Boulangère Potatoes

I am always looking for new ways to cook potatoes. I found this Boulangère Potatoes while flipping through The Food of France Cookbook and decided to give it a try because I had all the ingredients required for this recipe in my pantry.

I have not heard of or eaten Boulangère Potatoes before and I was curious how it would turn out. It's interesting because the potatoes are half cooked / baked in the stock. It soaks up all the flavour from the stock and is later baked to a crispy golden brown finish. It's a very good side dish to serve with roast and I can tell you that this recipe is a keeper!

Boulangère Potatoes Recipe (Serves 6)

(Adapted from The Food of France Cookbook)

Boulangère Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes
• 1 large onion
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 500 ml hot chicken or vegetable stocks
• 25 g butter, cubed

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).
2. Thinly slice the potatoes and onion with a mandolin or sharp knife. Build up alternate layers of potato and onion in a 20 x 10 cm deep dish, sprinkling parsley, salt and plenty of black pepper between each layer. Finish with a layer of potato. Pour the stock over the top and dot with butter.
3. Bake, covered with foil, on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and lightly press down on the potatoes to keep them submerged in the stock. Bake for another 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the top golden brown. Serve piping hot.

Indian Matar Paneer (Paneer Cheese with Green Peas)

Paneer is a firm Indian Cheese, made by curdling hot milk with lemon juice or vinegar, then straining through muslin, rinsing off in water and pressing into rectangular blocks. It has the unusual properties of being suitable for frying and it does not melt when cooked, but stays in soft, neat little chunks.

Matar Panner is one of my favourite Indian vegetarian dish. I cook it very often and sometimes I replace the peas with spinach. It's not a difficult recipe and do try out this wonderful exotic vegetarian dish.

Indian Matar Paneer (Paneer Cheese with Green Peas)

Indian Matar Paneer (Paneer Cheese with Green Peas) Recipe (Serves 4)

(Adapted from Rick Stein's Coast to Coast)

Ingredients

• 275 - 350 g (10 - 12 oz) Paneer
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 1/2 cm (1") piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 medium-hot green chillies, seeded and chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
• 350 g (12 oz) fresh or frozen peas, 900 g (2 lb) in the pod
• 1 small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper
• Rice or naan bread, to serve

Method

1. Cut the paneer into 2 1/2 cm (1-inch) pieces.
2. Heat half of the oil in a large shallow pan, add the paneer and fry gently until lightly golden on all sides. Lift onto a plate and set aside.
3. Add the rest of the oil and the onion, garlic, ginger, chillies, cumin seeds, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper to the pan and fry gently until the onion is soft but not browned.
4. Add the tomatoes, peas, 3/4 tsp salt and 2 tbsp of water and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the paneer and cook gently for another 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the coriander and sprinkle with a little black pepper to garnish. Serve with rice or some warm naan bread.

Potato Soufflés

I made these potato Soufflés to accompany the Poulet Roti - Frech Style Roast Chicken with Herb Butter from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. They are very easy, quick to make and versatile enough to suit any main meal.

Potato Soufflés Recipe (Serves 4)

(Recipe adapted from Donna Hay Magazine Aug/Sep 2008 issue)

Ingredients

• Melted butter, for brushing
• 1 kg sebago (starchy) potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 100 g butter
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 60 g butter, extra
• 1/4 cup (35 g) plan (all-purpose) flour
• 1 cup (250 ml) milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup (80 g) finely grated Parmesan
• 5 egg whites

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C (390F). Brush 4 x 1 1/4 cup-capacity (310 ml) ovenproof dishes with melted butter and set aside.
2. Place the potato in a saucepan of cold salted water over high heat. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Darin and return to the pan.
3. Roughly mash the potato, add the butter, salt and pepper and mash until smooth. Set aside.
4. Melt the extra butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until mixture is a sandy texture.
5. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes or until thick.
6. Place in a bowl with the mashed potato, egg yolks and Parmesan and mix to combine.
7. Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Fold through the potato mixture.
8. Spoon into the buttered dishes and place on a baking tray.
9. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until puffed and golden.
10. Serve immediately.

Asparagus Cappuccino

Asparagus Cappuccino - a frothy fantasy of asparagus soup. A winter warmer made from summery ingredients. Fancy a cuppa?

Asparagus Cappuccino Recipe (Serves 8)

(Adapted from ABC Delicious: Let's do Lunch)

Ingredients

• 25 g unsalted butter
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 1 baby fennel bulb, chopped
• 1 medium potato, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped tarragon
• 375ml chicken stock
• 350 g (about 12 spears) asparagus, woody ends trimmed, chopped
• 300 ml thick cream.

Method

1. Heat the butter and oil; fry the onion, celery and fennel for 1 minute.
2. Add the potato, tarragon and stock and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add the asparagus and cook for a further 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
4. Set aside to cool slightly then place in a blender and process until smooth.
5. Season well with salt and pepper and add the cream.
6. Just before serving reheat the soup gently, and you can blend with an electric hand blender to forth the soup. Pour into serving cups.

Roasted Dutch Carrots with Honey and Garlic

Dutch carrots measure about 5-8cm long, they are sold in bunches with the leaves still attached. With a slightly sweeter flavour than other carrots, delicate Dutch carrots look fantastic as a side dish and are extremely tender.

Dutch carrots are extremely versatile. They can be eaten raw or roasted, steamed, microwaved, boiled or even juiced.

But why Dutch?

In the 16th century, Dutch carrot growers invented the orange carrot in honor of the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal Family. They did this by cross breeding pale yellow carrots with red carrots.

Picture credits to Orange Journey

Newly orange, carrots traveled England with Dutch travelers during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The carrot soon caught on in England as both a food and a fashion accessory. Ladies would often use carrot tops to decorate their hats.

The settlers at Jamestown in 1607 introduced carrots to North America.

Source: Perfection Fresh and Eat This.

Roasted Dutch Carrots with Honey and Garlic Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 bunches Dutch carrots (1 kg)
• 1/8 cup (30 ml) olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C.
2. Trim carrot tops, leaving 2 cm of the stems intact. Wash carrots well.
3. Place carrots in medium baking dish with combined oil, garlic and honey; toss well. Roast, uncovered, 15 minutes.
4. Add thyme leaves, roast further 3 minutes or until tender.

Accordion Hasselback Potatoes

Named after the Stockholm restaurant that first introduced them in the 1700s, "Hasselback Potatoes", adopted as "Accordion Potatoes" by other European cuisines, provide an elegant alternative to baked potatoes.

I reckon the name "Accordion Potatoes" is better - more descriptive and free of any reminders of David Hasselhoff.

When properly made, the potato should have opened like the folds of an accordion into a fan shape.

This looks like a very fancy side dish, but is actually easy to do. Definitely a unique way to serve potatoes.

This Accordion Potato Recipe is a truly rustic side. Cut thinly like fans, these potatoes will crisp up but still have soft interiors. White or waxy potatoes keep their shape when roasted.

Let's hear what Nigella Lawson has said about Accordion / Hasselback Potatoes:

"I think of these Swedish roast potatoes as being rather like sauteed potatoes on the stem: each one is cut into think slices across almost right through, but not quite, and then roasted in buttery oil; as they cook, the potatoes fan out, like slightly fleshy crisps with their bottoms still attached. Traditionally, maincrop potatoes are used, but I love these made with new potatoes, too; in which case, Charlotte or Ratte, which are waxy-fleshed and taperingly oval in shape, are best. If you are using maincrop potatoes, avoid those huge floury monsters; moderately proportioned Cara potatoes, or similar, would be just fine for the job. The advantage of using new potatoes is that they take less time to cook, but the disadvantage is that they take longer to prepare. Finely slicing a lot of little potatoes is a much more fiddly exercise. But whatever size of potato you're using, the important thing is not to cut the whole way through. I find the easiest way of doing this is by putting the potato in a bowl of a wooden spoon while I slice it; the outer edges of the spoon - if you understand what I mean - prevent you being able to get your knife right through to the bottom of the potato which is cradled in it, so you couldn't botch the job even if you wanted to. The potato has to fit in the spoon for this to work, so use a larger one for maincrop potatoes, small one for new potatoes. It's as simple as that. If you want to peel the potatoes, do, but I find it isn't necessary. And if I buy those shinny, pebbly supermarket ones, I don't even scrub them."

Accordion / Hasselback Potatoes

(Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer)

Ingredients

• 18 medium oval-shaped potatoes, about 125 g each, or 36 new potatoes, approx 60 g each (I used Kipfler Potatoes)
• 45 g butter
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• salt

Method

1. If you are using the larger potatoes, preheat the oven to 210C; for roasting new potatoes, preheat to 200C.
2. Put each potato, in turn, in the bowl of a wooden spoon, like you would carry an egg in an egg-and spoon race, and cut across at about 3mm intervals.
3. When you've cut them all, put the baking tin on the hob with the butter and oil and heat up till sizzling.
4. Turn the potatoes well, putting them in upside down (ie, cut side down) first, then the right side up, and spoon the fat over them.
5. Sprinkle each potato well with salt and put in the oven: cook the large potatoes for about an hour and 10 minutes, testing to see whether the flesh is soft (you may need another 10 minutes for this); 40 minutes should be fine for the new potatoes.
6. Transfer to a warmed plate, and serve.

Parisian Potatoes (Pommes Parisienne)

Parisian potatoes is one of the most elegant and simple ways to prepare potatoes.

I have always loved Pommes ParisiennesI have had them countless times in Europe and I have found a recipe that is so good that I now can cook them at home!

It's called Pommes Parisienne because the potatoes are cut into small balls using a Parisienne scoop (1" diameter).

Sometimes, I can't be bothered with scooping small balls from large potatoesInstead, I use new baby potatoes and they turn out equally well.

Parisian Potatoes (Pommes Parisienne) Recipe

(Adapted from SBS Food)

Ingredients

• 9 Desiree potatoes
• 3 small shallots
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
• 1 tbsp parsley - finely chopped
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Peel the potatoes.
2. Using a Parisienne scoop (or melon baller), scoop out balls of potato, approximately 1.5cm in diameter.
3. Place the potato balls in a pot and cover with cold water.
4. Bring to the boil and then drain, and add the shallots.
5. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and add potato balls, shaking the pan occasionally to ensure they are cooked evenly.
6. Once cooked, drain, then return to the pan, adding butter, thyme, parsley and salt

Steamed Shiitake Mushrooms with Broccoli

This is a very simple Chinese dish that I often cook for my family. It's healthy, delicious and so easy to make. Pair it with steamed rice, it makes a perfect quick dinner for the family.

Steamed Shiitake Mushrooms with Broccoli Recipe

Ingredients

• 300 g broccoli, cut into florets
• 20 fresh shiitake mushrooms
• Sauce:
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp cornflour
• pepper to taste

Method

1. Arrange broccoli and shiitake mushrooms in a steaming plate.
2. To make the sauce: Mix all ingredients. Pour on top of the broccoli and mushrooms in the steaming plate.
3. Steam for 10 minutes or until vegetables are cooked.