Portobello Mushroom Sauce with Thyme

 

You may or may not have noticed that I have been doing quite a bit of experimenting with portobello mushrooms of late. I love mushrooms in general, but portobellos have to be one of my favorites. They are so meaty and flavorful, not to mention versatile. In case you missed it, I made Portobello Mushroom Broth, Portobello Mushroom Soup, Portobello Onion Dip, and here is an extremely versatile Portobello Mushroom Sauce with hints of thyme. I have found this sauce is excellent over omelettes, jacket potatoes, beef, and chicken. Honestly, you cannot go wrong. If you want to dress up last night’s meatloaf, this sauce will not only do that, but make it company worthy. If you want to turn that baked potato into a meal for Meatless Monday, put some of the sauce over it. It’s good enough to eat with a spoon (don’t ask me how I know), and certainly one that you should be making. Both company and family will be quite impressed.  Portobello Mushroom Sauce with Thyme

 3 T. olive oil

2 Melissa’s portobello mushrooms, sliced

½ t. onion powder

2 t. fresh thyme leaves*

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 t. Melissa’s minced garlic

1 T. unsalted butter

2 T. flour

14 oz. vegetable stock

1 t. low sodium soy sauce

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat, Add mushrooms and sauté for 5-6 minutes.

Add thyme, onion powder, and pepper, and stir to coat. Stir in garlic.

Reduce to medium heat and add butter. When butter has melted sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and stir for one minute.

Add vegetable stock and soy sauce to the skillet, scraping up bits from the bottom. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer to allow mixture to thicken, 3-4 minutes. Taste for additional seasoning. 

*can substitute ½ t. dry thyme leaves

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Colcannon

One of the things that I really like about St. Patrick’s Day is not what you might expect. I am not talking about the corned beef here, although I dearly love it, no, I am talking about colcannon. What is colcannon you may ask? It is a delicious cabbage, leek, and potato side dish that, along with the corned beef, covers all of your Saint Patrick’s Day bases. It is simple to prepare, and so good that you will wonder why you haven’t made it in the past.

Colcannon

4 slices bacon, chopped
4 T. butter, divided
1 6-oz. pkg. Melissa’s cleaned and sliced leeks
1 small head Melissa’s organic cabbage
1 1.5-lb. bag Melissa’s Baby Dutch yellow potatoes

In a 12-inch skillet, cook the bacon until done, but not crisp. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and the package of leeks. Continue sautéing, over medium heat, until the leeks are limp. Add cabbage and remaining butter. Continue to cook over medium low heat until cabbage is limp.

While leeks and cabbage are cooking, bring a large saucepan with salted water to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until fork tender 20 to 25 minutes. Drain potatoes, return to pan, and place pan on top of warm burner with flame turned off to allow steam to evaporate. Mash potatoes the way that you normally would (hand mixer, potato ricer, whisk, you get the picture). Fold ¾ of the leek/cabbage mixture into mashed potatoes, blending thoroughly. Serve immediately, topped with the extra leek and cabbage mixture.

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Red Potato Salad

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 ​Ask people what they like in potato salad, and you are going to get as many different answers as there are people. I like a potato salad with potatoes that are cooked to perfection and not mealy or mushy. I want a crunch of vegetables, and great flavor, without that flavor leaning heavily in any direction. Essentially, I want a basic potato salad that is so versatile it can become absolutely anything I want.

This recipe is my favorite. Made as is, it is wonderfully delicious and goes with any meal from hot dogs to steak to fish. I have even served it for breakfast to rave reviews. Add a little vinegar, and you have something new. Add a tablespoon of yellow mustard, and you have mustard potato salad. If you want something heartier, add bacon, shredded cheddar, or, to take it really over the top, blue cheese. I have fixed it all of these ways, but the basic recipe is still my favorite. 

Red Potato Salad

1 1.5 lbs. Melissa’s baby red potatoes, halved
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
¼ c. minced parsley
½ c. thinly sliced celery
½ c. thinly sliced green onions
¼ c. sweet pickle relish
1 T. sweet pickle relish juice
1 T. Dijon mustard
¼ t. paprika
¾ c. Duke’s mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add a pinch of salt and water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain; refrigerate until cold. Add eggs, parsley, celery, onions, and relish; toss well. Stir in pickle relish juice, mustard, paprika, and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Top with additional paprika for color. Refrigerate until serving.

 

Jacques Pépin’s Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs

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While scrolling through Facebook the other day, I ran across a couple of videos from that French, culinary charmer, and award-winning chef, Jacques Pépin. I think I have been a little bit in love with this guy all of my life. He was making a very simple potato salad that looked so refreshingly good. By the time I had finished his short video, I was in the kitchen boiling potatoes and chopping herbs. I added dill to mine, and changed up his dressing a bit by adding a hint of sugar, and a splash of vinegar. I thought this was very good -- easy, fresh, and so delightfully French. It’s best when served warm; I found it a delightful and surprisingly good accompaniment to morning eggs. Mix things up a bit! Have fun, and keep cooking. It will keep you sane.

Jacques Pépin’s Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs

  Slightly adapted from the original.

Dressing
2 T. mayonnaise
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. water
¼ c. olive oil
1 t. sugar
½ T. cider vinegar

Copious amounts of salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place all ingredients into a jar, screw on the lid, and shake for all you’re worth.

Potatoes
2 large red skinned potatoes (1 lb.)
3 scallions, chopped
½ c. chopped fresh parsley
½ c. chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper

Boil potatoes, skins on, for 30 to 40 minutes until they are fork tender. Drain potatoes, and, when they are cool enough to handle, peel and cut into cubes. Put potatoes into a large bowl along with the scallions and fresh herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour half of the dressing overall, and stir gently to combine. Serve warm.

Irish Stovetop Potatoes

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It has become a bit of a tradition over the years for me to make Irish Mash to accompany corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day. I was getting a little tired of that, so decided to look for something different. In my search, I found myself on the Kerrygold web page, eyeballing this recipe. I made it, and absolutely loved both taste and ease. I adapted it to include shallots instead of onion (I far prefer shallots to onion in every dish). As with a lot of stovetop recipes, this is adaptable. Feel free to add your own blend of cheeses, variety of onion, or even leeks. One thing that is an absolute must when making this is a mandoline. If you don’t have one, buy one; you will never regret it. You can get your potatoes and shallot slices wafer thin, so they cook evenly, and are wonderfully tender. I would be lost without mine.

Irish Stovetop Potatoes

Adapted from Kerrygold USA website

1½ lb. russet potatoes

2 T. salted butter

1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s shallots, peeled, thinly sliced

2 c. (8 oz.)  aged cheddar, grated

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Peel the potatoes and slice thinly on a mandoline or with a very sharp knife.

Heat the butter in a heavy-based frying pan that is about 8” in diameter and about 2” deep. Remove from the heat and cover the bottom with a layer of the potatoes.

Add a layer of shallots over the potatoes and another of grated cheese, seasoning generously as you go. Continue these layers, finishing with a layer of potatoes and a sprinkling of cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and cook over a very low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour until potatoes on top are just cooked through when pierced with a sharp knife.

Preheat the broiler. Uncover the potatoes and place straight under the broiler to cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Serve cut into slices, straight from the pan.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone. Be safe!

Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots

Normally I am not one to sing the praises of convenience foods, but recently I have begun to embrace Tater Tots. I never thought I would find myself saying this because I was scarred as a child when my mother served me a vile casserole of smoked sausage and tots. I’m sure there were other things in this ‘70s hot dish that was prevalent at the time, but even though I liked smoked sausage and Tater Tots individually, the combination always reminded me of what I’d turn into my dog’s food bowl in the evening, so for a long time I was put off of both.

Recently a coupon for a free bag drew me back to them and one evening, too tired to do anything else, I warmed some up to go with a rotisserie chicken. I was quite pleasantly surprised! I loved the crunchy exterior along with the creamy potato interior. I have to admit, they are back in my favor. So when I saw this recipe scattered all over Pinterest, I knew I had to give it a try. I altered the recipe a bit for ease. The original version required small cubes of cheese that I found a bit cumbersome to wrap in bacon. I just used slices of cheddar from the deli that I cut in half, and then into strips, and I found they rolled quite nicely with the bacon. While you may be tempted, don’t go overboard with the brown sugar. Trust me when I tell you this. I decided that more would be better, when in this case it wasn’t. I ended up having to throw out my Silpat because that stuff cooked and burned, and made one heck of a mess.

These would be wonderful as a snack, or a nice addition to a brunch buffet. I imagine they would be tasty dipped into ranch, marinara, or any of your favorite dipping sauces. Me? I just ate them as is and enjoyed every delicious mouthful.

Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots

2 cups frozen Tater Tots, thawed

4-5 slices sharp cheddar cheese, halved, cut into strips

4 slices bacon, quartered

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

Chopped parsley, for garnish, if desired (I didn’t desire it.)

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

Wrap each tater tot and cheese slice in a piece of bacon. Dredge each tater tot in the brown sugar, pressing to coat.

Place tots, seam side down, onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

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If you prefer meat wrapped with meat, you will love this recipe!

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Not Quite My Momma's Potato Salad

The late Mr. O-P and I disagreed on potato salad. He liked potatoes thinly sliced, while I liked mine cubed and chunky. You would not believe what a big issue this was in our household, so much so, that it got to the point where he bought the kind he liked at the local market, and I didn’t eat any at all.

With the heat of summer already upon us, striking us dead in our tracks in early May, I’ve been thinking about barbecued ribs, corn on the cob, and potato salad. These dishes, along with a delicious wilted slaw, were things that my mother would make in the middle of summer. She would serve it to us with tall glasses of sweetened iced tea. As a consequence, this is one meal that just says “summer” to me. So today, I was thinking about potato salad, trying to remember what she put in hers and came up with this one on my own. As far as I can tell, the only thing lacking here are radishes, and I didn’t include them because I didn’t have them.

I made it super easy on myself by using a package of Melissa’s Parisian Pre-Cooked Potatoes, a potato that can seriously change your life. Because I always feel that warm potatoes absorb more of the saucy goodness (This may be true, this may not be. This is not a topic that I have seen covered on “Myth Busters.”), I did blanch these for about two minutes in boiling water, drained them, and then cooled them only slightly (and by this I mean not at all), before cutting them into cubes. Using pre-cooked potatoes made this dish a breeze! Plus, the potatoes are so tender, buttery, and delicious, perfect to soak up all of the tasty ingredients in the sauce. If you can’t get your hands on these potatoes, well, complain mightily to your grocer, but in their place you can use an equal amount of Baby Ruby Gold Potatoes, cooked until fork tender and cubed. 

Not Quite My Momma's Potato Salad

1 14-oz. pkg. Melissa’s Pre-Cooked Parisian Potatoes, cubed

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup Duke’s mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons sweet pickle juice

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 sweet-pickle chips, diced

3-4 large hard-boiled eggs, diced (Extra for garnish, if desired)

½ cup chopped celery

1 small Melissa’s shallot, minced

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Paprika

Bring a large saucepan full of water to a rapid boil; add salt. Drop potatoes into the boiling water and heat through (1-2 minutes); rinse, drain, and slightly cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a small bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, toss potatoes with pickle chips, eggs, celery, shallot, and parsley. Add dressing and eggs to potatoes and toss to coat. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired, and then fold in dressing.

This gets better if refrigerated overnight.  To serve, dust with paprika, and top each serving with an egg slice and pickle chip.

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If you prefer a more German-type of potato salad, you will love Miss Hulling’s German Potato Salad from a local landmark restaurant.

 You can get more of Miss Hulling’s delicious recipes here:

 

 

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Over the Moon

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Tuesdays with a Twist

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

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Irish Mash

I don’t know how you make your mashed potatoes, but it used to be that I would make mine by peeling and quartering a bag of russets, boiling them, draining them, and then attacking them with a hand-held electric mixer. I would beat them to within an inch of their lives, funneling in butter and cream in the going. I did it this way because this is the way my mother used to do it. You see, back in the day, it was positively scandalous to have lumps in your mashed potatoes.

These days, I embrace lumps and call them rustic. No more do I want to get out the hand mixer, deal with bits of potato flying all over the kitchen, and then have to scrape it off the wall. Now, I mash them with a potato masher, and beat them as well as I can with a whisk. Someday they’re more rustic than others, depending upon my upper arm strength.

These potatoes, laden with deliciously sweet sautéed leeks and seasoned with a hint of thyme, are the perfect accompaniment to your corned beef dinner. They can be made ahead, scraped into a casserole dish, refrigerated overnight, and reheated the next day. If you have a difficult time getting vegetables into your family, mixing them into mashed potatoes is one sure way. Leeks are not without nutrition. They contain vitamins A, C, E, and B6, as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and are known for their antioxidant properties as well as being low in calories. Wow! So, stirring them into your potatoes is a healthy, as well as tasty and attractive choice.

Don’t wait until St. Patrick’s Day to enjoy them, they’re good anytime with roast beef, chicken, or fish.

Irish Mash

1/2  3-pound pkg. Melissa’s PeeWee Dutch Yellow Potatoes
1/2  6-oz. pkg. Melissa’s Cleaned and Sliced Leeks*

  2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse potatoes and place into a medium/large saucepan; completely cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil, and cook for 15 minutes until fork tender. Drain and return to pan to allow all moisture to evaporate.

While potatoes are cooking, melt butter in a 9-inch sauté pan. Add leeks and thyme, and sauté until leeks have softened. In a small saucepan, heat milk and cream.

Mash potatoes in any manner you like (I am a big fan of the potato masher/whisk combination), adding milk/cream as you do. Add seasonings and leeks. Stir to combine. Serve immediately.

   *If you are unable to find Melissa’s Cleaned and Sliced Leeks in your local market, use one large leek.

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The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
 Homestead Wednesday

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Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

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I Could Eat the Whole Bowl Mustard Potato Salad

I tend to not make a lot of potato salad, largely because I'm not particularly good at it. I guess in order to be good at it, you have to have a good recipe. When I would make potato salad that I thought was tasty, Mr. O-P never seemed to like it. He tended to like the potato salad that I got at the local deli. Well, what can I say? 

 

But, I found myself with a real dilemma staring me in the face earlier this week, when I realized that I had three sacks of potatoes all of which were starting to form eyes, and desperately needed using. So, I cooked up each bag separately, and set out to do three different things. The first bag was of Melissa's baby red potatoes that I turned into this mayonnaise/mustard potato salad. I thought this was delicious, and it was really easy. So much so, that I will undoubtedly never buy deli potato salad again! So, if you're like me, and you don't have a good recipe for potato salad, or you want something that's fairly easy to throw together, this just may be your answer.

I Could Eat the Whole Bowl Mustard Potato Salad

1 1.5-pound bag Melissa's baby red potatoes
4 ribs celery, diced
1 bunch scallions (about five), diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Grey Poupon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Halve potatoes. Boil 10 minutes; drain. Place potatoes, celery, scallions, parsley, and eggs into a large bowl. Pour vinegar over top; toss. Mix mayonnaise and mustard together in a small bowl; fold into potato mixture. Salt and pepper generously. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to meld flavors. Serve.

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