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Posts tagged ‘Potatoes’

Mar 14

39 Comments

Tri-Color Curried Potato Salad

2012 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

2012 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

Over the past several months I’ve been seriously attempting to cut down on the dairy in my diet. I have no intentions of cutting it out completely, mind you. I’m a big believer in moderation. It’s tough, because I love cheese, ice cream, cream sauces, soups etc. But I don’t need them all the time.

I’ve found coconut milk to be a fantastic substitution in a variety of recipes (now that warmer weather is here I might have to make some coconut milk ice cream!). For something a bit different, I decided to try using it in potato salad. I love curries made with coconut milk, and this recipe evolved from that concept. If it makes a great stew, maybe it will make a great salad! This is a much healthier alternative to vegan potato salads that use soy mayonnaise. No one will ever convince me that stuff is healthy.

If you’re not familiar with coconut milk, it’s often separated when you first open the can. The thicker, creamier coconut milk rises to the top, leaving a more watery mixture underneath. You’ll have best results with this recipe if you use the creamy stuff.

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Jan 18

46 Comments

Potato Croquettes with Chorizo, Manchego and Pine Nuts

2012 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

2012 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

I absolutely love croquettes.  When I see them on a restaurant menu I simply must order them.  Yet it occurred to me recently that I’ve never made them!  This recipe gave me a great excuse to play with my new deep fryer again.

When I put this recipe together, I was focused on creating a perfect balance of flavor in each bite.  This took quite a bit of experimentation and several test rounds.  I wanted them to be extremely flavorful, with bits of sweetness, spice and crunch.  The balance of chorizo, Manchego, pine nuts, and slightly caramelized onions achieved my goal.  The chorizo is spicy and meaty, and the toasted pine nuts add just the right amount of crunch.  The cheese is gooey and adds a bit of extra savoriness, or umami.  The onions add just enough sweetness (if you caramelize them too much they add bitterness).  Every bite really is perfect.

You don’t need a deep fryer to make these.  You can heat a neutral flavored, high smoke point oil (vegetable, canola, peanut, etc) in a large sauce pot or dutch oven.  I recommend using a thermometer to make sure you’re around 360 degrees.  If the oil is too hot, the outside will brown before the inside is properly cooked.  If the temperature isn’t hot enough the croquettes might absorb oil and become greasy.  You can try baking them but I can’t promise you’ll have the same results.  The outside won’t be as crunchy.

Lastly, you can substitute regular milk or cream for the evaporated milk.  I like using it because it has a subtle tang, almost like yogurt.  It adds another dimension of flavor.

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Aug 11

25 Comments

Corn Chowder

2011 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

2011 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

When I worked a nine to five job, I was somewhat lazy about visiting farmers markets on the weekend.  Baltimore has wonderful markets but you really have to arrive early to get the best produce options.  When my husband and I moved closer to Washington DC, I was delighted to discover a small farmers market within walking distance of our apartment.  It may not be the largest market in the area, but I can find what I need.  And now that I work unusual hours, I love arriving early to the market on Saturday and wandering through the local, seasonal goodies.

If you’re looking for a farmers market in your area, a great resource is Real Time Farms.  In addition to providing information on farms and farmers markets, they also link restaurants to specific farms, which I think is pretty cool.

Right now is such a great time to buy corn.  Because this is the peak season, it’s cheap and full of flavor.  I love adding it to salads or mixing it with quinoa.  But in my opinion, chowder is the best way to enjoy corn in the summer.  Many recipes use bacon but I think that takes away from the star attraction.  This recipe brings out all of the natural sweetness and savoriness of the corn, has richness from the dairy and stock and a lovely earthiness from the fresh herbs.

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Aug 18

Roasted Purple Potatoes with Sage and Chives

This is a simple side dish that’s beautiful to look at and easy to make.  I love purple potatoes.  What an easy way to elevate a dish to a whole new level!

When it comes to vegetables, roasting is my favorite way to go.  It really brings out their natural flavors, while adding a nice caramelized crunch to the outside.

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Apr 26

7 Comments

Vegetable and Lamb Samosas

2011 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

2011 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

Last week was incredibly hectic!  I turned in a report on créme fraiche and gave an oral presentation (we had a decadent cheese tasting, as well). I had my first written and practical exams of Phase II.  On top of all that, I assisted a sushi class!  This weekend provided a much needed rest.

I think I did well across the board!  I was worried about the practical with my new chefs, but I’m very proud of myself.  I stayed calm and focused, got my food ready and was third to finish.  Chef said my pate brisee dough was perfect.  As was my omelette. The dessert wasn’t all that it should have been, but overall I put forth a solid effort.  Tomorrow we’ll find out our teams for the next month.

I’ve been offering a lot of dessert recipes lately.  How about some fried, savory goodness?  These samosas are as good as any you’ll find in a restaurant.

 

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Feb 5

2 Comments

Week 5 – Are you going to blog about that?

I learned an important lesson this week: don’t mention your culinary school blog while at school because heckling will ensue.  I also realized that I cannot stay up late on a school night.  I become practically useless in the kitchen.

More importantly, I learned about food!  Among other things we made puff pastry, grilled fish, coq au vin, melting hot chocolate cake, decadent mashed potatoes… and started learning about food costing, which may be a challenge for me.  I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that I haven’t touched math in at least 10 years.  It’s a shame because I used to be pretty good at it.  Now, my head spins while trying to figure out how to put the numbers together.  I know what I’ll be studying this weekend.

And it may be an extra long weekend!  We’re supposedly in for a blizzard.  I stopped by the grocery store to pick up ingredients for stock and I’ve never seen so much madness.

During these chilly winter months, I can’t get enough soup. It’s warm, comforting, and simple to make.  I thought that in honor of this week’s blizzard I’d offer up a yummy version of potato leek soup.  In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child states “Leek and potato soup smells good, tastes good, and is simplicity itself to make.”  I love Julia and I like her recipe, but I really really like this recipe.  Again, I highly recommend using homemade stock.  It’s easy to make and the results are dramatically different.  Real chicken stock contains collagen (gelatin) from the bird, which gives a richness and thickening power to recipes that cannot be replicated by store-bought products.

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