Cook Like a Rock Star (39 page)

3
Bring the pan to medium-high heat. When a lovely brown crust has formed, shoot the pan in the oven for 20 minutes.

4
Remove the pan from the oven, place a lid on the top, and tip the pan to drain off any excess oil. This is an EXTREMELY important step—when you take the cake out of the pan to serve it, you don’t want hot oil to pour out and burn you—YIKES! After the excess oil has completely drained off, flip the pan over so the cake is turned out onto the underside of the lid. Carefully slide the cake off the lid and back into the pan so the beautiful brown side is on top.

5
Return the uncovered pan to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until the cake is fork-tender. Cut into wedges and serve.

Now
that’s
a hot potato!

Sweet Potato & Apple Hash

SERVES: 4 TO 6 • TIME: ABOUT 45 MINUTES

I’m a fan of anything called hash. When I was a kid my parents would make fried eggs for breakfast and bust out a can of corned beef hash—it was a huge treat. Now I jump at anything that reminds me of hash. In this recipe I mix together sweet potatoes, apple, onion, and, of course, a bit of bacon for my own take on hash—a bit sweeter and certainly healthier than anything from a can!

MISE EN PLACE

Extra virgin olive oil

4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into
lardons

1 onion, cut in ½-inch dice

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Kosher salt

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

¼ cup maple syrup

1½ cups
chicken stock

1 bunch of scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

½ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds),
toasted

1
Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil, add the bacon, and bring to medium heat.

2
When the bacon starts to get crispy and brown, 5 to 6 minutes, add the onion, rosemary, and red pepper. Season with salt and sauté the onions until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes.

3
Add the sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and chicken stock. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft but not mushy. Remove the lid and let the liquid reduce by about half.

4
Add the scallion whites and apples and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the apples are soft.

5
Stir in the scallion greens and pepitas, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Let’s hash it out!

SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 45 MINUTES

I love me a mashed potato. Add a few cloves of garlic into the mix and you have lovely garlic mashers! Or for something really special, I substitute celery root for some of the potatoes.

Celery root is my mother’s favorite vegetable, but in our little town in upstate New York it’s not always easy to find. One year for Christmas I got a huge bag of celery root and put it under the tree for her. She says it was the best Christmas present she ever got! If you haven’t tried celery root before, you’re missing out—it’s a big, craggy, knobby thing, it smells like celery, is slightly sweet, and has a wonderfully starchy texture kind of like a potato.

MISE EN PLACE

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, quartered

4 cloves garlic

Kosher salt

1 cup heavy cream

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 8 pieces

Substitute 1 pound of peeled, chopped celery root for half of the potatoes and skip the garlic. Start with the celery root and boil it for 6 to 7 minutes in well-salted water, then toss in the potatoes. Proceed with the recipe.

1
Place the potatoes and garlic in a large pot, cover them with 1 to 2 inches of water, and season generously with salt. TASTE IT! (If the water is underseasoned at this point, you will have bland mashers—and that’s just sad.) Bring the pot to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS). Cook the potatoes until fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

2
Drain the potatoes and garlic and pass them through a food mill or ricer while they’re still hot. DO NOT use a food processor or blender for this step or you’ll end up with sticky, gluey mashed potatoes.

3
While you mash the potatoes, put the cream in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil (BTB). Once the cream reaches a boil, remove from the heat.

4
While the potatoes are still hot add a third of the cream and a third of the butter and stir vigorously. Repeat this process twice more until all of the cream and butter is incorporated. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Serve immediately or cover with foil and keep warm in an oven at low heat.

Mmmmm-ashers!

SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 45 MINUTES

Roasted potatoes can be snore city. But when you do them well, they’re simple, totally rustic, and super-delicious. Fingerlings are perfect for roasting because they’re small and creamy, but a mix of red bliss and white new potatoes cut into bite-size pieces works well too. Don’t be afraid to use lots of olive oil, salt, and herbs here—and roast these lovelies until they’re brown, brown, brown. Remember, brown food tastes GOOD!

MISE EN PLACE

2 pounds small fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise

4 cloves garlic, cut into quarters lengthwise

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped

6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

Pinch of crushed red pepper

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

1
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2
In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the garlic, rosemary, sage, red pepper, and olive oil; season well with salt. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet.

3
Roast the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, give them a stir, and continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes or until tender on the inside and brown and crispy on the outside. Taste and season again with salt if needed.

Give me the finger-ling!

Crispy Crunchy Duck Fat Potatoes