Category Archives: Potatoes

Potato Surimi Casserole

1 package au gratin potatoes
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 eggs, large
1 8 oz. can corn, creamed
1/2 pound Surimi seafood, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 scallion tops, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 450. Prepare potatoes in 8x8x2″ baking dish. follow package directions for milk and butter. Bake for only 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in bowl, combine eggs, corn, surimi, flour, scallions, salt, nutmeg and cayenne. Pour over potatoes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350. Bake until set, 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut into 6 squares.

6 Servings

Pork, Chicken and Potato Stew in Peanut Sauce

1-1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
5-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 small purple Peruvian or red potatoes (about 1 pound), quartered
1 large onion, chopped
6 large garlic cloves, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 boxes (10 ounces each) frozen corn, thawed
1-1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle in adobo
1/2 cup reduced-fat peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Rinse pork and pat dry; season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy 5-quart pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add pork, in 3 batches, and cook, turning, until golden brown, about 6 minutes per batch (adding oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed). Transfer, as cooked, with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving fat in pot.
Rinse chicken and pat dry; season with salt and pepper. Add 1-1/2 tablespoons oil to fat in pot and heat over moderately high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to bowl with pork. Add potatoes, onion and garlic to pot; cook over moderately high heat until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth, corn, adobo sauce and peanut butter. Return pork and chicken to pot with any drippings and push into liquid. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, meat is cooked through and potatoes are fork-tender, 35 minutes; salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, ladle stew into bowls and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

6 Servings

Minestrone Genovese

1oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 lb. Swiss chard, stems removed
1/4 lb. spinach, stems removed
Salt
2 small zucchini, diced
2 medium white potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Japanese eggplants, peeled and diced
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups pasta
2 cups cooked white beans
2 tbsp. pesto (see recipe below) Freshly ground black pepper

Soak porcini in 2 cups warm water until soft, about 20 minutes. Remove porcini, rinse, chop and set aside. Pour porcini water through a coffee filter and reserve. Chop chard and spinach leaves.
Bring porcini water and 6 cups salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add porcini, chard, spinach, zucchini, potatoes, eggplant and oil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Add pasta to soup. Cook pasta for about 10 minutes, add beans and cook 5 minutes longer. Stir in pesto and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot or, in the Genovese tradition, at room temperature. Sprinkle with parmigiano-reggiano, if you like.

Pesto

2 tightly packed cups stemless fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp. pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Coarse salt
1/2 cup mild extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

Crush basil, pine nuts, garlic and a large pinch of salt into a fine paste with mortar and pestle. Drizzle in oil, stirring constantly, then stir in parmigiano-reggiano. Put plastic wrap directly on surface of pesto, then set aside. If using a food processor, put pine nuts, garlic and salt into the bowl of the food processor fitted with a metal blade and blend to a paste. Add basil, drizzle in oil and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in parmigiano-reggiano.

Hashbrown Strata

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cups frozen loose-pack diced hash brown potatoes with onion and peppers
1 cup cut broccoli florets
1/3 cup finely chopped turkey bacon or turkey ham (about 2 ounces)
1/3 cup evaporated fat-free milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 8-ounce cartons refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Fresh basil sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 2-quart square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange hash brown potatoes and broccoli in bottom of baking dish; top with turkey bacon or ham. Set aside.
Stir milk gradually into flour in a medium bowl. Stir in egg product, half of the cheese, the snipped or dried basil, and black pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes. If desired, garnish with fresh basil sprigs. Makes 6 main-dish servings.

Make-ahead Tip: Assemble as above, but do not bake. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours. Before serving, remove cover and bake as directed above.

Serves 8

Chicken Gnocchi Veronese Olive Garden Recipe

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced (julienned)
½ zucchini, sliced, (julienned)
Salt to taste
4 chicken breasts, sliced in ½” strips
2 small branches rosemary
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of ½ lemon

Veronese Sauce

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup ricotta cheese
14 fl oz heavy cream

Gnocchi

2 qt water
6 oz all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 lbs russet potatoes
2 tsp salt

OR

1 lb gnocchi (potato dumplings), cooked according to package directions

Procedures

NOTE: You may make your own gnocchi by following the steps below, or you may purchase them already made.

Gnocchi

1. WASH potatoes and place in water. Cook potatoes until soft (cook time will depend on size of potatoes). Remove potatoes from water and cool in refrigerator.
2. PEEL cooled potatoes and push them through a fine grater (rice grater) until mashed; do not over-mash potatoes or they will get tough.
3. COMBINE potatoes, flour and eggs in a mixing bowl. Mix well until dough does not stick to hands (add small amounts of flour at a time if needed).
4. DIVIDE dough into 4 sections. Roll out each section into a long rope. Cut each rope into ½” pieces. Push fork tines on each piece for the classic gnocchi appearance.
5. BRING water to a boil in a sauce pot. Drop in gnocchi and cook until they float.

Chicken & Sauce

1. COMBINE garlic, lemon juice, rosemary and chicken slices in a mixing bowl. Let marinate for at least 2 hours.
2. COMBINE Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese and heavy cream in a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. HEAT sauté pan on medium high. Add extra virgin olive oil, onions, bell peppers, and zucchini. Saute until onions are translucent (do not brown).
4. ADD marinated chicken slices and cook until slices are brown on all sides and internal temperature is 165°F. Reduce heat and add sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer.
5. DRAIN cooked gnocchi and add to pan with chicken, vegetables and sauce. Stir to coat gnocchi with sauce.
6. SERVE gnocchi topped with extra Parmesan cheese.