cook like james

I first saw these potatoes prepared on an episode of Milk Street Kitchen and thought they looked delicious. Their version is modeled after the potatoes they had tasted at Samoborska Klet restaurant in Zagreb and is a simple one-pot recipe. The potatoes are rustic and full of flavor from the slow cooked onions – a perfect side dish to Maple- Glazed pork tenderloin

Download Croatian Mashed Potatoes (Restani Krumpir) recipe

2 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

kosher salt and ground black pepper as needed

2 pounds (about 900grams) Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, halved lengthwise and sliced about ¼” thick

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/56 grams) salted butter, cut into 4 pieces

¼ teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika, plus more to serve

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives, divided

1. In a large Dutch oven over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring often, until softened and well browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Remove the pot from the heat. Transfer the onion to a small bowl and set aside; reserve the pot.

3. In a colander under cold running water, rinse the potatoes. Drain well, then add to the pot. Stir in ¾ cup water and ½ teaspoon salt, then distribute the potatoes in an even layer. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce to medium and cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the slices almost fall apart when poked with a skewer, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. If there is water remaining in the pot, increase to medium-high and cook, uncovered and stirring often, until no moisture remains.

5. Reduce to low, add the butter and cook, stirring and mashing the potatoes with a spoon, until the butter is melted and incorporated, about 1 minute. Stir in the onion, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the chives, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with additional paprika and the remaining 1 tablespoon chives.

This makes a perfect side dish for Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, or Tandoori. Rinsing the rice is an important step which delivers a light and fluffy dish with grains that are separate and distinct.

Download Perfectly Spiced Indian-Style Basmati Rice recipe

1 ½ cups basmati rice

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed

3 whole cloves

2¼ cups water

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon table salt

*Note: For basmati rice with a bright yellow color, add ¼ teaspoon of ground turmeric and a pinch of saffron threads with the water in step 3.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place rice in fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Place strainer over bowl and set aside.
2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cumin, cardamom, and cloves and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add water, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 17 minutes. Let stand, covered, off heat for at least 10 minutes. Discard cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Fluff rice with fork and serve.

There’s nothing like fresh sweet corn in the summer, especially from a local farm. While eating corn straight from the cob with melted butter is probably the most traditional method, it’s nice to add a few other ingredients to perk things up. Sweet corn pairs nicely with summer’s other abundant garden vegetable – zucchini.  Fresh herbs add great flavor and the jalapeno gives it a nice kick, add a few jalapeno seeds for extra heat.

Download Sautéed Summer Sweet Corn and Zucchini recipe

3 ears fresh sweet corn

1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 small zucchini

2 cloves garlic

½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1. With a sharp knife, cut kernels from cobs into a medium bowl.  Holding cut cobs over bowl and using the butter of a butter knife, scrape any corn pulp and liquid into bowl.  Set aside

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add zucchini and sauté until softened and browned at edges, 3-5 minutes. Add corn and cook until softened, 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and jalapeno and cook for 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in fresh herbs, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.  Serves 4-6

Makes 2 cups

Hummus makes a great appetizer to keep on hand and has a wide variety of uses. It’s perfect as a dip with pita chips or veggies, great as a spread on sandwiches and wraps, or as a side dish with grilled chicken or lamb kabobs.  The popularity of this Middle Eastern dish continues to grow; in fact,The New York Times reported that the hummus industry has grown from just a $5 million dollar business 15 years ago, to one that totaled $530 million at U.S. food retailers in 2012. While basic hummus is a classic, I like to add a little extra flavor with additional ingredients like roasted red peppers or grilled artichokes. If you are having a large gathering, make a variety of flavors and serve with crisp homemade pita chips. (Pita Chips recipe)

Download Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus recipe

3 tablespoons water

¼ cup tahini, stirred well (Joyva or Krinos brands)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

¼ cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, optional

2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds, for garnish

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Combine water and lemon juice in a measuring cup; set aside. Whisk tahini and oil together in second small bowl or measuring cup. 

2. Process chickpeas, roasted red peppers, garlic, salt, cumin, cayenne and smoked paprika until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With food processor running, slowly add lemon/water mixture until incorporated and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down bowl again with rubber spatula. With food processor running, slowly add tahini mixture until incorporated and process until creamy, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

3. Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle almonds and parsley over surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Memorial Day weekend has become synonymous with the beginning of summer and usually celebrated with barbecues, outdoor gatherings, or some kind of pre-summer fun. A great side dish to almost any outdoor menu is potato salad. This version uses a mustard vinaigrette rather than mayonnaise to bind the ingredients - it’s lighter and the abundance of fresh herbs gives it great flavor – and it will hold up a bit longer on a warm summer day. “Fines herbes” (fēn-ˈzerb) is a classic combination of herbs that is commonly found in French cuisine and usually include fresh parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil. leaves (If fresh chervil isn’t available, substitute an additional 1/2 tablespoon of minced parsley and an additional 1/2 teaspoon of tarragon)

Download French Red Bliss Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette and Fines Herbes recipe 

2 pounds small red bliss potatoes (about 2-inch diameter), unpeeled, scrubbed, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

2 tablespoons table salt

1 ½ tablespoons Champagne vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

¼ cup olive oil

¾ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ cup minced scallions (white and green parts)

1 large shallot, finely minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh chervil

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon leaves

Sea salt to taste

1. Place potatoes, 6 cups cold water, and salt in large saucepan; bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Continue to simmer potatoes, uncovered, until tender but still firm (thin-bladed paring knife can be slipped into and out of center of potato slice with no resistance), about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water. Arrange hot potatoes close together in single layer on rimmed baking sheet.

2. Whisk reserved potato cooking water, vinegar, mustard, oil, and pepper in small bowl until combined. Drizzle the dressing evenly over warm potatoes; let stand 10 minutes.

3. Toss scallions, shallots and herbs in small bowl. Transfer potatoes to large serving bowl; add shallot/herb mixture and mix gently with rubber spatula to combine, sprinkle with a bit of sea salt if needed. Serve immediately.

Although they’re often a favorite side dish staple, sometimes mashed potatoes need a little inspiration. Root vegetables make a perfect addition to potatoes, and I particularly like the sweet flavor of carrots in this recipe, but parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, and celery root will work just as well.. Yukon Gold potatoes are a great choice because of their rich, creamy flavor. It’s important to rinse the potatoes will, to remove excess starch which can make the mixture gluey.

Download Carrot Spiked Mashed Potatoes recipe

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 medium carrots (about 8 ounces) cut in half lengthwise, and sliced into ¼” thick pieces

1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices; rinsed well in cold water and drained

1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Kosher salt

2/3 cup half-and-half, warmed

3 tablespoons minced fresh chives or scallion greens

Ground black pepper

1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add root vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter is browned and vegetables are dark brown and caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes. (If after 4 minutes vegetables have not started to brown, increase heat to medium-high.)

2. Add potatoes, broth, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Cook, covered, over low heat (broth should simmer gently; do not boil), stirring occasionally, until potatoes fall apart easily when poked with fork and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. (If liquid does not gently simmer after a few minutes, increase heat to medium-low.) Remove pan from heat; remove lid and allow steam to escape for 2 minutes.

3. Gently mash potatoes and root vegetables in saucepan with potato masher (do not mash vigorously). Gently fold in warm half-and-half and chives (or scallion greens). Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve immediately.

If you’re a fan of sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving, but are looking for an alternative to ubiquitous marshmallow topping, this is the recipe for you. It’s an easy dish that can be made a day ahead and baked when needed. Make ahead recipes are really key to a manageable and peaceful Thanksgiving celebration! Marmalade is the secret ingredient that compliments both the sweet potatoes and the crunchy oat topping. A potato masher will yield slightly lumpy sweet potatoes, which gives the dish a rustic homey appeal; a food mill, however, will make a perfectly smooth puree.  You can also skip the cookie topping and just serve the sweet potatoes on their own.

Download Mashed Sweet Potato Casserole with Oatmeal Cookie Topping 

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

5 pounds sweet potatoes (about 8 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 Tablespoons heavy cream

3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar, dark or light

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup sweet orange marmalade

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh gingerroot

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

For topping

14 three-inch crisp oatmeal cookies,(like McVitie’s HobNobs) broken into pieces (about 3 cups)

¼ cup toasted pecans

Pinch cayenne pepper

Pinch ground cumin

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the topping:

1. In a food processor grind cookies fine. Add the pecans and spices and pulse 3-4 times. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles soft cookie dough. Wrap topping in wax paper and chill until firm, about 2 hours. Topping may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

For the sweet potatoes:

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes, cream, brown sugar, maple syrup, orange juice, salt and pepper; bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring often, until the sweet potatoes are tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of the center of the potatoes with very little resistance), 45 to 60 minutes.

2. Off heat, mash sweet potatoes in saucepan with potato masher (or press through a food mill). Stir in marmalade and gingerroot .  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spread potato mixture evenly in baking dish. Preheat oven to 400F. Crumble the chilled topping mixture over potato mixture and bake in middle of oven until topping is browned lightly, about 25-35 minutes. (Potato mixture may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring potato mixture to room temperature before proceeding)