Leite's Culinaria» sides | veggies

Pureed Pea Soup with Mint

Mona Talbott — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:46 +0000

Zuppe: Soups from the kitchen of the American Academy in Rome | The Little Bookroom, | Serves 6

English peas come in fast and we make a feast of them in the early days of spring. This sweet creamy soup is exactly the same color as the Bass Garden outside the kitchen window. Adding the parsley and mint at the end not only intensifies the flavor, but accentuates the brilliant spring green color. Avoid the temptation to make this soup out of season with frozen peas—it’s just not the same.–Mona Talbott

LC Fresh Not Frozen Peas, Please Note: Trust us, you’ll want to rely on freshly shelled peas–and their spent pods–so as to achieve the fullness of this soup’s sweet, sweet goodness. Those bags of little green orbs languishing atop your fridge, the ones that are probably freezer burnt? Save ‘em for another day, preferably as ice packs.

Active time: 30 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes

Pureed Pea Soup With Mint Recipe

Ingredients

| metric conversion

4 1/2 pounds English peas in pods
3 slender spring onions (we’re talking true spring onions, although you can substitute scallions)
1 stalk green garlic
1 leek
3 sprigs fresh parsley, leaves separated from stems
3 quarts (12 cups) cold water
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
1/4 cup Arborio rice
3 sprigs fresh mint, leaves only
Black pepper, to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

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1. Shell the peas, reserving the pods.
2. Rinse the spring onions, green garlic, and leek. Peel off the outer layers and cut off the roots, reserving the trimmings.
3. Toss the pea pods, the trimmings from the onion, garlic, and leek, and the parsley stems into a large pot. Add the cold water and bring to a boil. Skim any foam that collects on the surface, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes to create a light pea pod broth. Strain the broth, discarding the solids. You should have about 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) of broth.
4. Meanwhile, thinly slice the spring onions, green garlic, and leek. Place them in a large pot along with the olive oil and place over medium heat. Season with a generous pinch of salt and stir. Add the rice and about 3/4 of the shelled peas and stir again to coat with the oil. Add another generous pinch of salt and about 7 cups of the pea broth if you prefer a thicker consistency, slightly more broth if you want a thinner consistency. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it burble until the rice is fully cooked and the peas are very tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
5. Toss the parsley and mint leaves into the soup and puree with an immersion blender or let cool slightly and puree in a blender, processing just until the soup is creamy. Add as much of the remaining pea broth or, if necessary, cold water to achieve the desired consistency. Avoid over-pureeing the soup or you’ll end up with a gummy texture.
6. Pour the puree into the pot, add the reserved peas, and simmer oh-so-gently just until the peas are tender. Taste and season accordingly if necessary. Serve with freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Chilled Pea Soup with Shrimp from Inspired Taste
Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Tomatoes and Spices from Lisa's Kitchen
Carrot and Lentil Soup from Leite's Culinaria
Green Gazpacho from Leite's Culinaria

Salt-Roasted Potatoes

Mourad Lahlou — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:00:40 +0000

Mourad: New Moroccan | Artisan, 2011 | Serves 6

The same technique I use to make salt-roasted Thai snapper works with small potatoes. Salt-roasting cooks them evenly, so they’re moist and creamy inside, and the spices and seasonings in the salt crust add just a hint of subtle flavor and mystery. Smashed and browned in oil, as described below, the potatoes make a nice passed appetizer when topped with crème fraiche and caviar. The salt-roasting technique can also be used for carrots, parsnips, turnips, and beets.–Mourad Lahlou

LC Boring? Note: And you thought potatoes were boring. Hah.

Active time: 40 minutes | Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Salt-Roasted Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients

| metric conversion

12 ounces (about 2 cups) 2-inch new potatoes or 2-inch fingerlings
3 1/2 cups kosher salt
1/4 cup fennel seeds
1/4 cup coriander seeds
2 star anise
10 green cardamom pods, shelled and seeds reserved
1/2 orange, preferably a blood orange, preferably organic
1/4 large grapefruit, preferably organic
1/2 lemon, preferably organic
3 large egg whites
Grapeseed or canola oil (if sautéing the potatoes)
Rosemary leaves (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil, for finishing (optional)
Crunchy sea salt (optional)

Directions

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1. Rinse and scrub the potatoes and then pat them dry. Place the salt in a large bowl and place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil on your work surface.
2. Combine the fennel, coriander, star anise, and cardamom seeds in a large skillet or pan and set it over medium heat. Let it warm, occasionally tilting the pan to toss or swirl or scuttle the spices around so they toast evenly, until the spices are fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Tip the spices onto the parchment paper or foil and let cool.
3. Grab the edges of the paper or foil and tilt half the cooled spices into a spice grinder. Coarsely grind them and pour them into the bowl of salt. Repeat with the remaining spices.
4. Finely grate the zest from the orange, grapefruit, and lemon, preferably using a microplane. You should have about 1 generous tablespoon total of zest. Use your fingertips to mix it into the salt mixture.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
6. Beat the egg whites until they’re just beginning to hold their shape, then fold them into the salt mixture.
7. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Pour enough of the salt mixture into the dish to create a 1-inch-thick bed. Arrange the potatoes on the salt in a single layer. Cover with the remaining salt mixture. The potatoes should be completely encased with salt and spice.
8. Roast until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes for 1-inch potatoes or 35 minutes for 2-inch potatoes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
9. For potatoes served whole, dump them in a bowl, toss with fresh rosemary leaves, if desired, and drizzle with olive oil.

For thin, chip-like potatoes, place the potatoes between pieces of parchment paper lightly brushed with oil and press a meat pounder or a heavy skillet against them to flatten. Heat a generous film of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the potatoes on both sides to brown, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Drain on the paper towels. Add some rosemary leaves to the oil and fry and crisp them for about 30 seconds. Arrange the potatoes on a plate and sprinkle with crunchy sea salt and the rosemary. (The potatoes can be stored in olive oil in the fridge for up to 3 days.)

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Salt-Roasted Peanuts from David Lebovitz
Roasted Lemon Chutney from 101 Cookbooks
Salt-Baked Red Snapper from Leite's Culinaria
Roasted Sweet Potato and Feta Salad from Leite's Culinaria

Roasted Asparagus

Eva Longoria — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:00:26 +0000

Eva's Kitchen | Clarkson Potter, 2011 | Makes 6 to 8 servings

Roasted asparagus is the vegetable side dish I prepare most often when I’m throwing a big dinner party because it’s quick and easy to make. Actually, I prepare it as often as I can, whether I’m having a dinner party or not, because asparagus is my absolute favorite vegetable. I’d eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could. I roast the spears first until tender; when the tip of a knife goes in easily, the spears are ready to be broiled to get some nice, brown color. The timing here depends on how thick the asparagus are–pencil thin or super thick.–Eva Longoria

LC Slimed! Note: Know when you steam asparagus a little too long and the spears end up mushy and slimy? Actually, we don’t know what that’s like. At least, not since we started using this recipe for roast asparagus. The technique and timing intensifies, rather than dilutes, that inimitable grassy flavor and leaves the texture about as far from being slimed as imaginable. (And if you’re thinking an actual recipe for roast asparagus isn’t really necessary, that you’re too accomplished a home cook to need a recipe, think again. This uber reliable technique and timing may convince you otherwise, turning out perfect asparagus, time after time.)

Active time: 5 minutes | Total time: 25 minutes

Roasted Asparagus Recipe

Ingredients

| metric conversion

2 bunches (about 2 pounds total) asparagus, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste

Directions

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1. Position an oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
2. Place the asparagus in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and turn the spears to coat them evenly. Sprinkle the single layer of asparagus with a pinch or two of salt.
3. Roast until the spears are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 8 to 10 minutes for medium spears. (If you’re roasting skinny spring asparagus whose spears are no wider in diameter than a pencil, best to check the spears after about 4 minutes. If you’re stuck with whoppingly thick spears, let ‘em go for at least 12 minutes, maybe more.)
4. Leave the asparagus in the oven and turn the broiler to high. Broil until the asparagus is lightly browned in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Watch it carefully so the asparagus doesn’t burn. Serve immediately.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Baked Crispy Kale from Steamy Kitchen
Caribbean Roasted Vegetables from Eat Me, Delicious
Roasted Asparagus with Bay Leaves and Crispy Capers from Leite's Culinaria
Roasted Caramelized Root Vegetables from Leite's Culinaria

Lemon and Thyme Risotto

Richard Bertinet — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:00:11 +0000

Cook: In a Class of Your Own | Kyle Books, 2010 | Serves 4

I actually think that making risotto is easier than boiling rice in water. There’s an idea that risotto is complicated, because you need to stand over the pan and stir, but think about it: if you are watching it all the time, you have much less chance of ruining it, whereas when rice is boiling, it’s easy to forget the time and then it turns to rice pudding.

The basic technique of making a risotto recipe always remains the same, but there are several different ways of finishing it. The classic way is to beat in butter and Parmesan, but I have seen chefs use olive oil, mascarpone—I even saw one French chef use Brie de Meaux. The principle is that you want something creamy but quite neutral tasting, to bind all the ingredients together at the end. The combination I use here of egg and Parmesan is rather like that of carbonara, except that it is tangy with lemon. I love the flavor of this risotto. It’s very fragrant and refreshing. It can be a meal in itself, or you can serve it alongside meat or fish.–Richard Bertinet

LC He’s Got a Good Point Note: How many times have you soaked and scrubbed a pot, then soaked and scrubbed it again, and then scrubbed it one more time because it’d been debilitated by a layer of blackened, burnt-on rice? Happens to us each and every time we turn our back on a pot of rice. And that’s exactly the author’s point about why making risotto is, in a very real way, easier than boiling rice. And lest you think lemon and thyme relegate this risotto squarely in the spring category, don’t hang up your risotto pan just yet. These flavors complement summer and fall fare as well.

Active time: 30 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes

Lemon and Thyme Risotto Recipe

Ingredients

| metric conversion

1 large onion
2 egg yolks
3 ounces Parmesan
2 smallish lemons, preferably organic
Bunch of fresh thyme
1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) vegetable stock
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
14 ounces risotto rice, such as Arborio, Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, or the like
1/4 bottle white wine

Directions

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1. To prepare the risotto, chop the onion into small dice—you want the onion to disappear into the risotto, so don’t make the pieces too big. Place the egg yolks in a bowl. Grate the Parmesan. Zest the lemons and squeeze the juice. Reserve a few strips of lemon zest for the garnish. Pick the thyme leaves from their stalks, but leave a couple of sprigs whole for the garnish. Place your pan of stock onto the stove, bring to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer.
2. Place the butter, oil, onion, and a pinch of salt in a wide pan over medium heat. Cook the onion very gently for about 4 to 5 minutes, until soft but not colored. It is really important with a risotto not to brown and burn your onion. This is a delicately flavored dish and the bitterness of burned onion will flavor the whole thing. (Keeping the onion in the center of the pan, rather than spreading it out, runs less risk of scorching. Placing it in a cold pan, without heating the oil first, also helps.)
3. When the onion is soft, add the rice and stir very well to coat every grain. The pan will be getting quite hot and dry now, so add your white wine, sprinkling it in carefully around the pan—this evenly distributes the wine and helps it to reduce and evaporate more quickly. Add half of the lemon juice and half of the zest and cook for 1 minute. Keep stirring gently. You will hear the wine “singing” as some of it reduces in the pan. This will probably take about 2 minutes, and then the rice will look dry again.
4. Now you are ready to add your hot stock, a ladleful at a time. After every ladleful, stir well, really scraping the bottom of the pan, until the stock has almost disappeared into the rice. Then add another ladleful, keeping the rice moist all the time—don’t let it get dry in between ladlefuls. After about 15 minutes of adding stock and stirring in this way, start to taste—be careful, since the rice will be very hot. The rice needs to be tender, but still have some bite to it. Your risotto should take no more than 20 to 25 minutes from start to finish.
5. When you feel that it is almost there, take the pan off the heat.
6. Quickly mix the cheese, as much thyme as you please, and the remaining lemon juice and zest into your bowl of egg yolks, and then beat this into your risotto as energetically as you can. The risotto should be nice and relaxed and creamy. If it feels a bit too thick, whisk in a little more hot stock. (Rice retains a lot of heat, so you can relax and not rush to finish it off.) It should be creamy and slightly soupy, so if you think it’s too stodgy at the end, you can just add some more hot stock until you are happy with the consistency. Taste and season if you need to. However, remember that if you’re using store-bought stock, it may be very salty anyway, as is the Parmesan, so you may not need much salt.
7. Spoon the risotto into wide bowls and garnish with the reserved lemon zest and thyme.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto from Former Chef
Butternut Squash and Bacon Risotto from Guilty Kitchen
Portuguese Duck Risotto from Leite's Culinaria
Risotto Alla Milanese from Leite's Culinaria

Smashed Potatoes

Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:00:45 +0000

Good Food to Share | Weldon Owen, 2010 | Serves 4 to 6

Simple and fast, rich and delicious, this smashed potatoes recipe is a classic dish on the dinner table, where they’re comfortable sitting alongside and sopping up the juice or sauce of a meat, fowl, even a vegetarian main dish. The smashed style leaves chunks for an appealing texture–and makes preparing them a heck of a lot easier than mashing them until smooth.–Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan

LC, Er, Author’s Spud Note: Author Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan explains that you can use any waxy potato for this dish, including fingerlings, Yukon golds, purple. Yellow Finns, or any of many other waxy spuds you’ll find at the store or farmers’ market. And, notes Gillingham-Ryan, “Because the potatoes are ‘smashed’ with their skins on,” says Gillingham-Ryan, “I often use at least two different colors to create a contrast.” It’s not a must, but it certainly works for us.

Active time: 5 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes

Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients

| metric conversion

1 1/2 pounds red- or ivory-skinned waxy potatoes, or a mixture or both, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, scrubbed
1 cup (8 ounces) creme fraiche
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus sprigs for garnish
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

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1. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and place them in a large saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 12 minutes or so.
2. Drain the potatoes and return them to the warm pan. Add the creme fraiche and chopped thyme and smash with a potato masher or fork until the potatoes are almost but not quite ready to break apart. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with the thyme sprigs, and serve right away.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Duck Fat Smashed Potatoes from No Recipes
Creamy Mashed Potatoes from The Pioneer Woman
Garlic Mashed Potatoes from Leite's Culinaria
Shepherd’s Pie with Caramelized Onions and Cheddar Potatoes from Leite's Culinaria

Spring Asparagus and Asiago Gratin

Domenica Marchetti — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:00:44 +0000

Williams-Sonoma: Rustic Italian | Weldon Owen, 2011 | Serves 4

Asparagus is wonderful simply steamed and sprinkled with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. But on a chilly night in early spring, this creamless gratin is a perfect showcase for the elegant vegetable.–Domenica Marchetti

LC Spring Asparagus? Note: Spring asparagus is a lovely, lovely thing. Yet many of us long ago lost touch with the fact that spring really ought to be redundant in conjunction with asparagus. Think about it. Those skinny, bendy, grassy-smelling spears show up at the farmers market only during–you guessed it–spring, as opposed to those stocky or shriveled bundles lashed together with purple rubber bands and plonked in a bin of stinky water at the supermarket come mid-January. Still, should you find yourself not quite able to hold out until actual spring asparagus, this recipe from one of our favorite cookbook authors stealthily conceals all manner of out-of-season vegetal sins.

One last thing. The gratin turns out just as lovely minus the breadcrumb, so take note, those of you who eschew gluten or embrace Passover.

Active time: 10 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes

Asparagus and Asiago Gratin Recipe

Ingredients

| metric conversion

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Asiago fresco cheese
3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

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1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
2. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer in a large baking dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss the spears gently to coat with the oil.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a grinding of pepper. Drizzle in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and stir until well mixed. Sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over the asparagus. Bake, uncovered, until the asparagus is just tender and the topping is melted and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus.
4. Drizzle the asparagus with some lemon juice and serve hot, straight from the baking dish, or transfer to a lovely little gratin dish to take to the table.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin from Gluten Free Goddess
Tomato Gratin from Confections of a Foodie Bride
Cauliflower-Bacon Gratin from Leite's Culinaria
Asparagus Tart from Leite's Culinaria

Sweet Potato Wedges

Allison Fishman — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:00:10 +0000

You Can Trust a Skinny Cook | Wiley, 2011 | Serves 6

Talk about finger food! These sweet potato wedges look incredible stacked high on a platter. They’re soft and sweet, as much candy for the mouth as they are for the eyes. Chili powder makes this deliciously easy, but experiment with other seasonings such as ground cumin, chopped fresh rosemary, or fresh thyme leaves. For dunking, ketchup always works, or try a squeeze of fresh lime juice for a British chips-and-vinegar effect.–Allison Fishman

LC Voluptuous, Curvy, and Substantial Note: While these you’d-never-guess-they’re-good-for-you fries of sorts will help you on your quest to be skinnier, these aren’t your skinny French frites. They’re chunky-wunky, thick-cut steakhouse-style potato wedges. As such, they’re curvy. Voluptuous. Substantial. Purposeful. While we like us a crisp skinny stick of potato now and then, what we really crave is something full of character. Think of them as the Adele of the fry world.

Active time: 10 minutes | Total time: 35 minutes

Sweet Potato Wedges Recipe

Ingredients

| metric conversion

2 pounds (about 4 small) sweet potatoes, scrubbed and, if desired, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions

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1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C).
2. Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise, then place it flat side down on a cutting board. Cut each potato half into 1-inch-wide wedges.  
3. In a small bowl, combine the oil, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Place the potatoes on a roasting pan and brush them with the oil mixture, turning to coat all sides. Turn the potatoes flesh side down.
4. Bake the potatoes until softened, 20 to 25 minutes. If you want your sweet potato wedges sort of soft, turn them once. If you want your wedges blistered and golden brown and crisp on one side, don’t turning the wedges.
5. Remove the panful of sweet potato wedges from the oven and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a brown paper bag and let them cool just a little. Serve warm.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Sweet Potato Wedges with Sesame-Soy Dipping Sauce from Noble Pig
Roasted Sweet Potato Fries with Rosemary and Garlic from Pinch My Salt
Roasted Sweet Potatoes from Leite's Culinaria
Inside-Out Sweet Potatoes from Leite's Culinaria

Not-from-a-Box Macaroni and Cheese

Rick Rodgers — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:58:34 +0000

The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook | Running Press, 2012 | Serves 4 to 6

Raise your hand if you didn’t glue macaroni to something in elementary school. Yeah, we didn’t think so. There’s something decidedly magical about macaroni in the classroom . . . and the kitchen. Whether the kids are climbing the walls or you’re just in from a night on the town, boxed mac ’n’ cheese is a blessing. But if you want to taste the best homemade macaroni and cheese you’ve ever had, try this ’60s baked cheesy macaroni casserole. Feel free to add tomato slices to the top.

For a milder macaroni and cheese–something of a kitchen time-machine classic–substitute 8 ounces of processed cheese product, such as Velveeta, for the Cheddar cheese and use crushed saltine crackers instead of the bread crumbs.–Rick Rodgers and Heather Maclean

LC Macaroni and Cheese Just Like Mom Used to Make Note: Macaroni and cheese just like Mom used to make. Okay, maybe just pretty darned close. (C’mon, the Velveeta? The crushed saltines?) Regardless, it’s incomparably better than what comes out of a box.

Active time: 20 minutes | Total time: 1 hour

Not-from-a-Box Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

| metric conversion

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, plus more for the dish
8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni (or other short, stubby, twisty pasta)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk, warmed
8 ounces (2 cups) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly butter a 1 1/2-quart casserole.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well.
3. Return the pasta pot to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of butter and melt. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth. Let bubble for 1 minute, without letting it brown. Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and immediately toss in the cheese and dry mustard but do not stir. Let stand for a minute or so, then whisk until the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper. Dump in the drained pasta and toss with the sauce.
4. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the casserole, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before scooping it onto plates, making certain to get some of the crunchy crumbs in each spoonful. Serve hot.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Dungeness Crab Macaroni and Cheese from Chef Reinvented
Broccoli Basil Macaroni and Cheese from 101 Cookbooks
Macaroni and Cheese with Carrots from Leite's Culinaria
Bacon and Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese from Leite's Culinaria

Pan Boxty

Darina Allen — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:59:42 +0000

Irish Traditional Cooking | Kyle Books, 2012 | Serves 4

Boxty vies with champ and colcannon as Ireland’s best-known potato dish. It may have originated in the late 18th and 19th centuries, when potato harvests began to fail, as a way of using poor-quality potatoes that were useless for boiling. The watery, sometimes even rotting, potato was put into a cloth and squeezed to remove as much of the undesirable liquid as possible. The remaining pulp was shaped into cakes and baked on a heated griddle. When eaten instead of bread for the evening meal, milk or cream, and salt might be added to the mixture, which was known as dippity.

Granny Toye from Clones, County Monaghan, now 88 years of age, gave the recipe to me. Granny Toye says that pan boxy may be eaten hot or cold and may be reheated. A tablespoon of fresh herbs provides a delicious, if untraditional, flavoring to the dish.–Darina Allen

LC Hash Browns Answer to the Fudgy Browny Note: The only way we can think to describe pan boxty? As hash browns’ answer fudgy brownies, with a crisp surface and a dense, moist but not greasy, almost but not quite gooey interior. It’s also quite possibly the most immense tater tot you’ve ever encountered. (Hey, we did what what was needed to entice our kids to try this–and it worked.) Pan boxty also works with really quite perfect potatoes, not just rotting ones. And as with so many traditional recipes, the recipe comes in all manner of shapes, sizes, and incarnations. The one constant? That pan boxty is itself a constant in Irish cookery, witnessed by this classic ditty. (Feminists, please note, LC cannot take credit for this rhyme nor will LC be held responsible for it.)

Boxty on the griddle
Boxty on the pan
If you don’t eat boxty
You’ll never get your man.

Active time: 20 minutes | Total time: 1 hour

Pan Boxty Recipe

Ingredients

| metric conversion

6 medium (about 3 pounds) russet potatoes, unpeeled
Small handful all-purpose flour (2 to 3 tablespoons)
Salt
Butter (about 4 tablespoons)
Fresh herbs (optional)

Directions

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1. Scrub the potatoes but don’t peel them. Line a bowl with a flour sack towel or some cheesecloth. Grate the potatoes onto the cloth, then gather the ends of the cloth and squeeze the liquid from the potatoes into the bowl. Set the potatoes and cloth aside, and let the potato liquid in the bowl sit until the starch settles, 10 to 20 minutes. You should have 8 to 10 cups of grated potatoes.
2. Carefully drain the water from the starch in the bottom of the bowl, reserving the starch and discarding the water. Add the grated potatoes, a small handful of flour (maybe two tablespoons or so), and a generous pinch of salt and toss to coat the potatoes.
3. Melt a generous bit of butter in a large cast-iron skillet (10 to 12 inches) over medium heat. Add the potato mixture and pat it down into an even layer. It should be 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cook over medium heat, letting it turn a nice golden brown brown one side before turning it over. Don’t increase the heat above medium to rush it, but do peek occasionally to make certain the potatoes aren’t browning too quickly. You want the outside to turn pale brown by the time the inside is slowly becoming tender. Flip the boxty. (Here’s the thing with flipping the boxy. (You can do this by sliding a plate over the skillet, carefully inverting it, then carefully slipping the boxty back into the skillet. Or you can use a couple of spatulas and a flick of the wrist. Or if you prefer a chunky hash, flip the potatoes over in chunks and press them with the back of the spatula to make them even.) Cook the pan boxy on the other side until crisp and golden on the outside, tender and creamy on the inside, about 40 minutes total, depending on the heat and the size of your skillet. Again, be patient and don’t crank the heat or the outside will scorch while the inside remains underdone.
4. Cut the boxy into 4 wedges and serve it straight from the skillet.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Colcannon Puffs from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Boxty with Mustard Chutney Sauce from Stephen Cooks
Potato Pancake with Cheese and Bacon from Leite's Culinaria
A Potato Dish for Julia from Leite's Culinaria

Twice-Baked Potatoes with Irish Cheddar

Rick Tramonto — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:50:16 +0000

Steak with Friends | Andrews McMeel, 2010 | Serves 4 to 8

I’ve always found these to be crowd pleasers, whether I’m making dinner for a group of friends or for my wife and our three boys. The potatoes are terrific alongside grilled steak or any other meat, and they can be prepared up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated before the second baking. I like Irish Cheddar with them, but any other Cheddar would be delicious, or even feta or goat cheese. Have fun with it!–Rick Tramonto

LC Luck of the Irish Note: Of the many, many reasons why we swoon to these stuffed spuds, one stands out. The fact that they call for Irish cheddar has quite a lot to do with it. For those unfamiliar with its subtle charms, Irish cheddar tends to be less tangy than the cheddar made elsewhere, with faintly sweet notes and, according to Murray’s, one of Manhattan’s finest purveyors of cheese, an “unusually sweet and fruited flavor.” It’s a subtle sweetness that also boasts a little nuttiness as well, sort of like your favorite spinster aunt. Whatever portion doesn’t end up in the potatoes ought to be savored alongside a pint of stout.

Can I Freeze It? Note: Yup. Kim Venglar, one of our trusted LC Recipe Testers, says she “always has twice-baked potatoes in my freezer ready to cook.” So we asked her advice. After you stuff the spuds but before you bake them a second time, she says, toss the stuffed spuds in a resealable plastic bag and freeze ‘em for up to 3 months. You can either defrost the potatoes overnight in the fridge and then bake them at 350°F (176°C) for 45 minutes or so, or you can bake them straight from the freezer at 350°F (176°C) for an hour or so, covering them with foil for the first 45 minutes. Potatoes, pronto!

Oh, and be sure to omit the green onions, Kim notes, as “they do really nasty things in the freezer and give the potatoes a funky flavor.” Yikes. We certainly don’t want that!Instead, she says, sprinkle sliced scallions over the potatoes after taking them out of the oven.

Active time: 20 minutes | Total time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Twice-Baked Potatoes with Irish Cheddar Recipe

Ingredients

| metric conversion

4 large russet potatoes (about 1 pound each)
2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
1 1/2 cups shredded Irish Cheddar cheese or your favorite Cheddar (about 7 ounces)
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts (about 2 scallions)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions or chives

Directions

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1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C) . Adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
2. Scrub the potatoes under cold, running water, pat dry, and rub with the olive oil. Pierce each potato several times with a fork and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour, until fork-tender. If the potatoes are whoppingly large, they may need a little more time.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and set aside just until they’re cool enough to handle. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).
4. Cut each potato lengthwise in half, taking care to keep the skins intact. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh from the skins, leaving about 1/4 inch of potato on the inside, into a large bowl. Force the potato flesh through a ricer or the medium disk of a food mill, or mash the potato really well with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Add the half-and-half, sour cream, 1 cup of the Cheddar, the scallions, and melted butter and mix gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the potatoes are quite large, you may need to add a touch more half-and-half (and a little more cheese wouldn’t be a terrible thing).
5. Place the empty potato skins on an oiled baking sheet or in a baking dish. Spoon or pipe the potato mixture into the empty potato skin shells. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar and the Parmesan. (At this point, the potatoes can be loosely covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
6. Bake the potatoes for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the filling is warmed through. Top each potato half with sour cream and sprinkle with scallions or chives. Serve immediately.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Feta and Sumac from Kalyn's Kitchen
Parmesan Hasselback Baked Potatoes from Family Fresh Cooking
Twice-Baked Potatoes with Pancetta Stuffing from Leite's Culinaria
Triple Cheese Potato Salad from Leite's Culinaria