Potatoes

Ingredients
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup buttermilk
6 tablespoons water
¹⁄₈ teaspoon baking soda
Salt and pepper

Instructions
1. Add potatoes, 2 tablespoons butter, ³⁄₄ cup buttermilk, water, baking soda, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt to Dutch oven and stir to combine. Bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat to low.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are nearly tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove lid and cook over medium heat until liquid has nearly evaporated, about 3 minutes.

2. Off heat, add remaining butter to pot and mash with potato masher until smooth. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining buttermilk until absorbed and potatoes are creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Comments
This recipe is from the 2010 Cook’s Country Annual.  I love mashed potatoes and happened to have some leftover buttermilk.  I think I was expecting these to be tangier from the buttermilk and they really weren’t.  In fact, they tasted just like normal mashed potatoes made with milk and butter to me.  Still good, just not what I was expecting. 

Shown here with Smoked Pork.

Cook’s Country 2010

Ingredients
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
3 (about 8 ounces each) russet potatoes, scrubbed and each cut into thick wedges or slices
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
³⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
¹⁄₂ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 475*F. Combine garlic and oil in large bowl, or microwavable container, and microwave until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer 5 tablespoons oil, leaving garlic in bowl, to rimmed baking sheet, tilting sheet to coat. 

2. Add potatoes to bowl with remaining oil mixture and toss to coat. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, or cover container with lid, and microwave until potatoes are translucent around edges, 3 to 6 minutes, shaking bowl to redistribute potatoes halfway through cooking.

3. Combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in small bowl. Sprinkle over hot potatoes and toss to coat. Arrange potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet and bake, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2008 Cook’s Country Annual.  I cut the potato slices a bit too thin and some got burnt, but overall they were great.  The fries were very flavorful from the garlic infused oil, the fresh garlic, and the garlic powder.  I will definitely be making these potatoes in the future.  The time in the microwave really helps to cut down on overall recipe time. 

Shown here with Pan-Seared Cod with Herb Butter Sauce.

Cook’s Country 2008

Ingredients
2 (15 ounce each) cans sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon cinnamon
¹⁄₂ teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
¹⁄₃ stick butter or margarine
¹⁄₂ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¹⁄₃ cup light brown sugar, packed
¹⁄₃ cup all purpose flour
1 cup pecans, chopped
¹⁄₃ cup butter or margarine, softened

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400*F.

2. Mix sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, butter, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Pour into greased casserole dish.

3. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until firm.  (It is important to bake it until firm.)

4. Mix remaining ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over casserole and bake 10 more minutes.

Comments
The first time I had this casserole I was blown away by how delicious it was.  This version of the dish is from Art’s mom and I make it every year since it is one of his favorites.  My mom loves it as well.  I bake some in a dish of its own without the topping so that Lance can have some that is nutfree.  

It is very sweet and I always think that maybe I should reduce the sugar but, invariably, I’ll forget by the time Thanksgiving rolls around again.  If I remember to reduce the sugar this year, I’ll report back on the results.

Update ¹¹⁄₂₀₁₀: I reduced the sugar from 1 cup to ¹⁄₂ cup and the resulting casserole was MUCH better.  The recipe has been edited to reflect this change.

Shown here with Turkey and Green Bean Casserole.

Person - Darlene Morris

Ingredients
2 pounds vacuum-packed gnocchi
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¹⁄₂ cup Gruyere cheese, cut into small pieces
¹⁄₂ cup creamy Havarti cheese, cut into small pieces
¹⁄₃ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375*F.

2. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions and drain. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Transfer gnocchi to skillet and cook, stirring, until starting to brown, about 10 minutes.  Place gnocchi in a single layer in a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. 

3. Melt butter in pan (either the skillet or the pot used to boil water) over medium heat.  Add garlic powder and stir for 30 seconds.  Add flour and stir until smooth and bubbly.  Gradually add milk, stirring constantly.  Continue to stir 3-5 minutes, or until mixture thickens.  Add mustard, Gruyere, and Havarti, stirring until cheeses are melted.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

4. Pour sauce over gnocchi and stir to combine.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.  Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from The Happy Life of a Happy Wife.  Her story about selling it to her husband is an amusing one that I can sympathize with!  I changed the recipe slightly because I didn’t want it to be too cheesy and I wanted the gnocchi to be a bit firmer – therefore I doubled the amount of gnocchi and sautéed them to give them a bit more texture.  There was quite a bit of grease on top of the casserole after baking, which I removed with some paper towels.  I guess that was a function of the cheeses used.  Any combination of cheeses wou ld work well for this, so feel free to experiment!

Shown here with AB’s Meatloaf.

Internet - The Happy Life of a Happy Wife

Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
5 medium cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons kosher salt plus ¹⁄₈ additional teaspoon
¹⁄₂ cup extra virgin olive oil plus 2 additional tablespoons
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Add potatoes and boil until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain and return to pot.  Smash with potato masher or fork. 

2. While potatoes are simmering, mince 1 garlic clove. Place minced garlic on cutting board and sprinkle with ¹⁄₈ teaspoon kosher salt. Using flat side of chef’s knife, drag garlic and salt back and forth across cutting board in small circular motions until garlic is ground into smooth paste. Transfer to medium bowl and set aside.

3. Mince remaining 4 cloves garlic. Place in small saucepan with ¹⁄₄ cup olive oil and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until garlic foams and is soft, fragrant, and golden, 5 minutes. Transfer oil and garlic to bowl with raw garlic paste.

4. Add remaining salt, pepper, lemon juice, and remaining 6 tablespoons uncooked olive oil to bowl with garlic and cooked oil and stir to combine. Fold mixture into potatoes and serve.

Comments
This recipe is originally from America’s Test Kitchen but, even though I have it in a cookbook, I copied it from Loves to Eat so I didn’t have to type out the recipe myself.  I did modify it slightly and it was delicious.  Quite a nice change from the usual cream and butter laden mashed potatoes – not that there’s anything wrong with those!  In the future I might experiment and use either some exciting olive oil instead of just the regular sort. 

Shown here with Eye Round Roast, Horseradish Cream Sauce, and Parmesan Zucchini.

Cook’s Illustrated 2006

Ingredients
2 ¹⁄₂ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into ¹⁄₄-inch by ¹⁄₄-inch batons
6 cups peanut oil
Kosher salt

Instructions
1. Combine potatoes and oil in large Dutch oven. Cook over high heat until oil has reached rolling boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring, until potatoes are limp but exteriors are beginning to firm, about 15 minutes.

2. Using tongs, stir potatoes, gently scraping up any that stick, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Using skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fries to thick paper bag or paper towels. Season with salt and serve immediately. 

Comments
Once upon a time I attempted to make sweet potato fries with a pretty standard sweet potato fry recipe and they were disgusting so I vowed to never make them again.  Then, while visiting my brother, I had delicious sweet potato fries at his local diner.  When sweet potato season started up again this year I thought back to Cook’s Illustrated’s French Fry recipe and wondered if I could do it with sweet potatoes.  The original recipe states very clearly that this cannot be done, but I decided to ignore it and try anyway. 

I’m so glad I did since these fries were awesome!  They were crispy and perfect, just the way I like fries.  The aioli I served with them was a great accompaniment.  Some day, I will make these for my brother so he can enjoy them as well!  The lesson to be learned here is that you shouldn’t always pay attention to what (recipes tell you not to do. 

Shown here with an awesome burger and Aioli.

Person - Gwen

Ingredients
12 ounces center-cut bacon, chopped
3 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
1 stick butter, softened and cut into 8 pieces
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 cup sour cream (Light sour cream is great.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup French’s Fried Onions

Instructions
1. Add bacon to large skillet over medium heat.  Cook, stirring, until crisp.  Drain well over paper towels or sieve. 

2. Bring large pot of salted water to boil.  Add potatoes and boil until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain and return to pot.  Smash with potato masher or fork, leaving potatoes chunky.  Add butter, green onions, bacon, and sour cream.  Stir to combine.  Add salt, pepper, and fried onions. 

Comments
This recipe is from Pioneer Woman and we fought over leftovers.  I won.  I should have made more. 

Shown here with Smoked Brisket and really wet and messy Caprese Pie.

Internet - Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
12 ounces center-cut bacon, chopped
3 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (Other cheese will work well.)
2 ¹⁄₂ cups half and half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350*F. 

2. Add bacon to large skillet over medium heat.  Cook, stirring, until crisp.  Drain well over paper towels or sieve. 

3. Place sliced potatoes in microwave safe container and microwave for 5 minutes.  Stir and microwave for 5 more minutes. 

4. Layer half potatoes in 9- by 12-inch baking dish.  Top with half bacon and cheese, season with salt and pepper.  Layer remaining half potatoes followed by remaining bacon and cheese, season with salt and pepper.  Slowly pour half and half over potato mixture. 

5. Bake until potatoes are tender, 45 minutes to 1 ¹⁄₂ hours.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

Comments
I love au gratin potatoes but I don’t make them often.  In fact, I haven’t made them in the entire time I’ve been blogging!  I had a lot of potatoes from the CSA and wanted to do something comforting with them while I was feeling sick.  Au gratin seemed like a good candidate!  Zapping the potatoes in the microwave significantly cuts down on baking time.  My potatoes, which were about ¹⁄₈-inch thick, took about 45 minutes to bake.  Yum. 

Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.

Person - Gwen

Ingredients
For gnocchi
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into ¹⁄₂-inch cubes
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt

For sauce
3 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
¹⁄₂ pound bacon, chopped
¹⁄₄ cup parsley, chopped
1 cup half and half
¹⁄₃ cup chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
Salt and pepper

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add potatoes.  Boil for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Drain and cool 15-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, fill the pot with water again and bring to boil. 

2. Place potatoes in large bowl and mash.  Add flour, egg, and salt and combine with a rubber spatula or your hands until completely incorporated.  Knead mixture by hand until a compact ball forms.  Dough will not be very smooth, so don’t worry or add more flour. 

3. Place dough on a very well floured surface.  Using a sharp knife, cut dough into eight pieces.  Form a ball from each piece and then roll each ball into a long, skinny log.  Using the sharp knife, cut the log into ¹⁄₂-inch pieces.  Continue until all of your dough is cut.  (You might find that tossing the pieces in flour at this point helps to keep them separate.)

4. Drop about 20 pieces of gnocchi into boiling water. Gently stir the gnocchi once to ensure they do not stick to the pot.  Once gnocchi float to the top of the water allow to cook for additional 20-30 seconds. 

5.  Remove gnocchi from water with slotted spoon and place in lightly oiled bowl.  Toss gnocchi in bowl to coat with oil and prevent sticking.  Repeat for remaining gnocchi, adding more oil to bowl if necessary. 

6. To make sauce, add mushrooms, garlic, onion and bacon to a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often, until bacon is cooked through and vegetables are soft.  Add parsley, half and half, and broth.  Continue to cook, stirring, for 5-10 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly.  Add salt and pepper to taste, then toss with gnocchi. 

Comments
I’ve never made gnocchi by hand before and Top Chef made me think that it would be difficult.  It was a bit complicated to attempt to do everything at once, so I was very glad to have Art’s help in the kitchen with this one!  It was, however, a lot simpler than I feared it would be!  I wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce, but the gnocchi themselves were scrumptious.  I will make one change the next time I make gnocchi.  After completing step 5 I would sauté the gnocchi in a skillet just to get some colour and a bit of firmness on the sides.  In fact, I can’t wait to make gnocchi again just so I can try this out.  This recipe is from the blog Zoom Yummy.

Internet - Zoom Yummy

Ingredients
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced about ¹⁄₄-inch thick
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375*F. 

2. Toss the sliced potatoes in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Arrange potato slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet or two.  Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and cooked through.

Comments
This recipe is from the blog Bless Her Heart.  I chose it so I could try out my new mandolin for slicing the potatoes and it worked very well once I got the hang of it.  Some of the potatoes were a bit uneven, which is why they’re not evenly browned in the picture.  These were tasty and I’ll be making them again in the future to try to get them perfect. 

Shown here with Pan Seared Salmon with Crème Fraîche.

Internet - Bless Her Heart