Dehydrated Potato Flakes, my newest culinary obsession.

Sometimes I am easily influenced, and by that I mean a lot of times, and what I really mean is always. As I mentioned last week, I have become quite enamored with Kevin Lee Jacob’s YouTube channel wherein, in his quiet and gentlemanly way, he shares recipes, household tips, and the lovely home and garden that he shares with his partner, “Mr. Fox.” Kevin recently, by way of his videos, turned me onto dehydrated potatoes. Make no mistake, they are not instant mashed potatoes; there are no added ingredients, simply dehydrated potato flakes. There’s a difference. Trust me, I know, and you have to look for them.  It appears that Kevin does most, if not all of the cooking in his household, and he makes good use of dehydrated potatoes to make mashed potatoes to serve with various dishes that he prepares.

The beauty of the dehydrated potatoes, of course, is that you can make small portions. I’m a fan of mashed potatoes, but I hate making them, because I hate all of the trouble involved for just one person, and I am terrible at gauging the amount. I do like the Bob Evans’ mashed potatoes available in the dairy case at the grocery store, but even the small container is too much for me. As a consequence, and influenced by KLJ, I started ferreting out dehydrated potato flakes, and I found some here. 

At the same time I discovered these from Bob’s Red Mill, I learned that Bob Moore, founder of Bob's Red Mill and one of the most recognized figures in the natural foods industry, peacefully passed away at his home on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at the age of 94. I was so sorry to hear this. Clearly, at the age of 94, with a successful business under his belt, Bob had a good run. He also changed the way a lot of us shop, but I’m wandering from my point. The point is that I ordered these hoping that Kevin didn’t let me down, and that I could make my life so much easier by making these. I thought they were quite pricey until I realized that I had mistakenly ordered a case of them, so I see a lot of mashed potatoes in my future.

 As it turned out,  they are every bit as good as they appear to be on Kevin’s YouTube channel. Will I stop making my own fresh mashed potatoes? No. But I will make these at least once a week to make my life so much simpler.

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Leek-Stuffed Twice-Baked Potatoes

 There are a lot of people who find potatoes uninteresting. I know this because I happen to live with one of those people. Me?  I love potatoes. My good friend, Betty, considers the lowly potato to be her favorite vegetable. Me too!  Can you think of another vegetable that is so versatile or universally appealing?  It's not Lima beans, I can tell you that. 

Sometimes, though, the cook can get a little bored with making the same baked or mashed potato dish again and again. Enter the genius combination of both of these styles - the twice-baked potato - a pleasing, yet company-worthy side dish. 

Generally, most people tend to bake potatoes, scoop out the hot insides, season with salt and pepper, and maybe a little cheese, whip them up with a little hot milk and butter, fill the empty shells with the whipped mixture and bake again. There is nothing wrong with that. But!  If you want to be a bit more special, then try my leek-stuffed version. It is not overly “leek-y,” it just has the little hint of something delicious that will have your guests wondering what you did, while scraping the skins clean. 

Leek-Stuffed Twice-Baked Potatoes
Serves 4

6 medium russet potatoes
1 large leek
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup grated Fontina
1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Scrub potatoes, prick four or five times with the tines of a fork, and rub with about 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt each, if you have Kosher salt. If not, do not bother, they will still be fine. I just find that the addition of Kosher salt, baked into the skin, makes eating the skin much more desirable for those who care to do so. 

Place potatoes directly onto the center rack in the oven and bake for 1 hour. 

Meanwhile, cut the root end off of the leek (set aside for replanting), cut off dark green section, discard in the compost bin (or save for making stock). Then split down the middle and give it a good rinse, looking under folds for dirt, sand, and grit. When leek is thoroughly cleaned, slice it into 1/4"-1/8" slices. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium sauté pan, add leeks, and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside. 

When potatoes are finished baking, remove from oven and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, slice them in half, lengthwise. Use a rounded spoon to scoop out the soft baked interior, placing it into a medium bowl. When scraping skins, leave about an 1/8" of flesh still adhered to the skin. You want them sturdy enough to hold your whipped potato mixture. After the skins have been removed of their potato, check them over and save the best four. Discard the other two (or use for another purpose).  In order to mound each potato skin high enough, you need extra potato mixture, but not the extra skins. 

In a microwave safe dish, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter along with the milk. Pour this over the potato mixture.  Add grated cheese, and beat with a hand mixer (or vigorously with a whisk) until smooth and creamy. Fold in leeks until fully incorporated. 

Carefully mound potato mixture equally into the four baked potato skins. Sprinkle with paprika. At this point they can be refrigerated (up to 24 hours) until ready for the second baking.

If baking immediately, turn the temperature of your oven down to 350°F, and bake until puffed and slightly golden, about 25-30 minutes. 

Garnish with paprika and fresh chives.

I keep a soil-filled plant pot on the deck for re-planting leeks.  Here are two of them (two shoots are coming up from one base) after four days growth.

This post is linked to:

 Metamorphosis Monday

Marvelous Mondays

Foodie Friday

CHAMP

Are you ready for another super easy, super delicious St. Patrick's Day side dish? Well, here it is in all its simplistic, comfort food glory...Champ!  An Irish dish comprised of mashed potatoes, spring onions, butter, and milk, it is a “champ” among simple, homey dishes.  Traditionally, it is served in a mound with a well in the center for melted butter; this enhanced version of mashed potatoes will have you discarding your former method in favor of this one. It is every bit as easy as plain old mashers, but ever so much more creamy and flavorful.

Good quality ingredients are the real secret to making this traditional St. Patrick's Day dish. I used Melissa's Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes and fresh, organic scallions. A recipe is really unnecessary to make these, but for those of you prefer to have things written down, here it is:

CHAMP

2 pounds Melissa’s Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes, 

peeled and halved

1/3 cup half ‘n half

6 tablespoons butter, divided

1 cup sliced fresh scallions, both white and green parts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and cook until fork tender, 12-15 minutes.  Drain potatoes and return to the pan.  Set pan on the hot burner to allow excess water to evaporate.  Mash potatoes; set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, bring half ‘n half to a simmer, stir in 4 tablespoons of the butter and stir until melted.  Add scallions and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes.  Pour the hot milk/scallion mixture over potatoes and whip together until blended. 

Spoon potatoes into a warmed bowl.  Make a well on top and place the two remaining tablespoons of butter. Serve.

This post is linked to:

Amaze Me Monday

Metamorphosis Monday

Marvelous Mondays

Mashed Potato Artichoke Bake

 Side dishes often get short shrift on blogs, taking a back seat to decadent desserts, magnificent main dishes, and budget friendly casseroles.  But like the secretary in the background who always makes her boss look good, the side dish can make or break a meal or buffet.  I spotted this recipe on the Taste of Home website and decided to give it a try.  I’m a big fan of potatoes, mashed in particular, but was growing weary of the usual suspects when it came to mashed potato casseroles.  This make-ahead dish gets a lot of zing from the fresh dill and artichokes, and served four of us easily.

Mashed Potato Artichoke Bake
Adapted from TasteofHome.com

Prep: 30 min. Bake: 15 min.
Yield: 4 Servings

2 medium-large russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon snipped fresh dill
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Dash freshly ground black pepper
3/4 can artichoke hearts (NOT marinated), chopped
2 small scallions, diced
2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender. Mash potatoes with the sour cream, milk, mayonnaise, butter and seasonings. Fold in artichokes and scallions.

Transfer to a 1-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with bacon and cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

This post is linked to: On the Menu Monday

Comfort Food for all Occasions

There have been any number of times in my life when I have both accepted and offered meals of comfort. Simple, comfort meals to help someone through a loss, sickness, or a difficult or exhausting time due to a change in life situation be it joyous or unfortunate. Whenever I find myself in this situation (as I did last week), wanting to help a neighbor through a rough spot, I head for my "go to" meal that has never failed to satisfy.  It's an easy one to put together, and makes enough to not only share, but provide us with a tasty evening meal.  Roast beef and gravy is always the main course; green beans amandine and mashed potato casserole the two comforting sides.  I package them up in containers that do not need to be returned, and label them with instructions on reheating.  The beef and beans require no recipes, but for the potatoes I head for one of my old favorites among cookbooks (and one you're probably sick of hearing about), St. Louis Days, St. Louis Nights.  I've reproduced the recipe page below so you can have the benefit of my pithy comments.  It's make ahead, reheats beautifully, freezes, can be halved, doubled or tripled, and has found itself gracing the table on any number of holidays.  It's simply one of those recipes where you just can't go wrong.  How right is that?

This post is linked to:

Dr. Laura’s Tasty Tuesdays
Tuesdays at the Table
Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays
Tasty Tuesdays with Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

Horseradish flowers

It was never my intention to grow horseradish.  Not that I had anything against it, mind you, it had just never occurred to me to do so, and never once in all of my years of gardening did I ever run across a horseradish plant at the garden center.  One year we just happened to be visiting friends in my husband's native NJ and I was admiring his very large, very lush vegetable garden.  "What plant is this?" I asked him, pointing in the direction of a very healthy, wide-leafed plant.  "Horseradish," he replied, and then went on to sing the praises of the ease of growing, the disease resistance, and the wonderful jars of fresh horseradish they'd get each season as the result of this hardy plant. In fact, he told me, his horseradish had become so popular among his family and friends that people asked to have their names put on a list to get a small jar each year. 


I thought nothing else about it after our visit, so was very surprised when, two days after our return home, the Fed-X man was knocking at the door.  I hadn't ordered anything and neither had Jim, so the contents was a puzzle.  Much to our surprise, inside the package were six horseradish roots along with specific instructions as to how to prepare the soil and plant the roots. 


This was six years ago, and we've had horseradish ever since.  Horseradish, like Jerusalem artichokes, is one of those things that you put into the ground once and reap year after year after year. If you haven't had fresh horseradish, let me tell you it is amazing.  It can also be quite deadly if you don't learn to prepare it properly, i.e. outside, wearing a mask.  The first time I cleaned the roots I did so over the kitchen sink with no mask.  I ended up with the worst headache of my life and had to go to sleep in order to get rid of it, so be forewarned.  This does not, of course, apply to the roots you find in the produce section of your market, they are not out-of-the-ground fresh. 


There are many uses for horseradish, one of which is these delicious mashed potatoes.  My husband will not eat mashed potatoes, considering them too bland, but he does like these.  You can control the level of "zing" by adding more or less to your taste.  Consider this recipe as more of a guideline than something written in stone.  Experiment!

HORSERADISH MASHED POTATOES 

2 lbs. large Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered*
3/4 cup half-and-half (more or less to achieve desired texture)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 T. fresh horseradish (but drained, bottled will do)

Put potatoes in a medium, heavy sauce pan. Cover with cold water, then simmer, uncovered, until fork tender, 25-30 minutes (Test with fork).

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring half-and-half, butter, salt, onion powder and pepper just to a simmer, stirring until butter is melted; keep hot, covered.
When potatoes have reached desired doneness, drain in a colander and put back on the hot burner to allow for evaporation of any liquid that remains in the potatoes. You'll see a lot of steam for a minute or two. With hand mixer, smash potatoes and then beat on medium speed, slowly adding the hot mixture.  Stir in horseradish.  Serve.

I like to mound the potatoes in an oven-proof dish and place them under the broiler for a minute or two to brown the top edges and make them puffed and golden. Yum!


*You can use small red potatoes and leave the skins on for a more rustic dish

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday, Made by You Monday, On the Menu Monday, This Week in My Garden, Outdoor Wednesdays and Tuesday Garden Party

Scenic Salisbury Steak - Route 66 Postcard Recipe

I love food and I love to travel, so it's only natural that as a seasoned veteran I've learned to travel light going, and not weigh myself down with souvenirs returning; such items that will only end up stored away and forgotten over the course of time.  So, collecting recipe postcards satisfies my curiosity about local cuisines, provides me with an excellent remembrance of my trip, and a way to recreate the tastier part of it to share with friends once I get home.

Click on this recipe to enlarge it and make it readable.  The only change I made was to add a packet of dry onion soup mix to the sauce in order to give it a more complex, richer flavor.

Today's dinner came from a Route 66 postcard from a collection that I acquired locally at the Missouri History Museum.  I've made this any number of times and each time we've throughly enjoyed this tasty meal of comfort food, and a bit of local history.

Served on an Inca Restaurantware (something else I collect) grill plate to be extra authentic.

I have a bit of a funny story about this recipe.  When I was recovering from an illness, my husband offered to make dinner.  Now he is an excellent chef, so something simple like this would normally pose no problem.  But, he is also a scholar and professor emeritus, who is constantly involved in one project or other and, well to be blunt, is the typical absent-minded professor.  When it came time to serve the meal he put before me the biggest piece of Salisbury steak I'd ever seen. I looked at him and said, "Oh, you made meat loaf!  I can't eat a whole meatloaf." He denied this and said it was the Salisbury steak recipe that I'd given him. Ummm, no, I'd made it before and it never looked anything like this rather challenging mound of meat.

I looked in the baking dish and asked where the other patties were.  "Others?" he asked.  "There were no others, the recipe said to 'form in 2 patties'."

I stared at him, mouth agape.  "No," I said, in my most diplomatic voice.  "You would not turn one and a half pounds of ground beef into two patties.  No."

He continued to insist, so I pulled out the recipe and as I read it a smile crossed my face.  The recipe read "form into patties."  INTO not TWO.  But knowing my dear husband as I do I'm sure he was involved in a number things at the time he read the recipe, his thoughts elsewhere.  And as he was working, repeated to himself "form into patties...form into pattie...form in two patties" and that's how he ended up with Salisbury meat loaves instead of Salisbury steak.

We laugh about this to this day.  As it turned out, the meatloaf thing wasn't half bad.  We froze one and split the other and both meals were equally delicious.

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