Thanks for people’s comments on my previous post, both the ones posted on-site, and the ones emailed to me. It’s always interesting and helpful to hear the perspectives of others, especially when it comes to something so clearly…questionable.

Today, I’ll stay on the safe side and write about a great meal Soli threw together on a whim about a week back. We had picked up a Portuguese chicken a few nights before, and foolishly ordered a family-size pack of fries to go with it. Now, their fries are amazing, and I am an avid French-fry-addict, but even given these two truths, there was no way we would ever be able to finish these behemoth bag of fries. After a few nights of them sitting in our fridge, Soli decided to use them in a frittata.

I’ve got to start eating frittatas more often! They’re one of those dishes I always forget about, but shouldn’t, because they are so easy to prepare and pretty much anything in the fridge can be tossed in there with great results. This one was a concoction of lardons, a whole pack of frozen spinach and greens, a chopped onion, a sliced zucchini, a can of corn, a few handfuls of our spicy Portuguese fries, a whole lot of eggs, and some shredded cheese, all baked up in a cast iron pan and served alongside some ketchup and hot sauce. Simple, quick, delicious, and the perfect way to use up food that’s just sitting in the fridge.

There’s no real recipe here, just play it by ear. First, we thawed the frozen spinach and greens, and squeezed out all the excess water. Heat your French fries briefly up in the oven at around 400 degrees F. Next, chop an onion! We heated some butter and olive oil in a cast iron pan, and added some bacon that had been cut into cubes, then added the chopped onion. Next, we added a sliced zucchini and the can of corn niblets. Throw in the thawed greens, and heat. While it’s heating, beat together 10 eggs and add the shredded cheese. Add the French fries, and pour the egg and cheese mixture over everything. Pop it in the over at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until the eggs are firm and are puffing up. Cut into triangles and serve with salad or lots of ketchup and hot sauce!

As promised, a seasonally-appropriate dish! When I saw the recipe for a vegetable cobbler on Ezra Pound Cake’s site, I knew I had to make it. I loved its simplicity, as well as the great amount of vegetables in it. What a great vegetarian dish; it’s certainly hearty, and packed with flavour. It’s especially wonderful because you can add pretty much any vegetable you have sitting in your fridge, as well as any spice you tend to like. Versatile, healthy, cheap and comforting – does food get much better than this?

I really loved this. My biscuits were a bit tough, but once they soak up all that vegetable gravy, they were perfect. I liked the tang of the yogurt in them, and the fresh thyme over the top added a lot. This also makes a lot of food, and served us well for at least two lunches each and one dinner. It’s the ideal winter comfort food and makes for a filling main course or a good choice for a side dish.

Hearty Vegetable Cobbler
adapted from Ezra Pound Cake (original from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)
Printable Recipe

Feel free to substitute the vegetables in the recipe for your favorites – the recipe below lists the veggies I used, but really, any veggie you can chop up can easily find its place in this dish. sliced celery, cut-up asparagus spears, diced red bell pepper, diced butternut squash, cut-up green beans, etc.

VEGETABLE FILLING
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or butter)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onions
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons dried savory (or thyme)
1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (I like my stuff with a bit of heat!)
4 to 5 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash (or sweet potatoes)
2 cups chopped potatoes
2 cups peeled and chopped carrots (or parsnips)
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (the original also includes 1 cup of frozen peas, but I hate those things)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of hot sauce (optional, but I added it)

BISCUIT TOPPING
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or any herb you have on hand)

VEGETABLE FILLING
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 X 13-inch baking dish.

2. Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the onions and garlic, cover, and cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the salt, savory, crushed red pepper flakes, mushrooms and mustard. Cook until the mushrooms start to release their juices, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the squash, white potato, carrot, celery, black pepper and stock, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender.

5. Stir the dissolved cornstarch mixture into the simmering vegetables, stirring constantly. When the liquid starts to thicken, mix in the corn, soy sauce and salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed (I had to add more salt and pepper then called for). Add dash of hot sauce.

6. Pour the vegetables into the prepared baking dish, and set aside.

BISCUIT TOPPING

1. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter and buttermilk or yogurt. Combine the wet and dry ingredients with as few strokes as possible to make a soft dough (I think I overstirred, or didn’t have quite enough liquid…my biscuits were a little tough)

2. Drop the biscuit batter over the vegetables in the dish in six equal mounds. Sprinkle the thyme over the dough.

9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of a biscuit comes out clean. Serve immediately.

When I saw this dish on Smitten Kitchen, it spoke to me. I love things like this – oven-baked, soul-comforting gratins are among my favourite foods. Especially if they include sweet potatoes!

I made this to bring to our Christmas Eve dinner, and I was extremely happy with how it turned out. I swapped the swiss chard in the original for spinach and used more Swiss cheese than Gruyere. I kept everything else the same as the original.

Everything went together really well. I loved the onions and spinach filling, the thick slabs of sweet potato and the rich, creamy béchamel. The veggies weren’t overly wet at all and absorbed the béchamel sauce well. The sweet potatoes ended up being the right texture, and the spinach tasted amazing alongside the potatoes. I loved the Swiss/Gruyere cheese mixture -the dish wasn’t overly cheesy, so you could still taste all the separate parts of the gratin.

It is a bit time-consuming to prepare, and uses a fair number of dishes. It’s well worth it in the end though! You’re left with a comforting sweet potato dish that can feed an army, and feed them well!

Spinach and Sweet Potato Gratin
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 pounds frozen spinach, thawed and liquid pressed out
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups heavy cream or whole milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 pounds medium red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces shredded Grueyere cheese
3 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

1. Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a wide 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add spinach, pinch of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then transfer greens to a colander to drain well and press out liquid with back of a large spoon.

2. Combine cream or milk and garlic in small saucepan; bring to simmer; keep warm. Melt two tablespoons butter in a medium heavy saucepan over moderate heat and stir in flour. Cook roux, whisking, one minute, then slowly whisk in warm cream/milk and boil, whisking, one minute. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter deep 9×13 baking dish. Spread half of sweet potatoes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a quarter of the herbs and a 1/4 cup of the cheese. Distribute half of the greens mixture over the cheese, then sprinkle salt, pepper, a quarter of the herbs and 1/4 cup of the cheese over it. Pour half of bechamel sauce over the first two layers then continue with the remaining sweet potatoes, more salt, pepper, herbs and cheese and then the remaining greens, salt, pepper and herbs. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the gratin, pressing the vegetables slightly to ensure that they are as submerged as possible. Sprinkle with the last 1/4 cup of cheese.

4. Bake gratin for about 1 hour until golden and bubbly, and most of the liquid is absorbed. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

If you like this, you might also like:

Crepes Terrine with Spinach, Mushroom, and Smoked Turkey
Asparagus and Mushroom Bread Pudding
Butternut Squash and Pecan Lasagne

I love french fries and I love sweet potatoes. Common sense says I would of course love sweet potato french fries, and I really do.

These were thrown together at the last minute, and were wonderfully satisfying. I spiced them up to make them even more delicious (sweet potatoes are completely delicious without anything, so of course adding a spice or two would make them more interesting. A drizzle of vegetable oil and a spice concoction of paprika, Mexican chili, cumin and some salt played nicely with the sweetness of the potato. While they didn’t crisp up the way white potatoes tend to do, it was okay – I’ve always preferred softer fries.

Baked in the oven with just a bit of oil, these are a very healthy alternative to french fries. I loved this spicy combination!

Spicy Sweet Potato French Fries

3 – 4 sweet potatoes
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp Mexican chilies
Vegetable oil
Salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Slice the sweet potatoes into french fry size. Toss them in a few tablespoons of vegetable oil or olive oil.

3. Combine spices (you can use any spice blend you like, and in any amount you like – it’s all to taste!), and add to the bowl of potatoes. Toss until they were evenly coated with oil and spices.

4. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. Flip the fries and bake for another 10-12 minutes. Turn on the oven’s broiler, and broil the fries for about 8 minutes.

Sigh… the marvels of flesh, and thusly protein. I lived a vegetarian from the ages of 18 – 28. I was in San Fran summer of 2003 and met my first pork rib – ever. I was raised not eating pork – never. Needless to say, my pork-free-vivre-veg-libre body did not quite understand what had happened.

Like a culinary pork-bomb fell… didn’t sleep or eat for 2 days.

Anyhow, that to say I now take meat very very seriously, so that when I’m being good or bad, I know it. Organic free range best-you-can-get for the money type of thing and sometimes foie gras

En tout cas…

…can’t cook if you’re hungry, so one fresh East Coast oyster each… and let’s get started…

I found (1 week, 7 visits, and 5 phone calls) a 3.5 lbs piece of organic Alberta filet – the tops. We were only 3 diners, so I trimmed it down to something gorgeous and generous. I removed the silver skin and anything that might be chewy.

Oyster to keep us going… and some scallop sashimi…

Now, grab a pot, one as narrow as possible, but still large enough to hold the whole filet. Place your trimmed filet inside and make a note of the highest point. Remove the filet and replace with olive oil, just covering the noted high point.

In another pot, any size, but – you are going to heat the measured oil in this pot (to 80C) and then pour it over the filet, which will later be place back in the narrow pot, so find something that’s easy to handle. Again, 80C! Note: Narrow = Less Oil = Less $$$ and waste.

Oyster to keep us going… and some scallop sashimi…

Heat a cast iron skillet to YEAH! and sear the whole filet to your liking. Go nuts because this is your only chance to add color (I was a bit too fragile and thought it lacked some color; would’ve liked to see a small fire in pan instead – inexperience to blame).

Heat the oil to 80C. Not sure if it’s me (I don’t often heat 1.5 liters of olive oil to a low number) but it shot past – and that’s not good. I added colder oil and brought the temp down, but Oil = $$$, so

Once there, pour over the now narrowly nestle meat and wait 15 minutes, rest, and slice. That’s it. Nuts. I got the “recipe” by hearing the words “lamb poached in duck fat”. Really? No. Way.

I also prepared a mushroom duxelle to top the acorn squash and new potato mash.

Oyster to keep us going… and some scallop sashimi…

Cast iron still hot? Good. Sear one perfect U-10 scallop per person. Pick you poison for flavor, but I used fresh cracked black pepper and Cloés Vanilla Butter. The butter is… butter, so it works well with the scallops, only trouble is I can’t lick the fry pan after the scallop leaves behind its buttery wet spot (?)

Oyster to keep us going… and some extra seared scallop…

Foie Gras. No. Do not discuss. My first and possibly last time buying it (at home and maybe anywhere). $6 and 50 grams.

Score. Sear. Serve.

Lastly, oyster to keep see us off, open the truffles. Slice. Serve.
Slice more; fry in butter; serve. Serve truffle kissed butter… no wet
spot left behind (?)

Red wine. Done.

Acorn and New Potato Mash
1 acorn squash
1 lbs new potatoes
1 tsp olive oil
4 tbs butter
cream
salt and pepper

Boil water and cook peeled and diced potatoes until tender. Half the squash, clean it, rub it with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 370F for 30 minutes. Combine roasted peeled squash and potatoes, cream and butter, salt and pepper to taste. Mash!

Mushroom Duxelle
2 lbs mushrooms (your choice)
2 tbs butter
salt
½ cup wine or 2 ounces of vodka (both of which you should be enjoying already)

Heat skillet; add very clean, finely chopped mushrooms, salt, and butter. Give it 10 -15 with some good heat behind it. Add a good splash of wine and move it around until it reduces.

Poutine, a Quebec staple… well, maybe not a staple, but it seems like it in this house. I love poutine, but not the stuff you can get in restaurants (at least rarely). Resto poutines are so often too fatty and too salty, not exactly a bad thing, but I might only eat it once a year. Solution? Make me own.

I treat poutine like pizza, a fresh and flavorful dish and oozing with herbs and veggies – and cheese please! Three kinds in fact!

Preheat you over to 350 – 400F. Wrap a bulb of garlic in foil and stick it in. Wait – 30 minutes minimum.

Fries (serves 4 – but I had to serve 6, so i was short some potatoes)
1 – 2 pounds fingerling or other potatoes (these have a great texture)
2 tablespoon oil (your choice, but be careful about smoke point; I use veg)
salt and pepper to taste

Cut up the potatoes the size you like. I like them thin, because thin means crispy, and crispy means not ending up with a pasty potato cake. Some like “the cake”, but I like it when the fries can hold there own against the ludicrous amount of moisture that is soon to be gently bubbling on the stove.

To fully commit to this crispy approach, I heavily salt the raw fries and let the sodium draw moisture from the root for half an hour or so, while resting in a colander. Rinse them well before tossing them in a large bowl that contains the oil, salt, and pepper. You want to coat them in oil and then let them “self-fry” on a baking sheet in a the hot oven. I’ve left them in as long as an hour plus, but really, try 35 -45 minutes then watch closely.

Veggie Roast
1/2 pound zucchini
1 pound asparagus
1 green pepper
1 1/2 pound mushrooms (mix it up, if you can)

So cut it all up, as you like… remember, pizza. Lay everything out on a baking sheet and salt lightly. Throw into your over and roast for 10 – 15. Because the fries and garlic are in there pulling heat, this time will vary. Again, use your eyes. Your looking to soften the veggies and pull some moisture. When you think there are done, lay them on a tea towel – yup, pull more moisture. I use the same technique for pizza to keep the dough/crust from getting soggy.

Sauce and Cheese
1 um, can or package, poutine sauce (blush, but whatever – no MSG please)
1 bulb roasted garlic
3/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 – 1 pound cheese curds
1/2 pound cheese 2 (Blue Gouda)
1/2 pound cheese 3 (something soft and stinky that i can remember – Taleggio?)

Follow the directions on the package and leave me alone. I don’t have fats here that often. Besides, who has the time. I promise to get around this and find a more natural path to brown saucy heaven – so keep checking back. Take your now roasted garlic, and using the back of your sexy chef knife, press out all the caramelized goodness and throw in the sauce with the oregano. Stir, stir, stir.

Everything should be ready at the same time; sauce; veg; fries. Plate the fries, then the veg, then half the cheese. Go back to your sauce, and five minutes before you bless your plate with this oozy, seemingly thixotropic godsend, throw in the rest of cheese and walk away; 5 minutes. It’s gonna melt… sooooo gooood!

Add the sauce and have seat.

I had never heard of pommes anna until I came across Steamy Kitchen and its recipe for pommes anna with cinnamon and coriander. For some reason, this combination of flavours spoke to me – baked potato slices layered with cinnamon, salt, butter and coriander? Then bake them all crispy in a cast iron pan? Top with fresh parsley? Yummers!

I made some changes to the recipe, and probably made it a little less “light” by adding more butter than was called for. I don’t have a mandolin, so I sliced them – probably not as thin as I should have, as there were definitely potatoes that didn’t crisp up as nicely as others. I didn’t flip the potatoes out of the pan, but just tossed them, then continued to put them back in the oven for more baking time.

Even though my pommes anna weren’t true to their name in ever way, and more like just a potato side dish, that doesn’t mean they aren’t completely great. The crunch of some of the potatoes, combined with the softer texture of some of the others, along with the sweet heat of cinnamon with the salt, and the coriander, makes this dish really interesting and flavourful. The fresh parsley on top seems really important, as it adds a nice crunch and a hint of bitterness. Next time, I may throw some chili flakes or cayenne pepper in the mix.

Potatoes Anna with Cinnamon and Coriander
adapted from Steamy Kitchen

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coriander (I used fresh coriander, and sprinkled about one tablespoon of it in each layer)
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (I used about 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used about 1/4 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Combine salt, pepper, cinnamon and coriander. (I combined just the salt, pepper and cinnamon)

3. Melt 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch cast-iron or ovenproof heavy skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat.

4. Arrange a single layer of potato slices, slightly overlapping, in a circular pattern in the pan; sprinkle with 1/4 of the salt and spice mixture. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of the melted butter over potatoes. (And here’s where I sprinkled the chopped coriander. And drizzled more butter.)

5. Repeat layers 5 times, ending with butter. Press firmly to pack. Cover and bake 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until potatoes are golden. You can serve the potatoes in the skillet or loosen edges with a spatula and turn over onto a plate. Sprinkle with parsley.

(I tossed the potatoes after baking them for the full time, and popped in the oven for a fast 5-minute broil)

Soli quickly pan-fried some fiddleheads, and they made an awesome contribution to the pommes anna.