Grilled Potato Slices With Salt And Vinegar

I couldn't believe how easy these were to make and how great they tasted.  Just be careful your grill is not too hot or they will burn.  If you are cooking them with a steak, I would wait until they are off the grill and resting before I put them on.  They only take 10 minutes!


Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound potatoes, preferably fingerling, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I used baby new red potatoes)

2 cups white vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for sprinkling

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper


Procedure

Bring potatoes and vinegar to a boil in a medium saucepan (vinegar should cover potatoes). Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer potatoes until just fork tender, about 5 minutes. Let potatoes cool in vinegar for 30 minutes. Drain well, and gently toss with oil, salt, and pepper.

Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill potatoes in a single layer until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Sprinkle with salt before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe from Martha Stewart Living, June 2009

An Easter Lunch At The Lake

Image Williams Sonoma

One of the first menus I posted when I started the blog was the Easter Lunch I make every year, no matter where I am. Since most of you have never seen it, here it is, with a few additions:

To me, Easter is all about deviled eggs,baked ham, asparagus or new baby peas, strawberries and coconut cake. With that in mind, here is what I am going to make this year. The menu is for 12 people

Easter Lunch Menu

Mimosas

Deviled Eggs

Mrs. Adams' Baked Ham

Scalloped Potato Gratin

Asparagus or Petite Peas with Onion
Strawberry Salad Glace
Home Biscuits

Easter Egg Nest Cupcakes

Wines for Easter Lunch

Creme of Leek & Potato Soup

I'm so excited...my daughter in law is showing an interest in cooking and calling to consult on recipes!  I guess having great cooks on both sides of the family finally made her throw in the towel.  My sister in law, on the other hand, took a different tack after some unsuccessful attempts in the kitchen, and decided she just wasn't going to compete.  I think she's the smartest of the lot.  Now when we get together, guess who's in the kitchen sweating it out and guess who's sitting on the sofa cool as a cucumber!

By coincidence, when my daughter in law called, I also had some leeks in the refrigerator about to go bad and already had a recipe in mind.  She must think I'm a genius. This afternoon we are having a cooking class on the phone and hopefully a nice surprise for my son when he comes home for dinner.  Not only is leek and potato soup delicious and appropriate for the cold weather, it's also very easy and quick to make.  The addition of bacon is all her idea...I guess she's catching on quick!



Yield: 6 servings


Ingredients

2 TB unsalted butter

3 cups sliced leeks, white and tender green parts

3 cups peeled and roughly chopped baking potatoes, like russets

6 cups chicken stock (no sodium)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream

 1/3 cup minced chives or parsley

Crumbled bacon (optional)

Directions

In a large heavy saucepan, sautee the leeks in the butter until tender, about 8 minutes.  Add the potatoes, chicken broth, and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover partially, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Correct the seasoning, to taste, and let the soup cool a bit.  Puree with a handheld immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor.

Return to the saucepan, add the cream and reheat before serving. Top each serving with a sprinkling of fresh chives and bacon, if you like.

For the cold version known as Vichyssoise

The Ingredients are the same, omitting the Bacon, of course.

Directions:

1. Simmer the vegetables in stock or broth instead of water as described in the master recipe [Potage Parmentier]. Puree the soup either in the electric blender, or through a food mill and then through a fine sieve.

2. Stir in the cream. Season to taste, over-salting very slightly as salt loses savour in a cold dish. Chill.

3. Serve in chilled soup cups and decorate with minced chives.

Kettle Chips with Parmesan Cheese

These are so easy to make and make wonderful hors d'oeuvres for a small dinner party.  You can prepare them ahead all the way to the frying of the herbs, turn the heat off,  and fry the chips right before you are ready to serve them.  They also go well with sandwiches and hamburgers.

Ingredients

6 large Yukon gold potatoes
Canola oil and olive oil, 75/25 ratio for frying
6 whole cloves garlic
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 bunch sage
1/2 bunch fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Wash and clean the potatoes in cold running water. Using a mandoline, or vegetable peeler, finely slice the potatoes into chips. Drop the chips into a bowl of ice water as you work to prevent them from going brown. This will also remove any excess starch.

Set a large pot of 75/25 canola and olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic (paper and all) and whole stems of fresh rosemary, sage and thyme. Bring oil up to 375 degrees F. As it heats up the oil will get infused with the garlic and herbs. Once the herbs crackle and get crispy they will go clear and you know they are done. Using a strainer drain the herbs and garlic and set aside on paper towels.

Fry the potatoes in batches until golden and crispy. Drain the chips, dry well on paper towels and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with crispy fried herbs, garlic and shower with Parmesan.

Ted's BabyBack Ribs

If there is something I'm very proud of is having two children who are great cooks! My daughter Christina is the baker and her cookies are legendary not only in our family, but also with friends and neighbors. My son Ted, on the other hand, is the grill master. He used to be the burrito king but ever since he moved to Georgia he's developed into a great griller.

Last Christmas he got a smoker from his grandmother in law and since then, no one can touch him. About a couple of months ago, when I visited the family in Atlanta, he served me some of the best ribs I have ever had... no question!

Under his guidance and without a smoker I served these about a month ago and they were outstanding. If you don't have a smoker, he recommends cooking them in beer in a 250 degree oven sealed for about two hours. He makes his own rub (of course!) I had Emeril make mine. The barbecue sauce is all mine!

I am posting this early so you can start planning ahead for your Labor Day Weekend which is a week from tomorrow.

Ingredients

2 Slabs Pork Baby Back Ribs

1 can light beer

2 TB. Emeril's Rub for Pork

Barbecue Sauce (Recipe follows)


The night before you cook them, rub spice mixture over the ribs. I used Emeril's because it was the only good one I could find at the store I went to, but others will do too. Seal in tin foil paper and place in fridge. Before you cook then, open tin foil and pour 1 small can light beer. Reseal tight and place in the oven at 250 degrees for 2 hrs. Remove from the oven bring to room temperature and set aside until ready to grill. Remove from tin foil and place in a medium hot grill. Cook each side for 10 minutes. Brush barbecue sauce on one side and cook an additional 10 minutes. Do the same for the other side. You will be cooking a total of 40 minutes..10 mins. each side without sauce, 10 mins. each side with sauce. Let rest for 10 minutes. You can serve with leftover barbecue sauce on the side.


Barbecue Sauce

Makes 3 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
2 cups ketchup
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in mustard powder and red-pepper flakes; cook 30 seconds.

Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire, vinegar, molasses, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.

I usually serve ribs with my potato salad and sliced tomatoes with balsamic and fresh basil. An Australian Shiraz or Argentinian Malbec goes well with it.

Labor Day Weekend...The Menu

Well, it's here, the last weekend of the Summer. Fall is in the air, even in Miami!

For us here in Florida it is really a non event, but I remember how much I used to hate it when I lived in New England. Even though the beautiful Fall season is just around the corner, Labor Day and September always mean the end of grilling, weekends at the beach, dinner on the patio, gardening and all the outdoor things we like to do. And if you are a kid, yucks, back to school time. Here in Florida, it is a time for hurricanes, boarding up and stocking up. Hopefully, it will be a quiet season just like the last two. No, Labor Day is definitely not worth the extra day off.

For this holiday, the main dish is Baby Back Ribs. For the sides I suggest a couple of salads already posted, and for dessert, well it's got to be peaches, so take your pick!

Don't despair, Fall is around the corner and apple season is about to begin. You can have a drink on that!

Here are some of the recipes I suggest you consider for this holiday:


Labor Day Menu & Suggestions


The Perfect Bloody Mary

Fiesta Salsa & Tortilla Chips

Irresistible Clam Dip

Ted's Baby Back Ribs

My Mother's Potato Salad

Bobby Flay's Cole Slaw

Tomatoes with Balsamic Olive Oil & Basil

Corn on the Cob

Peach Blueberry Crumble

Peach Crumb Pie

Peaches & Raspberries & Blueberries in Prosecco
with
Amaretti Cookies


The Baby Back ribs will be up Monday 8/24 after 3:00 am for subscribers and the Peach Crumb Pie on Wednesday 26th.