JBug's Kitchen Antics

Potato Crusted Halibut with Bacon

Surprise! I actually cooked dinner last night and boy, oh boy was it ever a yummer. Not to brag or anything, but we're living in halibut country here and the season's in full swing. Just to prove it to you, here's a photo of our friend Mike with his catch of the day on May 17th. Isn't that something?

 

Photograph taken by Rob Bishop

Anyway, you all know how I love me my taters, and while I've bragged about this method of cooking fish before way back when, I figured I'd go one up this time and add some bacon to the mix. After all, it's kinda' hard to go wrong with bacon and potatoes.  

It is simply a nice plump fillet slathered with my favorite mix of Dijon and mayonnaise, seasoned liberally with salt and pepper then all wrapped up in a layer of thinly slice potato with a rasher of bacon down the middle. Cooked in a hot cast iron pan for 5 minutes on one side and 2 on the other, the fish finished cooking in the oven to a crispy outside and moist flakey interior while I washed some baby spinach and sauteed it quickly in garlic butter and a squeeze of lemon. 

As you can see, it was certainly more than enough food for 2 people but I'm going to admit right here and now - it was so darned good, I went back for seconds and ate the whole thing. How's that for moderation? 

Incidentally, feel free to try this cooking method on other fish like salmon, swordfish or even sea bass. Just remember to adjust the cooking time according to the thickness of the fish. 

Potato Crusted Halibut (inspired by Epicurious.com)

2 – 6 ounce halibut fillets, skin removed

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon

Salt and coase ground pepper

1 russet potato, peeled and very thinly sliced (I used a vegetable peeler)

2 slices bacon

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Slather both sides of halibut fillets with mayonnaise and coat with mustard. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange potato slices on a piece of plastic wrap, being sure pieces of potato touch and overlap each other. Place fillet on top of potato and using plastic wrap, fold potato over fillet like a jelly roll, being sure to cover fillet completely. Wrap bacon slices around fillet, then wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate briefly, pressing potato onto halibut fillet so coating sticks well.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 400. Heat cast iron pan or heavy skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add vegetable oil and heat till shimmering. Place prepared halibut fillets in pan and cook for 5 minutes, or until potato crust is well browned. Do not move fillets or the crust will crumble. When browned on one side, carefully flip fillets over and cook briefly (2 minutes) on the other side. Move pan to oven and complete cooking, approximately 15 minutes, or until fish is firm to the touch. Wonderful served on a bed of sautéed spinach. Makes 2 servings.

A year ago - Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Smoked Salmon

Two year's ago - Spicy Bean Snackin' Cake

 

Imitation Is...

You know what they say about imitation being the finest form of flattery. Well, I channeled Wilko, a "gastro-pub" close to Big Guy's office at the University of Arizona in Tucson where he took me for brunch a while ago and made this fabulous potato cake aka giant latke for breakfast this morning. The only thing missing was the fresh frisee in a light caper flavored vinaigrette they serve on top, but no matter. It was delish anyway!

You see, my regular shopping stomping grounds in Newport had lox on sale yesterday at their meat counter and I absolutely had to have it. The moist, tender little morsels of salmony goodness made for a perfect lunch yesterday with cream cheese and sweet onion on a toasted ciabatta roll 

...and it was the reason you're looking at what I had for dinner last night. By the way, the frost all over the gin bottle's because we keep our gin in the freezer, ready to go into an extra dry, dusty martini Big Guy's partial to. 

But you know what? The salmon was even better this morning on the crisp outside creamy inside potato pancake with sour cream, onion and dill. Now, it could have been dinner last night, or lunch tomorrow or done in a mini version as appetizers with friends later in the week, or salmon on a blini like we've had before or even just fished straight out of the container because when you've a particular craving for something, it's kind of hard to put it off for very long if you know what I mean. 

Incidentally, for any of you that are confused about lox versus smoked salmon, either wet or dry smoked, take a gander at this article from Jewish Woman Magazine and I guarantee it'll be clear as mud. To tell you the truth, the "lox" I purchased yesterday while extremely moist and tender and almost transparent looking which means it had to have been brined, also had a distinct smokey flavor and wasn't salty in the least. That being said, I'm not sure if it was lox or Nova or what but I do know it is absolutely awesome and I plan to have more of it later today. Just sayin'. 

Here's a link for the how to's on the potato latkes. TTFN (ta ta for now).

Two year's ago - Braised Chicken with White Wine and Pancetta

Three year's ago - Southern Illinois BBQ Sandwich

Stuffed Potato Skins

The lowly potato makes for great eating whether you're cooking for one or for a crowd. There's a lot more that can be done with a baked Idaho than just adding sour cream and butter, although there's absolutely nothing wrong with keeping it simple and enjoying your potato that way either.

I was inspired by myrecipes.com and their potato skins stuffed with roasted chicken, onions and sour cream, and while I could have followed their advice to a "T" since I've some of Big Guy's rotisserie chicken calling my name from the freezer, I also had a some sausage available so went with that instead. Sauteed along with onion and sweet bell peppers, it was a perfect filling for baked spuds, halved and relieved of their innards, then crisped up under the broiler before stuffing.

A little grated cheese and sour cream and salsa on the side, along with a cool glass of wine and I called it dinner. Coulda' had a salad too but I had the wine instead. Don't you love how I think?

As for breakfast this morning - well here's another idea. Since I couldn't see the sense in baking only 1 potato last night, I threw an extra one in the oven and this is the result. A couple of slices of ham lining the crispy potato skin followed by a sprinkle of cheese, 2 eggs, and a touch of heavy cream is all that's required. Twenty minutes later and breakfast was ready and darned delicious if I do say so myself.

Best of all, I've all the potato innards left to mash up and overstuff into the last potato shell so I can enjoy a humongous twice baked potato for dinner tonight. How's that for some cooking for one ingenuity?

Here's the link to the inspiration and here's another one to the baked eggs we've had here before. Have at'er people and let your imagination and your pantry be your guide. 

A year ago - Not Yo' Momma's Banana Pudding

Two year's ago - Spaghetti al la Carbonara

Three year's ago - Mongolian Beef 

 

A Bit of Everything Potato Salad

I've already bragged about Southern Illinois BBQ Sandwiches so I won't go into detail about how we used some of the leftover pork roast from Saturday night. Just hit this link and read all about this glorious use of thinly sliced pork, fried until crisp and layered on a soft bun along with BBQ sauce and mustardy slaw aka "chow"...or not since I've just spilled the beans about it anyway. 

I will talk about the potato salad served beside the sandwich because it's something worthy of sharing. What it really proves is that potatoes marry well with darn near anything and this creation is a prime example. 

I simply roasted some mini potatoes in a very hot oven for 15 minutes, drizzled them with a little oil and sprinkled 'em with coarse salt, then cooled them quickly on a sheet pan in the freezer while I whipped up the remaining ingredients. Chopped sweet onion, chopped assorted mini sweet peppers, sun dried tomatoes and a mix of mayonnaise and sour cream darn near complete the salad. A few dashes of Louisianna Hot Sauce, pepper, Italian seasoning and a little dried basil complete the picture. I love mixing some sour cream into my potato salads because not only does it cut the calories a trifle, it also makes for a creamier consistency with a slightly tart flavor. Add dried herbs or fresh ones if you're that lucky and you'll add a whole new dimension. 

It was all good - creamy, tasty morsels of 'taters touched with a little spice. MMM. Crumbled crispy salty bacon would have been the perfect garnish. Did I do that ...NO. Big Guy mentioned it after his second helping and darn it all - what a good idea. Now I'll have to make it again. 

Next time I'll write down the quantities so I can give you the recipe, OK. Meanwhile, here's a sample of other spud salads you'll find on this site. 

Dilled Chicken & Potato  With Bacon and Blue  Hold The Mayo

      

A year ago - Brined Pork Loin with Onion, Rasin and Garlic Compote

Two year's ago - Liver with Onions and Bacon

Three year's ago - Carbonnade a la Flamande

Dijon Marmalade Glazed Baked Ham and Potato Apple Gratin

Every time we buy a ham I ask myself why it's normally reserved for special occasions. Really, there isn't a thing much easier or more satisfying than a good slice of ham, never mind there's no problem coming up with ideas for the leftovers either.

My method for cooking last night's beauty is simplicity itself. I scored the ham into 2 inch diamonds and popped some whole cloves into the diamond points, then poured a half cup of triple sec over the whole thing (Grand Marnier works better) covered the pan with aluminum foil and baked my 9 pound shank end ham for 1-1/2 hours before glazing it in an 8 ounce jar of homemade kumquat/orange marmalade mixed with a quarter cup of prepared Dijon mustard and a couple of tablespoons of horseradish. So far so good, right?

The problem with the menu occurred when I insisted on trying a recipe from Real Simple found on myrecipes.com for an apple and potato gratin. I was intrigued by the addition of egg and buttermilk to the mix and figured swiss cheese and apples would be a natural with a good slice of baked ham. Unfortunately we were very unimpressed with the gratin. Instead of a rich creamy sauce, tender potatoes and tart apples, the casserole separated into an unappetizing looking mess.

I won't be making it again. Sometimes you're just better off going with what you know. I've provided the link in case you're interested in checking it out. Thankfully I reduced the quantities and only made 1/3 of the recipe, which is a good thing. At least I didn't have a ton of leftovers to feed down the disposal. 

A year ago - Holiday Dessert Ideas

Two Year's Ago - Sockeye Salmon Club Sandwich

Baked Potato Pie

If you're looking for something new and different to serve with some of that leftover turkey and gravy coming down the pike in the next couple of weeks, then I have got a deal for you.

Think about a crispy tender buttery pie crust courtesy of Trader Joe's freezer. Hey - you know me and pastry are on the outs these days. Add a scooped out baked potato, cottage cheese, sour cream, and eggs to the mix. Top it off with a dusting of cheese, bake for about an hour and what have you got? 

If you guessed a perfect vehicle for sour cream, bacon bits and french fried onions, you'd be right because honestly it's just a glorified gargantuan fabulous new and different baked potato; however, serve that new "thang" along side some leftover turkey smothered in gravy or as was our case last night, a supersized serving of Chicken Fried Steak and creamy rich gravy and I'd say you'll have yourself something darn near food orgasmic. Just sayin'. 

Baked Potato Pie (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Jackie Eddy, Slicing Hooking and Cooking)

1 very large Idaho potato

16 ounces small curd cottage cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

Pastry for single crust 9 inch pie

Garnishes: sour cream, crispy bacon bits, French fried onions

Prick potato and microwave on high until done (about 4 to 5 minutes). Wrap potato in a towel and allow to sit for 10 minutes, and then set aside until cool enough to handle. Scoop pulp out of potato and place into a blender or food processor. There should be 2 cups of cooked potato.

Add cottage cheese, sour cream, eggs, salt, and cayenne pepper to blender and puree until smooth.

Preheat oven to 425. Line a 9 inch pie plate with pastry and flute edges. Pour filling into the pie shell and level off with a spatula. Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at 425, then lower heat to 350 and continue baking for an additional 40 minutes or until top is golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish each piece with sour cream, bacon bits and French fried onions. Makes 6 to 8 servings.  

Incidentally, while this recipe calls for basic unadorned potato, I'm here to say that I've made it before using a different method and it's safe to say you could certainly use leftover mashed spuds from your Thanksgiving dinner to come up with a fabulous pie. Hit this link and head on over to the other version and see what I say. 

A year ago - Old Fashioned Swiss Steak

Two year's ago -  Roasted Tomato Soup with Spinach Pesto

Potato Latkes with Smoked Salmon

Big Guy smoked more salmon yesterday - two beautiful big sides of wild Alaskan sockeye cured in a dry rub of salt, brown sugar, pepper and dill seed for 24 hours then smoked in the Big Chief using apple wood chips. Such a beautiful thing!

He did that along with the majority of things on our weekend honey do list and consequently we both kinda' ran out of steam in the dinner department. I had no energy left to give and didn't have the heart to ask him to rotisserie a chicken I had thawing in the refrigerator so we moved on to plan "B" and teamed up to produce a "munchie" dinner. 

There's nothing much better with freshly smoked salmon than a pile of potato latkes, hot from the pan and super crisp. Simply one Idaho potato, peeled and grated into a bowl of cold water then squeezed using my trusty OXO potato ricer so no moisture remained in the lovely snow white shreds. Combined with an egg, a little flour, finely chopped red onion and a touch of salt and pepper, the little cakes took but a couple of minutes to crisp up in a quarter inch of hot canola. 

While I handled the latke cookin', Big Guy arranged all the "withs" on our dinner plates and the resulting feast left two people entirely satisfied. The moral of the story...think outside the box every once in a while and come up with a light, fun dinner instead of the usual.

By the way, seeing as the holiday season's right around the corner, think outside the box when it comes to hors d'oeuvres too and cook up some latkes. They can be made in advance and reheated in the oven just before serving and go exceedingly well with an unlimited number of toppings including but not limited to deviled ham, egg salad, sour cream and caviar and/or smoked salmon of course, never mind the red pepper aioli we had the other night. Awesome! 

A year ago - Pumpkin Scones with Candied Ginger

Two year's ago -  Pork Stew with Cider

 

Grilled Salmon with Potlatch Seasoning and Potato Latkes

Isn't it funny how we all crave different things during different times of the year. Comfort food takes on a whole new meaning when you live in Arizona or other parts of the south where temperatures soar. We stretched it a bit yesterday with the chicken and dumplings, because it's more salad weather here than stew appropriate so grilling is really the answer at least until it gets too hot to do even that.

We picked up some gorgeous Copper River salmon at the market and while I had every intention of smoking it, to be honest I was just too darn impatient. I mean waiting for it to cure for 24 hours, then drying it before smoking seemed like too much effort when we could have almost instant gratification on the grill. I had some potlatch seasoning left over from another dinner and it was the perfect solution. 

A good rub in it, an 8 hour nap in the refrigerator and 10 minutes on the gas grill on low meant perfect results. What can I say except we're just lucky that way ...no actually, it's Big Guy on the grill that does the trick but I'm not loaning him out.

Placed on top of a bed of fresh greens along with a perfectly ripe avocado, it could have been absolutely perfect but some kind of crunch seemed like a great idea. Enter the lowly potato in a latke form. 

This particular version is more like an Irish potato cake (see here) in texture as the potatoes and some of the onions are pureed in the food processor rather than grated. It's certainly a lot easier and quicker too.

While the recipe on epicurious.com suggested draining the potato/onion mixture in a towel lined colander and squeezing out the excess moisture, I happen to hate the mess that creates, so I used my trusty little OXO potato ricer instead. It really does the trick in getting rid of the excess moisture; in fact, if anything, you can squeeze out too much of it. Finished with an egg, a mere tablespoon of flour, a little baking powder and salt and pepper, the latkes are super light, incredibly moist and really crisp on the outside. 

Who needs boring old croutons when you can have latkes on your salad instead? Incidentally, we had our salad dressed in a purchased Vidalia Onion dressing courtesy of Sam's Club and it was just perfect, but a vinaigrette, or even ranch dressing would be A-OK too. 

Potlatch Seasoning  (adapted from Foodnetwork.com)

4 teaspoons kosher salt

3 teaspoons chili powder

3 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Combine ingredients together in a small jar and seal tightly.

Quick and Easy Potato Latkes (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from epicurious.com)

1 large russet potato, peeled and diced

1 medium onion, finely chopped and divided

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Vegetable oil for frying

In a food process, combine potato chunks and all but a quarter cup of chopped onion. Pulse until potatoes are very finely chopped. Working in batches, put the potato mixture through a potato ricer to squeeze out the excess moisture. Scrape into a bowl. (Alternately move the potato mixture into a towel line colander and squeeze out as much moisture as possible by wringing the towel). 

Add the reserved chopped onion to the bowl along with egg, salt, black pepper, flour and baking powder. Mix well to combine.

Heat approximately a quarter inch of oil in the bottom of a heavy pan and heat over medium high. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop quarter cupful’s of potato mixture into hot oil and press slightly to make a flat cake. Cook for approximately 3 to 4 minutes a side until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a cooling rack placed on top of a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 425 and just before serving, heat latkes until crisp and deep brown – about 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 6 latkes.

A year ago - Thai Style Grilled Chicken on Noodle Salad

Two year's ago - Santa Fe Corn Pie

Salisbury Steak with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

Talk about a perfect marriage - moist tender meat patties in a flavorful gravy studded with sauteed onions and garlic, served beside a bed of creamy tangy horseradish mashed potatoes. It couldn't get any better than that!

A perfect week night meal, if you're on the ball at all this one takes exactly a half hour to put together, including the tossed salad we had on the side. I simply formed a mixture of ground pork and beef mixed with some dry Italian breadcrumbs, a couple of egg whites I had hiding in the fridge and lots of ground pepper and salt and browned them for a few minutes a side. Removed from the pan to hold for a minute, I added a sliced onion and a huge clove of minced garlic to the pan along with a smidge of butter and sauteed the onion till it was soft and started to turn golden. I quickly stirred in a couple of tablespoons of flour, and after letting it rip for a minute added the rest of the gravy ingredients per the instructions on myrecipe.com. 

Hit the link to see their official version as it's even quicker than the one I put together. I just couldn't pass up making more gravy and adding the onion and garlic, never mind some additional sherry. Oh you'll see I also used ground pork and beef rather than the ground turkey and ground round they called for. Hey it was cheaper and pork is just as lean as turkey these days.

The meat patties hit the gravy and simmered for another 10 minutes while I mixed some sour cream, half and half and horseradish into the boiled potatoes and gave it all a good mash. What's more to say, except we can hardly wait for lunch for the leftovers.

You'd be very smart to put this one on your menu this week - maybe even add some mushrooms to the gravy if any of you are mushroom lovers. Regardless, you'll be tempted to lick your plate. It's that good! 

Salisbury Steak with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes (adapted from myrecipes.com)

3/4 pound lean ground beef

3/4 pound ground pork

1/2 cup dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs

2 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Combine ingredients together, mixing with your hands. Pat lightly into 6 portions and place on a sheet pan. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 – 10.5 ounce can French onion soup (Campbell’s)

1 cup water

1/2 cup dry sherry

2 tablespoons steak sauce (I used HP)

1 -1/2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in large sauté pan over medium high. Add prepared meat patties and brown on both sides – total about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add butter to pan and when melted, add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened and starts to brown. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Slowly mix in onion soup, water, sherry, steak sauce, worcestershire and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Stir together to combine well and cook until mixture is thickened. Return browned meat patties to the pan, cover and simmer for 10. Remove cover from pan and simmer additional 5 minutes. Serve with horseradish mashed potatoes. Serves 4 to 6.

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

5 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1/3 cup sour cream (or more as needed)

2 tablespoons half and half

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

Cook potatoes in salted water until done – about 15 minutes. Drain well and return potatoes to pot. Place over low heat and toss until potatoes are dried. Mash well, then add sour cream, half and half and horseradish. Whisk together until potatoes are light and creamy, adding more sour cream as needed for a creamy consistency. 

A year ago - Making Homemade Bacon 

Two year's ago - Chicken Paillards with Cranberry Sauce

Colcannon and Corned Beef

Hope you all had a fabulous St. Patrick's Day. Not having an Irish bone in our bodies we celebrate anyway and used the day as an excuse to make corned beef.

We have a favorite tried and true method of preparation that we've posted here before so I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say the aroma coming from the pot for the entire afternoon was truly intoxicating and the end result definitely worth the wait. I'm re-posting the recipe below for your convenience so don't be turned off by the amount of spice or the use of soy sauce. It's incredibly delicious and you won't be disappointed, I promise.

Naturally I couldn't make just any old boiled potatoes and braised cabbage to go with our feast, now could I? It's strange how sometimes you think you see a recipe for something that only looks and/or sounds semi appealing, but you've just got to give it a go anyway. That's how I felt with this traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage.

Honestly, to my surprise colcannon is darned delicious - loaded with butter, cabbage, green onions and cream. (How can you go wrong with any of it?)

I followed the recipe exactly as written from Simply Recipes so hit the link to go directly to the source; however, I admit instead of using a fork to mash the potatoes I used my trusty Oxo potato ricer instead and added lots of freshly ground black pepper to the mix as well. The end result is amazingly creamy potatoes dotted with crunchy bits of cabbage and lovely pungent green onions. The flavor and texture's truly amazing.

We couldn't help but think we've deprived ourselves of this treat for far too long so there's some making up to do. Next time I'll try it with a mix of parsnips and russet potatoes and kale instead of cabbage. It'll go smashingly well with some of the Big Guy's homemade sausage, don't ya' think.

By the way, I'm sorry I'm late this morning. We've a storm raging, high winds and rain which is lovely and a perfect excuse to stay in bed to finish a book and cuddle. In fact, it was all I could do to pry Georgie off my lap and send her back outside to the wilds of the back yard because feral, semi feral or however she acts on any given day, she's smart enough to know she's safer with her Momma when there's a storm on. Dumped outside into her little hand made by Big Guy blanket nest out of the wind and rain, she's currently unamused. 

JBug’s Corned Beef

 1 brine cured whole corned beef brisket (or more to fill the pot)

3 bay leaves

2 Tablespoons mixed pickling spice

2 garlic cloves

1 Tablespoon dried mustard

1/2 cup whole black peppercorns (that’s right, a half cup)

1 cup soy sauce (make sure its good stuff – Kikkoman is good) 

 Remove corned beef briskets from packages, rinse well under running water. Place in large pot & cover with water. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly for 1 hour per pound, or until fork tender. Remove from heat and cool briskets in liquid. When cooled remove from liquid, slice and serve. Wrap remaining brisket well & refrigerate or freeze as desired. 

 A year ago -  Corned Beef and Oven Braised Cabbage

Two year's ago - Corned Beef and Cabbage

Home Made Pork, Peccary and Apple Sausages

As you know, Big Guy's been on a sausage making kick and last night's dinner was a celebration of his first batch of home made sausage of the unsmoked kind. Sausage makin' can be a bit tricky particularly if you want to smoke it because in order to avoid botulism it requires the addition of nitrates; however, nitrates are not needed when you're making fresh unsmoked sausage. Bonus, eh?

While the Big Guy included some of this season's javalina mixed with pork, this version of sausage can be made with pork only, if you're not lucky enough to have some wild pig on hand. Moistened with fresh apples and seasoned with marjoram, sage, Herbs de Provence and nutmeg, the flavor and texture is absolutely out of this world.

It cooks up like a dream, except silly me forgot to pierce the skins to prevent them from exploding. One did but you're looking at the survivor. Next time around we may add an additional apple, more nutmeg and maybe a touch of cinnamon too but quite honestly these are absolutely delicious just as you're looking at 'em. That's really something for this non wild meat lover to admit.

If you're not into using casings, just form the meat into patties and cook them in a little butter or oil, but using the casings is more than worth the extra effort. We found ours at Sportsman's Warehouse, but you can definitely find them on-line too. Just follow the package directions for rinsing and soaking them before you stuff the sausage. 

As you can see from the plate, what goes better with sausage than potatoes. Last night's version is a quick oven baked hashbrown casserole adapted from the Best of Bridge Series' of Cookbooks. Loaded with frozen hashbrowns along with sour cream, mushroom soup and cheese it can be lightened up by using fat free products, if you're so inclined and spiced up with chopped green chiles or jalapenos too, although believe it or not I made it without. A perfect dish for a buffet, it'll go with darn near anything. Just double the recipe to feed 10 to 12. 

Home Made Pork and Apple Sausages (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Food.com)

4 pounds pork belly, (we used a combination of pork belly and javalina)

2 large onions cut in large dice

2 to 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored

4 teaspoons marjoram

2 – 3 teaspoons dried sage (be careful as it can be overpowering)

4 teaspoons Herbs de Provence

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Coarse ground black pepper

Sea salt

200 grams fresh white breadcrumbs, finely ground (approximately 1.5 cups)

Put pork through a grinder into a large bowl, followed by the onion and the apple. Add herbs, nutmeg and eyeball the salt and pepper. Mix well using your hands to incorporate the spices then put the meat through the grinder one more time if you wish a finer texture. Mix in breadcrumbs.  Cook a small amount in a skillet and taste to test the seasoning, adding more as required. Be careful with the sage as it tends to be a little overpowering.

Prepare sausage casings according to package directions and fill skins with sausage, going slowly so that the skins do not burst. Twist the finished sausages into required size.  Freeze in zip bags. 

Baked Hash Brown Casserole (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Best of Bridge Series Cookbook, The Best of the Best)

1 pound frozen hash browns, partially thawed

1 cup fat free sour cream

1 – 10 ounce can low fat, low sodium mushroom soup

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

Coarse ground black pepper

6 ounce can chopped green chiles (optional)

1 large jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (optional)

1-1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a medium sized casserole with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl combine hash browns, sour cream, mushroom soup, melted butter, onion flakes, salt, pepper, grated cheddar as well as green chiles and jalapeno pepper if using. Mix well to combine. Transfer to casserole dish and top with grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour. Serves 4 to 6. 

 A year ago - Catfish a la Cajun

Two year's ago - Not So Irish Lamb Stew

Maple Glazed Cedar Planked Salmon with Dijon Mashed Spuds

Boy sometimes I even surprise myself with my stupidity. Yesterday's shopping trip yielded some beautiful salmon steaks, all plump and glistening. The problem is I forgot how bony the darn things are even though the flavor's great. I really should have listened to the "look" I got from the Big Guy when I picked them up and bought fillets instead - but oh no. Sometimes I think I need to exert my independence but it's no surprise that I should have saved it for another time.

No problemo though because I'm thinking we'll be making this one again. Notice I use the term "we" - which is meant as a collective "we" since the Big Guy did all the work yesterday and cooked up the salmon. A recipe from Gourmet via Epicurious.com, the glaze is a combination of reduced maple syrup, lemon juice, soy sauce, fresh ginger and garlic. It's really simple enough but in combination with cedar smoke the end result is absolutely not to be believed.

The Mustard Mashed Potatoes, also from Gourmet via Epicurious are really the icing on the plate - creamy yet chunky unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes, mashed along with butter, milk and Dijon mustard and paired with the salmon, it is without a doubt a match made in heaven. Who knew?

We changed not one single thing other than the Big Guy cooked the salmon outside on the Weber, so I'm sending you directly to the source of this blissful more than company worthy dinner. Hit the button here and you're on your way to Epicurious!

A year ago -  Chicken Paillards Cordon Bleu  Two year's ago - Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Bacon

Cranberry Turkey Meatballs and Sweet Potato Latkes

There was a taste sensation party going on in our house last night. Unfortunately the neighbors from hell were having a different kind of party with screaming in all directions, front, back and sideways. At least we know one thing for sure - it is unlikely taste had any part in their equation.

On the other hand, ours included these fabulous turkey meatballs from Elise at Simply Recipes, absolutely loaded with holiday flavors. Hit the link and head to the source for the recipe, but I have to tell you the Big Guy and I were a perfect team once again putting these beauties together. Loaded with ground turkey that we pulverized ourselves from fresh turkey thighs, and subtly spiced with thyme and fennel, after browning they sat in a garnet colored bed of spiced up cranberry coulis.  We loved them although of course in our opinion they could have used a good jolt of habanero along with the cayenne pepper to make them truly memorable.

Also holding a place on our tray of holiday munchies on Pink Mountain Friday were little lacy crispy nests of sweet potato latkes. Simple to make and so darn delicious, these beauties aren't just wonderful as a "with", but they're perfect appetizers too. A combination of sweet and yukon gold potatoes, along with a grated sweet onion, my secret to perfection in the latke department ...other than having the Big Guy do all the cookin' is to use my potato ricer to squeeze all the moisture out of the potatoes before adding the flour, egg and seasoning.

Topped with a sour cream/horseradish sauce the only thing wrong is that we didn't make enough of the darn things. They're really a perfect appetizer, hot or room temperature, whether topped with the horseradish sauce or smoked salmon or caviar or home made apple sauce or nothing else but salt and your finger. Delicious!

Sweet Potato Latkes (adapted from foodnetwork.com)

1/2 sweet onion

1/2 pound Yukon gold potato

1/2 pound sweet potato

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 large egg

Vegetable oil

1/4 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons horseradish

Oil for frying

Preheat oven to 200. Place a wire rack over a sheet pan and set aside.

Grate onion using a box grater and place into a medium sized bowl. Grate peeled potatoes and mix with onion as you go along to prevent browning. Work as quickly as possible. Transfer potato onion mixture into a potato ricer in 2 batches and squeeze as much moisture as possible out of the vegetables. Return to a bowl; add flour, salt, pepper and egg. Mix well to combine.

Heat a quarter inch of oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Using a quarter cup ice cream scoop, transfer latke mixture to hot oil, level top slightly and cook 3 or 4 at a time until golden on both sides. Transfer to prepared sheet pan and hold in the oven while you finish cooking the rest of the latkes.  Mix together sour cream and horseradish and serve with latkes.

A year ago - Baked Pasta with Eggplant Sauce

Fish 'n Chips

We (meaning me) had a craving for some good old fashioned fish and chips last night but there was one little issue to deal with. They couldn't be deep fried because I was out of oil and had absolutely no intention of hitting the grocery store the day before our typical shopping day. The resulting panko coated fish and oven fried chips made it evident there's no need to stink up the house with the smell of boiling oil when you can get the job done just as well without it and sans the ton of calories too.

Cod fillets cut into fingers, coated with salt, pepper and cajun seasoning, then dipped in flour, an egg wash with a touch of hot sauce then coated in panko crumbs and fried in a smidge of vegetable shortening took care of the fish. The oven did the trick on the fries - yukon gold potatoes sliced into chips and soaked for a half hour in water, then drained, dried and coated with cooking spray. Baked for 25 minutes in a 500 oven with a toss half way through, then dusted with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper and that was it!  You could call it dinner, but we'd call it delightful.

Moral of the story - who the heck needs a recipe when you've got an imagination.

A year ago - Smoked Salmon Pasta

Irish Potato Cakes aka Boxty

I don't know whatever possessed me to cook 5 huge russet potatoes on Thanksgiving day to make mashed. I mean 5 of them and there's only 2 of us? Was I crazy? Everything happens for a reason though because I've been meaning to make these Irish potato cakes for a long time but never seemed to have any leftover mashed potatoes hanging around. I love my taters!

These are not at all like the crisp, light and lacy potato latkes that we all know and love made from grated potato, flour or matzo meal and egg. Oh no, these are pancakes in every sense of the word. Created from mashed as well as grated potato, self rising flour and buttermilk, they're a heavy duty, stick to your ribs won't be hungry for a week kind of pancake and boy are they tasty.

I snitched the recipe from Mary at One Perfect BIte and as usual she can always be counted on to provide a recipe that she's tested and worked out all the kinks; however, saying all of that I think I need to practice making them a few more times. (Darn, ha,ha) Mine were on the heavy side and kind of doughy, likely due to the fact that I mixed 'em too much before cooking them and it could also be that I didn't cook them long enough, or maybe they're just supposed to be that way. Hit the link and head to Mary's site to read what she has to say about them and collect her recipe!

We had our boxty with Italian sausage of all things that I browned in a pan before adding sliced onion, green pepper, garlic, mini pearl tomatoes and a little tomato sauce then braised for 25 minutes. Nothing like mixing the Irish with Italian, but darned if those spicy sausage weren't the absolute bomb!

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German Potato Pancakes                       Mashed Potato Pie w Bacon

 

Ranch Potatoes

Here’s the scenario. You’ve a bunch of leftover boiled potatoes in your refrigerator and you’ve maxed out the desire for potato salad. (So I said it was a scenario, I didn’t say it could really happen).  You had home fries for breakfast yesterday and you’ll have to have ‘em again tomorrow unless you do something with those Yukon Golds taking up valuable refrigerator space.  Have I got a deal for you.

From Wall Drugs cookbook, this little number takes all of a minute to put together and after a mere 30 minutes in the oven, you’ll end up with the perfect potato to go with a grilled steak or just about anything for that matter.

Chunked up spuds, chopped  green onions, shredded cheese and purchased ranch dressing result in a side dish that’s bound to please everyone. Up the anti  by adding some chopped green chiles to the mix and you’ll have ‘em crying for more.  There's only one teeny tiny little issue -  what do I do with the leftovers?

Quick Ranch Potatoes (adapted from Wall Drugs Cookbook)

3 large boiled Red or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

1 bunch green onions, chopped

6 ounces chopped green chiles (optional)

1-1/2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

1 cup bottled Ranch dressing

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a gratin dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl combine potatoes, green onions, chiles if using, cheese and ranch dressing. Toss together well. Season with salt and pepper. Turn into casserole dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until slightly golden on top and bubbling. Serves 4 to 6.

A year ago - Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Coulda' Been Meatless Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

Last night's dinner could have been gluten free had I used corn tortillas instead of flour; it coulda' been meatless too had I left out the ground beef but for certain it couldn't have been any more delicious. I had every intention of making them in the manner in which Karina the Gluten Free Goddess intended, but I got the look when I divulged what was for dinner so I had to make a few modifications. That's OK because it wasn't a bad thing believe me, but please hit the link above to see Karina's official version.

Fashioned from cubes of cooked sweet potato, black beans, a mere 4 ounces of ground beef, a bunch of spices, and a lick of cheese, the truly wonderful thing about these autumny enchiladas is, excluding the tortillas, they're scratch made up to and including the sauce... and oh what a sauce it is!

I changed up Karina's recipe a tad and rather than making a chunky Salsa Verde, I dumped some of our home roasted Hatch chiles into a container, added stock, garlic, cumin and chili powder and whizzed it up with the immersion blender, then heated the gorgeous green liquid in the microwave before pouring it over the filled tortillas. The casserole hit the oven for 25 minutes and came out looking like this!

By the way, I made 5 enchiladas and kept the rest of the filling in a container for the Big Guy's lunch today. He'll be making soft tacos out of the same basic ingredients and enjoying every morsel I might add. Oh and one more thing - personally I think the enchiladas will be fabulous meatless as they were intended, but they'd also be a great way to use some leftover pork, chicken or turkey too, so feel free to substitute another meat for the beef.

Beef, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas (adapted from Karina’s Kitchen, Recipes from a Gluten free Goddess)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion finely chopped

4 ounces ground beef (or leftover pork, chicken or turkey)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder (I used spicy)

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 cups cooked diced sweet potato

1/2 cup chopped green chiles

1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 -1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided

8  6 inch flour tortillas  

Sauce:

1 cup roasted green chiles, skins and seeds removed (about 6 large)

1-1/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot

Place ingredients into blender and blend until smooth, adding more stock if necessary to make a smooth sauce with a fairly thick consistency. Set aside.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350.

In a large sauté pan heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and sauté until softened. Add ground beef and cook, crumbling with a fork until no longer pink. Add cumin, chili powder and cook for additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove beef/onion mixture to a bowl and add sweet potatoes, chiles, cilantro and black beans. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Lay tortillas flat on work surface and place approximately half a cup of filling along one edge. Top with some of the grated cheese. Roll tortilla into a cylinder and place seam side down into prepared casserole dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Casserole may be refrigerated at this point to be reheated later.

Heat sauce in microwave until bubbling. Pour over filled tortillas and top with remaining grated cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until enchiladas are hot and sauce is bubbling. Serve with sour cream and additional salsa if desired. – Serves 4 to 6. Download Beef, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

A year ago - Coq au Vin

Dilled Chicken and Potato Salad

If you're looking for something different to make with those cheap chicken tenders you find at the market, then have I got a deal for you.

Perfect for summer entertaining on a hot summer evening, last night's salad makes good use of the quick cooking little morsels along with lovely roasted fingerling potatoes. Joined by red pepper, sweet onion and capers, it's loaded with fresh dill and dressed in a Dijon mustard red wine vinaigrette. It would be wonderful with the addition of black olives or melon balls too, if you're so inclined. We had our salad on a bed of mixed greens and garnished with a perfectly ripe avocado.

Be sure not to leave out the capers because their pungent salty flavor really adds to the complexity of the flavors and if you're not a dill fan, substitute fresh basil instead. This is quite a hardy, filling, flavorful salad so along with some garlic bread, fresh fruit and a glass of cool wine, it makes for a perfect Monday night feast.

 

Dilled Chicken and Potato Salad (adapted from Gulf shore Delights, Junior League of Ft. Myers)

1 pound chicken tenders

1 pound mini potatoes (I used fingerling)

Salt and lemon pepper seasoning

Cooking spray

1 large red pepper, chopped

1/3 cup sweet onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained

Coarse ground black pepper

1 fresh avocado, sliced

Mixed greens

Preheat oven to 400. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Wash and dry mini potatoes and spread evenly on baking sheet. Spray potatoes lightly with cooking spray. Season chicken tenders well with salt and lemon pepper. Place on second baking sheet. Bake potatoes for 15 minutes or until soft when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and cool. Place chicken tenders under broiler and broil for additional 5 minutes to give them a little color. Remove from oven and cool. Slice chicken into large 1 inch pieces.

Combine cooled chicken and potatoes with red pepper, onion, dill and capers. Season with coarse ground black pepper. Cover and refrigerate until very cold. Just before serving add dressing and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as required. Serve on a bed of lettuce and garnish with fresh avocado slices. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Dressing:

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1-1/2 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup light olive oil

In food process, combine red wine vinegar, sugar, Dijon, salt and pepper. With motor running slowly drizzle olive oil and mix until all ingredients are emulsified. Refrigerate to blend flavors. Download Dilled Chicken and Potato Salad

A year ago - White Chocolate Caramel Pound Cake

Bacon and Blue Potato Salad

No turned up noses allowed until you hear me out, OK? The Big Guy brought back a cookbook from his recent travels to Tulsa, OK called "Taste of the Territory" and it's a goldmine of new and interesting recipes. You'll be seeing a lot of it over the next little while. I spotted one of the true gems yesterday and felt compelled to give it a JBug twist.

If you're anything like us, when you think of baked potatoes you automatically add sour cream and chives to the mix. This unique potato salad combines all that good stuff along with mellow blue cheese, crispy bacon, sweet onion, eggs and crunchy toasted almonds to take the ordinary into the realm of extraordinary. 

Served beside a perfectly grilled steak, this Bacon Blue Potato Salad was out of this world fabulous and may just end up on our list of all time favorite good eats. Next time you've potato salad on your menu, give this one a try. It's superlative with steak, would be fabulous with burgers and may just be the bomb with some Buffalo fried chicken.

Bacon and Blue Potato Salad (inspired by Taste of the Territory) 

1 pound mini potatoes, washed and dried

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 to 8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (amount varies depending on taste)

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

1/2 cup crumbled crisp bacon

3 hard boiled eggs, diced

1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste

Pepper as required

Preheat oven to 425. Toss potatoes with 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil and place in a heavy pan. Roast for 15 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove from oven and move to a large bowl. Immediately toss hot potatoes with remaining olive oil as well as white and red wine vinegars. Cool to room temperature. In a small bowl, combine blue cheese, sour cream, parsley, chives, and sweet onion. Fold dressing into cooled potatoes along with almonds, bacon and eggs. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend flavors. Serve cold.   Download Bacon and Blue Potato Salad

Creamy Roasted Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs

We had a glorious plate of leftovers recently with porchetta heated on the flat top until all crispy and caramelized ...mmm I can hear my sister Joy groaning with delight right now. Our porchetta was joined by a very simple but different and no doubt wonderful creamy potato salad.

We love potatoes around here - actually, maybe I should clarify that. I love potatoes - any kind, any shape, any how and many's the day I'd rather be singing a vegetarian's ode to the almighty spud and leave the carnivore ways to the other family member. Don't get me wrong though - there's no way I'd give up my share of that crispy pork. We have several "favorite" potato salads such as a warm version with an herby vinaigrette or our old standby with mustard, sweet relish and mayo but this one just might just kick 'em to the curb. It certainly made an instant impression on the resident meat lover and I know for a fact it had my attention when I was putting it together.

Made from little teeny tiny potatoes quick roasted for 18 minutes in a hot cast iron pan, cooled and joined by sweet onion, sundried tomatoes, chopped fresh parsley, basil and dressed in a dollop of mayo, these puffy little gems fairly explode into feathery lightness on the tongue and make the tastebuds sing with a punch of summery flavor.

I'd hazard to say this one's going to be showing up on our menu a lot over the next few months now that grilling season is upon us.

Creamy Roasted Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs (a JBug’s Kitchen original)

1 pound teeny tiny potatoes, washed and well dried and with skin left intact

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic roughly chopped (optional)

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

1/3 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Sea salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

Place 10 inch cast iron skillet into oven and heat oven to 400. In a medium bowl, coat well dried mini potatoes with vegetable oil. Add garlic and toss to combine. Move potatoes and garlic to the preheated cast iron skillet and roast for 18 minutes or until potatoes are just cooked. Remove to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Add sweet onion, sun dried tomatoes, parsley, basil, and mayonnaise to potatoes and toss to coat. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Cover and chill before serving. Makes 4 servings. Download Creamy Roasted Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs

Parmesan Cream Potatoes

I truly believe there are no originals. We all come from something ...kinda' like the chicken comes from an egg, or the egg from the chicken as in we're all products of our genes and surroundings. I suppose somebody's going to argue with the theory and good for them, but last night we had the absolute most perfectly wonderful unusual potatoes I've ever made and for sure I know they came from somewhere.

 Specicfically the "Wall Drug Cookbook, Second Edition" thanks to our great buddy, martini methodology guru and South Dakota native Larry E. Now these potatoes can be likened to a steak fry on steriods - lovely peeled Idaho baking potatoes, quartered and slathered in a mixture of sour cream, spices, and hot sauce and topped with freshly grated parmesan. Baked on a sheet pan for an hour they come out of the oven crispy on the outside, fluffy and gorgeous on the inside and incredibly flavorful.

We had our potatoes with the big guy's dry rubbed grilled pork side ribs (the indirect method) and we all know he's already famous for those. Oh dem ribs, dem ribs - they kinda' refute my theory of originality because they definitely ARE and he's not sharing. LOL As for the potatoes, try 'em real quick because I do believe I'm planning on becoming famous for them.

Parmesan Cream Potatoes (adapted from Wall Drugs Cookbook)

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1/4 cup melted butter

4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut lengthways in quarters

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and spray well with cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine sour cream, salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, mustard, hot sauce and butter. Add potato wedges to bowl and toss well to coat. (Use your hands…it is messy but easier than using a utensil). Place wedges on sheet pan, leaving some space between each one and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour until potato is tender and golden brown. Serves 8  Download Parmesan Cream Potatoes