April 2012 – What's On the Stove?

I love potatoes.

And so, I’m always looking for more ways to fix them, and keep the meal fresh and interesting.

This is an adaptation to my recipe Wacka-Mole Potatoes. Just take ’em up a notch.

You can substitute all kinds of additions here, which a good recipe always offers, so be inventive, and depending on the dish it is being served with, think out of the box.

INGREDIENTS:

6-8 new potatoes
2 tbsp canola oil
1 c fried onions
1 c corn, defrosted
2 c shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

Wash potatoes and place in plastic bag with oil, massage until all are coated. Spread out on parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan, and roast for about 40 minutes at 425°.
When done, remove from oven. Leave potatoes on the pan. Using a small saucepan, place over each potato and press down until “smashed”. When all are done, slide them together into a rectangle or place in a casserole in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Place under broiler until the edges are starting to crisp.
Remove again.
Cover with a layer of fried onions, then the corn, and then the cheese.
Turn off oven and place back in just to let the cheese melt.

Serves: 4

NOTE: You can used caramelized onions, chives, chopped fresh chiles, vary the cheese, sweet peppers (lightly sautéed), lightly sautéed mushrooms. This goes really nicely with ribs or hamburgers. Any other fresh herbs you like would also be nice.

New Potatos au Gratin (alidoesit.wordpress.com)
Fancy Jacket Potatoes With Cheese (machiavelliid.com)
Loaded Hash Brown Potato Casserole (nancycreative.com)

This is just a lovely lovely recipe, and it came out so very well. I have packed most of my cookbooks and so couldn’t grab my Rao’s recipe for lemon chicken, so I created my own. And I was quite pleased with it.

My husband is not a big fan of fruit with his meat, and although I reassured him that citrus was different from sweet fruit, he still was skeptical.

So I tried to soften the chicken a bit.

However, the sauce is quite tart, and I loved it. (I put it on everything frankly!)

See what you think.

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken thighs (obviously you can use any pieces you like here)
1 tsp oregano and thyme each
salt and pepper
1/4 c EVOO
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp finely minced shallots
1 lg clove garlic, micro-planed
4 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
1/8 c parsley, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

Early in the day, pat the chicken pieces dry and place in a dish, sprinkling the salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme over.
Refrigerate uncovered.
When ready to cook, place the chicken in a smallish casserole where the pieces are fairly crowded. Pour the olive oil over, and then the lemon juice.
Place in a 375° oven for 1 hour.
Remove the chicken to a baking dish that has a cooling rack in it. Place back in the oven with broiler on, and broil for about 15 minutes or until very nicely browned and crispy on top. Remove to a serving plate
Pour off the juices from the baking dish into a saute pan with the shallots and the garlic. Bring to a boil and reduce by about half. You should have about 1/2 cup left
Add the butter and whisk vigorously. Add the parsley, stirring in.
Place in a gravy boat with ladle. (this will separate as it cools, so use quickly) Use as desired.

Serves: 2

NOTE: This serves well with mashed potatoes, if you like the lemon sauce as a light gravy. It’s wonderful with vegetables like green beans, broccoli, and asparagus, brussels, which all naturally take to lemon well. Also rice or noodles would work. I did not marinate the chicken before hand, in order to keep down the lemon bite a bit. As it was, it was just tangy without being overbearing. My husband really liked it, though he backed off the lemon butter sauce except for just a little drizzle.