Roast Chicken with Fingerling Potatoes, Leeks, and Bacon

Let me say that roasting a chicken is easy and rewarding. And I don’t do it enough. The “Roast Chicken with Fingerling Potatoes, Leeks, and Bacon,” from the March 2012 issue of Fine Cooking, was a triumph of perfectly cooked meat, appealing potatoes, and leeks that melted into the bacony broth, all kissed and perfumed by thyme.

 

Artichoke Tart with Polenta Crust and Potatoes with Leeks and White Wine

Why was I attracted to the “Artichoke Tart with Polenta Crust,” from Maria Speck’s Ancient Grains for Modern Meals? Because its crust is made of grits (I’ve never done that) and it’s full of favorites: Greek yogurt, artichoke hearts, goat cheese, and parmesan. I was happy when the crust turned out to be structurally sound.

 

Chicken Mushroom Meatloaf and Kale and Goat Cheese Mashed Sweet Potatoes

As a cook, the appeal of meatloaf — I’ll dare to say — is creating a composed, contrived terrine of food that requires no glamorous expectations. It’s hands-on, messy, then cooks by itself in a single loaf pan. Call it rustic? Simple? Common? Whatever. Meatloaf fans make up the majority of our population, I assure you. Sure enough, the “Chicken Mushroom Meatloaf,” from allrecipes.com, was moist and kid-friendly.

 

Potato, Cheese and Mushroom Pie and Escarole Salad with Provolone, Warm White Beans and Prosciutto Crisps

The “Potato, Cheese and Mushroom Pie,” from thedailyspud.com, is an ambitious recipe that showcases the best qualities of puff pastry, mushrooms, and potatoes. The pie is rich and the potato texture is perfect; the fresh mushrooms are delightful and the dried chanterelles are intense. With a moderate amount of discipline, you can assemble and enjoy this wonderful pie.

 

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Leeks and Sausage and Milk-Braised Zucchini

How do you feel about the “twice-baked” concept? In our world, where sweet potatoes are glorious when baked only once, why waste my time with this idea of doing it twice? I worry about being the victim of a sly recipe scam. The December 2011/January 2012 issue of Fine Cooking, however, calmed me with the “Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Leeks and Sausage.” I relaxed with this “twice-baked” idea, and reaped great rewards, thank you very much.

 

Oven-Baked Broccoli and Potato Omelette and Broad Bean and Herb Salad

Always a frittata fan, I made the “Oven-Baked Broccoli and Potato Omelette,” from effiesfoodcorner.
wordpress.com, knowing that we’d all enjoy it. It’s an ample dish, made with crowd-pleasing potatoes. My preparation was made even easier, when I used good, organic frozen broccoli, instead of fresh.

 

Vegetarian Guinness Stew and The Best Baked Spinach

The “Vegetarian Guinness Stew,” from thekitchn.com, is noticeably meatless, yet I was enticed by all the chunky vegetables: plenty of onions, mushrooms, potatoes, carrots. And I admit that the inclusion of Guinness interested me. The stew turned out to be thick and rich and reddish, thanks to the tomato paste and paprika. My diners did, however, miss the meat. I should have distracted them by heartily serving this stew over noodles…

 

Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Green Beans in Cauliflower Sauce

How do you feel about stews? Are you a “stew person”? Are you feeding “stew people”? My Stew Proclamation is along the lines of: “I will always appreciate and indulge in a messy heap of stew.” There it is. I do, indeed, live among stew people. And we are good people. The recipe for “Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Green Beans in Cauliflower Sauce,” from fatfreevegan.com, celebrates the simple pleasures that only a heap of vegetables and potatoes can bring to the table.

 

Mushrooms with Salsify and Barley and Garlicky Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Guaranteed, I will always enjoy barley. The recipe for “Mushrooms with Salsify and Barley,” from chef Yotam Ottolenghi at The Guardian, seduced me with its inclusion of barley and mushrooms and an herbed mayonnaise. It was fine to eat at room temperature and provided my sought-after silkiness. But what of this salsify? Do you know it? It’s a European root vegetable, sweet and wintery. As the recipe suggests, I substituted celeraic, with fine results.

 

Bourbon Chicken and Avocado Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Garlic

Here’s what pulled me into the recipe for “Bourbon Chicken,” from blogs.babble.com/
family-kitchen: chicken thighs and — wait for it — not bourbon, but Southern Comfort. I don’t currently have any bourbon in my pantry, but I did have a bit of Southern Comfort to use up. And use it I did. I hit a home run with this recipe — we all loved the well-seasoned chicken stew: not too sweet and with just the slightest tang.