Everydayguy » potatoes

Just a Man in His Kitchen: Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Frank — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:17:14 +0000

Who doesn’t love good mashed potatoes? They’re a great side dish for so many different proteins. These Yukon Gold mashed potatoes were paired with my chicken meatloaf, but they can be paired with just about any protein. One of the pluses to these mashed potatoes is that they do not require butter, so if you are avoiding butter or on a diet, this could be a nice way to get your mashed potato fix! Yukon Gold potatoes have a natural buttery quality to them, so no additional butter is needed in the recipe. Here’s what you need to make these potatoes:

6-8 Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup low fat or fat free milk plus 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar (or 1 cup buttermilk)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1-2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp of salt
pepper

Peel and dice the potatoes into cubes. Add them to a saucepan and cover the potatoes with water. Bring the potatoes to a boil and then allow them to simmer for about 5 more minutes. You can test the pieces with a fork to see if they are tender enough and done. Once the potatoes are ready, strain the water from them.

While the potatoes are cooking, make a small batch of sour milk. This is an excellent substitute for buttermilk if you do not have any on hand. Most buttermilk these days is made from low fat or non fat milk, so feel free to use buttermilk in this recipe. But if you do not have any buttermilk on hand, a batch of sour milk will do the trick! To make sour milk, take 1 cup of low fat or non fat milk and add either 1 tbsp of lemon juice or 1 tbsp of white vinegar. Whisk them together and allow them to sit for about 10 minutes. Keep in mind using the lemon juice will add a bit of a very slight tangy citrus flavor.

Whichever form of the milk you decide to use, be sure to add it to a saucepan and allow it to simmer a little to get warm. Why warm the milk, you ask? If you don’t, the milk will make your potatoes cold when you add it (and who wants to eat cold mashed potatoes ?).

Ok… now back to these mashed potatoes! Add the strained potatoes to a bowl and start mashing them by hand with a hand masher. (Yes, we’re doing this the old fashioned way!) Once you’ve got them mashed up pretty well, add in as much of the 1 cup of warm milk as you need. Stir the potatoes with a spoon to get them to the texture you desire. Add in the garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. If you desire less or more than my recommended measurements of these, have at it! Lastly add in the yogurt and chopped parsley and give it all a good mix. You have mashed potatoes!

Cooking with Hot Rod – Flounder with Pasta and Mussels

wally — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 02:06:48 +0000

garden on fire escape

On Saturday, I am hanging with Hot Rod(ney) Ramirez, we wanted to cook something for our friends. Decided to hit the Farmers Market on 14^th Street (Manhattan). Hop on the bikes, always the fastest way to get around in NYC – either that or the subway!

So what did I find:

- Lemon Thyme

- Thai Basil

- Chives

- Fingerling Potatoes.

- Beets

- Vidalia Onions

- Shallots

- Spinach Pasta

- Mussels

- Flounder

Thought that I could make a quick dish for my friends while we were enjoying come great comradery and cigars.

You can watch the video and see how everything was made.

It is important to take your time and heat your pans. Some funny moments were left in the video. Yeah I did heat the pans and got popped with some oil. Oh yeah, forgot to take the top off.

Root Vegetable Medley

- Cut the potatoes, onions and beets into squares.

- Season with salt, pepper, garlic (as shown in the video).

- Brown them in the pan. Don’t worry that the beets will have a lot of liquid.

- After the vegetables have brown, add the garlic and a water to cover.

- Place a cover on the pan.

- 15-20 minutes, uncover. Top off with butter or olive oil. DONE!

Pasta with Mussels.

- Make sure your water is well salted and has olive oil (extra virgin if you can).

- I am using fresh pasta. It cooks fast. 4-7 minutes.

- Strain it off. Add some olive oil to make sure the pasta want strip.

- In the same pot, add onion, garlic, and thyme.

- Let them sweat until onions are translucent.

- Add mussels, salt, pepper. Cook until they open.

- Now slowly add butter (wine and cream also work) be sure not to use too much. Just need enough to coat the pasta.

- Add back the pasta. Taste. Might need a pinch of salt.

Flounders with Herbs.

- Season flounder with salt and pepper.

- In a frying pan, add olive oil.

- Place the fish. Brown off. Be careful the fish is delicate.

- After it is browned, you can squeeze some lemon and add a little olive oil.

- Now coat with the fresh herbs. We have lemon thyme and Thai basil.

- Entire cooking time is 5-7 minutes.

Watch how we plate everything! Great dish. Thanks to Hot Rod for the cigars and the kitchen.

What’s in the Fridge – Egg Beater Omelet with Yammy Hash Browns

wally — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:33:00 +0000

Monday morning!!!!!!

Hungry!

As always, what’s in the fridge??? Well it may be unbelievable, but I am not making Chicken. Well close, making eggs (sort of chicken, unh!).

Let’s take the following!

Egg Beaters
2 slices of non-fat American cheese (does not have to be)
1 tablespoon of non-fat Ricotta cheese.
Cayenne Pepper.
Salt.
Garlic Paste (as much as you like).
Herbs (Sage and Basil).
One (Medium-Size) Yam (could be sweet potato, or even a regular potato)
Red Onion.
2 slices of wheat bread.

The good thing about this – One (non-stick) pan needed.

Thinly dice the onion, herbs and yam (I actually only used half).
Separate the herbs. Heat the pan – a little olive oil.

Place your onion and yam in the pan – medium heat. They should brown of in about 3-5 minutes. Now, add salt, pepper and garlic paste. After that, add a little water. Just to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover. Let cook for 5 more minutes (will soften up the yam cubes). Uncover – turn up the heat to high – let the water evaporate. (I also add a little more olive oil or butter, but not necessary.)

Now remove and plate.

Drop two slices of wheat bread in the toaster.

Same pan – take the Egg Beaters. On medium to low heat – stir in herbs, salt, pepper, ricotta. Add the two slices of cheese as well. Stir slowly to mix everything together. Breaking up the cheeses.

Let sit and periodically take your spoon (or spatula) and move the sides to even distribute the eggs. Your Omelet is almost ready. Take the toast (you can butter if you want).

Plate up!!!!!!! And enjoy – unlike my buddy – Wallace, I do not have some Red Wine!!!

What’s in the Fridge – ALRIGHT ENOUGH CHICKEN

wally — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:48:00 +0000

>Well, I know that if you have not figured it out by now, this week, I am making CHICKEN, POLLO, FRANGO…whatever you want to call it. So many of us get tired of having chicken, but at the end of the day, after pigging out all summer – I need to loose some weight and also, it is the only thing in the freaking FRIDGE!!!!!!!

So, I pull how two chicken breast – with the skin on.

Let’s see! Got Potatoes, frozen peas and carrots.

Also, I am a fan of one pan cooking if you can. Keeps the woman of the house from screaming about the dishes!!!

Grab my infamous oven-friendly frying pan, heat it up. Also turn the oven to 350 – need to preheat it.

This is fast so hold on!!!!

Grab some seasoning. Got Sesame Seeds, Dried Rosemary and Cumin. Place that in a pan over high heat. Let them toast up!!!!! Meanwhile, clean the chicken breast, place them in a bowl. Make a dry rub!

Got Old Bay Seasoning, Salt, and Pepper (don’t need a lot of salt – Old Bay has a lot). Onion and Garlic powder.

Grab the potatoes cut them up. Also found some plum tomatoes. Cut them up also. Grab the peas and carrots. Rinse them off in a strainer with some warm water. Put them (everything) in a bowl, a little seasoning – salt, pepper, garlic.

Take the toasted items put them in a coffee grinder if you have one (if not does not matter) grind add to the chicken. Make sure your chicken is fully covered with the rub.

Same pan, add some olive oil. Place breast skin side down. Let them sear up (get brown – I like them to smoke actually – not burn but definitely brown)!!

Flip, add the Potatoes Mixture to the pan. Cover. Place it in the oven –45-60 minutes or until
brown! Don’t really need to watch it, flip it or anything.

Uncover – turn the heat up to broil (500). Make sure the chicken breasts are skin side up!!

Depending on the heat of your broiler / oven – you only need 5 -10 minutes.

Now you are ready to eat.

Plate and enjoy. Your meal is completely ready.

I promise, I will make something else beside Chicken (well I like Chicken) !!!!!!!