Roasted Baby Potatoes with Parsley and Butter

I wanted a simple side dish to go along with the Blackened Flank Steak I served for dinner. I found some baby potatoes and parsley in the refrigerator so I decided to roast the potatoes then toss them with a bit of butter and parsley. They tasted so delicious! We ll loved this side dish, especially my daughter whole gobbled them right up. Roasted Baby Potatoes with Parsley and Butter:Recipe and

Parsnip, potato and truffle gratin

OK, before you point out that truffles are hardly frugal, I know. If you had to buy them that is. But we were given a huge one by a (Somerset) farmer who had so many on his estate he didn't know what to do with them.

Unfortunately it started to stink out the fridge so swift action was called for. We had pasta last night with an outrageous amount of truffles and tonight a parsnip, potato and truffle gratin I invented on the spur of the moment and which was actually rather good. (So good that we'd scoffed most of it before I got round to taking a photo.)

Serves 4 as a veggie (it would go well with lamb), 2-3 as a vegetarian main course (we had it with cumin-braised carrots and red kale with garlic and chilli.

2-3 large parsnips
1 medium to large potato
1 small onion
Generous shavings of black or white truffle or a drizzle of truffle oil (but don't overdo it. It's probably safer to mix a few drops into some sunflower or vegetable oil until you get the intensity of flavour you want.)
600ml light vegetable stock
Butter for greasing the dish and dotting over the gratin
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6

Scrub, peel and halve the parsnips, cutting away the woody central core. Slice on a mandolin or finely with a very sharp knife. Peel and slice the potato, onion and truffle to a similar thickness. Lightly butter a largeish baking dish, tip in the vegetables and truffles (or truffle-infused oil) season and mix, then pour over the stock and dot with butter. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the top crisp and brown. Serve as a side dish with lamb, for example, or as a main with a couple of other veg.

Personally I'd have been tempted to add some cream to this somewhere along the line but my husband is dairy-intolerant :(

Parsnip, potato and truffle gratin

OK, before you point out that truffles are hardly frugal, I know. If you had to buy them that is. But we were given a huge one by a (Somerset) farmer who had so many on his estate he didn't know what to do with them.

Unfortunately it started to stink out the fridge so swift action was called for. We had pasta last night with an outrageous amount of truffles and tonight a parsnip, potato and truffle gratin I invented on the spur of the moment and which was actually rather good. (So good that we'd scoffed most of it before I got round to taking a photo.)

Serves 4 as a veggie (it would go well with lamb), 2-3 as a vegetarian main course (we had it with cumin-braised carrots and red kale with garlic and chilli.

2-3 large parsnips
1 medium to large potato
1 small onion
Generous shavings of black or white truffle or a drizzle of truffle oil (but don't overdo it. It's probably safer to mix a few drops into some sunflower or vegetable oil until you get the intensity of flavour you want.)
600ml light vegetable stock
Butter for greasing the dish and dotting over the gratin
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6

Scrub, peel and halve the parsnips, cutting away the woody central core. Slice on a mandolin or finely with a very sharp knife. Peel and slice the potato, onion and truffle to a similar thickness. Lightly butter a largeish baking dish, tip in the vegetables and truffles (or truffle-infused oil) season and mix, then pour over the stock and dot with butter. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the top crisp and brown. Serve as a side dish with lamb, for example, or as a main with a couple of other veg.

Personally I'd have been tempted to add some cream to this somewhere along the line but my husband is dairy-intolerant :(

Peppered mackerel and potato salad with mustard dressing

My husband seems to have taken over in the kitchen recently which isn't too good for this blog so I'm having to raid the back catalogue for recipes. This is another that went into the giveaway Guardian student book I wrote for them a couple of months ago. I'm not mad about smoked mackerel but it's fantastically good value and works brilliantly in this chunky potato salad

Serves 3-4
45 mins including cooling time

450-500g new potatoes
1/2 a small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 level tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp wine or cider vinegar
6 tbsp light olive oil or sunflower oil
200g peppered smoked mackerel
A handful of chopped parsley or some snipped chives (optional but adds a bit of colour)
Salt and pepper

Wash and scrub the potatoes clean leaving on the skins. Cook in boiling salted water until just tender (about 12-15 minutes) then drain and leave until cool enough to handle (another 10 minutes or so). Meanwhile whisk together the mustard and vinegar in a bowl and season with salt and pepper then gradually whisk in the oil plus a tablespoon of water if it seems a bit thick. Slice the potatoes roughly into the dressing and leave for another 15 minutes if you’ve time for the flavours to absorb. Pull the mackerel off the skin and break up with a fork into largeish pieces, removing any bones and lightly mix with the potatoes and parsley. Serve straight away (potato salads are never as good if they’re chilled)

IMO you can never have too many potato salad recipes. What's your favourite?

Peppered mackerel and potato salad with mustard dressing

My husband seems to have taken over in the kitchen recently which isn't too good for this blog so I'm having to raid the back catalogue for recipes. This is another that went into the giveaway Guardian student book I wrote for them a couple of months ago. I'm not mad about smoked mackerel but it's fantastically good value and works brilliantly in this chunky potato salad

Serves 3-4
45 mins including cooling time

450-500g new potatoes
1/2 a small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 level tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp wine or cider vinegar
6 tbsp light olive oil or sunflower oil
200g peppered smoked mackerel
A handful of chopped parsley or some snipped chives (optional but adds a bit of colour)
Salt and pepper

Wash and scrub the potatoes clean leaving on the skins. Cook in boiling salted water until just tender (about 12-15 minutes) then drain and leave until cool enough to handle (another 10 minutes or so). Meanwhile whisk together the mustard and vinegar in a bowl and season with salt and pepper then gradually whisk in the oil plus a tablespoon of water if it seems a bit thick. Slice the potatoes roughly into the dressing and leave for another 15 minutes if you’ve time for the flavours to absorb. Pull the mackerel off the skin and break up with a fork into largeish pieces, removing any bones and lightly mix with the potatoes and parsley. Serve straight away (potato salads are never as good if they’re chilled)

IMO you can never have too many potato salad recipes. What's your favourite?

Mediterranean Roasted Potato Salad AND the Giveaway Winners

I wanted to use up some fingerling potatoes and grape tomatoes I had on hand so I decided to make a Mediterranean potato salad. I roasted the fingerling potatoes then tossed them in a lemon vinaigrette and let them cool. I then tossed the cooled potatoes with grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, and feta cheese along with the remaining vinaigrette. It was a quick and simple recipe that

Mediterranean Roasted Potato Salad AND the Giveaway Winners

I wanted to use up some fingerling potatoes and grape tomatoes I had on hand so I decided to make a Mediterranean potato salad. I roasted the fingerling potatoes then tossed them in a lemon vinaigrette and let them cool. I then tossed the cooled potatoes with grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, and feta cheese along with the remaining vinaigrette. It was a quick and simple recipe that

Pork and Mushroom Stew

When I saw a picture of this stew on the cover of Cuisine at Home I knew I would be making it immediately. I love pork with apples so I was excited to give this recipe a try. The magazine served the stew over apple-potato mash but I decided to just make regular mashed potatoes instead. The pork was extremely tender and the sauce was AMAZING. You serve the stew topped with pieces of granny smith

Pork and Mushroom Stew

When I saw a picture of this stew on the cover of Cuisine at Home I knew I would be making it immediately. I love pork with apples so I was excited to give this recipe a try. The magazine served the stew over apple-potato mash but I decided to just make regular mashed potatoes instead. The pork was extremely tender and the sauce was AMAZING. You serve the stew topped with pieces of granny smith

Peasant Omelette with Potatoes, Mushrooms, Bacon, and Cheddar

When I was growing up there was a restaurant in my town called The Kitchen. It had so many amazing breakfasts but my very favorite was the Peasant Omelette. It was a very thin omelette filled with potatoes, cheese, bacon, and green onions. It was simple, hearty, and delicious! I wasn't in the mood to cook a big dinner (again) so I made omelettes. I cooked up some baby potatoes with onions and

Peasant Omelette with Potatoes, Mushrooms, Bacon, and Cheddar

When I was growing up there was a restaurant in my town called The Kitchen. It had so many amazing breakfasts but my very favorite was the Peasant Omelette. It was a very thin omelette filled with potatoes, cheese, bacon, and green onions. It was simple, hearty, and delicious! I wasn't in the mood to cook a big dinner (again) so I made omelettes. I cooked up some baby potatoes with onions and

Steakhouse Kebabs

I am back from a road trip we took to Northern California in our RV. We traveled with two other families to the Redwood Forest and had an amazing journey. We had so much fun exploring the forest and the different beaches we visited... it was a fantastic time with great friends.On with the recipe...When I saw this recipe in my newest Food Network Magazine, I knew I would make them immediately.

Steakhouse Kebabs

I am back from a road trip we took to Northern California in our RV. We traveled with two other families to the Redwood Forest and had an amazing journey. We had so much fun exploring the forest and the different beaches we visited... it was a fantastic time with great friends.On with the recipe...When I saw this recipe in my newest Food Network Magazine, I knew I would make them immediately.

Potato Leek Soup

I went to our local farmers market this weekend and picked up some wonderful local fruit and produce, I also finally met Cathy from Wives with Knives who was just as lovely as I imagined her to be. It's been raining and cold here this week so when I saw fresh leeks at one of the booths I instantly wanted to make a big pot of potato leek soup. We headed to a friends house for dinner and I brought

Potato Leek Soup

I went to our local farmers market this weekend and picked up some wonderful local fruit and produce, I also finally met Cathy from Wives with Knives who was just as lovely as I imagined her to be. It's been raining and cold here this week so when I saw fresh leeks at one of the booths I instantly wanted to make a big pot of potato leek soup. We headed to a friends house for dinner and I brought

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I love all potatoes but one of my very favorite dishes is roasted garlic mashed potatoes. They are so flavorful, creamy, and delicious. I love rich and buttery mashed potatoes but when making them at home I try to keep them a little lower in fat but still flavorful and tasty. These roasted garlic mashed potatoes are delicious and a great compliment to chicken, beef, pork, or fish. I served these

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I love all potatoes but one of my very favorite dishes is roasted garlic mashed potatoes. They are so flavorful, creamy, and delicious. I love rich and buttery mashed potatoes but when making them at home I try to keep them a little lower in fat but still flavorful and tasty. These roasted garlic mashed potatoes are delicious and a great compliment to chicken, beef, pork, or fish. I served these

Roasted Vegetables with Feta Cheese

I wanted a nice side dish to go with my Greek Roasted Chicken so I decided to look through my refrigerator to see what vegetables I could roast. I found some red onion, small fingerling potatoes, bell pepper, carrots, garlic, zucchini, grape tomatoes, and asparagus. I seasoned them lightly with olive oil, thyme, oregano, lemon pepper, sea salt and garlic powder. After they roasted, I sprinkled

Roasted Vegetables with Feta Cheese

I wanted a nice side dish to go with my Greek Roasted Chicken so I decided to look through my refrigerator to see what vegetables I could roast. I found some red onion, small fingerling potatoes, bell pepper, carrots, garlic, zucchini, grape tomatoes, and asparagus. I seasoned them lightly with olive oil, thyme, oregano, lemon pepper, sea salt and garlic powder. After they roasted, I sprinkled

Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

We were having steak for dinner and I thought some creamy potatoes would be a delicious side dish. I found this recipe on The Food Network for Scalloped Potatoes. I adapted it to work with what ingredients I had on hand. This dish was simple to make and so delicious. I loved the sharp flavor of the Asiago cheese with the soft potatoes and creamy caramelized onions. It paired beautifully with the