PotatoeswBacon2I like to prepare healthy meals, but once in a while a girl has got to splurge. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and I was sold. It sounds pretty simple. There aren’t a lot of ingredients. Believe me, this will knock your socks off (and make you feel really fat too). This is totally worth the calories. We scraped the bowl clean. I found this recipe here, but there are versions floating all around the internet. I altered this slightly since I didn’t have garlic oil. To lighten this up, I would use half cream and half skim milk. I would also use less oil and butter and see if I could achieve the same crispiness. I would likely add some fresh chives or some chopped scallions to this at the end for a little more flavor next time.

You will die when you taste this. It’s crunchy, creamy, buttery, cheesy and downright fan-friggin-tastic.

4.0 from 1 reviews
Absurdly Amazing Potatoes
 
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 2½ pounds potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 5 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet with the garlic slices. Cook over low for a few minutes, allowing the garlic to infuse the oil. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon.
  2. Add the potatoes and cook 20-30 minutes over medium heat, turning frequently until golden brown.
  3. Remove the potatoes from the pan and add the cream. Cook until it reduces in half.
  4. Stir in the cheese until it is melted.
  5. Add potatoes and bacon and stir until combined.

 

I like to prepare healthy meals, but once in a while a girl has got to splurge. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and I was sold. It sounds pretty simple. There aren’t a lot of ingredients. Believe me, this will knock your socks off (and make you feel really fat too). This is totally … Read more

AspargusProscuitoWrappedI made this dish for dinner one night, but it’s also perfect as an appetizer since it is definitely finger food. The recipe is very easy.

You need 1/2 piece of prosciutto for each stalk of asparagus. Cut the prosciutto the long way. Lay the strip of prosciutto down and spread a small amount of goat cheese on it (see my photo): you don’ t need much. Then wrap the prosciutto around the stalk in a spiral, so it goes from bottom to top. Place the stalk seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake on the top rack at 400 degrees until the asparagus is tender and the prosciutto is browned (about 20 minutes), turning the stalks over once halfway through.asp prosc

The end result gives you tender asparagus, crunchy prosciutto, and a gentle tang from the goat cheese. Truly fabulous.

I made this dish for dinner one night, but it’s also perfect as an appetizer since it is definitely finger food. The recipe is very easy. You need 1/2 piece of prosciutto for each stalk of asparagus. Cut the prosciutto the long way. Lay the strip of prosciutto down and spread a small amount of … Read more

Carrots4This simple method of cooking carrots produces silky, sweet carrots without any effort. Here’s the drill. Place your carrots in a small pot – it doesn’t matter if you use baby carrots or carrots you’ve peeled. Put enough water in the pot to come up about halfway up the carrots. Then add some butter. 1/2 tablespoon was what I used for enough carrots for 4 people (add as much butter as you would put on the carrots when serving). Simmer the carrots until the water evaporates and the carrots are shiny and glazed. Stir in some freshly cut herbs (such as chives, mint, or thyme) and season with salt and pepper.

This simple method of cooking carrots produces silky, sweet carrots without any effort. Here’s the drill. Place your carrots in a small pot – it doesn’t matter if you use baby carrots or carrots you’ve peeled. Put enough water in the pot to come up about halfway up the carrots. Then add some butter. 1/2 … Read more

I’m always looking for ways to make vegetables more exciting, hoping to entice my kids and husband into not only eating them, but enjoying them. My latest attempt was to dress up asparagus and it was quite successful.

1 bunch asparagus

1/4 cup light sour cream

1 1/2 tsp mustard (I used a ground mustard, but a Dijon would also work)

1 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

Place asparagus on parchment (see Technique page for instructions). Mix other ingredients in a small bowl or custard cup and spread over asparagus. Fold the parchment and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

I really liked this. It was light but had lots of flavor and made the asparagus taste like something new and exciting!

I’m always looking for ways to make vegetables more exciting, hoping to entice my kids and husband into not only eating them, but enjoying them. My latest attempt was to dress up asparagus and it was quite successful. 1 bunch asparagus 1/4 cup light sour cream 1 1/2 tsp mustard (I used a ground mustard, … Read more

Here’s a fun, easy recipe with a bit of an ingredient twist. I picked up a bottle of birch syrup on our summer trip to Alaska. It’s like maple syrup, but thinner and not as sweet. It’s got a really interesting flavor and is terrific on fish, chicken, and as I have just discovered, vegetables.

12 baby carrots

1/4 rutabaga

1 parsnip

salt and pepper

2 tbsp birch syrup

1/4 tsp cider vinegar

Slice the carrots as thinly as possible. Cut off very, very thin rounds of rutabaga and cut the skin off. Cut into bite size pieces. Peel the parsnip and cut into very thin rounds. Place all the vegetables on parchment (see Technique page for instructions). Drizzle the birch syrup on top. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle vinegar over top. Using a fork or your hands, lightly toss all the ingredients together. Fold up the parchment. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 40 minutes.

The results are perfectly roasted veggies with a slightly sweet and an almost smoky, woodsy flavor. The birch syrup gives it just a hint of sweetness, balanced with the tiny bit of vinegar. My kids really liked this because it was very familiar yet had an interesting, new flavor. I highly recommend picking up (or ordering) a bottle of birch syrup. I’m really enjoying its flavor and versatility!

*Reader favorite: this appears in The Parchment Paper Cookbook

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Here’s a fun, easy recipe with a bit of an ingredient twist. I picked up a bottle of birch syrup on our summer trip to Alaska. It’s like maple syrup, but thinner and not as sweet. It’s got a really interesting flavor and is terrific on fish, chicken, and as I have just discovered, vegetables. … Read more

I ate a lot of artichokes as a kid, back when none of my friends knew what they were, so I’m quite fond of them. They’re not the easiest thing to cook though – you have boil them for a long time and then your house smells like artichokes. I came up with a solution for an easier artichoke dish that mimics delicious stuffed artichokes:

12 ounces frozen artichoke hearts quarters
4 tbsp butter (cut into small pieces)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, with 2 tbsp reserved
1/4 cup chopped parsley (I actually don’t chop this, but rip off little pieces with my hands)
salt and pepper

Place all ingredients on parchment. Lightly toss together. Fold up (see instructions on the “technique” page of this blog for details) and bake at 400 for 30 min. Then open the parchment, sprinkle with remaining cheese and return to the oven (leaving the packet open) for about 12 minutes.

The result? a satisfying, full-flavored dish that is is incredibly easy and requires no clean up. This is my new favorite way to make artichokes!

*Reader favorite: this appears in The Parchment Paper Cookbook

Bookmark and Share

I ate a lot of artichokes as a kid, back when none of my friends knew what they were, so I’m quite fond of them. They’re not the easiest thing to cook though – you have boil them for a long time and then your house smells like artichokes. I came up with a solution … Read more

I made some side dishes of Martha’s from the Season’s Eatings holiday special issue and thought I would share how it went.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice baked potatoes are a favorite in our house. I learned my recipe from my mom. They are a great thing to make when just a plain baked potato seems too, well, plain.

Martha’s recipe calls for starting with baking the potatoes in the oven. Sometimes I cheat and microwave them, but this time I did it her way. I have to say, the way a baked potato smells when it is made in the oven can’t be beat. And it does seem to taste better when cooked in the oven.

Getting the scoop

Getting the scoop

Martha wants you to cool the potatoes and scoop out the inside. No problem. Then her recipe has you add cream, butter, 6 egg yolks (really), salt and pepper and Gruyere cheese. Then you bake it for about half an hour until it’s brown looking.

The verdict? Ok, not

Ready to bake

Ready to bake

great. All the egg in this makes it taste like Duchess potatoes and almost quiche-like. It wasn’t awful, just not what I’m used to. I didn’t care for the texture and it just didn’t have enough flavor for me. I also don’t love the Gruyere in this.

Now let me tell you how to make REALLY good twice baked potatoes (my version). Start the same way – bake the potatoes and scoop them out. Then you add butter (do not skimp!), chopped onion, sour cream(enough to make it creamy), salt and pepper, cheddar cheese (a good amount), parmesan cheese, and an herb mix I have called bouquet garnee (it’s thyme and rosemary and parsley I

Fresh from the oven

Fresh from the oven

think). Scoop it back in the shells and sprinkle the tops with paprika. This is how to make a twice baked potato!

I also always save the skins and made potato skins with cheese and bacon on them.

Gingered Carrots

For the past year or so, when I make carrots I usually boil them and finish them with butter, honey, salt and pepper and a little dill. Martha’s recipe wasn’t that different, except she has you slice some ginger into matchsticks and use that instead of the dill. This was a terrific side! I loved it. The ginger gave it a very nice flavor and it really complimented the honey. I’m going to make carrots this way from now on. A good thing!

I made some side dishes of Martha’s from the Season’s Eatings holiday special issue and thought I would share how it went. Twice Baked Potatoes Twice baked potatoes are a favorite in our house. I learned my recipe from my mom. They are a great thing to make when just a plain baked potato seems … Read more

Sides O'Martha

Posted by Brette in Food

I made some side dishes of Martha’s from the Season’s Eatings holiday special issue and thought I would share how it went.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice baked potatoes are a favorite in our house. I learned my recipe from my mom. They are a great thing to make when just a plain baked potato seems too, well, plain.

Martha’s recipe calls for starting with baking the potatoes in the oven. Sometimes I cheat and microwave them, but this time I did it her way. I have to say, the way a baked potato smells when it is made in the oven can’t be beat. And it does seem to taste better when cooked in the oven.

Getting the scoop

Getting the scoop

Martha wants you to cool the potatoes and scoop out the inside. No problem. Then her recipe has you add cream, butter, 6 egg yolks (really), salt and pepper and Gruyere cheese. Then you bake it for about half an hour until it’s brown looking.

The verdict? Ok, not

Ready to bake

Ready to bake

great. All the egg in this makes it taste like Duchess potatoes and almost quiche-like. It wasn’t awful, just not what I’m used to. I didn’t care for the texture and it just didn’t have enough flavor for me. I also don’t love the Gruyere in this.

Now let me tell you how to make REALLY good twice baked potatoes (my version). Start the same way – bake the potatoes and scoop them out. Then you add butter (do not skimp!), chopped onion, sour cream(enough to make it creamy), salt and pepper, cheddar cheese (a good amount), parmesan cheese, and an herb mix I have called bouquet garnee (it’s thyme and rosemary and parsley I

Fresh from the oven

Fresh from the oven

think). Scoop it back in the shells and sprinkle the tops with paprika. This is how to make a twice baked potato!

I also always save the skins and made potato skins with cheese and bacon on them.

Gingered Carrots

For the past year or so, when I make carrots I usually boil them and finish them with butter, honey, salt and pepper and a little dill. Martha’s recipe wasn’t that different, except she has you slice some ginger into matchsticks and use that instead of the dill. This was a terrific side! I loved it. The ginger gave it a very nice flavor and it really complimented the honey. I’m going to make carrots this way from now on. A good thing!

I made some side dishes of Martha’s from the Season’s Eatings holiday special issue and thought I would share how it went. Twice Baked Potatoes Twice baked potatoes are a favorite in our house. I learned my recipe from my mom. They are a great thing to make when just a plain baked potato seems … Read more

On Martha’s show yesterday, Sarah Carey and Lucinda Scala Quinn both cooked their “Sensational Sides” from the November issue of Living. These are recipes their families make every year. Sarah made peach stuffing, which I find too weird to attempt (although the fact that Sarah was raised on a commune in Woodstock is fascinating). Lucinda made baked artichoke hearts. I have to say when I saw this in the magazine, it didn’t interest me, but when I saw her make it, it looked so good (and Martha was raving about it)!

Getting to the heart

Getting to the heart

So, out I ran to the grocery store to buy some artichoke hearts (you have no idea how many grocery store trips Martha is causing me!). The recipe calls for 3 nine oz packages. I only bought one since the daughter wasn’t home for dinner and Mini-Martha would likely have only a taste. I cut the rest of the recipe by 1/3 as well.

This was super easy to throw together. Put your hearts in the pan (sounds

Ready for the oven

Ready for the oven

like a song, doesn’t it?). Mix breadcrumbs (Martha will be proud – I made my own for this!), grated cheese, herbs and seasonings together and spread over it. Then whisk lemon juice, garlic and oil together and spread over it.

You cook it for about half an hour at 325 covered, then crank it to

Crunchy!

Crunchy!

375 uncovered. How did it taste? This was pretty good. The hearts were soft and the topping was crunchy. Here’s how I would improve it. First of all, use melted butter instead of olive oil. It just needs some extra flavor. Cut back on the lemon juice. It was a bit a tart I thought. I think I would make this again with those changes. I can also see adding some bacon crumbles or more cheese to this to make it really decadent.

Pomegranate Peeling

My kids like pomegranates, but they are such a huge mess. So I was simply stunned when I saw Martha easily remove the seeds from one on her show. I had to try it.

Scoring

Scoring

Martha says to cut through the skin as if you are quartering it, but only cut the skin, not the insides. Use that incision to get your fingers in and pull it apart into 4 quarters.

The pieces

The pieces

Once you have the 4 quarters, whack them on the back with the back of a wooden spoon and all the seeds will magically pop out (so says Martha). The POM pomegranate lady Martha had on didn’t even know this!

I had to try it. First I sliced the skin. This was easy. Then I pulled it into quarters. Again, not too hard, although it did not come apart very evenly.

Then I got to take out my aggressions on it with the wooden spoon. It did

Seeds remaining

Seeds remaining

get most of the seeds out, but you do have to pull some of the pulp out to get to some and get some seeds out by hand. Overall, fairly effective. It was messy though. Seeds were flying every which way and you can see juice was spattering too, if you look at the edges of the bowl. This was pretty effective though and much easier than trying to peel it and pick out seeds by hand. I will definitely use this method again. Now if Martha just had a plan for how to eat the seeds without having to have a spitoon at the ready, I would be really excited!

The results

The results

On Martha’s show yesterday, Sarah Carey and Lucinda Scala Quinn both cooked their “Sensational Sides” from the November issue of Living. These are recipes their families make every year. Sarah made peach stuffing, which I find too weird to attempt (although the fact that Sarah was raised on a commune in Woodstock is fascinating). Lucinda … Read more

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