Potato, Fennel, Leek Gratin

One might imagine with the holidays behind us that the concept of  "eating light" would kick in.  Oh well.  On our way to Rainbow Bridge this evening I suggest Potato Gratin and Eric said, "Yes.  That is What I Want."

1. Heat the Oven to 375.

2. Cut a piece of garlic in half and smear all the sides of a 9x12 baking dish.

3. In a heavy bottomed pan (like a Creuset Dutch oven) pour in a quart of milk.  (If you are trying to gain weight, make it a half n half creme to milk mixture).

4. Peal and thinly slice a lot of your favorite potatoes.  Tonight we used the Yellow Finnish ones they had a Rainbow.   I think i peeled and sliced about 9 or so.  Add to the milk as you go cuz peeled and sliced potatoes do not respond well to open air.

5. Thinly Slice 2 large leeks and wash.  Drain and add to milk mixture.

6. Thinly slice 3 cloves garlic and add to milk mixture.

7. Tonight I added 2 bay leaves, some dried thyme (fresh sprigs is also great), freshly ground nutmeg, white pepper (did not feel like grinding fresh so added already ground), and lots of freshly ground black pepper.  I think this is a pretty standard offering.  Obviously there is room for experimentation.

8.  I start the heat at medium under the milk and potato mixture.  I was busy blogging about class today and my latest discovery of my own depression and I did not want to watch the milk come to a boil.  So I set the timer for about 15 minutes and came back to check every so often.  In general, you want to bring the mixture to a boil slowly and then turn down and simmer until the potatoes become soft, but not to the point of falling apart.  

9. Slice up a big bulb of fennel as thinly as possible.  Once milk has come to boil and you are simmering it, add fennel.  

10. Grate the block of Gruyere that you can get at Rainbow.  Seems like a shy 2 cups but I did not measure.

11.. When ready, use a slotted spoon to bring some of the potato mixture into the gratin dish.  Sprinkle with some cheese, some ground black pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg.  Layer some more potato mixture and repeat.  Layer the last layer and add enough of the milk to come up to the edge of the top potatoes.  Cover with remaining cheese and dot with butter.  (Clearly there was no resolution to lose weight!)

12. Put in oven and set timer to 45 minutes.  Check on gratin.  You want a nice toasty brown crust and not too much bubbling.  When done, remove and make a simple sharp green salad to cut it.

13. Tonight I made a dressing with garlic, shallots, Serrano, Meyer lemon rind, Meyer lemon juice, country mustard and olive oil.  The Salad was Butter Lettuce with cilantro and celery.  (Fridge Review, baby).

Potato, Fennel, Tomato and Olive and Gratin

inspired by old Green's recipe i used to make and what was in the fridge.

1. In one pan heat too much olive oil and start browning thin slices of red potatoes.  (tonight i had lots of little ones from the market). Drain and continue until you have enough.

2. In another oven proof pan (i have an all clad that i love), heat too much olive olive and start sauteing thinly sliced 1/4 moon shaped red onion.

3. Slice up a big heirloom tomato from Tutti Frutti

4. Pit some dried cured black olives from the Paradise Cafe in Ventura

5. Thinly slice some of B.D.s Fennel.

6. Preheat Oven to about 400 degrees.

7. When the onions are halfway done, add some crushed fennel seed, thyme, red pepper flakes,and pepper.  When onions are about 2 minutes from being done, add a clove of minced garlic. Turn off heat when as brown as you like them and start to pile on the tomatoes, potatoes and fennel and scattering the olives.  Tonight, I did not make enuf of everything to make attractive "layers" so it all just got kind of piled in there.  Dot with generous pinches of goat cheese and pour the leftover olive oil from frying up the potatoes on top.  Put in oven with lid on and set for about 20 minutes.

8. After 20 minutes, remove pan from oven, turn on broiler.  Grate fresh Parmesan cheese all over the top and pour on a little extra olive oil.  Put on broiler for about 2 minutes or more until brown and crispy.  

9. To serve scoop into shallow bowls, mince lemon basil from B.D and scatter on top, and sprinkle with good salt.

Note: potatoes could have been prepped by slicing and boiling, but e likes his potatoes crispier.

Swordfish with Fennel and Mustard Sauce

Eric came home from 2 day road trip.  He needed something fresh, local, light but comforting.  I was pooped, had not gone shopping and needed to cook everything in one pan, so this was the result.  I have never cooked swordfish this way so felt fun and bold.  He was happy, so it was a success.

1. Slice some of Steve's smaller red potatoes (those small french red potatoes would be ideal for presentation) and fry in olive oil until crisp.  (Oven Roasting would render drier, crispier potatoes). Remove and allow to drain on some paper towels.

2. In same olive oil (adding more if necessary), add thinly sliced fennel. Stir until starting to soften, then push to sides to create room for 2 perfect pieces of swordfish from Alicia and Ric of Geewhatadeal.  (Wow!  I have never encountered such tender plump pieces of swordfish.)  Cover pan to cook first side.  When browned to your liking, turn fish over, add some white wine to pan and cover again.

3. Meanwhile, mix some green peppercorn dijon mustard with some lemon, soy sauce and olive oil.  Lift lid and pour mustard sauce over fish and cover again.  When fish is done, remove to a plate.  Stir fennel and mustard sauce and remove to a bowl.  Toss turnip greens into pan and stir fry until soft and bright green. 

4. Meanwhile, divide potatoes between plates.  Place turnip greens next to potatoes, slightly on top.  Place fish in middle between potatoes and greens, pour fennel mustard sauce on top.  Sprinkle with a little freshly chopped dill and freshly ground pepper.  Serve.

Potato Leek Gratin

It's late February. And even though we live in Southern California where the days are never colder than 60 degrees, the body still craves comfort food. You know, like Potato Gratin. This dish will always remind me of Greta Davis who I love dearly. Tonight we ate this with a Salad, recipe follows.

Potato Leek Gratin

Preheat Oven to 350/375 degrees

In a heavy Saucepan, like a Le Crueset Dutch Oven, combine:
3+ cups of desired combo of milk and half n' half
8 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Leeks, thinly sliced, you know, "white parts only"
1 clove garlic thinly sliced
2 Bay Leaves
Several twigs fresh or several pinches dried thyme
A Sprig or a few pinches of dried Rosemary
Couple pinches of good salt
Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste
A smidge of freshly ground nutmeg

Bring Mixture to a Boil and Simmer for about 5 minutes until potatoes are tender.

While Mixture is warming, rub a clove of garlic around the 9 x 12 heavy Pyrex or other casserole like dish. When garlic is dry, smear butter on inside of dish.

Transfer Potato Milk Mixture to the Dish. Cover with grated Gruyere Cheese. If desired, add dots of butter around top, but not necessary.

Bake for 45 minutes to and hour.

Remove and let sit before cutting and serving.

Roasted Swordfish with Mustard Glaze and Herb Red Potatoes wit

Ric of What A Deal Seafood convinced me to try cooking the swordfish like this. On Sunday, he had these big huge cuts of swordfish like a pot roast. And when I asked him how to cook them, he said, "Like a Pot Roast".

Oven to 400.
Baking Sheet prepped with piece of Tinfoil and oiled.

1. Bog 2+ pound piece of swordfish cut like a pot roast.
2. Mix up country Dijon mustard, green peppercorn mustard, tamari soy sauce and olive oil.
3. Stick 3 or 4 Fresh Rosemary Sticks into and through fish. (I did not get them "all the way through")
4. Rub outside of Fish with a 1/2 clove of garlic.

5. Wash and slice up small red potatoes into small wedges. Toss with olive oil, pepper, salt, thyme and Mexican oregano. Scatter around the fish.

6. Pour mustard marinade all over fish.

7. Put fish and potatoes in Oven and set timer for 20 minutes. At 20 minutes, turn pan around and set timer for 10 more minutes. Check Fish. You will most likely need to cook it for at least 10 minutes more, but it depends on your oven. We took it out at about 35 minutes. It was 2 minutes to being cooked. We covered it with tinfoil while rest of food got cooked (10 minutes), and it cooked the rest of itself and mellowed perfectly.

8. Transfer potatoes and fish to a serving platter.
(I would put the bok choy under it next time, but it looked pretty and old skool tonight).

French Potato Salad

1. Boil 4 delicious red potatoes from Steve's Farm

2. Meanwhile, make the dressing:
- minced shallots mixed with red wine vinegar (let this sit for a while)
- salt and minced garlic
- chopped capers
- good Dijon mustard
- pepper
- olive oil

3. When potatoes are done, drain. Cut up into desired size and mix with the dressing.

We served the potato salad along side the fish.

Potato Salad with Mustard Dill Vinegrete

1. Cover small red potatoes with salted water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer till potatoes are done. With small red potatoes, I set the timer for 10 minutes and check with a fork for doneness. Then I reset the timer for appropriate time.

2. While Potatoes are cooking, chop 1 shallot and mix with 3 tbl. of red wine vinegar. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes.

3. Mix in :
about a tbl. of grain mustard
about a tbl of chopped capers
2 to 3 tbl of dill
good salt and fresh ground pepper
I usually let this part of the dressing sit until I am almost ready to serve and then i slowly stir in about 3tbl. or more olive oil.

4. Once potatoes are done, drain and allow to cool a little before trying to handle. While still warm, slice up into halves or quarters depending on size and mix with dressing. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.

Red Potato and Heirloom Tomato Gratin, Thursday, April 19th

I have been trying to hit this for a while. I started making a version of it from Deborah Madison's Green's Cookbook when I first started cooking. I was drawn to it cuz she said that she had gotten it from a Cookbook by Picasso and it had all of Eric's favorite ingredients in it.

We stopped by FnC on our way home after a hike on Willis Canyon and got the goods. We also picked up 2 delicious cappuccinos at Coffee Connection. We only had a Credit Card and Taylor trusted us to come back the next day. We put Steve and Olivia down as references.

So I am writing this as I cook, cuz these the first step of browning the potatoes takes time.

Get your OVEN ready. Preheat to 400 degrees/BAKE.
You will need an Oven Proof Pyrex-like Dish and A High Sided, Flat Bottomed Wide Skillet.

The POTATOES
1. Slice Potatoes as Thin as you can without hurting yourself.(Thank you, Edna).
2. Heat too much Olive Oil in the high sided flat skillet.
3. Brown the Potato Slices. You will need to work in batches. As they are browning, sprinkle fresh chopped ROSEMARY, good quality SALT and fresh ground mixed PEPPERCORNS on them. I seem to brown one side more than the other, guessing that this allows it to be both crispy and soft. I think I could have made them more like potato chips as they soften in the oven. Once browned remove to a plate. (If you want a drier dish, drain the chips on a towel. I ususally use paper, but I would love to learn how to use cloth. Maybe cheese cloth could work.)


THE ONIONS
4. While the potatoes are frying, slice up a large RED ONION. I chose to slice it in rings, cuz I thought it would look the prettiest.
5. Once the potatoes are all browned up, start browning the all onions in the same pan.

THE GARLIC
6. While the Potatoes are Browning or while the Onions are softening, Mince the GARLIC.

THE TOMATOES
7. While the Potatoes are Browning or the Onions are browning, core and slice the heirloom tomatoes.

THE OLIVES
8. While the Onions are browning, chop the BLACK OLIVES to a consistency of "chunky". I had a combination of herb cured and kalamata.

Once onions are browned, add the garlic, olives, DRIED THYME, a hint of RED PEPPER FLAKES, more salt, more ground pepper. Saute another 2 minutes or so, or until you first smell the garlic.

THE OVEN DISH
9. Poor a little olive oil into your PYREX-LIKE dish. Tonight I used this pretty Blue Crueset Oven Dish I have.

10. Spread Onions over the Bottom.

11. Layer first layer of potatoes on top of the onions.

12. Layer the slices of heirloom tomato. I had a combination of dark red and orange and I spread them out to create some contrast.

13. Layer the top layer of potatoes on. (I saved the most attractive (to me) potatoes for the top layer.)

14. Put in Oven. Set for 20 minutes

15. During this time, make the SAUCE and prep the SALAD.

16. At 20 minutes, check. Turn the pan 180 degrees to even out oven heat's effect on the dish. And set for 10 to 15 more minutes.

17. When done, remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes or so to cool to a reasonable temperature. As a cook who tastes all the time, you build up a tolerance for heat. People that are not used to tasting HOT food, need more cooling time than you think.

18. THE SAUCE
By hand, mix mostly sour creme, some meyer lemon juice , a smidge of grain mustard and some dry (fresh would be better) dill together.


19. TO SERVE
Use a serrated spatula (I love my Cutco one) to cut the Gratin into a serving portion. Tonight's gratin did not hold and was loose and "Country Style" in the shallow bowl. I kind of like this aesthetic, but it you want a tighter hold, you will use less oil, maybe add a binder, like egg or milk, and allow to cool a little more.

20. Serve the Sauce on the side.

Onion and Potato Fritata

The key to making this is to have too many onions and potatoes. I use an All Clad Stainless Steal Saute Pan that can easily go from the stove top to under the broiler. This was the first pan Eric got for me when we started kicking it together.

1. In olive oil, saute up a big sliced white onion. (I have a preference for the quarter round slice). Remove onions from pan and put in a big bowl.

2. I add too much olive oil to the pan and then saute up thinly sliced potatoes. Adding chopped rosemary tastes really good. Do not crowd as they will not fry up nicely. I like them almost crispy. As cooked, remove with slotted spoon and add to onions. Last night I had 3 batches (4 small yellow potatoes) of these to get enough.

3. In a small separate bowl, whip together 6 eggs. Pour eggs over mixture and combine. Judge the ratio and add another egg if you need to, keeping in mind that the less eggs to potatoes and onions, the better. Add salt and pepper.

4. Heat up the reaming olive oil in the same pan over high heat and pour egg mixture in. Give a chance to set, then turn heat down to low. This next part seems to always take about 12 minutes. (At some point here, preheat your broiler). I like to use my favorite Cutco knife spatula to go around the edge. If the fritata pulls away easily from the edge, then it's close to done.

5. Grate some Parmesan over the top of the egg dish and stick it under the broiler until the top is a nice golden toasted brown.

6. You can serve it right out of the pan, or loosen the firtata with a knife and then flip it onto a plate and then onto another plate so the pretty golden brown side is up.

Last night I served this with a Salsa Verde (garlic, capers, anchovies, mustard, red wine vinegar, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper) sauce, herb jam, and tomato jam. A sour creme chive sauce can also be good. Sometimes Eric and I will have something like this with a simple green salad for dinner.