Baked potato extravaganza (or comfort food with a twist)

Recipes: Baked potatoes with toppings - cheeses and green onion, sauteed mushrooms and peas, shrimp and sauce, smoked salmon and sour cream 

We harvested our first new potatoes from the garden yesterday, and they reminded me how wonderful potatoes are for dinner. When time and patience is short, a baked potato with butter and sour cream may be all you need. When you have a little more time to plan, the simple baked potato can become something more - a wildly colorful dinner filled with great taste and goodness.

This idea comes straight from Jamie's Dinners, a cookbook by Jamie Oliver that I've mentioned before as one of my favorites. Plus, I've added a few twists of my own and so can you. Once you try a few new toppings and see what you like, the sky's the limit!

Baking the Potatoes

Russets are usually the best potatoes for baking, but they are by no means the only kind you can use. Red-skinned baked potatoes are delicious too, and so are Yukon Golds. The orange variety of sweet potatoes are fabulous baked - I like to get the kind called Garnet, which are sometimes labelled yams although they are really sweet potatoes.

Select medium-sized potatoes, especially if you plan to serve several of the toppings. The really big russets are more than enough for one person, so if you want to try several toppings you should choose smaller potatoes. Or, you can partition your huge russet and try a different topping on each section. Whatever floats your boat. How many to buy? Obviously large potatoes are one per person. Medium potatoes can be two or three per person, depending on their size and your appetite. Small new potatoes, which you can use if you want lots of little potatoes to put lots of different toppings on, would be about six per person.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the potatoes well with a brush, then prick them in several places with the tip of a paring knife. This keeps them from blowing up in the oven, which is a real mess. Exciting, but you don't want to go there! Put them right on the oven rack, which should be positioned in the middle of the oven, unless you're using sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes have to go in a baking dish or they'll drip sweet stuff all over the bottom of your oven. New potatoes might be too small to stay on the rack, so you can also put them in a baking dish.

Most potatoes take about an hour to bake. The huge russets will take about an hour and 20 minutes. Small new potatoes will take about 45 minutes. While they are baking you can put together one, two, three, or more of the toppings. The amounts given assume enough of each topping for two medium potatoes (one per person) and that you will choose two or three of the toppings for a total of four or six potatoes for the meal. Whew! That sounds more complicated than it is.

Cheeses and Green Onions Topping

Grate 1/2 cup each of sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Crumble some good blue cheese, like Maytag Blue. Slice a scallion (green onion) thinly, both the white and some of the green part. When the potatoes are finished split them open and add a tablespoon or so of butter to the middle of each of them. Then put the cheeses in a couple of them while they're hot, the cheddar and jack first with the blue cheese crumbled over the rest. Sprinkle with the sliced green onion


 The cheeses will melt, making a lovely gooey cheesy potato.

Sauteed Mushrooms and Peas Topping

Use 1/2 pound of any combination of fresh mushrooms - white, cremini, baby bellas, maitake, shiitake. Wipe any dirt off with a paper towel and slice them. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a saute pan large enough to hold all the mushrooms. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and, when it is heated, add the mushrooms to the pan with a good pinch of salt. Saute, stirring, until the mushrooms give off their liquid and it cooks off.
Meanwhile, bring an inch of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup frozen green peas and a pinch of sea salt. Cook the peas for two minutes. Drain them and then combine the peas with the cooked mushrooms in the saute pan. Warm it all for a minute or two over low heat.
When the potatoes are finished split them open and add a tablespoon or so of butter to the middle of each of them. Spoon the mushroom and peas topping over a couple of the potatoes.

Shrimp and Sauce Topping

Buy the equivalent of two handsful of cooked shrimp, small or medium size. To make the sauce, combine a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise, two teaspoons of ketchup, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Add a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and season with a bit of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the cooked shrimp to the sauce and gently combine. Spoon this mixture over a couple of your buttered baked potatoes and top with a little chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Smoked Salmon and Sour Cream Topping

Dress a few small leaves of lettuce (romaine works well, or butter lettuce) with the following sauce: a teaspoon of chopped parsley, two teaspoons sour cream, one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, the juice of 1/2 lemon, and a pinch of sea salt. Wrap a small handful of dressed lettuce in a slice of smoked salmon and insert it carefully into a baked potato that has been split open, buttered, and seasoned with salt. Wrap the remainder of the lettuce in another slice of smoked salmon and insert it into a second buttered and seasoned potato. Grind black pepper over it all and serve with fresh lemon wedges.

Serving suggestion: Put all of the topped potatoes on one large serving platter in the center of your dinner table and let each person choose their own. It will be a beautiful display, and fun to see and eat.

Chicken chicken (or frica-what?)

Recipes: Fricaseed chicken with peppers and sage, Broccolini with lemon, Roasted rosemary potatoes

There seems to be confusion around a simple but delicious dish called chicken fricasee.

It's a dish that's been around a long time, actually it was Abraham Lincoln's favorite (yes, THAT long), but you don't always see it described as fricasee. Many times chefs and authors will call this dish "braised chicken", because the cooking method is like braising. Marcella Hazan says "fricasee". Some authors from the U.S. South say "fricasee", others don't. Alice Waters says "braise". Call it what you like.

Unlike a braise of pork or lamb, a fricasee takes less than an hour, partly because it's almost always used with chicken. It's one of the easiest, most delicious ways to cook chicken and vegetables on relatively short notice, whether it's for the two of you or for unexpected guests, and it definitely belongs in your food repertoire.

Sauteed onions, garlic, and other vegetables form the basis for the rich flavor of the dish. You can be creative here, using bell peppers or mushrooms or celery or fennel or tomatoes, for instance. Each will lend a different flavor. Or you can double the amount of sliced onion and use only onion and garlic. I often use fresh sage leaves, but that's because I have a prolific sage bush. You can use dried bay leaves instead, or fresh or dried oregano, or chopped fresh rosemary. You can see there are many options.

There is not a lot of sauce with this chicken. You can serve it as is, or make a small amount of pasta or potatoes to serve with it. For two people, I like just a simple green vegetable as accompaniment. The chicken is rich-tasting, and simplicity keeps things light.

Let's cook dinner.

Fricaseed Chicken with Peppers and Sage for Two

• 3 large or 4 medium chicken thighs, or 2 chicken legs with thigh attached
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium or 1/2 large yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper (not green), core and seeds removed, cut in thin strips
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
• 8  - 10 fresh sage leaves
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (a sauvignon blanc in perfect, could use a chardonnay if it's not too heavy)

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and season them on the skin side with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a skillet that can hold all the chicken without crowding, and put the chicken in to brown, skin side down. While it's browning, season the up side with a little sea salt and pepper. When the first side is browned, turn it over and brown the 2nd side (about 8 minutes total). Remove the chicken to a plate.

In the same pan, saute the sliced onion, bell pepper, and garlic cloves until the onion is beginning to brown and the peppers are softened, stirring now and then. Add the sage leaves and stir to combine.

Put the browned chicken pieces back into the skillet, nestling them into the vegetables. Add the wine and deglaze the pan until you smell the alcohol cook off.

Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 35 minutes (40 minutes if using chicken legs), or until chicken is tender. You're done.

* * *

 

Broccolini is a perfect accompaniment to fricaseed chicken, providing a fresh foil for the rich taste of the meat and vegetables. Many people think broccolini is baby broccoli, but it's not - it's a hybrid of broccoli and a Chinese broccoli called kai-tan. Here's a simple and delicious way to cook broccolini, or any fresh green vegetable like broccoli, green beans, or even asparagus.

 

Broccolini with Lemon

Cut the hard ends off broccolini and discard. Wash the broccolini in a colander.

 

Fill a 12-inch skillet with one inch of water and bring it to a boil. Add the broccolini and simmer it over medium heat for three minutes. It should still be slightly crisp.

 

Remove the broccolini to the colander and drain. Then arrange it on a serving dish and sprinkle with a very small amount of sea salt. Serve it with lemon wedges to squeeze over.

 

You're done, and this is a complete meal for many people. However, you may be cooking for someone who craves a bit o'starch, or has a bigger appetite. Or you may have doubled the chicken recipe because you have guests, so you'd also like to add one more dish. You can definitely

 

!!!Step it up!!!

if you put together a pan of roasted rosemary potatoes. Just slide them into the oven when you start the chicken and everything will be ready at the same time!

 

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

 Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut one large potato per person into 2-inch chunks. Leave the skin on. If you have the very large russets, you can use one potato for two persons - use your judgement. You can also use any kind of potato, including sweet potatoes, or mix different kinds. My favorite for this dish is russet, but I often use others or mix them.

In a pot, steam or simmer the potato chunks for 4 minutes. This helps them hold together while they're roasting. Drain and remove them to a large bowl.

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons good olive oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt, a good sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you want a little spice), and a tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary. Mix the chunks carefully with a large spoon to coat them all.

Spread the chunks out on a parchment-lined cookie sheet that's big enough to hold them all in one layer without crowding. Roast them in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, stirring and turning them once or twice with a big spoon. You're done.

Serve with chicken, steak, pork, broiled fish, or eggs, and especially with Chicken Fricasee (see above).

 

 



 



 



What to buy (or how much can two people eat anyway?)

Recipes: Oven Fries, Turkey Burgers, Sauteed Wild Mushrooms, Red Coleslaw

Figuring out how much food to make is probably the biggest challenge for those of us who cook for two. Most recipes in books and magazines are for four or more. Glossy photos show gorgeous food on a table for eight. What's with that? How can you make it work for two without having mountains of leftovers? Don't worry, it's logical, more-or-less.

First, think about this: Chances are you know the person you're cooking for, and of course you know yourself. You know whether one of you is a big eater, and whether one of you picks at your food like a tweety-bird. You know who won't touch leftovers, and you also know who likes to have a little something in the fridge to make into a sandwich or to heat up for a late-night snack. All this helps!

Next, breathe a sigh of relief that some food makes choosing for two easy. You can go with two pork chops or two half-chicken breasts. You will probably need four chicken thighs or four small sausages, but you'll only need two sausages if they're big. Two lamb shanks are made for two. Two people can do fine with one moderately large piece of fish, or two small-to-medium filets. Where it gets harder, meatwise, is when you're not dealing with individual items. For instance, three pounds is about the right size for a pork shoulder roast for two, plus a little leftover pork for sandwiches. A whole roasted three-pound-plus chicken will definitely feed two, plus leftovers to put in tacos or on a salad.

Vegetables and starches follow the same general rules. Two baked russet potatoes, or four medium roasted red potatoes are plenty for two. Two large carrots, two ears of sweet corn, or two medium artichokes are perfect. Pasta? Now you have to get creative. A half-pound of dried pasta is about right for two, unless it's noodles served with a meat dish or something like that. Then 1/3 pound is enough. OK, some of this is trial and error, but a lot of it is common sense.

You're probably dying to know how to alter real-life recipes for more to fit two, and we're going to do that in a later post. Soon. I promise. It's not hard, and it's built on exactly what we've been talking about here - logic and common sense. It's definitely a skill you'll perfect with a little practice. More on that later.

So, you ask, you haven't mentioned hamburger. What about ground beef? I have to say right here that I don't eat much beef, so you'll see me using ground turkey instead. They're really interchangeable for making most recipes. Why don't I eat beef? Well, it's not a moral or a religious thing at all. I just think beef is hard to digest and it's more fatty that ground turkey so it has more calories from fat. If I go out to someone's home and they cook beef for me, I eat it and enjoy it because it's a treat I don't often eat. Anyway, enough about that. Feel free to use ground beef if you like.

When I cook for two at home, I often use a pound of ground turkey for the burger recipe below. However, the other person I'm cooking for really really REALLY likes leftovers, especially meat leftovers, so a pound makes more than I'd need for two. In this recipe I'm going to say 3/4 pound, because that's a good number for two and you will probably still have a little left over. Let's cook some dinner.

Oven Fries

Bring enough water to cover your potatoes to a boil in a pot on the stove.

Turn the oven on to 400. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut two russet potatoes, four medium red potatoes, or two medium garnet sweet potatoes into wedges. For the russets and the sweet potatoes, cut each one in half and then cut each half into fourths. For the medium reds, cut each potato into fourths. You can also mix colors to make an equal amount (two reds and a garnet sweet, or one russet and one garnet sweet).

Drop the potatoes into the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain them in a colander and pat them dry with paper towels.

Put the potatoes into a large bowl and add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you want to spice things up!) Toss them with your hands and lay them out on the prepared baking sheet. Put them in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes.

Take the sheet out and turn the potatoes over with a big spoon. Put them back in for 10 minutes more. You're done. These are great with catsup or sour cream for dipping. Be sure they're not still too hot before you bite!

Turkey Burgers (or Beef or Lamb)

Form 3/4 pound ground turkey into 4 patties. Compress them with your palms so they're not too thick. Sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on one side. If you wish, sprinkle a little granulated garlic (not garlic salt) or dried oregano on too.

In a heavy frying pan, preferably a seasoned cast iron pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. (If you're using beef, you won't need any olive oil). When the oil is hot, put all 4 patties in the pan seasoned side down. Season the up side of each patty with salt and pepper only. Fry for 4 minutes. Do not press the patties down with a spatula at any time. This dries them out.

Turn the patties and fry for 4 minutes more. See "Do not press the patties" above.

Take the patties out of the pan and put them on a plate to sit for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, toast your buns if you want. Assemble crisp lettuce, a slice of onion, dill pickles, slices of tomato if they're in season, catsup, mustard, mayonnaise, and whatever else you want on your burger. Put it all together when the potatoes come out of the oven.

You're done. Unless, of course, you want to...

!!!Step it up!!!

and turn your burger into something sensational. Keep on reading for two easy and oh-so-worth-it ways to beautify that burger. If you've got a Burger Lover in the house, you could be a Hero!

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms

Buy 1/2 pound of any fresh mushroom or a mixture of  mushrooms. Be adventurous...of course stick to the supermarket or the farmers' market offerings - don't pick these out of your lawn. Hmmm. Some suggestions: Baby Bella, Crimini, Maitake (also called Hen of the Woods), Shitake. These are delicious and commonly available.

Brush them off and slice them. If the ends of the stems are hard, cut those off.

Melt one tablespoon butter in a 12-inch skillet. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When it's heated, put the mushrooms in with a good pinch of sea salt. Move the mushrooms around the pan so they all get some butter. Add a little more sea salt as you go.

Saute until the mushrooms give up their liquid, and then keep sauteing until the liquid disappears. You're done. Sauteed wild mushrooms are heaven on a burger, possibly instead of onion, and maybe with a slice of provolone cheese melted briefly under the broiler.

Red Coleslaw

From Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food
Remove any tough outer leaves from 1/2 of a small red cabbage. Cut it in half and cut away the core from each half. Turn cut side down and slice crosswise into thin shreds.

In a large bowl, mix together 1/2 small red or yellow onion, sliced very thinly and sea salt to taste. Add the shredded cabbage.

In a separate small bowl, mix together 1 scant tablespoon cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to mix well. Whisk in 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Taste for salt and tartness.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage and onions and toss to mix well. This slaw is especially good if you can let it sit for an hour or two before using. However it is also excellent used right away. You're done. Creamy, crunchy coleslaw lifts your burger to a new level when piled on instead of lettuce, onion, and mayonnaise.