A place for learning about and cooking delicious food!
What is a Dutch Baby? A Dutch baby, also known as a German pancake is a giant American popover. Dutch babies are baked in the oven unlike your typical pancakes. It also contains no leavening ingredients like baking powder. This means that it will deflate …
What is a Dutch Baby? A Dutch baby, also known as a German pancake is a giant American popover. Dutch babies are baked in the oven, unlike your typical pancakes. It also contains no leavening ingredients like baking powder. This means that it will deflate …
You can ask anyone who knows me and then will all agree; I will take any excuse to eat potatoes. Mashed, fried, roasted, baked, there are so many ways you can eat this delicious spud. So needless to say I’ve made MANY roasted potato recipes. I’ve been changing and refining my version of this recipe for years and I finally feel like I’ve hit the potato jackpot. These roasted potatoes are super crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The garlic and herbs toasted in fat, make this dish extra indulgent. The best thing about it is how easy it is to make and that it’ll go with almost any main dish.
The special trick to get these roasted potatoes super crispy is one ingredient, baking soda. By adding baking soda to the boiling water you pull out the starch from inside the potatoes. This creates a mushy exterior that cripses up beautifully when you put the potatoes in the oven. Don’t skip this super important step!
Boiling the potatoes first also keeps them from drying out when put in the oven. While you can roast raw potatoes, boiling will ensure that the final product is extra creamy and delicious.
So in my version of the best roasted potatoes I use Yukon Gold Potatoes. You are totally welcome to use your preferred type. The reason I chose Yukon Gold was simple, they have a ton of starch compared to other potatoes. Russets, Idaho and Red potatoes are also valid choices. I would not recommend sweet potatoes though, because their sugar content will change the texture and can even come out a little gummy. No matter which potato you decide to use make sure you peel them. You won’t get as crunchy of a crust if you leave the peels on.
So this recipe is the best because of its flavor and if you didn’t know, fat adds a ton of flavor. This is definitely not a “healthy” recipe, but sometimes you just need to indulge. I prefer to use butter but you can also use any type of fat you’d like. Other delicious alternatives include; bacon fat, duck fat, or even olive oil. All of them will transform the taste but none of them are a wrong choice.
Then to enhance the flavor even more, I decided to add roast garlic to the fat, along with herbs and seasonings. Toasting the garlic and seasonings in the fat then straining them out ensures that they don’t burn in the oven. All the flavor from them is still infused into the potatoes. Plus they make a great garnish at the end.
Braised Chicken with Bacon Cream Sauce
Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 400°F. Peel and cut the potatoes into equal 1/2 inch to 1 inch cubes and place into a large pot.
Cover with water, approximately 1 inch above the potatoes.
Heat the potatoes over high heat until boiling. Add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, baking soda, and potatoes and stir. Return to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until a knife meets little resistance when inserted into a potato chunk, about 6 minutes after returning to a boil.
Meanwhile, combine your preferred fat and garlic, and a few grinds of black pepper in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Cook, stirring and shaking the pan constantly, until the garlic just begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Add in your herbs/spices and cook about a minute more or until fragrant. Immediately strain oil through a fine-mesh strainer set in a large bowl. Set garlic/herb mixture aside.
When potatoes are cooked, drain carefully and let them rest in the pot for about 30 seconds to allow excess moisture to evaporate. Add in the infused fat, season to taste with a little more salt and pepper, and toss to coat, shaking bowl roughly, until a thick layer of mashed paste has built up on the potato chunks. This will become the crispy bits in the oven.
Transfer potatoes to a large rimmed, parchment lined baking sheet and separate them, spreading them out evenly. Transfer to the oven and roast, without moving, for 20 minutes. Using a thin, flexible metal spatula to release any stuck potatoes, turn potatoes. Continue roasting until potatoes are deep brown and crisp all over, turning and turning them a few times during cooking, about 30 to 40 minutes longer.
Sprinkle the garlic/herb mixture and minced parsley on top of the potatoes. Toss to coat and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
About the Coconut Curry Chicken: This juicy curry and coconut marinated chicken is flavorful and easy! I was inspired by Thai chicken satay when creating this recipe. I wanted to turn it into a main dish star instead of the street food that satay usually …
About the recipe: Many recipes have ambiguous origins and Red Beans and Rice is one of them. There are many rumors’ and claims, but no one singular story. You’ll find a bean and rice dish in almost every culture, as it’s inexpensive and filling. The …
This braised chicken takes a little bit of time to cook but the outcome is so worth it. You will impress your whole family with this elegant comfort food. This braised chicken and bacon cream sauce is inspired by french techniques and ingredients but it’s not a difficult recipe. It is also made in only one pan!
I use chicken legs in this braised chicken recipe. I personally love how easy it is to eat them, but you can use thighs as well. It does have to be bone in however and bone in is always better anyway!
Braising is a two part cooking technique that starts off with a sear/crust and ends with the meat being slow cooked in a liquid (usually a stock with wine). The difference between braising and boiling is two key things. The heat on braising is always a slow simmer and is often done in the oven. Second, the meat is not fully submerged but the liquid usually covers about half the meat. The result is a super tender meat and a flavorful crust!
Braising is one of my all time ways to cook chicken. The “sauce” that is created is rich and flavorful. I decided to take it one step further by turning it into a cream sauce. Think of the best gravy you’ve ever had and then double the flavor and you have the bacon cream sauce in this recipe!
This sauce is best served with potatoes or another heavy starch. My favorite recipes to pair with this are:
Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350.F (175.C)
Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper. In a straight-sided 10 or 11-inch ovenproof sauté pan with a lid, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Arrange the chicken in the pan (you may have to do this in batches for even browning),and cook until deeply browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the pieces over and cook until the other sides are deeply browned, 3 to 5 minutes more.
Transfer the chicken to a plate. Next add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and cook until browned, season with a little salt and pepper. Remove from the pan and discard any remaining oil.
Add the bacon to the pan and cook until crispy, then add in the shallot and carrot and cook for about 5 minutes more.
Add the wine and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Boil until the wine has reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and return to a boil.
Return the chicken pieces to the pan, along with any accumulated juices, and cover. Transfer to the oven and braise until the chicken is fork-tender and the drumstick meat starts to come away from the bone, 45 to 50 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and keep warm by covering the dish loosely with foil. Strain the onions, bacon, carrots, and mushrooms into a bowl using a fine mesh strainer and discard the thyme sprigs. Return the liquid to the sauté pan and skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce.
Bring the sauce to a boil over medium high heat, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, skimming off any skin that forms on top for about 5 minutes. Add in the heavy cream, Dijon mustard and fresh thyme leaves and bring back to a simmer. Once thickened, season to taste with pepper (the sauce should be nicely salted at this point). Add the veggies and bacon back into the sauce.
Pour the cream sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley, and serve. Serve over mashed potatoes, or any side of your choice.
About this recipe: Creating a recipe that is not only delicious but quick and easy, is like winning a mini lottery. That’s how I feel about this Spicy Shrimp Pasta recipe. This tasty fusion of Italian and Mexican will please your whole family! Making cream …
About this recipe: Meatloaf is probably the most quintessential American recipe I can think of. Most families have their own version of this recipe. Growing up I actually hated meatloaf, even the name didn’t sound appealing! After I started dating my now husband, he and …
Beer bread is something my family has been making my whole life. It’s quick, easy and cheap, so basically it’s perfect. It’s also a great staple, because thanks to the yeast inside of the beer you don’t need to let it proof. So you get bread in less than half the time it would usually take. I wanted to take this staple in my house and create a “dessert” version. That’s how this double chocolate beer bread came into existence.
To be honest chocolate bread does sound a little strange, but the combo of a dark beer and rich chocolate is both decadent and delicious. The bitterness in the two play well off each other, almost surprisingly so. This isn’t a super sweet bread, which is why I love it so much. You can also make it more or less dessert like by using it in bread pudding, or my personal favorite eating it with vanilla ice cream and Nutella.
There is one aspect of this I have to point out. Beer bread is a lot denser and at times drier than regular bread. The darker the beer, the richer the flavor, but it will also make the bread more dense. If this isn’t your preference you can definitely use a lighter beer in this recipe.
The other more dessert like aspect that makes this bread so good is the chocolate glaze. That’s where the “double” in the chocolate bread name comes in. This also allows the bread to retain moisture and add in some of its own. Pair that with the vanilla ice cream I mentioned before and you have yourself something close to chocolate cake, but more complex. You can also easily change the glaze to create new flavor combos, like white chocolate or peanut butter!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×5 pan with baking spray. It can be either metal or glass. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Beat the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. It’s important to make sure this part is as smooth as possible. Scrape the edges of the bowl, then mix in the egg.
Add beer and mix for 30 seconds, just enough to break apart butter mixture into the beer. It will look broken, this is normal.
Slowly add dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients, mixing gently in between. When all dry ingredients have been added, mix until just combined, when dry ingredients are no longer visible. Do not over mix!
Gently fold in chocolate chips, then pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. I like to start checking it at 30 minutes, just in case. Every oven is different so use your best judgement.
Let bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Do not allow it to bubble. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly before drizzling over a cake. If you want to make this ahead, it can be cooled and reheated in the microwave
Once bread has cooled, spread glaze on top of bread and top with more chocolate chips, if desired. The bread can be stored in a sealed container and kept on the counter for up to 5 days.
About this recipe: Carnitas, literally meaning “little meats”, is a dish in Mexican cuisine. They are traditionally made by braising or simmering pork in oil or preferably lard until tender. Carnitas, unlike pulled pork, are finished by roasting the meat in the oven until browned …