Mod Meals on Mendenhall

This morning I heard a presentation  by my friends Charlie Brummitt and Elizabeth Gibbs from the Greensboro Farmer’s Curb Market to the Gate City Rotary. Not only did they share an in-depth description of how the Market operates and it’s history but also the importance of purchasing our food locally and supporting the wealth of farmers in our region. As Elizabeth said with passion, “Everyday you vote with a dollar for what kind of world you want to live in.” I can always do a better job with how I vote with my dollar and it’s been a pleasure getting to know local farmers and their products through this blog and my print column. I hope you’ll join me in supporting the Market and their efforts. There are some exciting improvements ahead too!

Speaking of, you can find some really amazing cauliflower at the Greensboro Farmer’s Market right now. Last weekend I picked up a beautiful yellow cauliflower that had a sweeter taste than your average supermarket variety. I made several dishes throughout the week with the yellow cauliflower – including eating it raw with hummus over the kitchen sink on a busy night. But, Saturday night I used half of it to make a decandent Gratin with potatoes and the neverending supply of New Years Eve fondue cheese in my freezer. It was very rich and paired well with the fancy steaks and seasonal salads. All gratins are very easy if you can put together a bechamel sauce and use good cheese. Here’s how I did this one:

Boil, steam or microwave the potatoes and cauliflour until almost tender. I used about 4 small yukon gold potatoes and a half of a head of yellow califlower (enough to fill the dish I was using). Make a bechamel sauce by melting two tablespoons of butter, whisking in 2 tablespoons of flour until combined and starting to brown (it will smell nutty). Slowly add 2 cups of warm milk – whisk until incorporated and starting to thicken. Add grated Jarlsberg or gruyere cheese to taste. Add some nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the potates and cauliflower and bake at 350 until bubbly and brown on the top.

Lately I’ve been scrapping every surface of my brain for new potato recipes. I’ve got a lot of standby recipes for almost every variation of the potato but it’s always fun to discover a new trick in the kitchen. I saw the “hasselback” potato on television the other day and thought I’d try it. These are what happens when a roasted potato meets a baked potato – a quicker version of a baked potato with the fun crunch of a roasted potato – really no complaints. You could certainly top these with sour cream but we ate them right out of the oven. There really isn’t much of a recipe – I picked out smaller yukon gold potatoes, cut the bottom off to make an even surface, sliced several parallel slits into each potato top making sure not to slice completely through and topped with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary from the garden. We roasted them for about 30 to 45 minutes in an oven at 375 degrees. Depending on the size of the potato they could take more or less time. Poke them with a knife to make sure they are tender throughout before serving. Or steal one and test it yourself – that’s the perk of the cook.

I’m just crazy over how fun these look. And, of course they taste good too.

Sauteing broccoli is by far my favorite way to prepare it. My father started preparing broccoli this way when I was high school and I havent changed my ways since. In fact, I made this last night for myself! We sautéed broccoli spears in olive oil with a smash whole clove of garlic (you could use garlic olive oil too) - at about medium high until bright green, tender and caramelized. We added red chili flakes, lemon zest and pine nuts (which toasted while the broccoli cooked). There are no exact measurements for this recipe.  Actually, we didn’t cook from recipes at our Off Mendenhall Cooking Class – we just relied on tasting and experimenting through the lesson – which is how I prefer to cook.

This recipe can be adapted with other seasonings or flavors. It is a great side – or add a couple of Italian sausages and throw it over pasta!

My mother has been raving about the new baked french fry recipe she has been using. I finally got around to testing it this weekend and she is right – they are The Best Baked French Fries. They also couldn’t be easier. I do recommend keeping an eye on them as mine got a litter crisper near the hours end. It also depends on how thick you cut the potatoes. I recommend using a russet potato for this – and not a red or Yukon Gold. They were a great side to my Coffee Rubbed Burgers with Spicy Texas BBQ Sauce. I’m glad I only made two potatoes worth or I would have eaten many many more.

Here is my mom’s recipe in her words.

Mom’s Best Baked French Fry Recipe:

Use a low sided baking pan, like a jelly roll pan. Pour a couple of tablespoons or less of cooking oil, not olive oil, on it and smear it around. Peel and cut potatoes into steak fry wedges and dry with paper towels. Place potatoes on the oiled pan and do not overlap or pile on top. If you have more than 3 people, you will need 2 pans. Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for an hour on a high position in the oven, ( a couple of inches down from the top). I usually try to turn them over about half way through cooking.

This recipe is an adaptation from the Roasted Potato, Caper and Olive Salad in How to Roast a Lamb. There are times when you need to skip a couple of steps for the sake of time and expense – this was one of them. I skipped boiling and frying the potatoes for the sake of time and energy and omitted the caper berries and olives because I thought the salad could do with out them. I was right. This “salad” was delightfully different and delicious. Nothing beats the outer crunch of a tender potato that has soaked up a salty and fresh Anchovy Vinaigrette. I added more parsley at the end for freshness (perhaps that inched it closer to a traditional salad?).

We liked this recipe so much that we bought more potatoes and made it again the next night for Sunday Supper. That night, we had leftover sautéed bell peppers and onions so I threw them in too. Undoubtably, I think anything drenched in Anchovy Vinaigrette will be finger licking good.

Roasted Potato & Caper Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette

• Small Roasting Potatoes, cut into equal sized pieces
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons capers
• parsley

Anchovy Vinaigrette (will make a plenty)

• 4 white anchovies
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 tablespoon, chopped dill
• 1 tablespoon, chopped parsley
• 8 fresh mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon dry Greek oregano
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and cut the potatoes in to bite size pieces. Dry the potatoes and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. At this point, make sure not to salt the potatoes too much – the dressing and capers will add much saltines. Roast the potatoes in the oven until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

Meanwhile, add the anchovies, shallots, dill, parsley, and mint to the food processor. Pulse until minced but not pureed (I like a bit of crunch from the shallots in the dressing). Move the mixture to a jar or dressing container. Add the mustard, oregano, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Shake or whisk to combine.

Once the potatoes are roasted. Allow to cool just a bit. Then dress with Anchovy Vinaigrette, add capers to your liking and throw in a handful of roughly chopped parsley for freshness. Serve immediately.

How to Roast a Lamb is full of elaborate sauces and spreads that can seem daunting to the average foodie. Michael Psilakis’s recipes sometimes include flipping back and forth across the book up to three or four times to other recipes – adding a teaspoon of another time-consuming confit or dressing. To me, it is the fun of the book. Navigating around it takes some time but once you conquer a dish – it is well worth the time and energy. The same feeling came about when completing his recipe for Roasted Lemon Puree. This sauce was surprisingly simple – only a handful of ingredients that you’ll most likely already have in your kitchen. It takes a couple hours but is a perfect weekend activity. Of course, it is even more fun when you have a friend by your side (a big thank you to Debbie who worked with me on this recipe!).

I love the way this puree is the consistency of a mayonnaise but only has whipped olive oil within a rich and flavorful roasted lemon concoction. We used the puree as a sauce for grilled lamb chops and a marinade for chicken kabobs. This would be amazing on a pita sandwich (or a BLT!), any grilled meats or veggies – or spooned out of the jar straight up.

Roasted Lemon Puree, by Michael Psilakis

• 4 scrubbed lemons (scrubbing removes any wax on the lemons)
• about 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or orange juice
• 1 tablespoon dijion mustard
• 2 crushed and pressed garlic cloves
• 1 cup olive oil
• pinch of sugar
• cracked pepper