Is it Spring Yet?? (Twice-Baked Potatoes & Eggs Florentine)

If you like your eggs runny,
eat 'em right out of the oven!

To say that it has been a long cold winter is an understatement - and the Carolinas have had a relatively pretty easy time of it compared to our friends in the North and Midwest. With this mindset, I spent a good part of today working on a new recipe that screams Easter Brunch -- bacony, cheesey twice-baked potatoes with an egg cooked smack dab in the middle. Who can't love that!?!

I wrote, tested and photographed this for my little magazine gig today and then did a final taste test with a group of neighbors.  The verdict - don't change a thing!

That said, if you don’t like spinach? Leave it out. Prefer sausage to bacon? Switch it up. In other words, use your imagination —  in my world, it is perfectly okay to play with your food. 

Here's how I did it:

Twice-Baked Potatoes & Eggs Florentine

Basic recipe and method with one potato serves 2, use your multiplication skills to serve more

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 slices bacon, cooked crisp, drained and chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 Russet potato, scrubbed and dried
• 1/4 cup regular or low-fat cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (or thickly shredded)
• 1/4 cup regular or low-fat sour cream 
• 1/4 cup fresh baby spinach, thinly sliced (roll a stack of leaves and cut 1/8 inch slices)
• 1/8 cup onion, sautéed in a drizzle of olive oil
• 1 TBS softened butter
• 2 TBS Parmesan cheese, fine grated
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt + plus a small pinch to season the eggs
• 1/4 tsp black pepper + plus a few grinds to season the eggs

Neighborhood tasting -
The verdict: don't change a thing

Method

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

• Prick the potato a few times with a fork or sharp knife, rub it with with olive oil and sprinkle on a little Kosher salt; then bake in the oven for 45 - 55 minutes or until it gives when pressed. Remove to cool slightly. Lower the oven to 375 degrees.
• When the potatoes are cool enough to handle,  cut them in half and gently scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/8 of an inch around the outside. I like to run a sharp knife around the perimeter and then scoop the flesh out into a bowl with a small ice cream scoop, but a spoon will work fine. Set the potato skins onto a baking sheet.
• Mash the potato with a fork or potato masher - it does not need to be totally smooth, but make it as crumbly as you can. Add in the sour cream, sautéed onions, butter, Kosher salt and pepper. Stir until combined and then mix in the cheese and spinach.
• Now spoon the potato mixture into the potato skins. Use the back of a spoon and your clean fingers to create deep wells for the eggs.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and then one-by-one, crack an egg into a small bowl and slide it into the center of a potato. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Repeat for each egg/potato.
• Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 -25  minutes, or until the egg whites are set and the yolk is done to your liking. They will look shiny and underdone, but they will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven.

Enjoy.

Ding Dong Winter is Dead (Tiny Potatoes with Green Beans & Cilantro - 4 or 5 WW points)

To say the folks on the East Coast are sick and tired of Winter is an understatement.  

Green beans, potatoes and cilantro
take me back to lunches with one
of my very best friends.

I celebrated yesterday's Carolina Blue Skies and warmer temps with a walk with friends, a crazy good tennis clinic, a quick trip to the Farmer's Market and a tennis lesson.  By the time evening came, I was wiped out and ready for Steve to fire up the grill and cook a steak. 

Tiny Tiny Potatoes - Quarter added
for scale (-;

Steve is a fantastic griller.  Simplicity reins supreme.  Just a nice steak (not too big or thick, but a good quality piece of meat with just enough marbling for flavor), salt, pepper and a tad of olive oil and a screaming hot grill.  Cook one side long enough for some nice grill marks, flip, sear and remove to continue cooking as it rests to a perfect medium rare.

I had no idea what to make for the side, but we had some wonderful tiny potatoes, cilantro and farm fresh green beans.  It reminded me of the saltados my friend Jennifer and I used to get at Inka Grill when we worked at Telelogic in Orange County, California.  There they mixed green beans, french fries and chicken (weird but good).  Why not do something similar with the tiny little potatoes that we had on hand???

Well, I'm here to tell you that the result is going to become a standard side dish around the Barnett household.  I may tweak it here or there, but feel good about it to share.  

Add a crust to the cut side of the potatoes

Nothing like a cast iron skillet!

The finished product alongside a
WW friendly portion of steak
(yes, you need to cut that fat off!)

Tiny Potatoes with Green Beans & Cilantro - (4 or 5 WW points)
Makes two servings

Note:  The potatoes and green beans can be made way in advance, and kept cold until you are ready to assemble and serve.  Perfect for a day when you'd rather be outside playing than inside cooking.

Ingredients

• 2 handfuls of tiny tiny potatoes cut in half, or 2 1/12  new or red potatoes cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 handfuls of fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, peeled but not chopped
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 green onions, white and green chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 scant Tablespoon of olive oil.  Just enough to coat the skillet lightly
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds (you can use a little more if you like cumin - I really just throw some in a pan.  No measuring)
• 1 tsp ground coriander (ditto comment above about not measuring)
• 1/4 tsp chili powder (ditto)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method

• Prepare an ice bath:  fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.  Set aside
• Place the potatoes and the whole cloves of garlic into a pot of cold water, add a bunch of salt and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just tender.  Pull the potatoes and garlic out of the water with a slotted spoon or "spider" and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking.  Slice the 
• Now add the green beans to the boiling water. Cook until just tender and still slightly crisp.  Pull out of the water with a slotted spoon or "spider" and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking.
• Put the cumin, coriander and chili powder into a dry cast iron skillet or other pan and toast until fragrant over a medium high heat. Stir them around a bit and don't let them burn.  
• Now add olive oil and a pinch of salt to the pan, and add the onion and the garlic (pull from the ice bath, dry and chop the garlic first).  Saute until the onions are becoming soft.  
• Then add to potatoes, plus a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.  Toss them around in the oil and spices and then arrange them cut side down and cook on a medium high heat until they are just getting browned, stir to cook the other side.  
• After about a minute or two, remove the greenbeans from the ice bath and pat them dry with a paper towel.  Add them to the potato mixture along with 3/4 of the cilantro and 3/4 of the sliced green onions.
• Cook until heated through.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  

Serve topped with the remaining cilantro and green onion.

Enjoy.

Quiet Night In (Armadillo Potatoes)

After a long day or a tough week many people want to go out to dinner. But not me.  My favorite way to relax is to chop, chop, chop and then do something creative in the kitchen.   Steve pours a couple a glasses of wine.  Assumes his position at the counter that overlooks the kitchen.  And  watches as things unfold.

Make slices almost thru each
potato about 1/8 inch apart

With an event and a launch underway, I had one of those days and weeks at work. My knives called out to me last night as I hung up from the last of many conference calls. I also had this little bag of local fingerling potatoes that I’d been wanting to do something special with.  Kismet.

Headed to the oven

This one is more of a method than a “recipe,” but first a bit about North Carolina potatoes.  They are freakin’ unbelievable.  The white ones are tender and almost creamy.  The sweet potatoes are in a class all their own. And the best kept secret in the culinary world, if you ask me.  Who knew?

Ready to serve. Perfect with a grilled
steak and crisp green salad

I’m calling these “Armadillo Potatoes"  cuz thant’s what they look like.  Steve called them “just plain good.”  And as you’ll see in the photos, they offer a great opportunity to slice away the stress of a long week.

Armadillo Potatoes

Ingredients:

• A small handful of potatoes per person.  I used fingerlings, but any small white or red potato will do. 
• Olive oil to coat
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 ½ TBS rosemary, minced and divided in half
• A small handful of Parmesan cheese, grated
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper   

Method

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Using a small paring knife, make slices in each potato almost all the way through.  Make the slices about 1/8 of an inch apart
• Toss the potatoes in the olive oil, and half of the garlic and rosemary
• Place in a shallow baking dish
• Bake for 30 minutes, turning twice throughout the process
• After 30 minutes, check for doneness.  They should be cooked through and tender. If this is not the case, return to the oven for another 5 – 10 minutes. 
• When they are cooked to your liking, toss in the remaining garlic and rosemary.  Return to the over for another 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and serve.

 Enjoy.

Bizzy Bizzy Bizzy (Perfect Parsleyed Potatoes

It's event and big project time again and I’ve been really really busy – not much time for cooking, blogging or blogging about cooking.  But tonight I made a side dish that was so good, I had to jot it down to share with y’all.

At the Farmers Market or the grocery store,
North Carolina Potatoes are hard to beat

Most people don’t know it, but North Carolina is home to some mighty fine potatoes.  I love getting them from the Farmers Market, but our local grocery story has a “local” section so we can get them pretty much any time we want.  Tiny and tasty they are the perfect spud.

We’ve been having these tasty taters lately simply boiled and tossed in garlicky butter and parsley. They are a snap to make any old weeknight, but good enough to serve for company.  Give ‘em a try, they won’t disappoint.

Perfect Parslied Potatoes

Serves two with a tad bit of leftovers – do the math to make for a larger crowd

Ingredients

• 6 tiny white or red “new” potatoes, cut in half
• Plenty of Kosher salt for the water
• 1 pat butter
• 1 Tbs chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 clove garlic, cut in half
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Put the potatoes and the garlic in a medium sauce pan, cover with water and add a Tablespoon or so of Kosher slat. Cover and bring to a boil over a high flame.
• Once the water comes to a boil, remove the lid, lower the heat to medium and cook until fork tender (abut 7 minutes or so)
• While the potatoes are cooking, put the butter into a microwave safe bowl, and heat for 30 seconds to melt.  Add a pinch of salt and  a grind of pepper.
• When the potatoes are done,  turn off the heat, remove garlic and smush it into a paste with a knife.  Then add the garlic to the melted butter and combine.
• Now, remove the potatoes from the pot of water with a slotted spoon and drop them into the butter, garlic mixture.  Toss to coat. 
• Now add the chopped parsley toss to combine. 

Serve immediately, or cover the bowl with foil to keep warm until the rest of the meal is ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Stimulating the Economy (Roots)

I figured out why the economy tanked when when the housing bubble burst. Not even a month has passed since we closed on our new home, and the people at Lowe’s, Home Depot and Bed Bath & Beyond are starting to recognize us as regular customers.

We sent yesterday doing those projects you love to have time to do before the movers arrive with all your belongings. Shelf lining in the kitchen cupboards, caulking and re-grouting bathrooms, setting up closets, installing a new washer and drier. I’d like to see one of those time-lapse video recordings of the property that would show the cars going in and out, people dashing to and fro. We were our own little ant colony.

The weekend has also been quite chilly; at least for a California born and bred girl. Lows in the 40s highs in the 50s. Perfect for my favorite Fall and Winter recipe – Roots. I plan to make this tonight when we return from another day at the house.

I’ve been making Roots for years. It was one of Will’s favorites and I always felt lie I was being a good mom when I dished up a plate of this antioxidant-packed meal. Add a little roast chicken or a link or two of turkey sausage and you are good to go.

The basic recipe is simple – walk thru the market and grab one or two of everything that is a root. Carrots, beets, onions, garlic, the list goes on and on. Tonight’s version will include these little rutabagas – about the size of a golf ball – that have redefined that root for me. Who knew they could be down right juicy, even after being roasted for 45 minutes.

I hope you whip up a batch of these soon. Get creative, there are no rules. You can even throw in a few non-root veg, like mushrooms and asparagus – very tasty and no one will ever be the wiser.

Enjoy.

Roots

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato, washed and cubed into 1 ½ to 2 inch cubes
• 3 -4 red or yukon gold potatoes (or handful of fingerlings)
• 2 – 3 shallots peeled
• 5 – 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 onion, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 3 beets, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
• 3 rutabagas, cut into 2 inch cubes – if they are very young, you don’t need to peel them
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper
• 1 Tbs dried oregano
• 2 T red wine vinegar

Method

• Heat oven to 375 degrees
• Toss all of the ingredients except the vinegar in a large bowl
• Pour into a large casserole – 13 x 9 inch should do it
• Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Remove from the oven, check to make sure that everything is fork tender
• Sprinkle the red wine vinegar over the mixture and stir well

Po-tay-toe; Po-tah-toe (Farmers Market Tapas)

I think I just tasted a potato for the first time. Of course, I’ve had potatoes before – in fact (as my business travel companions know) one of my favorite “go-to meals” is a salad and baked potato. But last night we had a simple dinner featuring a number of the goodies I found during my first trip to the Carrboro Farmers Market, and low and behold the star of the show was the lowly potato.

I hardly recognized them as Yukon Golds ; still covered with earth, and hardly picture perfect. A good scrub, a thick slice, plus a little olive oil, salt and pepper rendered a crispy yet fluffy bite reminiscent of tapas you might have in Spain. Without the jet lag.

The Saturday morning Farmers Market in Carrboro, which is just outside of Chapel Hill, is like no other market I’ve been to. I had to circle it once, just to get my bearings. The little stands are staffed by farm families and what appear to be their employees. Most tend to specialize in one type of item – cheese from local cows and goats (unbelievable), late season tomatoes, root vegetables, etc. Everyone is knowledgeable, friendly and takes pride in what they are selling.

As late summer merges with fall, the colors of the market are particularly vivid this time of year. Our simple dinner last night reflected this fact. The following is not so much a recipe, but a demonstration of what can be done with amazingly fresh ingredients, a little olive oil, and a grill pan. I hope it inspires you to visit your local farmers market sometime soon, and create a meal that comes from the soil near you.

Enjoy.

Grill-Pan Yukon Golds:

Depending on size, for two people you’ll want two or three Yukon Gold potatoes. Wash, slice to about ¼ inch rounds, toss in olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Grill on an inside grill pan until crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Local Sausage Bites

Keep in mind, we are living in the “land of the pig.” Two stands carried their own version of sausage. The one I bought was slightly spicy. I formed small balls and simply grilled them off on the same pan as the potatoes, keeping them separate so the fat didn’t intermix with the potatoes. Not that it wouldn’t have been tasty, but potatoes in pork fat is not exactly the healthiest thing in the world. Once the balls were browned, we drained them on paper towels. Just a few per person added the spicy bite the meal needed.

Grilled tomatoes

I found the coolest little tomatoes – the shape of a Roma tomato, but abut the size of your thumb. We sliced these in half, dusted with a scant amount of salt, pepper and fresh thyme and placed them cut side down on yet another part of the grill pan. These were cooked until they were slightly caramelized.

Caramelized onions and peppers

In a separate pan I sautéed slices ½ of a red onion and ½ of a roasted red bell pepper (I’m sure I’ll post more about these later – they roast them up for you as you wait!) with a scant bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and yes, fresh thyme. I kept this going until the mixture was very soft and slightly caramelized.

Arugula salad

I found a vendor with the youngest and most tender arugula I’ve ever seen, so I bought a bag. Rinsed and patted dry, these spicy leaves were tossed in the juice of half a lemon and a very slight drizzle of olive oil. This was a great complement to all of the dishes.

Dust over the top of all of the dishes

A light grating of locally made asiago cheese.

To serve

Create a plate with a bit of this and a bit of that. Crusty bread would have been nice, but we didn’t have any and it really was not necessary. For true tapas, you’d also make a garlicky mayonnaise for the potatoes.