Birthday Dinner: Course 2, Death by Butter Poached Potatoes

Upon celebrating another year of life, I have discovered my choice ‘death’: butter poached potatoes.   I have already notified the SPIKE TV show, 1000 Ways to Die, that I will pioneer drowning in butter.  My margarine-mongering compatriots always told me that rampant use of butter would clog my arteries.  Admittedly, most people’s heart would stop just looking at the recipe and reading: “three sticks of butter”.  Yet, you are not really eating three sticks of butter; you are eating potatoes that were boiled (i.e. poached) in it.  So, just as you do not drink all of the starchy water when you boil pasta, you won’t consume all the butter you used to poach potatoes.   

 

 I think of the poaching process like a potato spa.  The spuds soak in a gentle bubble bath of fragrant wine and shallots, while simultaneously being massaged with melted butter.  They emerge moist and tender, with delicately crinkled skin.  Because they are not greasy or dry on the inside, they lightly dissolve in your mouth like starchy snowflakes.  Butter poached potatoes offer infinitely more flavor than a bland baked potato, and are much more decadent than your fast-food French fries.  Pair with rare steak or lamb for an impressive dinner sprawl.  

We have made the dish several times.  Each time, we (and our guests) have been enraptured with the unique taste and texture, and pleasantly not weighed down by the heaviness that often accompanies potatoes.  Out of necessity, we used red wine this time, however I would stick to the white wine in the future.  Butter poached potatoes are perfect for a dinner party or date – probably a bit too much cooking for your grab-and-go dinner before work. 

Butter Poached Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, salted

1 shallot, diced

¼ cup dry white wine

2 T white wine vinegar  

2 stick butter, unsalted

1 bag of fingerling potatoes, sliced

Instructions:

1.       In large saucepot, melt 1 T of butter. 

2.       Add shallots; simmer for about 3-5 minutes.

3.       Deglaze shallots with white wine and wine vinegar.

4.       Whisk in butter, 1 T at a time, while continuously stirring. Keep butter very hot, but not boiling.  

5.       Add in potatoes, cover.  Keep eye on temperature so that butter does not separate while cooking.  Be careful not to burn the potatoes or the butter.

6.       Cook potatoes for 20-30 minutes, or until fork tender.

Cold Potato Salad

Earlier this week, our heat was shut off because our landlord did not pay the bill.  At 47 degrees inside the house, we don’t even bother taking off our coats or shoes.   Yesterday we opened the doors to heat the house – in January.  On this grey morning, I peddled through low-hanging clouds and a bitterly cold rain even my vintage rubber rain jacket could not shield me from entirely.   Still sopping wet, I made not hot chocolate or steamy soup, but a cold dill potato salad for lunch.  Potato salad seems an odd choice without any picnics, pitch-ins, or warm weather in the foreseeable future.  I blame my subconscious for trying to keep with this week’s theme of “cold”.  The irony made it taste more satisfying.

Some people have this general aversion to mayonnaise.  Reasons vary from health concerns to taste, but some will pass up any dish that has even a remote trace of mayonnaise.   But making a potato salad without any mayo seems blasphemous.  Limiting myself to only a tablespoon, I had to turn to milk and parmesan cheese to help me stretch the sauce.  Flavoring it with lemon, dill, oregano, and garlic gave it a fresher, light taste.  The recipe made just enough for a personal potato salad that lasted me two lunches.  It is well matched with sandwiches, burgers, or even just by itself.  Not a standard stick-to-your-sides winter meal, but it keeps you wishing for sunny days!

Potato Salad                                              

Ingredients:

1 large potato, diced

¼ red pepper, diced

2 medium stalks celery, sliced

2 hard boiled egg whites, chopped

1 T mayonnaise

2 T milk

¼ cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp dried dill weed

¼ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1.       In a saucepan, boil potatoes for about 10 minutes or until just fork tender.

2.       In another small saucepan, boil eggs for 8-10 minutes.

3.       In a small bowl, combine mayo, milk, cheese, lemon juice, dill weed, oregano, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to make sauce.

4.       Combine sauce with the rest of the ingredients.

5.       Chill for at least 2 hours.

Hot Sauce Potato Hash

Men are stereotypically called “meat and puh-tay-tuhs” types. Or at least that is what we call it back home. I would have to agree that such a hearty combination is still a man’s meal on a college campus. Most meals using this simple formula are well received by more than just men, I would argue. I loved the salty, spicy taste contrasted with the creaminess of cheese and sour cream. I am slightly tempted to call this “Baked Potato with The Works, featuring Eggs”. The descriptive title is spot on, but admittedly it does not roll off the tongue well.

A traditional winning breakfast combo: eggs, hash browns, bacon, cheese, with a twist. It’s made like a casserole. You might be skeptical, as you tend to like everything separate and dedicated to its specific place on the plate. This versatile dish will become a repeat guest in your kitchen for breakfast, lunch, or dinner – sure to please at all occasions. The potatoes, slightly undercooked, coupled with the crispy bacon crunched in your mouth and cheesy egg mixture gave it the fluff factor. You can leave out the hot sauce if you have tender taste buds, but the type I used greatly added to the full body flavor. At the table, I drizzled a bit of hot sauce, scooped a dollop of sour cream on top and sprinkled playfully with salt and pepper.

Although you might be starting to lament the waning days of summer, you can still enjoy this heated hash.

Hot Sauce Potato Hash

Ingredients:

1 large baking potato, shredded

½ onion, chopped

5 strips of bacon

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

4 eggs

¼ cup hot sauce

[I used Bufalo Picante: Salsa para botanas]

Salt and pepper

Sour cream, for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚ F.

2. In a skillet, fry bacon strips. Remove and crumble. Reserve about 1 T of the bacon grease for cooking onions.

3. Add chopped onions to hot bacon grease, cook until translucent – about 3 min.

4. With a cheese grater, shred the potato and cheese [if needed].

5. Beat eggs, hot sauce and salt and pepper. Add in cheese.

6. In a medium sized Corning Ware dish blend potato and egg mixture. Fold in crumbled bacon.

7. Bake in oven for about 45 min – 1 hr.

8. Add more hot sauce to your liking!

Leeky Faucet? No!! Potato Leek Soup

I’m on a roll this week! …well, maybe more of a potato.

After buying a 5 lb bag of potatoes this weekend against my will, complaining that they would all go rotten, I ended up with only 4 small ones left after two days. First, it was the enormous pot of Champ mashed potatoes and then another pot full of Potato Leek Soup. There is a high probability that I will use up the rest this week, but then again I am the one having real issues with statistics right now. Maybe I’ll just flip a coin…

Anyway, back to soup. Leeks add a complimentary flavor to this dish. Although some substitute green onions for the leeks, I would advise against it. Green onions have a bitter taste, while a leek has a mild onion and cucumber flavor – and mild is what this soup is all about. It’s a cream based, comfort soup that gets almost to the consistency of soupy mashed potatoes.

This time I did add a bit of dry white wine, which gave the soup a little tinge of flavor. Keep in mind this was low grade cooking wine, so the flavor was quite lacking. Don’t skimp on wine quality – you cook with wine you would like to drink. Substitute your favorite dry white wine for my cooking wine and you will be glad you did. Also, I used homemade chicken broth, which I would also highly recommend if you have it on hand. If not, go for a low sodium kind because you will be adding salt throughout to taste.

The soup takes some time, but will yield plenty of leftovers. It is a great lunch or addition to dinner [try with a chicken and/or mushrooms dish]. Also, to the side I would recommend toasting a few slices of French bread to help ensure that you get to enjoy every last drop.

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:

About 5 medium sized potatoes, cut into hunks

3 leeks, sliced about ¼ in thick

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1/3 cup dry white wine

4 T butter

¾ cup milk or cream

Instructions:

1. Boil chicken broth [if using homemade] for about 15 min in a large saucepan.

2. Add water, keep the liquids hot.

3. In a frying pan, add olive oil and leeks. Sauté those for about 7 min over medium heat. Add the garlic, cook for about 2 more min.

4. In another pot, boil potatoes for about 20 min until very soft.

5. Add leeks and potatoes to the liquids, bring to a simmer.

6. Add the wine.

7. Cook down the liquids until the soup has somewhat thickened.

8. Add butter; melt, continue simmering.

9. Add milk, simmer for a few more minutes.

10. CHOW DOWN. Add chives for more flavor!

Makes about 5 servings. NOMS: 9

Two Times Is Better Than One

Ah, the first day with enough time at dinner to bake a potato! It’s crazy what you come to value in college. Some steamed broccoli on the side. Mmm, it was going to be delicious. One little hot potato had begun to bake in the oven when I craved mashed potatoes; but I was already committed! What to do…

Well, it didn’t take long, and with the help of butter, cream and broccoli, I had an idea that would give me the best of both worlds. As soon as the potatoes had become soft, I took them out of the oven and scooped the insides into a bowl. Leaving the crisp outer skin on the baking sheet, I added butter and cream to the potato innards and made mashed potatoes! A little salt and pepper and some steamed broccoli blended into the mix made it even better. After I had whipped up peaks of thick, creamy goodness I stuffed the mix back into the skin, sprinkled a little cheddar cheese on the top and baked it again.

Sounds like a long process, right? Total time from putting the potato in the oven to eating it was about an hour and a half. But, my argument is that anything that’s good is worth the wait. This was one of those instances. It was just the right amount of crispy and creamy all in one. Enjoy this on a cold evening where you are in the middle of watching your favorite TV show. It spends a lot of time in the oven, yet that only means you aren’t required to be constantly working with it. Overall, it’s a great dinner.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 medium baking potato

2 T butter

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

½ c steamed broccoli

¼ c cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Slice potato lengthwise into two, baste the outside with butter. Poke holes throughout with a fork.

3. Bake in oven for about 1 hour.

4. Meanwhile, steam [or boil] broccoli until very tender – you need it to break down easily and mash into the potatoes later on.

5. Take out potatoes once fork tender. Spoon out the insides, place in medium size mixing bowl.

6. Add butter and cream. Blend with blender until fluffy and smooth.

7. Add in broccoli and blend until incorporated.

8. Spoon mashed potato mix back into the potato, top with cheese.

9. Bake for another 15 minutes.

10. Eat!

Makes one potato, but could be enough for 2. NOMS: 8.6