and half
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4 generous servings. Recipe can be doubles.
In a serving bowl, add the butternut squash and potato mixture. Add ½ cup cheese, half and half, salt and sage. Mix well and check for seasonings. Sprinkle remaining of the half cup cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes.
