Roasted Sweet Potato Hashbrowns

In a recent staff meeting our icebreaker question was "What is your favorite time of the day?" My answer was breakfast.  While breakfast isn't the same time every day, I am definitely a morning person and a breakfast person.  During the week it is usually something quick like a scrambled egg quesadilla, an easy omelette, or avocado toast.  The weekend are a great time to get just a little more elaborate in breakfast and to use up the week's leftovers.  I had no intention of writing this recipe or blog post until I realized I had too much diced sweet potato for a recipe I made earlier in the week.  I put some of it in a container for the weekend and took stock of some of my other leftovers: half a jar of roasted red peppers, some fresh thyme, and half an onion.  You can certainly replicate this recipe and intentionally purchase these ingredients, but try to be creative with the vegetables and herbs you have in your refrigerator at the end of the week!

This recipe basically just implements the principles of roasting that I wrote about a few months ago.  I like roasting hashbrowns because it require no active cooking time so you can scramble up some eggs, have a cup of coffee, and read the paper while it cooks away.  I had about one diced sweet potato which is enough to share with someone else, but you'll need more than that for brunch guests.

Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray to keep the potatoes from sticking (I use olive oil in a Misto aerator).  Put the diced sweet potato, roasted red pepper, and onion on the sheet pan with one clove of crushed garlic.  Season with salt, pepper, and quarter teaspoon each of ground sage, coriander, and cayenne pepper.  Place a few sprigs of thyme on top and coat with olive oil, tossing to combine.  Place on the bottom rack of a 450 degree oven and set a time for ten minutes.  After ten minutes toss the hashbrowns and  cook for an additional ten minutes.  The high heat and the bottom rack will make sure the hashbrowns are crispy and delicious.  When they are done cooking remove the thyme stems (most of the leaves should have fallen off), toss with a little bit more salt, and serve.

Roasted Sweet Potato Hashbrowns

Ingredients

• 1 diced sweet potato
• 1/4 cup diced roasted red peppers
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 5-7 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp. ground sage
• 1/4 tsp. coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp. olive pol

Instructions

1. Preheat over to 450 degrees
2. Dice potatoes, red peppers, onion, or other vegetables
3. Place vegetables on a greased sheet pan and season with herbs and spices.  Add olive oil and toss to combine
4. Roast on the bottom rack of the over for ten minutes, toss vegetables, and cook for an additional ten minutes

Quick Dinner: Farro, Arugula, and Grilled Fennel Salad

I am not in the least it ashamed to admit that I devoured this salad in heaping, sloppy, arugula-falling-out-of-my-mouth gulps.  The only change I would make is doubling the recipe so I could have more leftovers (this yields about two servings).  This all started with a delicious, but unsatisfying salad recipe I tried in the fall semester.  It was arugula, orange segments, thinly sliced red onion, and shaved raw fennel. The flavor was incredible, but even copious amounts left me still feeling hungry.  This salad takes those delicious salad elements and makes them something much more satisfying.  All of that plus it's done in about thirty minutes and is a great protein packed meal to make when "just a few more emails" becomes two extra hours in the office.

Start by cooking the farro.  Farro is a grain that is both delicious and super high in protein, which is part of the reason it doesn't leave you feeling hungry.  I use Trader Joe's Ten-Minute Farro because it cooks in fifteen minutes.  I don't understand the name either.  Bring one cup of farro and two cups of broth or salted water to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the water is mostly absorbed.

While the farro is cooking make the dressing.  I like to make dressing in a mason jar because it is easy to seal and shake up instead of having to wash a whisk and you can store leftover dressing in it.  Squeeze half of an orange into the mason jar and add 1/4 cup of chives, one crushed garlic clove, a tablespoon of dijon mustard, half a cup of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Seal the jar and shake it vigorously until the dressing is completely combined.  Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Finely dice about a quarter of a large red onion and slice half a head of fennel.  Heat your grill or grill pan to high.  The goal is to have a short and quick cooking time for the fennel so it is nicely charred and caramelized, but not cooked through entirely.  If you don't have a grill pan cook the fennel quickly under the broiler in your oven.  Coat the grill in olive oil and season the fennel with salt and pepper before grilling until nicely charred, about four minutes.

When the farro is done (it should be al dente - softened, but with some bite) drain and additional liquid and put in a bowl.  Add about half of the dressing and stir to combine.  Place in the refrigerator to cool slightly - the farro should not be so hot that it wilts the arugula.  While the farro cools (about ten minutes) chop the grilled fennel into half-inch cubes.  When the farro has cooled add the red onion, fennel, and two or three handfulls of arugula (about two cups).  Add a little bit more dressing to coat the vegetables and toss to combine.

Farro, Arugula, and Grilled Fennel Salad

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1/4 cup of orange juice (about half an orange)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 1 tb. dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

For the Salad

• 1 cup of farro, uncooked
• 2 cups of broth, or water
• 2 cups arugula
• 1/2 bulb of fennel
• 1/4 large red onion

Instructions

1. Bring 1 cup of farro and 2 cups of water to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes
2. While fennel cooks combine all dressing ingredients and whisk together (or shake vigorously in a mason jar)
3. Slice fennel and finely dice red onion
4. Heat an oiled grill pan and season fennel with salt and pepper.  Grill fennel until charred, but not cooked through, about four minutes
5. Chop fennel into 1/2 inch cubes
6. Combine cooked farro with half of dressing and cool for 10 minutes in the refrigerator 
7. When farro has cooled add arugula,  fennel, and red onion with a few more tablespoons of dressing and toss to combine.

Foundations Series: Traditional Gravy

Since the idea for this series first came about I knew that sauces were going to be on the list.  I was unsure what kind of sauce would be first, but with Thanksgiving next week a traditional gravy came right to the top of the list.  Gravy, like salad dressing, is one of those things I refuse to buy from the store.  You probably already have all the ingredients to make gravy in your home already and making it homemade means you're cutting out all of the preservatives and extra sodium that you don't need.  Besides that the taste of homemade gravy will outshine the canned any day!  The other great thing about gravy is that you can cook it in the time your meat needs to rest, and cutting into it before it rests is the real reason your turkey is dry.

Making gravy is not complicated, but it should be done with care.  The gravy I'm making here is the most basic gravy, and I will discuss variations along the way.  In it's purest form gravy is roux + stock and drippings.  I will offer that your gravy can be enhanced by bookending those two components with additional flavor.

In this case we will start by sautéing half of a very finely diced onion over medium-low heat until the begin to turn golden with some thyme, which is both my favorite herb and an excellent compliment to poultry like your Thanksgiving turkey.  Variations: chopped mushrooms are a wonderful addition to gravy (especially beef) celery and carrot (in extreme moderation) could also be added to the onions in this stage.

Once the onions start to become golden we will build a the roux.  A roux is a thickening agent made from equal parts fat and flour.  In this case we will use two tablespoons of butter (one of which is already in the pan with the onions, the second you will add now) and two tablespoons of flour.  Sprinkle the flour in one tablespoon at a time while you whisk.  You can use fat from the meat you've roasted instead of butter for a truly delicious roux as well.  Vigorously whisk the roux and cook it until it begins to take a golden color - be very careful not to let the roux burn.

Slowly add two cups of (warm, but not boiling) stock and drippings to the pan - whisking constantly and maybe taking a bad photo of it.  Whisk constantly until the mixture comes to a low boil and reduce to a simmer while gravy thickens.  Stir periodically as it simmers.  You can use whatever stock accompanies your meat.  Chicken stock will work perfectly fine with turkey, though you can sometimes find turkey stock this time of year.  I would also argue that a well made vegetable broth will heighten the flavor of a gravy.  I particularly like the organic vegetable broth from Trader Joe's because it has a wonderful leek flavor.  To use pan drippings simple drain the roasting pan into a clear, heat-proof container and wait for the fat to rise to the top.  Skim off the fat and combine drippings with stock.

At this point you have a fully fledged gravy, but you can take the opportunity to add some additional flavor to the gravy.  A tablespoon of alcohol (brandy, cognac, sherry, white wine, etc.) would be a lovely addition, likewise a tablespoon of cream.  Fresh herbs like parsley can also come into play here.  In researching this post I discovered that a chopped hard boiled egg is a popular (Southern?) addition to gravy, and while I can't say I'm planning on trying this I can see where they're coming from.  In beef gravy I'm partial to sour cream and dijon mustard stirred in at this point.  This would also be the time to add cooked and finely chopped giblets - a contentious ingredient to be sure.  I'm a fan of giblets because even though they look gross and are stuffed in a bird cavity they are full of flavor and are actually super vitamin rich.  To cook, cover them in water and boil away.  Pull the neck meat from the bone and chop everything finely to add to gravy.  

Special thanks to Pattie for answering the frantic GroupMe message and lending me her gravy boat.  May you all enjoy this gravy with those you care about this Thanksgiving!

Traditional Gravy

Ingredients

• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• 2 1/2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 cups chicken (or appropriate meat) stock

Instructions

1. Finely dice half of a yellow onion
2. Sautee onion in 1.5 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat
3. When onion begins to brown add 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
4. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, allow to melt and sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of flour, whisking vigorously
5. When roux has begun to color, add 2 cups of warm chicken stock, and whisk continuously until mixture comes to a low boil
6. Reduce to a simmer, season with black pepper, and add any additional flavor components.

Foundations Series: Roasting Part I

I'm excited to be kicking off my Foundations Series with a technique that I use almost weekly - roasting!  This edition will focus on roasting vegetables and Part II will be about roasting a chicken.  I used asparagus as an example, but potatoes would be a classic application of this technique.  I also love to roast squash, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and fennel.  Roasting is a great way to add flavor to your vegetables because they become brown, carmelized  and full of flavor.  And as our friend Anne Burrell would remind us - brown food is tasty food.

The method is quite simple.  Crank your oven up to 450 degrees while you prep the vegetables.  All of the vegetables should be approximately the same size.  Asparagus can remain whole, but vegetables like mushrooms and potatoes should be halved, quartered, or largely chopped to be about the same size.  When roasting potatoes I particularly enjoy using new or fingerling potatoes since they are already small and have a deliciously tender skin.  For most things I like a larger size for roasting, but I will sometimes roast a small dice of sweet potatoes for a lovely sweet potato hash brown.

Let's discuss seasoning for a moment.  At the most basic level roasting necessitates olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I like to use a flakey sea salt for the flavor of larger crystals when I roast, but plain table salt will work just fine.  Other seasoning can work too.  I like to add cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon to sweet potatoes.  Garlic and herbs are often appropriate for potatoes and mushrooms.  Woody herbs like thyme are rosemary are fine to roast in the oven but more delicate herbs like basil should be tossed with the hot vegetables after roasting.  Lemon zest is also a great ingredient to toss in after roasting - especially with asparagus.  

Once consideration for seasoning have been made toss the vegetable with seasoning, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Take care to coat the the vegetables with olive oil, but don't put too much on.  You want the pan to be dry enough get a good brown on the vegetables.  Put the foil lined pan of vegetables on the bottom rack of the oven so it is closest to the heating element and cook for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through for even browning. (Asparagus might take closer to 20 minutes - keep an eye on them!)

Fried Artichoke Salad and Summer Internship Reflection

I just got back from a wonderful summer in St. Louis working with the First Year Center at Washington University in St. Louis.  I loved being at Wash. U. and in St. Louis for the summer and wanted to share this recipe for a great salad I had at Katie's Pizza.

Now it's pretty rare for me to get excited about a salad and I generally don't view salad as the main part of a meal, but this salad is really wonderful and substantial enough to be a complete meal.  Take the time to roast the asparagus ahead of time, preferable to use in another meal during the week.  I always seem to have a few leftover asparagus and this is the perfect place to use them.  Look for thin asparagus for this application and save thicker asparagus for stir fries and purees.

Lightly dredge halved artichoke hearts in the seasoned flour and fry to a golden brown in oil.  I used canned artichoke hearts, but you could also use fresh or frozen.  While the artichokes fry arrange greens (I used a spring mix), asparagus, crumbles of goat cheese, and pistachios.  Top the salad with fried artichokes and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  You could make a real dressing by whisking it all together, but I was feeling artistic/lazy and just drizzled the dressing over the salad and it was just fine.

Fried Artichoke Salad

Ingredients (per salad)

• 2 artichoke hearts, halved
• flour
• 4-5 spears of roasted asparagus
• 2 cups of mixed greens
• 1 oz. goat cheese
• 2 tbsp. pistachios
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

1. Lightly dredge halved artichokes in flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2. Fry artichokes to a golden brown in oil
3. While artichokes fry, add salad greens, asparagus, pistachios and goat cheese to bowl
4. When artichokes are golden brown transfer them to a paper towel lined plate and allow them to drain before transferring to the salad
5. Drizzle salad with oil and vinegar and serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Fries

I've talked about it before, but I really love sweet potatoes.  They're so rich in nutrients, and now that I've got over the sugar shock of their Thanksgiving preparation sweet potatoes make frequent appearances on my table.  I love baking these fries with a lot of seasoning combinations, but this blend of cumin, paprika, and cinnamon is one of my favorites.

You have to take a couple of steps to make these fries crispy.  The first is cutting them fairly thinly.  More surface area means more crispiness.  I like to look for longer, less squat sweet potatoes when I make fries.  Make sure you're using a sharp knife for this - cutting into a raw sweet potato can be difficult and a blunt knife can make it dangerous.  I like to skin the sweet potatoes before cutting them, but that's a personal preference.  Scrub them very well if you decide not to skin them.

Once you've sliced the potatoes submerge them in a bowl of cold water for at least an hour. This helps to remove some of the starch, which is another way to make them crispy.  When you remove them from the water rise them off to remove the any additional starch and pat them completely dry.  Lay them on a foil lined sheet pan, and make sure the potatoes have enough room to be spread in a single layer.  Use two pans if necessary.

Bake the fries at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes on the lowest rack of the oven.  Flip them halfway through the cooking time to ensure maximum crisp.

If you have any leftovers let them cool completely before you store them so they don't get soggy, and reheat them in the oven.

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

• 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Slice sweet potatoes in half and slice lengthwise into fries
3. Soak potatoes in water for at least 1 hour
4. Drain and rinse potatoes and dry them completely
5. Place potatoes on a foil lined sheet pan and coat with oil, spices, and salt and pepper
6. Bake potatoes for 20-30 minutes, and flip halfway through cooking time