A Trio of Dinner Ideas

I am in a bit of a dry spell, both in cooking and writing blog posts. I have been making a lot of old standbys for dinner instead of trying new recipes. This is well and good for easy cooking, but it doesn’t give me much material for the blog. I thought I would highlight a few past posts just in case you also need new dinner ideas. I can’t be the only one who is looking for inspiration. I am hoping that looking back at what I have cooked in the past will give me inspiration for the future.

Citrus recipes are everywhere these days, which is fitting since it is the height of citrus season. We are lucky enough in our modern age to be able to get good citrus fruit year round, but it is truly best in the winter. I posted about citrus roasted chicken back in the summer, but the waning (I hope) days of winter are the perfect time to perk up your plate and palate with the bright flavors of oranges, lemons and limes.

If you are in the mood for something different, try spuds and salads. You can get as fancy as you like when topping your potatoes, or you can keep it simple with butter and a bit of cheese. The same goes for the salad – go all out with winter greens and vegetables, or stick with simplicity. You can whip up the salad and potato toppings in the time it takes for the potatoes to bake, leaving you ready to sit down in no time.

Or you can go the slow cooker route and try garlic pulled pork. Take a few minutes in the morning to throw everything in the pot and you will have tender, garlic-scented pork ready when evening rolls around. Pair it with simple sides, or pile it on buns and you are nine tenths of the way to eating dinner.

Where do you turn when you are out of inspiration in the kitchen? Recipe books, online, takeout menus or somewhere else?

Fondue Friday

There is a reason everyone who got married in the 60’s got a fondue pot for a wedding present – fondue is fun and relatively inexpensive entertainment – at least when you do it yourself. We figured out a few years ago that we like to have fondue more often than we can splurge on the restaurant version. Cheese fondue makes for a nice date night at home, or a fun family dinner when the cold winter winds are whistling past the windows and the same old dinner options seem ho hum. Sure, it’s a lot of cheese for one meal, but you aren’t going to do this very often, so celebrate the gooey cheesiness. And yes, there is wine in it. I figure that the kiddo gets about a quarter cup of wine, if that, in his serving.

For a while we had a fondue pot that used sterno cans to heat the pot. It was hit-or-miss at best – the sterno would either go out for lack of air, or it would burn merrily with that special sterno hiss and pop, getting the cheese too hot. I do have to say that the layer of browned cheese in the bottom was quite tasty, though. We never dared to try chocolate in it. Browned, toasty chocolate just isn’t the same as browned, toasty cheese.

We finally got around to buying an electric fondue pot and wonder why we waited so long. The interior is nonstick, which is really nice for cleanup, and we can control the heat to the nth degree. No more sterno fumes or frustrated sessions with matches and dying flames. And sadly, no more browned cheese on the bottom. It’s a trade-off I’m willing to make.

Cheese fondue has so few ingredients – they all need to be high quality. Make sure the wine is one you would actually drink, though you don’t have to go expensive to get good wine. And don’t even think of using American-style Swiss cheese in this. I get my Gruyere and Emmenthaler in the imported and specialty cheese section of my regular grocery store – no need for a trip to a specialty cheese store.

Get (or make) good bread that has some flavor and isn’t Wonder Bread soft. I like to make Middle Eastern flatbread and use that. The small loaves have a lot of crust, which helps you keep your bread cubes on the fondue fork – less fishing for lost bread in the cheese. Make the whole thing a party and get the family, or some friends, together to make the bread that you are going to dip. The flatbread comes together in little more than an hour, which you can count as entertainment for your party or family night.

We also dip apples, and sometimes potatoes. You could branch out into blanched broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, if you like. When we do potatoes, I buy waxy red potatoes since they are firm enough to stand up to the whole dipping process. Mealy white potatoes fall apart when you try to spear them with the fork.

Chocolate fondue will have to wait for another time. For now, get the cheese, bake or buy the bread, and start dipping.

Download or print the recipe here. 

Cheese Fondue
From The Cook’s Life
Serves 4 as a meal, 8 as an appetizer

If you don’t have a fondue pot, you can make this on the stove and serve it right out of the pot, or transfer to a crockpot set on high.

½ pound Jarlsburg, Emmenthaler or other strong Swiss cheese, shredded*
½ pound Gruyere cheese, shredded*
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
pinch nutmeg

*Don’t use Kraft, or other typical American-type Swiss cheese.

Dipping options:
1 medium loaf good quality French bread, cut into large cubes (or 2-4 loaves Middle Eastern flatbread)
2-3 apples, cut into large dice
1-2 large red potatoes, cooked and cut into large dice (see Note)

Note: For best results, boil potatoes whole and unpeeled until just tender when pierced with a fork. Cool slightly, then peel and dice. If you cook the potato too long and it won’t stay on the fondue forks, use a spoon to drizzle cheese over the potato pieces on individual plates.

In a bowl, toss cheeses with cornstarch and set aside. In a fondue pot (use the manufacturer’s recommendations for settings) or in a saucepan over medium heat, bring garlic, wine and lemon juice to a gentle simmer. Gradually stir the cheese into the wine. Melting the cheese gradually encourages a smooth fondue. Once smooth, sprinkle top with ground nutmeg.

Serve at once with dipping options of choice.

Any leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated, though the fondue won’t be as smooth. I have used the leftover mixture in scrambled eggs and they were fabulous.

Unfried Fries

I realized this week that I hadn’t done a potato post in a while. We have potatoes at least once a week and oven fries are one of our favorite ways to make them. We usually have them with hamburgers, oven-baked crispy fish (or any fish for that matter) or sandwiches.

Rich discovered a few years ago that if we cut the potatoes into cubes instead of regular French fry shapes, they get crispier in the oven and don’t break when you stir them. Feel free to make regular French fry shapes if you prefer.

The absolute key to getting crispy oven fries is not to crowd the pan. You want lots of space between the pieces of potato, no matter what shape you cut them. If you are doubling the recipe, use two pans or you will end up with a few crispy pieces and mostly soft, steamed potatoes. Trust me on this. I think I have finally learned that lesson, though I seem to forget on a regular basis when I am doubling the recipe. Do as I say, not as I do.

Oven Baked French Fries
from the Cook’s Life
Serves 4, doubles easily

Feel free to adjust the spices to your own tastes, even keeping them as simple as just salt. Use dried rosemary, garlic powder, salt and pepper for a nice variation. Don’t be tempted to substitute chopped garlic for the garlic powder – it burns. Any kind of potato works – red, russet, Yukon Gold…use what you have on hand.

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
Paprika
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Ground cayenne (optional)
4 large potatoes

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and lightly grease your largest baking sheet with olive oil. Don’t use cooking spray – it tends to leave a sticky residue on the pan at the high cooking temperature.

While the oven is heating, measure 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large bowl. Add several healthy shakes or pinches of paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add a dash or two of ground cayenne. You aren’t going for really hot here (unless you like that), just a little zing. Feel free to skip the cayenne. Stir the spices and oil and set aside.

Peel the potatoes, if you like, or scrub them well. Cut them into approximately 1-inch cubes, or into fairly uniform French fry shapes. Drop the pieces into the oil mixture as you cut them.

Gently stir the potatoes to coat them with the oil and spices.

Pour the potatoes onto the baking sheet, adding any oil that is in the bottom of the bowl.

Spread the potatoes into one layer, with as much space as possible between the pieces. Use two baking sheets if necessary.

Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. You might have to use a spatula to pry/scrape the potatoes up from the baking sheet when you stir them.

The fries are done with they are crispy, browned and slightly puffy.

Serve hot. These are best the day they are made, they lose their crispness as leftovers, though they are still tasty.

Download the recipe here.

Slice into Baked Potatoes

I know I just did a post on potatoes last week, but I like potatoes. I mean, really like potatoes. I could happily eat them every day. Not that I do, but I could. Rich prefers baked and Calvin prefers mashed. I like them any way I can get them, but I am always looking for variety.

The other day I wanted to bake potatoes while I was baking chicken, and I wanted something different than regular baked potatoes. So I made Sliced Baked Potatoes. I started making these a few years ago, when I got one of those packets of recipe cards in the mail. You know, the ones that want you to subscribe to the service that will send you so many recipe cards every month. I happily took the sample cards and recycled the offer. I don’t have the card anymore, don’t remember the actual recipe and don’t even remember what they were called. But, by any name, they are tasty.

Basically, you take several potatoes, one per serving, peel them if you like and slice them almost all the way through into thin slices. You have to leave enough uncut at the bottom for the whole thing to hold together. Unless you have knife skills extraordinaire, you are going to end up with some single slices. Not a problem. Just pile those in the middle of the pan and let them be crispy garnishes when you serve the meal. Or crispy treats for the cook.

You can see I cut some of the potatoes all the way through by mistake, and there is my pile of single slices in the middle.

Bake the potatoes, with a little olive oil drizzle, salt and pepper, until they are soft inside and golden brown and crispy outside.

Sliced Baked Potatoes with last week's Lemon Garlic Tilapia.

Sliced Baked Potatoes
from The Cook’s Life
Serves 4, easy to double

4 large baking potatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish or baking sheet. Peel the potatoes, if desired. Slice potatoes almost all the way through, into thin slices. Leave enough of the potato intact so the whole thing stays together. Pile any stray slices together in the middle of the dish so they don’t burn. Drizzle a little olive oil over each potato and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 60-90 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy, and cooked all the way through. Check any single slices about halfway through the cooking time and remove them if they are starting to burn.

Download the recipe here.

Everything is better with butter

I usually cook enough to make leftovers, whether for lunches the next day, or to repurpose the leftovers into other dishes. Or because I misjudge how much we are going to eat, which happens more often that I would like. When I have leftover potatoes, for whatever reason, I like to make today’s recipe. Calvin calls them Slip and Slides, because they taste like they have enough butter to slide right down. They are deceptively rich, as you really only need a tablespoon of butter to make them good. You can use two tablespoons, if you have enough potatoes, but too much and they are unpleasantly greasy. Sometimes, hard as it is to believe, there is such a thing as too much butter.

Start with cooked potatoes. This is the best way to get crispy, browned potatoes without using a lot of fat, or taking all evening to cook them all the way through. If you don’t have leftover potatoes, you can microwave whole potatoes for five minutes or so to get them started. You don’t have to cook them until they are all the way done, but they should be close. Peel and dice them into small pieces and they are ready for the pan.

Waiting, waiting...wait to stir to get the best browning.

Then cook them in melted butter until they are crispy and browned. I like to use a cast iron skillet for this. I think it makes them crispier without burning them, but any heavy-bottomed skillet will do. It will take longer than you think, but it will go faster if you resist the urge to stir them too much. Let them go for at least five minutes, and more if you can stand it, before you stir them the first time. You are going for golden brown surfaces on all sides of your cubes, but you aren’t going for perfection here.

Almost browned enough to serve, just a few more minutes to golden brown deliciousness.

Slip and Slide Potatoes
from The Cook’s Life
serves 3-4

1-2 tablespoons butter
3-4 medium baked potatoes (I use leftover potatoes for this)*
Salt
Pepper

Start a skillet heating over medium heat and add the butter. While the pan is heating, peel and dice the potatoes, cutting them into about ½-inch cubes. You don’t have to be precise. Swirl the pan to cover the bottom with the melted butter and add the potatoes. Spread them out so they are in a single layer and then walk away. Leave them absolutely alone for five minutes before you start to stir. You are working toward a golden brown coating on the bottoms of the pieces. After at least five minutes, use a spatula to turn the potatoes. Try to turn them all the way over so the tops of the pieces will brown. After another five minutes, stir them around, gently and let them brown some more. If they are starting to get too brown, lower the heat. Remember, you aren’t going for constant stirring. Let the heat do the work.

Serve your golden brown, crispy potatoes hot, with salt and pepper to taste.

*If you don’t have leftover potatoes, scrub the potatoes, prick them with a fork and microwave on high for five minutes, or until they are starting to get soft. They don’t have to be all the way cooked, but it is fine if they are. Let them cool a bit for easy handling.

Download the recipe here.