Parmesan Zucchini

Parmesan Zucchini
From: Cuisine at Home (Issue 63)

Corn oil for frying (about 1 cup)
1 cup panko crumbs
¾ cup Parmesan, shredded
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb zucchini, bias cut into ¼ inch slices*
1 cup buttermilk
Lemon wedges if desired

Heat oil to 375 degrees in a saucepan.

Combine panko, parmesan, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag.

Coat ¼ of the zucchini in the buttermilk. Transfer to the bag, seal, and shake until well coated. Repeat with remaining zucchini.

Fry zucchini in hot oil in batches for 2 minutes per side, or until golden. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, season with salt and garnish with additional parmesan cheese and lemon if desired. Serve with favorite sauce (Bleu Cheese dressing, homemade ranch, or Tomato cream sauce)…

*Cutting zucchini on a bias creates more surface area so the buttermilk and breading will cling better.

Tomato Cream Sauce:
1 cup purchased marinara sauce
2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Simmer the marinara and cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes, or until warmed through; off heat, stir in basil. (Sauce and cream may be warmed in a microwave at high power for 1 minute. Stir in basil before serving.)

Sour Cream and Onion Smashed Potatoes

Sour Cream and Onion Smashed Potatoes
By: Maria Del Mar Sacasa

2 lb small red potatoes, scrubbed clean but don’t peel
*and if the potatoes are small enough leave whole otherwise cut in half or quarters, but leave fairly large chunks
4 Tablespoons butter
4 green onions/scallions, white parts minced, green parts sliced thin (keep separate)
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup half and half
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Bring potatoes and enough water to cover by 1 inch to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Once water comes to a boil reduce heat to medium and simmer (uncovered) until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat; cook scallion whites until translucent, about 5 minutes. Slowly stir in sour cream, half and half, salt and pepper until smooth. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.

Drain potatoes in colander and return to dry pot; let stand 5 minutes. Using rubber spatula, break potatoes into large chunks. Fold in sour cream mixture until incorporated and only small chunks of potatoes remain. Stir in scallion greens and season with additional salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Serves 4

Authors note:
“You’d think adding sour cream and onion to smashed potatoes would be a smash-dunk; plunk in sour cream, add onions and call it a day. Unfortunately, the handful of recipes I tried featured harsh or cloying onion flavor, and their texture resembled spackle. My goal was clear: Develop bold yet balanced sour cream and onion flavor while maintaining the signature texture of this rustic dish.
I started with the test kitchen’s technique for smashed potatoes, which calls for boiling small, unpeeled red potatoes until tender, draining them, breaking them up with a rubber spatula, then folding in melted butter and half-and-half until a chunky-yet-creamy puree is achieved. But when I added the sour cream, the potatoes had turned gluey by the time I’d fully incorporated it. After several tests, I found that stirring the sour cream directly into the melted butter and the other dairy (my tasters preferred half-and-half to cream or milk) before adding the mixture to the cooked potatoes meant less stirring together, which eliminated the glueyness caused by overworking. This technique also helped to meld the flavors.
As for the onion, minced chives proved too discreet, no matter how much I added. Seeking bolder onion flavor, I tried caramelized onions, but they were far too sweet. I had better results with sliced scallions, especially when I sautéed the whites in butter before mixing them with the warmed half-and-half and sour cream, and added the scallion greens raw for crunch and bite.”

Heavenly Mashed Potatoes

Heavenly Mashed Potatoes
By: Jewell Halsey

4 Servings

4-6 medium red potatoes
1-2 T butter
1/2 cup of Jewell's Bleu Cheese

Wash potatoes and peel or leave skins on
whatever your preference is, ( I like peelings).
Cut into quarters. Put in a saucepan and cover
with water. Bring to boil and cook uncovered
til fork tender. Drain. Smash spuds. Add the
butter and continue to smash. When you have
desired consistency (lumps are good!), add
Jewell's Bleu Cheese and mix well.
Optional to add a dash of salt.
Serve warm with any meal!

Lemon Parsley Potatoes

Lemon Parsley Potatoes
From: Best of Taste of Home Spring 2009

Ingredients/Prep:
3 pounds small red potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
1. With a vegetable peeler, remove a strip of peel around the middle of each potato.
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender; drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter; stir in parsley and lemon juice.
Pour over potatoes; toss to coat.

Roasted Tomatoes with Cannellini Beans and Capers

Roasted Tomatoes with Cannellini Beans and Capers
By: Williams Sonoma

High in Protein- High in Fiber

1 cup (7oz) dried cannellini beans, soaked and drained*
1 ¼ lb plum (Roma) tomatoes, cut into wedges ½ inch wide
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
½ teaspoon chopped orange zest
1 Tablespoon small capers, rinsed and patted dry
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

*Soaked dried beans: Pick over the beans, discarding any misshapen beans or grit. Rinse the beans, put in a bowl, add water to cover about 3 inches and let soak overnight. Drain the beans.

Place the soaked, drained beans in a saucepan and add water to cover generously. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently until the beans are tender, 1 ½ hours. Drain the beans. Measure out 1 ¾ cup beans and set aside. Reserve any remaining beans for another use.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread the tomatoes in a shallow 9x13 baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Roast the tomatoes until they begin to brown on the edges, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven.

Combine the parsley, dried herbs, and orange zest on a cutting board and chop together finely. Add the beans, capers, and parsley mixture to the tomatoes and stir gently just to blend. Return to the oven and roast until all ingredients are heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and season with pepper.

Transfer to a warmed serving dish and serve at once.

Serves 4

Goat Cheese and Potato Gratin

Goat Cheese and Potato Gratin
By: Williams Sonoma

Good source of Protein

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ lb small, round white potatoes
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra leaves for garnish
1 Tablespoon flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3oz crumbled, very cold, but soft, goat cheese (about ¾ cup)
1 ¼ cups milk
1 Tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Brush an 8inch square shallow 1 ½ quart baking dish with olive oil.

Using a mandolin, a food processor fitted with the slicing blade, or a large, sharp knife, slice the potatoes paper-thin.

In a small bowl, stir together the parsley and 1 teaspoon thyme. In another small bowl, stir together the flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and a grind of pepper. Place the goat cheese in a third bowl.

Arrange 1/3 of the potato slices, slightly overlapping them, in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with half of the herb mixture, half of the flour mixture, and 1/3 of the goat cheese. Arrange half of the remaining potato slices on top, again overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining herb mixture, the remaining flour mixture, and half of the remaining goat cheese. Arrange the remaining potato slices in a layer on top and sprinkle evenly with remaining goat cheese. Pour the milk evenly over the top.

Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake the potatoes until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Uncover, sprinkle the top lightly with the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and continue to bake until golden, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving. The moisture in the dish will thicken and be reabsorbed by the potatoes.

Garnish the gratin with thyme leaves, cut into squares, and serve.

Serves 6

Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped Potatoes
By: Rosanna adapted from William Sonoma’s Potato Gratin

*Cliff’s all-time favorite. Perfect as a compliment to pot roast or baked salmon*

1lb russet potatoes, peeled, cut into ¼” slices using Madelyn V-shape slicer (approx 3 large potatoes)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 garlic clove, pressed
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
¼ cup breadcrumbs (Progresso Plain Bread crumbs)
¼ cup grated Parmesan-Riggianino cheese

Combine potatoes, milk, cream, garlic, salt and pepper in a large saucepan. Simmer until the potatoes are three-quarters cooked, about 10 minutes.

Remove potatoes from the heat and stir in the Gruyere cheese. Pour the potato mixture into a small shallow pan (not quite an 8x8). Combine the bread crumbs and parmesan-Riggianino cheese. Scatter bread crumb mixture evenly over potato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, uncovered.

Allow the potatoes to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4

Roasted Asparagus with Toasted Bread Crumbs

Roasted Asparagus with Toasted Bread Crumbs
By: Williams-Sonoma

Low in Saturated Fat- Cholesterol Free

1 bunch asparagus, about 1lb, tough ends removed
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
½ cup fresh, soft bread crumbs, made from day-old coarse bread with crusts removed
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Spread the asparagus in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the thyme. Toss to coat the asparagus evenly.

Roast the asparagus, stirring once halfway through the roasting time, until tender-crisp, 7-10 minutes; the timing will depend on the thickness of the spears.

Meanwhile, place the bread crumbs in a small bowl and drizzle with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil; toss to coat. Place a frying pan over medium heat. When it is hot, add the bread crumbs, reduce the heat to medium-low, and toast, stirring, until they are golden, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, the lemon zest, a pinch of salt, and a grind of pepper. Remove from heat.

Arrange the asparagus on a warmed platter and sprinkle the hot bread crumbs over the top. Serve at once.

Makes 4 servings.