Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Bubble and Squeak: Fried Cabbage, Potatoes, and Corned Beef

Anybody who has ever made Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patricks Day, has probably made Bubble and Squeak without really knowing it. Basically it's leftover corned beef mixed with leftover cabbage and potatoes. In our family, not only do we always have a corned beef in the freezer, we also always have canned corned beef in the pantry. And quite frequently leftover potatoes. So when life is busy, opening up a can of corned beef and making Bubble and Squeak will probably be a regular occurrence. Yes, I'm sure that using a fresh corned beef instead of canned would have made this taste even better, but time constraints and lack of planning (read remembering to take the dang corned beef out of the freezer) made me very glad for the canned stuff.

This recipe came from The Ploughman's Lunch and the Miser's Feast. It was a familiar dish to start my British Food fest for the Olympics. The name for the dish supposedly comes from the sound and appearance of the ingredients when they are put in a hot skillet. I have never heard food squeak when putting it in a hot pan. If it ever does, I'm probably not going to eat it.

This made a nice comforting dish as it was quick to make even though I made it from scratch since I didn't have leftover potatoes.

 

BUBBLE AND SQUEAK: Fried Cabbage, Potatoes and Corned Beef
(from The Ploughman's Lunch and the Miser's Feast)

4 quarts water, to cook the cabbage and potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to your taste, plus 1 tablespoon if cooking cabbage and potatoes
2 cups chopped potatoes, cooked or fresh
2 cups chopped cabbage, cooked or fresh
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups chopped cooked boiled or corned beef
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. If your potatoes and cabbage are not already cooked, bring the water and 1 tablespoon of the salt to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon, reserving the water and set aside. Repeat with the cabbage, but simmer it for only 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef and cook it, stirring occasionally, until the edges begin to brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the boiled cabbage and potato and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown too, about 20 minutes more.

4. Taste for salt. If the beef was salty enough, you won't need it; otherwise, add 1/2 teaspoon or to taste. Add the pepper and stir. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE from author: If you leave out the corned beef, you'll have Colcannon, a classic Irish vegetable side dish.

NOTE: Mr. L and I have actually made Colcannon before, it's actually very good.

NOTE: We didn't have any leftovers so we followed the directions to cook the potatoes and cabbage from scratch. I used Yukon Gold potatoes.

NOTE: I used just one can of canned corned beef (for those not aware of this product, you can find them near canned corned beef hash and they sell them in bulk packages at Costco). Canned corned beef doesn't crisp up like fresh corned beef will and seems moister, read fattier, than the fresh kind. Canned corned beef is one of those shelf stable cooked meat "emergency" products we tend to have on hand in our pantry.

NOTE: Quite frankly, I think amounts listed here are rough estimates. If you have leftovers, just throw them all in the pan, doesn't matter if you have more potatoes than usual or more cabbage etc.

Since we eat corned beef year round, Bubble and Squeak will be showing up at our table on a regular basis.

 

Baked Mashed Potatoes With Bacon And Cheddar (or Twice Baked Potato Casserole)

So when I first came across this recipe on Pinterest, it was the name that got me. Twice Baked Potato Casserole. Yummy. Visions of baking potatoes (skin and all) and then making it into some sort of casserole (skin and all) were my thoughts. It wasn't until I looked closer at the instructions that I realized there was no 'twice' baking. You boiled the potatoes and then baked them. Dang. That meant having to peel potatoes. Searching the interwebs I found that this is actually a Martha Stewart recipe called Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Cheddar. But that title didn't do the recipe justice either as it then gets lumped into regular mashed potato recipes (no pun intended with that lumped comment). So, I've renamed this Baked Mashed Potatoes. You can call it whatever you want. Cuz you will call it. Because it's potatoes and cheese and bacon. Which all work in my book.

One of the changes that the other recipes made to Marthas was leaving out the grated onion which I did. Not that I don't like onions, I just got lazy and didn't feel like grating them. Or maybe I just completely forgot to add them. Your choice.

BAKED MASHED POTATOES WITH BACON AND CHEDDAR
(Martha Stewart Living November Holiday 2002)

5 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
8 ounces bacon (about 10 slices)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sour cream
1 small onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater, juice reserved
1/2 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain; return to pan, cover, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp and browned, turning once. Transfer to paper towels to drain; let cool, and crumble into pieces.

Using a fork, mash the potatoes in pan until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth. Add the onion and any onion juice, chives, 2 cups cheese, half the bacon, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.

Transfer to a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with remaining bacon. Serve immediately.

Serves 8 to 10.

NOTE: I bought one of those five pound bags of russet potatoes thinking that was making it easier. Bad idea. Besides the fact that several of the potatoes were bad (which I couldn't see because the offending potatoes were hidden behind that brown plastic wrapper), they were smaller and took tons of time peeling (do you get the feeling that I don't like to peel potatoes!). Next time I'd just get five pounds of the large russets.

NOTE: Of course I made more bacon than the ten slices called for, who do you think this is anyway? I used regular Oscar Meyer bacon as I thought my regular thick cut stuff from the market might not incorporate as well into the dish. I wanted maximum baconness in each bite.

NOTE: I left out the grated onions entirely. Which I meant to do. You can have a brain fart do that too.

NOTE: Yes, I put more than half a cup of grated cheese on the top. In fact a lot more. I like cheesy.

NOTE: No I did not use a fork to mash five pounds of potatoes. I was lazy and just used my potato masher. I mean who mashes five pounds of potatoes with a fork anyway? (except for Goddess Martha of course).

NOTE: The recipe states that you can make this through step 3 (which is through adding the onion, chives, cheese, bacon, and combining) the night before and bake it the next day.

I did find the dish to be a bit on the dry side (which might be because I used more of a flat rectangle dish to bake in instead of a deep round dish?) but nothing that a bit of butter or some added sour cream on my part didn't fix. Or maybe that was just because I usually like my baked or mashed potatoes swimming in butter and sour cream? Definitely make this again (and it really would be great for a pot luck).

Salt and Vinegar Broiled Fingerling Potatoes

I love things that are salty and vinegary. I've been known to polish off an entire bag of Salt and Vinegar potato chips in one sitting (oh who am I kidding, I can do that with any flavor of potato chips). And when it comes to vinegar, I'm a huge fan. I put vinegar in my chili and beef stew (oh who am I kidding, I can down shots of vinegar straight from the bottle!). So I absolutely jumped at making this recipe when I first came across it on Pinterest. The original recipe comes from a Martha Stewart recipe you can find here. The Pinterest recipe I found was by Umani Girl and can be found here.

I liked the taste of the potatoes. How can you go wrong with all that salt and vinegar? My problem was that I didn't get the potatoes crisp enough under the broiler. Next time I'd definitely leave them under the broiler longer (I broiled them even a few minutes more than required in the recipe). Be warned that this really does have that vinegar tang so if you don't like that tang, don't try the recipe.

SALT AND VINEGAR BROILED FINGERLING POTATOES

1 pound fingerling potatoes, sliced lengthwise to 1/4 inch thickness
2 cups malt vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Bring potatoes and vinegar to a boil in a medium saucepan (vinegar should cover potatoes). Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer potatoes until just fork tender, about 5 minutes. Let potatoes cool in vinegar for 30 minutes. Drain well, and gently toss with oil, salt, and pepper.

Preheat the broiler. Broil potatoes in a single layer until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes per side. Sprinkle with salt before serving.

Note: The original recipe from Martha had the potatoes being grilled. The recipe from Umami Girl broiled them.

Note: I used Malt vinegar. White vinegar is suggested in both recipes. Both also suggest substituting up to a cup of water for some of the vinegar to lessen the tang, but I figure if you're making this recipe you might as well go all the way.

If you like that vinegar tang, this is an interesting recipe to try.

Braised Sausages with Polenta (Salsiccie Brasate con Polenta)

My friend Pillownaut commented in my post about Nick Stellino's Glorious Italian Cooking cookbook, where this recipe came from, that "It is impossible to make bad Italian food"...I might have to disagree with her, as this dish just didn't make the cut as being something I'd ever make again.

Part of the problem with this Braised Sausages with Polenta dish was it's appearance. Kind of a dull purple/gray. That probably came about because I used red wine (you were given a choice to use red or white) and the potatoes in the dish came out looking pathetic. The other problem with the dish is that the taste just didn't come together. Both Mr. L and the poor guest I served this to (yes, I finally had a guest over for dinner and the dish sucked, sigh) commented that the potatoes just didn't compliment the recipe especially since this was served over polenta. Not sure what went wrong, but I do plan on trying another recipe from Glorious Italian Cooking which I'm hoping sure will turn out better.

I didn't have instant polenta so I made my favorite polenta recipe (Creamy Polenta) and added the cream and a bit of cheese. It was definitely everyone's favorite part of the dish.

The recipe was easy to put together, I just wish the parts would have made a good whole.

BRAISED SAUSAGES WITH POLENTA
Salsiccie Brasate con Polenta
(Nick Stellinos Glorious Italian Cooking)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound (450 g) sweet Italian sausage (about 4 links)
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 large stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup red or white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups Chicken Stock
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound (450 g) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes
1/2 (13 1/2-ounce) (390-g) package instant polenta
1/2 cup whipping cream (optional)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional)

Heat the oil in a large nonstick saute pan set on medium-high heat until it begins to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Add the sausages and brown on all sides, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, cook the carrot, celery, onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring several times. Cut the sausages, into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces and add to the pan along with the wine, 1 tablespoon of the parsley and the rosemary. Cook over medium-high heat until the wine has reduced by half, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, pepper and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar and cook for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking for another 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining parsley just before serving.

Five minutes before the sausages are done, cook the polenta according to package directions. If you wish, stir the cream and the cheese into the finished polenta. Serve immediately, as the polenta sets up quickly.

To serve, spoon a mound of polenta in the center of each dinner plate and spoon the sausage mixture on top.

Cooks Tip: If you don't have whipping cream on hand for enriching the polenta, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of butter, instead.

Serves 4

Note: I used red wine.

Note: The sausage was overcooked. I think maybe having it in there for 45 minutes was too long a cooking time.

I know a dish isn't the best when there is a big plate of leftovers and it sits in the fridge and never gets eaten. The leftovers of this dish were tossed in the trash after a few days. Not the best sign for a recipe!!

Tex-Mex Ground Turkey Potato Boats

Though some folks might think that using ground turkey for a meatless monday meal isn't quite correct, Mr. L and I think that not having red meat is about as good as our meatless mondays will get. I rarely eat ground turkey these days so when I saw this recipe in the Potatoes. Onions. Garlic Collection cookbook (in the Potatoes section) I figured I'd give it a try. That I was also craving potatoes might have had something to do with the recipe choice. Add to that the fact that one serving (half a potato) was only 209 calories?  Bingo.

I did find this dish a bit dry. Was it the potato? Or the fact that the directions say to cook the turkey mixture until most of the liquid had evaporated? Mr. L and I ended up adding one tablespoon of butter (which racked up the calories a bit) but I think next time I'd just not cook off as much liquid. The taste wasn't bad and the turkey potato boat heated up nicely the next day in the microwave. Next time I would add some more tomato sauce or not cook the sauce down so much (as it is, in less than 10 minutes the juice that was there was gone. Maybe even turn the temp down and simmer on very low to meld the mixture). We also thought just a touch of sliced green onions and maybe a dash of hot sauce would have added something to the dish.

TEX-MEX GROUND TURKEY POTATO BOATS

2 medium potatoes
1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (8 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce potatoes several times with fork. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until soft. Cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Slice potatoes in half, lengthwise. Scoop out pulp with spoon, leaving 1/4 inch shell. (Reserve potato pulp for other use.) Place potato shells on jelly-roll pan or baking sheet.

Place turkey, onion and garlic in medium skillet. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink; drain. Add tomatoes, chili powder, salt, oregano, cumin and red pepper flakes to turkey in skillet. Cook 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Spoon turkey mixture evenly into potato shells; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese melts.

Makes 4 servings. 209 Calories.

Note: An 8 ounce can of stewed tomatoes? Do they make such a thing? I had the standard 14 ounce can and just weighed out 8 ounces of juice and tomatoes. I'd probably include some extra juice from the can next time to moisten things up a bit.

Note: I probably upped the calories a bit as I had more than 1/4 an inch of potato shell. I wouldn't have wanted less potato in the dish.

Note: The dish with cheese was only in the oven for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese, not even close to the 15 minutes the list. I also used some "tex-mex" lowfat shredded cheese instead of just cheddar.

Note: I'm thinking you could double the turkey mixture and use the half leftover to pour over the leftover potato pulp. I actually used some leftover taco meat that I had. Can't ever waste any part of the potato!!

Sometimes I just really crave potatoes and I like the idea of using them as "boats" for stuffing that isn't so high in calories. I'm also thinking that many different types of spices can be used with the ground turkey to bring about different flavors.

Kicked-Up Corned Beef Hash

I love corned beef hash. And you'd think the amount of times that we cook corned beef during the year that I'd have made the stuff from scratch at least once. Haven't. And didn't do it this time either.

In the "must use up foods that have been sitting in the pantry forever" resolution, I'd been looking for ways to use up some canned corned beef we have. It isn't my favorite brand of canned corn beef* so I was looking for a nice recipe that could add lots of flavor. Then I saw a brunch episode of Big Daddy's House  on the Food Network where he made some great looking corn beef hash. It looked so good I decided to give it a try.

Aaron (Big Daddy) used deli corned beef where I used canned. The flavor of the Kicked-Up Corned Beef Hash was okay, but I still think it needed some punch. I blame the canned corn beef. I'd love to try this at some point with some real stuff. The potatoes could have been cooked just a bit more. It seemed like way more potatoes than needed so maybe my "big" potatoes were more than necessary. Mr. L wanted an egg on top and quite frankly I think it would add immensely to the taste of this dish. There wasn't a lot of punch in my jalapeno either so maybe next time I'd add a dash of Tabasco or leave in the jalapeno seeds.

*For those that wonder why we even have canned corned beef on hand, be aware that we do have an "emergency" pantry where we stock foods in case the power goes out. Or the swine flu hits and we are unable to get out to buy fresh groceries. I'm assuming it's a hold over from the emergency bunker days I grew up with. Anyway we stock a few things like peanut butter, canned corned beef, canned milk, various types of nuts, bottled water etc., "just in case". Oh yeah and some Nutella. Because if need be I think one could live off Nutella for several weeks at least.

KICKED-UP CORNED BEEF HASH

2 large russet potatoes, diced small
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced small
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 jalapeno, minced
3/4 pound corned beef, diced small
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 cup, finely grated Swiss cheese
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low; and simmer for 1 minute making sure the potatoes are still firm. Drain the potatoes in a colander and set aside.

Heat a 10-inch skillet, over medium high. Add the butter and allow it to brown for 1 minute. Stir in the onions, garlic and jalapenos and cook for 5 minutes. Add the corned beef, horseradish, bouillon, potatoes, chives and Swiss cheese. Mix well, then remove from the heat. Spoon the hash into 6 (6-ounce) ramekins. Put the ramekins on a quarter sheet tray and bake until nicely browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Cooks Note: Option: Crack an egg onto the hash before baking.

Note: I used canned corned beef. I used Better than Bouillon,chicken flavor.

Note: If cracking an egg on top, I might not do it until partway through the cooking time. Putting an egg on top and baking at 400 for even twelve minutes sounds like a really well done egg.

Note: I only found four ramekins so I just put the remainder of the mixture in a casserole dish and cooked that dish a few minutes longer.

I rarely make dishes I see on television, but this was one exception. It was actually one of the rare times I've watched Aaron and Big Daddy's House. The dish was not as good as I would have liked but I can't blame the recipe since I used canned corned beef.

Small Plates - August 19, 2009

POTATO HO - I've been really remiss in participating in the monthly Potato Ho event. Especially when there are so many spud recipes out there to try. Looks like the Ho Down is currently on a summer vacation but hopefully it will be back up and running in September. I have a whole list of potato dishes I want to try!

THEY HAVE EYES BUT THEY DON'T HAVE FACES  - Do not go watch this video here unless you want to walk around singing this stupid song all day. No. Don't do it. I'm warning you! Don't do it! Aarrghh...you went and watched it. Well don't blame me cuz you know you're going to start singing this without thinking while a coworker or your husband is right there and they'll start staring at you like you've lost your mind. Which you will lose when you can't get this stupid song out of your head.

POTATO CARTOONS - Yes, potatoes can be funny. Who knew? To check out some potato cartoons go here. My favorite is #7 "Peelings, Nothing more than peelings...."

CAT VS POTATO - Today is National Potato Day so this post is made of most things potato. Why this little video? Cuz it's cute and cuz our kitten is no longer this small but I bet if I gave her a potato she'd attack it. Check out the potato attacking kitten here.

CANDYLAND - Lombard street in San Francisco was made into a life sized Candyland board game today. Like a lot of folks of my generation that was THE game to play when I was a kid. It's the games 60th anniversary. For more info go here. To see some photos go here or for a video go here.

DOMINO'S DOMINOES - And because I seem to be into giving you links to videos today, how about this one posted off the So Good blog...a Human Dominos (Pizza) from The Tonight Show. To see the fun go here.

Image Source

Golden Olive Oil-Roasted Potatoes

When I first came across this recipe in the December 2008 issue of Sunset Magazine, I didn't pay much attention. I mean come on, I roast potatoes in olive oil all the time. But what eventually caught my eye with this recipe was part of the directions. Soaking the peeled and cut potatoes in water for at least a day (and up to two days). The result was supposed to be pieces of potato that were crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle. I don't know about you, but that sounded like a fine final product to me. So I gave the recipe a try for this months Potato Ho Down.

Well, the final product totally worked for me. I love me the crispy bits on potatoes. The outside of these had the required crunch with the insides being light and fluffy. My mind fast forwarded to dicing the spuds smaller next time, adding some onions, bell peppers and bacon to make some great breakfast potatoes.

This is a great make ahead dish. Peel and cut the potatoes the night before, stick them in some water and the next night when you are ready for dinner, just drain them and roast.

These did not microwave well as leftovers a few days after the original roasting (lost all their crunch) but they did fair a bit better throwing them in a pan on the top of the stove. I think they are at their best fresh out of the oven after their original roast.

This is my entry into this months Potato Ho event hosted by Krysta from Evil Chef Mom. Be sure to check her blog for the round up on Wednesday June 17th. And thanks again to Noble Pig for giving me permission to eat potatoes at least once a month, low carb diets be damned!

GOLDEN OLIVE OIL-ROASTED POTATOES

5 lbs large Yukon Gold potatoes
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
About 1/2 tbsp sea salt such as fleur de sel

Peel potatoes and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Put in a large bowl, cover with cold water, and refrigerate overnight.*

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until barely tender when pierced, about 10 minutes. Pour into a colander and let drain and dry 10 minutes.

Set potatoes in a single layer in a large rimmed baking pan. Drizzle evenly with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tbsp salt; stir gently to coat.

Bake potatoes until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, turning halfway through baking. Mound hot potatoes on a platter or in a shallow serving bowl; sprinkle with more salt to taste. Serves 8. 255 calories per serving.

*Soaking the potatoes at least a day (and up to 2 days) ahead makes them even crisper on the outside and creamier in the middle.

Note: Though I did have about 5 lbs of potatoes I didn't measure the oil and salt. I just kind of threw it all together and being me, that meant lots more salt than requested.

Note: 5 lbs really filled up my large baking pan. It was hard to toss the potatoes in the oil with that many potatoes. Also, even with the oil, the potatoes did stick a bit to the pan so be careful when you turn them at the halfway point.

I seriously can see making these potatoes and then tossing with roasted veggies and of course bacon...and maybe even cheese!
 

Trixie Belle cooks Twice-Baked Potatoes with Greek Yogurt

After having two root canals on the same tooth in a three day span, my oral surgeon recommended I only eat soft foods for the weekend. So I piled up with mashed potatoes, yogurt, jello, pudding and cottage cheese. Which got boring after a while. So I decided to make this mashed tater dish to add a little spice into that soft food mandate. Don't worry, root canal or not, I'm having a steak for dinner tonight.

I do not own a "ricer" and not really wanting to spend the money on one at this time, I just used my trusty metal mesh strainer to "rice" the potatoes. That took a bit of time, but other than that, this is pretty quick to put together, it just needs a lot of cooking time (an hour and a half for the original bake and then another 30 minutes or so for the second bake).

I liked the flavor. A bit different than normal mashed potatoes with sour cream added. The recipe specifically states that regular yogurt cannot be substituted, you need to use Greek Yogurt. The dish had a nice creamy consistency, no lumpy mashed potatoes here. Not sure if a real potato ricer would have made that much of a difference. Both Mr. L and I enjoyed the flavor the yogurt gave the potatoes...and this went very well with Kentucky Fried Chicken. And of course I saved the potato peels. They will be great buttered and cooked up with some bacon.

I only found one of my cute little ramekin type things so I filled that one and just put the rest in an 8x8 pan. This would be great to make for company as it was a nice presentation in the ramekin and I'm sure you could prepare most of this ahead of time.

This recipe came out of the April 2009 edition of the Martha Stewart Living magazine. It's my entry into this months Potato Ho Down. This month the Ho Down is being hosted by the ever popular and cool Noble Pig. Be sure to check her blog after May 20th for the round up of all the wonderful potato recipes she received for this event.

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES WITH GREEK YOGURT

4 russet potatoes (3 pounds) pricked all over with a fork
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups reduced-fat (2 percent) Greek yogurt, room temperature
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus 2-inch pieces for garnish (optional)
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until fork tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool slightly.

Warm butter and cream in a small saucepan. Carefully peel hot potatoes, and cut into thirds. Pass potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. Fold in cream mixture, yogurt and chives. Season with salt and pepper.

Place eight 6-ounce ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet, and divide potatoes among ramekins. Bake until tops are slightly puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Garnish with chives if desired before serving. Serves 8.

Note: I used Fage Greek Yogurt. I added the chives.

Note: I didn't add the salt because I'm trying to cut down on salt, but do add the salt cuz it so needed salt.

Note: I used a metal mesh strainer to "rice" the potatoes. I put them in half at a time and pressed the potatoes through the mesh using a spatula.

Note: If baking in an 8 x 8 pan instead of the ramekins, bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Trixie Belle cooks Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites

When I came across this recipe on The Kitchn website I knew that it would be perfect for this months Potato Ho event. First, it had potatoes. Second, it had bacon. What's not to fall in love with?

Quick. Easy. Did I mention it has potatoes AND bacon?

The recipe came with a Spicy Sour Cream Dipping Sauce. It worked fine but I can see making many other little sauces to dip these little appetizers in, like maybe adding a little spicy salsa verde in the sour cream. But if you don't want the sauce don't worry, these bites taste fine without it. They also taste pretty dang good the next day cold right out of the fridge.

I bought small yukon golds and cut them in half. I thought they would be small enough to wrap the bacon around but the half strip of bacon barely fit. I think I'll make the potatoes a bit smaller next time as it will make it easier to wrap the bacon and easier to pop a full one in my mouth. Taking bites is so messy and if you pop a whole one in your mouth you only burn the roof of your mouth and tongue instead of adding your lips to that list. You can find the original recipe with step by step photos from the Kitchn here.

BACON-WRAPPED POTATO BITES WITH
SPICY SOUR CREAM DIPPING SAUCE

1 pound small or medium red potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped, fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
12 ounces to 1 pound thick-cut bacon
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 teaspoon hot sauce
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Wash and dry the potatoes. Chop them into 1-inch pieces, keeping the chunks roughly the same size, even if they aren't the exact same shape. Put the potatoes in a medium pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Season the water with salt. Once the water begins to boil, cook the potatoes for about 3 to 4 minutes, until you can stick a fork into them without too much resistance. You want the potatoes to be almost, but not fully, cooked through (so they won't fall apart during the next steps).

Drain the potatoes and put them in a large bowl. Add the rosemary, olive oil, salt, and a few grinds of pepper, and toss until the potatoes are evenly coated.

Cut the strips of bacon in half (with a short, vertical slice). Wrap each piece of potato in a half-strip of bacon, securing it with a toothpick. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. You may need to cook potatoes in two batches.

Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes, then flip each piece. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the bacon is cooked through and crisp. Mix the sour cream and hot sauce in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pile the potato bites on a plate and serve alongside the dip.

Makes about three dozen bites.

Note: I used small yukon gold potatoes. I used Tabasco Sauce.

Note: I added more than a teaspoon of Tabasco as one teaspoon just wasn't enough. I cut the recipe in half. I used aluminum foil.

Did I mention potatoes AND bacon?

This months Potato Ho Down is being hosted by Donalyn on the Dlynz blog. Be sure to check out her blog on Wednesday for an update.