Hasselback Potatoes

• 2 large baking potatoes
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup butter, stick
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Scrub two potatoes clean.  If you do not like the potato skin you can peel them as well.  Then cut slits every 1/8 inch into the potato.  Make sure to not cut the potato all the way through.  Leave about 1/8-1/4 inch uncut on the bottom of the potato.

Slice the garlic into thin slices. You can use a knife or a slicer.  You just want the garlic paper thin.  You also want to slice the 1/4 cup of butter into thin slices.

Starting at one end of the potato insert a slice of garlic into the last slit. Then insert a slice of butter into the adjacent slit.  Continue alternating garlic and butter into each slit until you have filled up the potato.

Repeat with the second potato.

Place the potatoes onto a baking sheet and cover each potato with 1 tbs of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Then top with the rosemary.

Finally top each potato with half of the Parmesan cheese.

Bake in the preheated 425 degree oven for 1 hour.

Remove and serve.

These potatoes are awesome.  They look cool, taste great and will definitely keep the vampires away from you. To make this a tad bit more kid friendly, substitute cheese for the garlic slices.  A nice mozzarella would work.

Herb Roasted Potatoes

• 5 Russet baking potatoes, medium/large
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbs fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbs kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wash the potatoes and then dice them into 1 inch cubes.  Try to keep them all around the same size.  They will cook more evenly that way.

Place the potatoes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil.  Then add the herbs and toss.

Pour the potatoes out onto a large cookie sheet.  Spread them out into a single layer.

Place the cookie sheet in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven, stir, spread the potatoes back out into a single layer and then continue to cook for another 20 minutes.

Stir and place the potatoes into a serving bowl.

Serve with your favorite meal.

These potatoes were crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside.  The herbs were delicious.  As always the garlic amount is a suggestion, you can always add more if you want to scare away some vampires.

Creamed Corn – (From the Neely’s)

• 1 lb corn kernels, roughly 6-8 fresh cobs
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs all-purpose flour
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cold water
• 2 tbs bacon grease or shortening
• 1 tbs butter
• salt and pepper

If using fresh corn, cut the kernels from the cob using a pairing knife.  If using frozen corn, skip this step.

In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, salt, pepper, heavy cream and water.  Mix well.  Then add the corn kernels.

Pre-heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the shortening or bacon grease until it melts.

Add the corn mixture.  Stir and then turn the heat down to medium/low.

Simmer over the medium/low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and becomes creamy.  Roughly 30 minutes.

You can check the thickness by running a wooden spoon down the pan and seeing how quickly the liquid fills in the track.  As you can see from the photo, my creamed corn was ready to eat.

Right before serving, add the tablespoon of butter.  Pour into a serving bowl and enjoy!

This was awesome!  Make sure to taste your corn before making.  Then adjust the sweetness based on the sweetness of the corn.  Not all corn is the same.

Roasted Cauliflower – (From Good Housekeeping)

• 1 head cauliflower, trimmed and broken into florets
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbs low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Trim the cauliflower and break it up into 1/2 inch to 1 inch florets.  Roughly chop the onion.  Crush or grate the garlic. The smaller the better for the garlic.

In a large bowl toss the cauliflower, garlic, onion, soy sauce and olive oil together.

Spread the mixture out onto a large sheet pan.

Roast the cauliflower for 35 minutes or until tender and the edges are browned.  Make sure to stir a couple of times during the roasting process.

Remove from the oven.  Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with your favorite meal.

This recipe is so simple, but so delicious.  Simple is better when it comes to vegetables.

Haricots Verts

• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
• 3 tbs butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 large shallots, diced
• 2 tbs red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Clean and trim the green beans.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Then gently lower the green beans and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove the green beans from the water and place immediately into ice water.  This will stop the cooking and also keep them nice and green.  Brown green beans are sad green beans .

In a large saute pan, heat the butter over medium heat and quickly cook the garlic for a minute.  Then add the shallots and thyme.  Cook until the shallots are translucent.

Add the green beans and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.  Make sure the shallots, green beans and thyme are thoroughly mixed.  De glaze the pan with the red wine vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

These beans are quick and easy.  Plus they are full of flavor.

A perfect side for that special meal.  These beans were delicious.  They barely made it to the table.

Creamed Spinach for Two – (Adapted from Emeril)

• 12 ounces fresh spinach, washed
• 1 tb unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots, one large shallot chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Wash the spinach and then remove any large stems.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes.  Remember you will need a large pot as uncooked spinach takes up a lot of room.

Here is an after picture.  You want to blanch the spinach.

Empty the spinach into a fine strainer and squeeze out as much water as you can.  I find that a back of a wooden spoon can do wonders in this step.  Then chop the spinach into smaller pieces.

Melt the butter in medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Then add the spinach.  Cook until you see some liquid starting to be released from the spinach.  You will notice that the mixture will become a little easier to stir.  Then add the cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook until the cream is reduced by half, about 4 minutes.

Remove and serve with your main dish.

This creamed spinach was awesome.  As good or better than any I have ever eaten.  Cook this for your special someone and it will be a good night.

Easy Beef Stir-fry

• 4 tbs cornstarch
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1 tbs mirin
• 2 tbs water
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbs brown sugar
• 2 tbs grated fresh ginger
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 lb boneless steak cut  into thin strips (use sirloin or top round)
• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 small onion cut into wedges
• 2 bell peppers cut into 1 inch squares, use a variety of colors
• 4-8 oz water chestnuts, sliced
• 8-10 dried red chilies
• 1/4 cup scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 cups cooked rice

In a large bowl combine the water, 1/2 the garlic, 1/2 the ginger and 2 tbs of cornstarch.  Mix together to form a loose paste.

Then toss in the sliced beef and stir.  Let sit for a couple of minutes while you pre-heat your large skillet or wok to high.

Dice your veggies and set aside.  You want everything ready to go when you start cooking as it will come together fast.

In a small bowl or coffee cup combine the beef stock, brown sugar, soy sauce, mirin and the remaining garlic and ginger.  Mix together until the cornstarch is mixed through the sauce.  Set aside.  I find that a coffee cup is an easy way to mix the sauce.  The built-in handle makes mixing in the cornstarch easier.

With the skillet preheated, add the cold vegetable oil and the dried red peppers.  Stir for a minute and then add the marinated beef.  Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes, or until the meat if throughly cooked.  Remove the meat from the pan.

Add just a tad bit more oil to the pan and then add the veggies.  Stir-fry for 5-8 minutes or until the onions start to become translucent.

Then add the beef back into the pan.  Mix the ingredient together.  Then add the sauce.  Bring to a boil and then stir. The sauce should thicken right up.

Top with the scallions and serve over the prepared rice.

This dish was fresh, light and super tasty.  The exact opposite of the LJS experience.

Baked Sweet Potatoes

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• pinch cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

These start out just like my perfect baked potato.  Wash the sweet potatoes.  Then coat them in olive oil and top with 1 tsp of kosher salt each.  Bake salt side up in the oven for 35-45 minutes.  This will depend on the size of the sweet potato. When a fork can be easily inserted remove from the oven.

Cut a slit halfway through each potato.  Then insert 1 tbs of butter into each potato.  Next top each potato with 1 tbs of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Place the potatoes back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until butter and brown sugar melt.

Serve as a side for your favorite meal.

Truffled Asparagus

• 1lb fresh Asparagus
• 1 truffle (5-8 gram), you can substitute a tsp of truffle oil
• 2-3 tbs olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rinse off the Asparagus and trim the ends.

Spread the Asparagus out in a single layer on a sheet pan.  Drizzle the Asparagus with olive oil.  Season with the salt and pepper.

Place the Asparagus in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.  Cook until desired consistency.  I like the Asparagus to be soft with a little crunch.

While the Asparagus cooks, slice the truffle.

Since I do not have a truffle shaver, I used my Global knife to make paper thin slices.  A little truffle goes a long way.

Plate the Asparagus and then top with shaved truffle.

This was the ultimate side dish.

Who doesn’t love asparagus with truffles?  The best part is that the truffles are so flavorful that you do not need a intense preparation for the asparagus.  Simple is best in this situation.

Enjoy!

Hashbrowns – (serves 4)

• 6-8 potatoes
• 3 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper

The key to perfect hashbrowns is perfectly cut potatoes.  I have found that using a food processor with the shredding attachment is the way to go.  If you don’t have one, try a box grater.  It is a bit of work, but the results are fantastic.  Once you have the potatoes shredded let them soak in a bowl of water for 20 minutes.

Make sure to change the water twice.  Soaking the potatoes will help remove the excess starch from the potatoes.  If you skip this step the potatoes will stick together and create clumps.

Next drain the water and wring out the potatoes.  To do this, I layer up a couple of paper towels and then use them to filter out the water.  Squeeze hard to get all of the water out.  The dryer you can get the potatoes the better.  Dry potatoes make crispy hashbrowns.

I have found that cooking hashbrowns on an electric griddle or fry pan creates the best results.  Set your pan to 350, and add the oil.   You can use a fry pan, but try to get the pan to a constant temperature around 350 degrees.  I find that this is usually around medium/high on most stove tops.

Once the oil is hot add the potatoes and then season with the salt, pepper and paprika.  If you don’t have smoked paprika, regular can be substituted.  Smoked paprika will give you a nice smokey flavor and just a tad bit of heat.

Stir the potatoes on the griddle and let the cook for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes soften.  Then arrange the potatoes into a single uniform layer.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.

When golden brown, flip the potatoes and cook until the other side is golden brown.  This will be another 3-5 minutes.

This will give you the perfect hashbrowns.  Crispy edges with a nice soft center.