What’s in Season? Potatoes

Fingerling potatoes simmered with butter and herbs, originally uploaded by shannon_turlington.
I’ve been seeing a lot of potatoes at the farmers market lately: red-skinned potatoes, teeny fingerlings, Yukon Golds, Peruvian purples, even baby russets (which would make excellent mini baked potatoes). Who doesn’t love potatoes? Well, I know a couple of people who don’t, but clearly [...]

Complicated Recipes: Gnocchi

For me, “simply cooking” is the process of producing great meals from good ingredients with a minimum of fussy preparation or time-consuming steps. My goal is to get a good meal on the table day after day, while heartily enjoying both the act of cooking and eating what I have produced.
As a result, I usually [...]

Two Salads: Horseradish Slaw (Cookthink) & French Potato Salad (The New Best Recipe)

I went to a party last week and had the opportunity to bring two dishes. I actually like being asked to bring food to other people’s houses, because it gives me the opportunity to try out recipes on a wider audience as well as to cook for more than two people. This time, I was [...]

Serious Comfort Food

Let’s say you’ve had a week like mine. A week where you stayed late at the office nearly every night and still didn’t feel like you got on top of all the work clamoring to be done. A week where you received 3 new project assignments, all of which need to be done by the [...]

Herb-Garlic Roasted Potatoes

This is probably my favorite way to cook potatoes. Like the little black dress, this is a simple classic that goes with everything. This is also a versatile recipe, which you can make on the grill during the summer as well as in the oven during the colder months.

Herb-Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Time to make: 30-45 minutes, [...]

Spanish Potato Tortilla

A Spanish tortilla is very similar to an Italian frittata, but its defining characteristic is the layer of thinly sliced, fried potatoes that form its foundation — and make it extra good, in my opinion. This dish is not only very simple, but it’s also extremely versatile. It works well at room temperature, cut into [...]

Sauteed Salmon with Baby Potatoes, Asparagus & Lemon Bearnaise

February is without question the dreariest month of the year. Despite being so short, the unrelenting sequence of cold, gray days that make up February always depresses me. To lift my mood, I was craving something that promised the sensations of spring. This dish, with spring vegetables drizzled with a sauce that looks and tastes [...]

Southwestern Corn & Potato Chowder

I’ve been craving soups lately, and it’s not just because it’s winter. (It’s going to be in the 70s here this weekend!) After all that holiday indulgence, soup is the perfect rebalancing food. Broth-based soups are comforting, healthy and generally chock-full of vegetables. Because they take longer to eat, you feel full faster and don’t [...]

Oven Fries

Oven “fries” are a good trick to have up your sleeve for weeknight dinners. They taste almost as good as real fries (okay, nothing tastes as good as really well done french fries), they’re a lot healthier, and they cook much more quickly than baked potatoes. Figure on ½ potato per person.
The technique is simple:

Preheat [...]

(S)Mashed Potatoes

I don’t think it’s much of a confession to reveal that I love mashed potatoes. Next to french fries, they’re probably my favorite side dish. I try to eat healthy and restrict my intake of both, but every now and then I need a potato infusion.
My favorite kind of mashed potatoes is a rough mash, [...]