Summer Vegetable Tian

(Serves 6)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium potato
1 medium tomato
(optional 1 medium sweet potato)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Italian cheese

Preheat oven to 400°. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about 5 minutes)
While the onion and garlic are saueing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.
Spray the inside of an 8x8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread teh softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern.
Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and thyme
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Crash potatoes

Recipe

Crash Hot Potatoes

Prep Time:

 30 Minutes

 

Cook Time:

 25 Minutes

 

Difficulty:

 Easy

 

Servings:

 6

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
•  Kosher Salt To Taste
•  Black Pepper To Taste
•  Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Baked Potato Pizza

Ingredients

1

can (11 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated thin pizza crust

6

slices (1 oz each) provolone cheese

2

cups cubed unpeeled baked potato (about 1 large)

2

tablespoons olive oil

2

tablespoons ranch dressing and seasoning mix (from 1-oz milk recipe package)

8

strips crisply cooked bacon, chopped

1

cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

1/4

cup sliced green onions (4 medium), if desired

Sour cream, if desired

• 1Heat oven to 400°F. Spray or grease 15x10-inch or larger dark or nonstick cookie sheet. Unroll dough on cookie sheet; starting at center, press dough into 15x10-inch rectangle.
• 2Arrange provolone cheese slices on dough. In medium bowl, mix potato, olive oil and ranch dressing mix. Spoon evenly over cheese. Sprinkle with bacon and Cheddar cheese.
• 3Bake 13 to 16 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with onions. Serve with sour cream.

Veggie Cobbler

FOR THE FILLING:

1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into a 3/4-inch dice

1-1/2 cups of peeled and thinly sliced carrots

1-1/2 cups frozen peas

1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

1/2 cup diced butternut squash

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons flour

2-1/2 vegetable bouillon cubes dissolved in 1-1/4 cups hot water

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

 

FOR THE TOPPING:

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Instructions

Heat the oven to 400º. Place the potato, carrots, peas, broccoli, corn, and squash in a medium-size pot and fill it with enough water to cover the vegetables plus one inch. Lightly salt the water, bring it to a boil, then allow the vegetables to continue boiling for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse the vegetables with cold water and set them aside.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté them, stirring often, until they're soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook the mixture, stirring nonstop, another 30 seconds. Add the vegetable broth, milk, salt, pepper, thyme, and celery seed and continue to stir until the sauce thickens, about 4 minutes.

 

Add the vegetables to the sauce and stir well. Add more salt and pepper, if desired, then stir in the Parmesan and bring the filling to a simmer. Thin it with water if its consistency is thicker than potato soup. Transfer the filling to a casserole dish.

 

Make the corn bread topping. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk, egg, and oil and stir until evenly blended. Spread the batter over the filling. Bake the cobbler until the top is golden brown and the sides are bubbly, about 25 minutes. Allow it to cool slightly before serving.

 

Serves 8.

Gnocchi

About 2 pounds of Russet or Yukon gold potatoes

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 to 1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake potatoes for at least an hour, or until they can easily be pierced with a knife.

Remove the potatoes from the oven, and using a knife, carefully split them in half. Allow them to cool slightly, then gently remove the skin, and scrape out any remaining potato. If you have a potato mill or a meat grinder, run the potatoes through so you end up with smooth mashed potatoes. Alternatively, you can use a fork to fluff your potatoes until there are no lumps.

Let your potatoes cool enough to work with, and then pile them in a mound on a cutting board or in a large bowl. Drizzle the egg over the top of the potatoes, and add in 3/4 cup of the flour and the salt. Using your fingers or a bench scraper, combine the ingredients to form a soft dough. If the dough is too sticky, continue to add in more flour, a little at a time. Continue to knead the dough until your dough becomes smooth. The dough should be moist, but not sticky.

Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Taking one piece at a time, roll it into a long roll. Use a knife to cut the roll into 1/2 inch pieces. Dust with a little bit of flour.

To shape the gnocchi, place a piece of gnocchi against the backside of a fork. Use your thumb to gently press down on the gnocchi, and it should curl into a slight "c" shape. Set each gnocchi aside until you are ready to boil them. Shaping gnocchi takes a little practice, but after a few tries you'll get the hand of it.

To cook your gnocchi, bring water to a boil. Drop your gnocchi in, and cook until the gnocchi floats. Drain, and serve with your favorite sauce.

*Freezer friendly tip* Flash freeze the gnocchi on a baking sheet, then place in a Ziploc bag. Cook straight from the freezer as directed above.

Clam Chowder

51 oz chopped can of clams and juice (from Costco)

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 large onion

8-10 raw potatoes (cubed bite size)

1 cup flour

2 cups cream

1/4 cup bacon bits

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and dice onion and potatoes, keeping them separate.

Melt the butter in a stockpot. Add the diced onions and saute until translucent.

Add 1 cup of water, then raw, diced potatoes. Add up to 1 more cup of water if necessary.

Bring potatoes to a gentle boil and cook until almost done, still a little firm.

While potatoes are cooking, drain the clams over a bowl and save the juice. Whisk the flour into the juice until their are no lumps. You can add some salt and pepper also.

When the potatoes are cooked, add the clam juice and flour mixture to the pot. Stir well and let cook 5 minutes or so, until thickened and there is no flour taste. Turn the heat to low and add the cream, clams and bacon. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Simmer on low heat, stirring a lot to prevent scorching. Take off the heat and serve. Also great to let the soup cool, refrigerate and serve the next day to allow the flavors to meld.

When reheating, if the soup is too thick, add a little water or milk to it.

Zuppa Toscana

Serves 4-6

1 lb Italian sausage mild or hot

1 can evaporated milk (skim is fine)

6 red or russet potatoes cubed

2 cloves garlic or use garlic powder

1/2 onion diced

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 cups chopped spinach

Salt and pepper

Brown sausage in bottom of soup pan. Drain grease. Add 6 cups of water. Add (potatoes leave skin on), garlic, onion, and bouillon. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are done. Right before serving add spinach, when it is wilted, add evaporated milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Corn and Potato Chowder

Serves 6 – 8

from foodnetwork.com

 

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 pound bacon, diced

1 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped green pepper

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons flour

4 cups chicken broth or stock

4 cups peeled, finely diced all-purpose potato

1 1/2 cups shredded carrot

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 cup half-and-half

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

 

Directions

 

Sling the butter into a soup kettle and melt over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook till crisp. Scoop out the bacon and drain on paper towels. Save for later--don't nibble too much.

 

Pour off all but 1/4 cup of fat from the pot. Toss in the onions and peppers, seasoning them with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook till soft and then throw in the garlic, cooking it all for 1 minute more.

 

Sprinkle on the flour and mix into the veggies. Dump in the broth and potatoes. Cover the pot and bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or till the potatoes are tender.

 

Add the shredded carrots and corn. Cover and simmer everything 5 to 6 minutes longer to blend the flavors.

 

Stir in the half-and-half. Season with the thyme, cayenne, some more salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and the bacon bits you've been saving. Give it one last stir, and ladle it up piping hot.

Baked Potato Soup

4 baking potatoes (2 1/2 pounds)
2 Tbs butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided

10 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash. Discard skins.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Melt butter in a large dutch oven. Add flour, whisking to combine with the butter. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Add additional salt and pepper if desired. Sprinkle each serving with cheese, onions, and bacon.

(Adapted from "The Best Of Cooking Light" via http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2009/12/baked-potato-soup.html. Picture also from that website.) :)

The Great Stew

2-3 lbs stew meat, in chunks
4 medium potatoes, cubed
5 carrots, sliced
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 pkg. onion soup mix (dry)
1 soup can of water
2 bay leaves
4 green onions, sliced
Chopped parsley
1/4 lb fresh, sliced mushrooms

Add ingredients to crockpot in order given. Cook for 6 hours on low or 3 1/2 hours on high. Optional: add a half bag of peas 30 minutes before serving.