Baked potato skins mac and cheese

October 19, 2013February 7, 2016 Belinda

Utterly decadent, rich and satisfying for the whole family. All it needs is a green salad.
This comes from a fellow food blogger called “A Spicy Perspective”

Serves 8

24 oz baby potatoes
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 lb elbow macaroni
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup sour cream
1 1/3 lbs shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
10 oz cream cheese, divided
12 oz bacon, fried and crumbled, divided
1 cup chopped green onions, divided
Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil.
Salt and pepper liberally and shake the pan a little to coat them with oil. Roast for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Then set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in a large pot of salted water, according to the package instructions.
Drain and set aside in a colander.

Using the same pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook the roux (butter-flour) for 1 minutes.
Then whisk in the milk and add the sour cream and 8 oz cream cheese. Bring to a simmer and whisk until the mixture is thick and smooth

Add 1lb shredded cheddar and whisk until smooth. Then add a dash or two of cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the cooked macaroni, 2/3 crumbled bacon and 2/3 cup green onions into the cheese sauce. Stir to coat.

Pour the macaroni into a deep 9 by 13 inch baking dish and set aside.

For the potato skins recipe;
Preheat the oven to broil. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. carefully scoop out most of the flesh, leaving just a little potato attached to the skin. Reserve the crumbled potato flesh.

Brush the potato skins with oil. With the remaining 2 oz of cream cheese, place a scant 1/2 tsp dollop of cream cheese in each potato skin.

Sprinkle the crumbled potato over the mac and cheese then arrange the potato skins over the top.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 lb shredded cheese over the potato skins and add pepper to taste.

For creamy mac and cheese; place the dish in the oven under the broiler for 2 to3 minutes, watch carefully though. You want the cheese to melt and the tops to toast, but not burn

For a more traditional firm dish; turn the oven to 400 F and bake for 20 mins until the tops are golden.

Once out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining green onions and bacon over the top and serve warm.

Sweet potatoes with start anise, ginger and lime

October 19, 2013January 7, 2017 Belinda

This is from a fellow blogger and is divine with the star anise permeating the sweet potato and the lime juice and zest cutting through the sweetness of the potatoes.

Serves 2, but is easily doubled, trebled or ……

1lb sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1 star anise
1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1 lime, juice and grated zest
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 F

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss.
Arrange the potatoes and all the juices in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast for 10 minutes, then shake or flip the potatoes over.
Continue roasting for 10 minutes or however long it takes to become tender and slightly browned.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

There’s a nice depth of flavor that comes from roasting all of the ingredients together, but those who really love ginger and lime might enjoy this variation.
Instead of adding the ginger, lime zest and juice to the olive oil mixture, toss them with the potatoes AFTER roasting for a hotter and zestier flavor

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Potato, squash and goat cheese gratin

October 15, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

Serve 6, but can easily be doubled or trebled

2 (1/2 lb) medium yellow squash
4 medium red potatoes, about 1 lb
3 tbsp olive oil
5 oz goat cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup whole milk or cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp thinly sliced basil or thyme leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 F. lightly grease a 1 1/2 to 2 qt baking dish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife,, slice the squash and potatoes into very, very thin slices, 1/8 inch or less.
Toss the sliced vegetables with 3 tbsp olive oil in a large bowl.
Place 1/3 of the squash and potato slices in the bottom of the dish – no need to layer them squash-potato-squash, just evenly – then season with salt and pepper.
Top with half of the goat cheese, scattered evenly in large chunks.
Repeat with another 1/3 of the vegetables, seasoning again with salt and pepper and topping with the other 1/2 of the goat cheese.
Finish by layering on the final 1/3 of the vegetables and seasoning with salt and pepper.
Pour the milk or cream over the entire dish. Top with the parmesan cheese.
Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until the top browns.
Scatter on the fresh basil, if using and serve

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Baked, stuffed potatoes with leeks, cheddar and Boursin cheese

October 13, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

These are delicious and I usually treble this recipe at least, and freeze them individually.

Serves 4

4 large baking potatoes
4 leeks, white and pale green part only
6 to 8 oz mature cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (not pre-grated)
1 Boursin cheese, the one called “ail & fines herbes” at room temp. See picture, if you don’t know the cheese.
4 tbsp cream
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
4 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 F

Wash the potatoes and put them straight onto the top oven rack for 45 minutes to 1 hour until they are soft in the middle. Test with a skewer.
Remove from the oven and set aside until they are a little cooler.
When cool enough to handle, cut the baked potatoes in half lengthways protecting your hands with a towel, and scoop out the centers, leaving a little to line the potato so it still keeps it’s shape.
Put the potato into a large bowl and add the cream, Boursin, chives, parsley, salt and pepper. Mash the potato until as smooth as possible, then add 4 oz of the grated cheddar cheese, scallions and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Meanwhile to prepare the leeks, trim the ends then cut them lengthwise down the middle. Cut across widthwise in 1/4 inch slices. Put into a colander and wash thoroughly to get rid of any grit. Drain.
Put 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil into a frying pan and over medium heat add the chopped leeks and garlic. Stir, coating with the butter and oil and saute until softened. Watch they don’t burn.
When soft, tip them into the bowl with the other ingredients and mix well.

Stuff the empty potato shells with the mixture, topping with a little salt and pepper and grated cheese. Put the potato halves onto a shallow baking tray and bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the oven until hot and bubbling and enjoy.

Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Poultry · Whole30 compliant

Tender and crisp whole chicken legs with sweet tomatoes, garlic and basil

September 20, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is a simple, family friendly Jamie Oliver recipe that ALL the family will love, especially if you serve it with really good ciabatta bread that you can dunk in the gorgeous juices.

This takes minutes to put together as you just chuck everything in a pan without any pre-cooking then it needs looooong, slooooooow gentle cooking.
What happens in the pan is well worth the wait as the skin gets super crisp (my favorite part) and the meat gets sticky and tender and falls off the bone. The tomatoes are slow roasted and create a terrific broth and you just squish the garlic out of it’s skin with a fork and it’s incredibly sweet.

Serves 4

4 or 5 large whole organic chicken legs
salt and ground black pepper
a really big bunch fresh basil, leaves picked and stalks finely chopped. (I buy a large plastic container of basil from Trader Joes.)
2 or 3 big handfuls of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved and ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
2 whole large heads of garlic, broken up into cloves. (Try and choose heads with large cloves)
olive oil

Play with the recipe, it’s incredibly forgiving. My favorites to add are olives and Chorizo.

* Optional additions
Fresh chopped chili or dried red chili flakes
1 good handful of pitted Kalamata olives
2 handfuls baby potatoes.
1 drained can of cannellini beans
1 whole mild or spicy Spanish chorizo, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch slices.

Preheat the oven to 350 F
Season the whole chicken legs all over really well, (even more than you are comfortable doing) and put them into a snug-fitting shallow-ish heavy pan in one layer.
Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks, then chuck in your tomatoes.
Scatter the unpeeled garlic cloves (chopped chorizo, potatoes, beans and Kalamata olives, if using) into the pan and drizzle over some olive oil.
Mix around a bit with your hands, pushing the tomatoes (etc) underneath the chicken.
Place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, turning the tomato mixture halfway through, until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone.

* You can serve with the unpeeled garlic cloves, just tell your guests to squish the cloves with their knife or fork so the sweet, tender garlic oozes out.

Meat

Baked Italian sausages with potatoes and rosemary

September 20, 2013February 7, 2016 Belinda

Easy, satisfying and warming. You can also add some bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh to this recipe.

Serves 4

6 Italian sausages
1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and sliced thick
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 large rosemary stalks
6 unpeeled cloves garlic
sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 thick slices Ciabatta bread
3 fl oz olive oil
1 handful Italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 F
Slice the sausages into 1 inch pieces and place in the roasting pan.
Add the potato slices, paprika, rosemary, garlic cloves, sea salt and pepper
Tear the ciabatta into bite sized pieces and add to the roasting tray
Drizzle the oil over everything, season well and gently toss to combine
Place in the oven and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the sausages and bread are golden brown.
Top with the chopped Italian parsley and serve with a green salad

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegetable-related

Tomato and potato gratin

March 18, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

Simple, rustic and delicious!

Serves 2 as a main course and 4 as a side

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 cups thinly sliced onions, (about 1&1/2 lbs)
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, divided
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1&1/4 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled if you want
1/2 cup heavy cream
2&1/4 lbs ripe tomatoes
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded basil
4 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and ground pepper

Heat a large saute pan or Dutch oven over high heat for 2 minutes
Add 3 tbsp olive oil, then the onions, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Cook for 6 minutes, stirring often then turn down the heat to medium.
Add the butter and cook for 15 minutes, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon until the onions start to caramelize. Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook the onions for another 10 mins or so, stirring often until the onions are a deep caramel color. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Use a mandolin to slice the potatoes into 1/8 inch rounds. Toss them with the cream, 1tsp thyme, 1 tsp salt and ground pepper.
Cut the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices and arrange on a plate and season them with salt and pepper.

Place half the caramelized onions evenly on the bottom of a 9 x 9 inch gratin or baking dish.
Arrange one layer of potatoes on top of the onion layer and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese and half the garlic.

Arrange a layer of tomatoes on top of this, then sprinkle 1/2 of the basil, 1/2 tsp thyme, salt and pepper, and drizzle 1 tbsp cream from the potatoes

Scatter the rest of the caramelized onions over this mixture, arrange another layer of potatoes, then top with 1/2 of the remaining cheese and remaining garlic.

Arrange another layer of tomatoes (attractively) over the potatoes. Pour remaining cream from the potatoes over the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, remaining thyme and basil.

Press the vegetables down with your fingers. The cream should come up through the layers and coat the vegetables evenly.
Sprinkle with any remaining cheese.

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for about 2 hours or until the potatoes are tender when pierced.

Remove the dish from the oven, uncover it, turn the oven up to 450 F and put it back in for about 25 to 30 minutes more until the juices have thickened and the tope is browned and bubbly

Gluten Free · Poultry · Whole30 compliant

Foolproof slow roast chicken

January 12, 2013January 7, 2017 Belinda

“So what’s so special about this recipe?” you may be saying. Well, the chicken is very slowly roasted with wine, stock, potatoes and garlic heads in the bottom of the pan for the long duration of cooking. Stunningly flavorful and moist. Just try it

Serves 4

3 – 4lb chicken
butter, for greasing
2lbs roasting potatoes, peeled and halved or quartered, if large (Yukon Golds are great for this)
2 whole heads of garlic, halved through the middle
4 fl oz white wine
4 fl oz chicken stock
2 large stems fresh rosemary, broken into sprigs
6 bay leaves
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Heat the oven to 275 F . Brush a large roasting pan all over with butter and smear some over the skin of the chicken.

Place the chicken in the tin and arrange the potatoes around it. Put the halved garlic heads in the tin, pour over the white wine and stock, then cover with foil and place in the oven.
Cook for 1 hour then remove the foil and give the potatoes a shake.
Add the herbs and lemon wedges, then cook uncovered for 50 minutes.

Turn the heat up to 425 F. Cook for 30 minutes more, then remove the chicken and potatoes from the pan.
Cover the chicken loosely with foil and leave to rest on a plate for at least 10 minutes before carving.
Keep the potatoes warm.
Serve with any pan juices.