Tag: recipes

Crispy Potato Balls with Chive Dip

Published on by keenasmustardnyLeave a comment

This is a test run recipe for a neighborhood cook-off in a couple of weeks. This is the 5th annual cook-off, with previous years inlcuding Chili, Mac + Cheese, Soups, and Dips…this year it’s Balls!

Originally, I was intending to do some sort of Asian-inspired sweet/savory/spicy pork or chicken meatball. But then I heard about this cookbook – The Potato Book – by Poppy O’Toole. It’s her 4th book (can’t wait to check out the others!) and it’s entirely dedicated to one of the most wonderful ingredients in the world…the potato. She’s a Michelin-trained chef with over a decade of experience working in professional kitchens, has over 4 million followers on TikTok, over a million on Instagram, and is in love with potatoes…so I guess she knows what she’s talking about.

The balls I made are a little smaller than her recipe calls for, which is probably why they’re so much darker. I think I’ll put them in at 325, instead of 350, to see if that makes a difference. I did a half batch of the recipe and the last batch in the oil had a slight burnt taste. I love the size of them, so I think turning down the heat a bit will make all the difference. Considering I haven’t deep-fried anything in 20+ years, they turned out pretty good.

They are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and delicious! Definitely best served warm. I’ll have to play around with keeping them warm in the oven to see if that helps prolong their life at the party.

If you love potatoes…give them a try…you won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients: Balls

  • 1 ¾ lbs Yukon Gold or Butter potatoes
  • Neutral oil for frying ( I use Canola)
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • Small handful of store-bought crispy fried onions, crumbled 
  • Small handful of sage leaves, finely chopped, plus extra to serve if desired
  • Salt + pepper, to taste (I use pink salt + white pepper)

Ingredients: Dip

  • 3 Tbsp mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s)
  • 3 Tbsp sour cream (I use Daisy)
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed or grated
  • Small bunch of chives, finely chopped
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp pepper

Preparation

  1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Pierce your potatoes all over with a fork. Rub the potatoes with oil and a good amount of salt. Place them on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for about 50-60 minutes, until tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. Remove from the oven and leave until cool enough to handle. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl. Save the potato skins for another use.
  3. Make the dip. Whisk together the mayo, sour cream, garlic, chives, salt, and pepper. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
  4. Mash the potato in the bowl until smooth. Then mix in the parmesan, cornstarch, crispy onions, and chopped sage. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Using a cookie scoop, portion out the balls and place on a lined baking sheet. My scoop is the Oxo Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop which holds about 1 – 1 ½ Tbsp of potato mixture and is 1 ½ inches in diameter.
  6. Pour the oil into a heavy-based saucepan, but don’t fill it more than halfway. (I used a 5-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven with about 68 oz. of oil.
  7. Place the pan over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees.
  8. In small batches, so as not to overfill  the pan (I did 6-7 at a time and probably could have done as many as 8 or 9) and fry for about 2 minutes, turning until they are dark golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
  9. Pile the balls on a plate, sprinkle with extra sage, if desired.
  10. Serve warm with the dip.

*You can make the balls up to 3 days in advance of frying. Just portion them out on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge until you’re ready to fry.

Beef Stew Weather

Published on by keenasmustardnyLeave a comment

Impending winter storm – check.

Stocked up on supplies so I don’t have to go outside for 2 days – check.

Sunday plan for dinner – check.

I love a good beef stew. But I feel like I’ve been searching for a “good” beef stew my whole life.
I’ve tried versions in restaurants, recipes, prepackaged at the store, you name it!
It wasn’t until I found, made, and tried this version that I could honestly say, “Now that’s a good beef stew!”

Many of you know how much I love cookbooks…I read them like a book. Years ago, I fell in love with Ina Garten’s books, and many of my recipes are inspired by her approach to cooking. This recipe, Parker’s Beef Stew, is from her 2008 book Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics. Honestly, there are SO many recipes that I absolutely love in this book: Roasted Shrimp Cocktail, Roasted Potato Leek Soup, Cape Cod Chopped Salad, Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette, Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad, Easy Sole Meuniere, Indonesian Grilled Swordfish, Spring Green Risotto, Confetti Corn, and Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli. There’s also a handy cooking guide at the beginning of the Lunch chapter to help us all modernize our cooking temps to prevent ending up with dry, overcooked meat.

Here it is in all it’s glory…

Parker’s Beef Stew

 
Ingredients

  • 2 ½ lbs good-quality chuck beef, cut into 1 ¼ inch cubes
  • 1 750-ml bottle good red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 3 whole garlic cloves, smashed
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 6 oz bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces 
  • 2 c + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
  • Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 c chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
  • Good olive oil ( I use California Olive Ranch Global Blend)
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic (6 cloves); use a garlic crusher if you have one
  • 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1 ½ -inch chunks
  • 1 lb small potatoes, halved or quartered (I like baby red potatoes, no need to peel)
  • 1 14.5 oz can beef stock
  • 1 large branch fresh rosemary
  • ½ c sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 10-oz package frozen peas (not petit pois)

Preparation

  1. Place the beef in a bowl with the red wine, smashed garlic, and bay leaves. Cover the bowl and marinate the beef in the refrigerator overnight.
  2. Brown the bacon in a large (12-inch) sauté pan for 5 to 7 minutes, over medium-low heat. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a Dutch oven. Combine 2 cups of the flour, 1 tbsp salt, and 1 tbsp pepper in a large bowl. Lift the beef out of the marinade and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade.
  3. In batches, dredge the beef cubes in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess. In the same sauté pan, brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Place the browned beef in the Dutch oven with the bacon and brown the remaining beef. Add the second batch to the Dutch oven. (You might need to do this in 3 batches, depending on the size of your sauté pan.) 
  4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
  5. Lower the heat under the sauté pan to medium-low, add the onions, and cook for 5 minutes, adding olive oil if necessary. Add the minced/crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  6. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
  7. Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven with the beef. Add 2 ½ cups of the reserved marinade (discard the rest) to the sauté pan and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon.
  8. Add the beef stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp pepper.
  9. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
  10. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once during cooking. (I do this at the 1-hour mark.) If the stew is boiling rather than simmering, lower the heat to 275 degrees.
  11. When the stew is done and the meat is tender, discard the rosemary branch. Ladle 1 cup of the pan juices into a bowl and whisk in the remaining 2 tbsp of flour. Pour it back into the stew, stir gently, and simmer for 3 minutes, until thickened. 
  12. Stir in the frozen peas, season to taste, and serve hot.