Deluxe Potatoes au Gratin

Every Christmas dinner in our family is hosted at my Aunt's home.  No matter what the menu, my Uncle makes his "Company Potatoes"; the recipe is a secret and I've not tried to reverse engineer them as they are awesome and his thing.  He is THE Potato Guy in our family.  He loves potatoes.  However, this Easter I was tasked with a potato side dish.  I knew the bar was set high, and I went for it.

Like many of my sauces, I needed to keep extra of each ingredient on hand to keep things flexible; just add more or less to the bechamel sauce based on your tastes and how the batch of sauce is behaving.  Of course, I am of the belief that you can never have too much garlic or too much pepper.  I wanted this to stand out and bring out different elements, so I used a bit of wine and added a touch of horseradish.

THE RECIPE--
1# thickly sliced pepper bacon
1 stick unsalted butter, divided, + more for lining baking dish
One large onion, halved then sliced thinly
6 cloves garlic
6 T flour
2 C whole milk
3/4 C half & half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 - 4 dashes Tabasco sauce
3 - 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 bunch fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 bunch fresh Italian flat-leaved parsley, minced
1/2 bunch fresh oregano leaves, minced
1/2 bottle dry white wine
2 t prepared horseradish, +/-, to taste - start off with a smaller amount then add more until you can just detect a hint of this flavor.
4-5 large russet potatoes peeled, 1/4" slices -- put in cold water until ready for cooking
1 C Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated
3 C shredded cheese blend, esp. sharp cheddar + more for garnish

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Broil pepper bacon until crisp.  Cool, chop finely and reserve.

In a large, deep skillet heat 2 T butter over medium flame.  Saute onions until pliable; add garlic and saute for another minute.  Season and set aside.

Return pan to medium flame; melt butter and whisk in flour, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.  Slowly add milk and half & half, stirring constantly.  Season and add herbs and wine.  Keep in mind these flavors will concentrate as the sauce reduces.  Add horseradish and taste.  Simmer lightly until reduced, stirring frequently.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Gradually stir in the cheese and remove from the flame once it is melted.

Butter a large baking dish.  Place a layer of sliced potatoes in the bottom; season with salt and pepper, onion and garlic mixture, bacon and bechamel sauce.  Repeat this layering until the pan is full.  Top with more shredded cheese and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 400°F for approximately 1 1/2 hours.  Garnish with shredded cheese and fresh herbs.

Tart and Spicy braised red cabbage

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After more than three weeks of illness and a LOT of work I turn my hand again to my passion.  I love this dish but don't often put in all the sweet components many traditional recipes call for -- preserves, berries, pineapple, the like.  My ONE nod to convention is to include a Granny Smith apple.  I prefer to add more herbs, more vinegar and in this case, fresh jalapeno pepper.

THE RECIPE

1/4 lb sliced bacon (preferably thick-sliced peppered bacon), chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 Jalapeno peppers cored and minced

1 medium Granny Smith apple peeled, cored, chopped
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
1/4 cup dry red wine

1T dried oregano
1T dried dill leaves
2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 large head red cabbage, cored and shredded

2 cups chicken stock

Over medium-low flame, brown the bacon pieces.  Add the onion, jalapenos and apple.  Saute until tender, ten minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients except stock.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  When cabbage just starts to wilt (8 minutes) add stock, increase heat and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until cabbage is tender, approx. 1 1/2 hours.  Check seasonings; add more salt and pepper if needed, then sprinkle with another heavy dash of Champagne vinegar.

Serve as a warm side dish alongside any protein, or as part of a holiday meal.

Mushroom Confit

Confit was originally a means of preserving meats without refrigeration.  It was perfected in France, and today the most recognizable of these preparations is duck.  The meat is slowly cooked in its own rendered fat and a bit of salt, then stored in this fat.  Duck confit is one of the cornerstones of cassoulet - hey, fall is coming - that's a must-make dish for me soon!

Fruit can also be prepared confit (it is preserved in sugar) as well as vegetables, such as I am preparing today.

Of course I have to make a hybrid / crossover dish; I can't leave well enough alone.

We had a surplus of mushrooms at work this week, and our Chef gave some of them to us for our own use; I was inspired to do something out of the ordinary with my portion.  I am pairing the woodsy, earthy flavor of the mushrooms with some of my favorite potherbs and the pleasant mustiness of white pepper.  I am using a little olive oil and equal parts butter and bacon fat for this confit preparation.  I even dropped in a bit of chicken fat (schmaltz!) from parts going into my chicken stock.



THE RECIPE

1 pound mushrooms, white, brown, or a mix of wild mushrooms cut into small slices or dices
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 shallots, minced
2 sprigs fresh basil, chiffonade
Leaves from 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
1t white pepper
1/2 t sea salt
2T balsamic vinegar
2T red wine
2T Extra Virgin olive oil
3-4 dashes Worcestershire sauce

4T butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 pound thickly sliced pepper bacon
2-3 slices salt pork

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly oil a small baking dish.  Mix mushrooms, herbs and seasonings in a bowl.

Pour into the baking dish, top with butter and layer with bacon and salt pork.  Bake for one hour.  Stir the mixture and flip over the bacon and salt pork pieces.

Return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes.  Remove bacon and salt pork, increase oven temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Bake for another 20-30 minutes, until sauce is reduced and top layer is caramelized.  Stir and store for future use.

Use this mushroom confit as a soup base or topping for meats, baked potatoes or vegetables (as I will in an upcoming post).

Charro beans -- a faithful sidekick

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Of course, with the puerco adovada from the previous post, we will need some beans.  I am preparing simple charro (also known as "cowboy") beans.  These beans, like so many other recipes, are subject to individual interpretation in terms of heat and "must have" ingredients.  Dress up or down the recipe as you wish, but the common elements in most versions are onion, garlic, chili pepper, tomato and cilantro.  These beans are simmered and served whole.

I always use a cured pork product to start my beans.  It can be anything, such as a ham hock, fried bacon, ham pieces / bone, salt pork or pork belly.  Why?  Because that's the way Mom did it.  OK, also because it adds a nice smoky flavor.  If you use this tip, go easy on the salt; the salt from these products leaches into the beans as they simmer.  With salt pork or cured pork belly you may even opt to skip any salt until the beans have simmered for an hour or so.

Other than this, do what you like: use mild or hot peppers, add chili powder or other herbs.  I also use these as my recipe for refried beans, reducing or removing most of the liquid.  I then mash the beans leaving 1/4 whole and add LARD, yes LARD (3T heated just to the point of smoking per pound of beans) in small increments.

One can omit the meat for a completely vegetarian preparation.

Sort through the beans to remove any debris and soak in water overnight, covered with a dish towel.  Prior to cooking, drain the soaking water.  As I started a bit late today, I used the quick soak method, soaking for 2 hours and keeping them just below a rolling boil until done.

Charro beans can be garnished with cheese, onion, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, salsa -- go nuts!  Serve them with plenty of warm tortillas beside your favorite entree.

THE RECIPE

1 pound dried pinto beans, soaked
Water, to cover
1 medium onion, diced
4 oz. cured pork or one smoked ham hock
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
2 jalapenos, divided -- one cut 1/2" from stem to tip left whole, and one minced
salt, to taste
1T dried oregano leaves
2 bay leaves
1t baking soda
2T cilantro leaves chopped, heavy stems removed
1 large tomato, diced

Place pinto beans into a 2Qt. saucepan, add water to cover.  Add all other ingredients except cilantro and tomato.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover and simmer until beans are tender (1.5 - 2 hours).

Add only as much water as may be needed during cooking to replace evaporated liquid.  After one hour of cook time, remove the meat.  Adjust seasonings as needed.  When beans are tender, add cilantro, diced jalapeno and tomato; simmer 15 minutes more.  Serve in bowls; garnish as desired.