Roasted Potatoes with Goat Cheese Sauce

http://community.jeroxie.com/groups/cookbook-challenge/

I have fallen a month behind in the Cookbook Challenge, and I think from now on I'll have to just post the recipes whenever I can, instead of every two weeks or so. I don't feel so bad about it, though, because everyone else has fallen behind as well, haha.

For the roast challenge, I chose this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Classic Recipes cookbook, published in 2005.

3 lb. tiny red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered, or medium round red potatoes, cut into eighths
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 oz. chèvre (soft goat cheese)
3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 recipe Walnut-Rosemary Topper (below)

Walnut-Rosemary Topper: In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, 1/4 fine dry bread crumbs, and 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary. Toss with two teaspoons olive oil. Cover and chill until needed.

 1.  Preheat oven to 450F. In an extra-large mixing bowl toss together potatoes, garlic, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.

 Spread mixture in a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Place pan on bottom oven rack; roast for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and tender, turning once. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish. If making ahead, cool slightly, then cover and chill.

2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a blender combine cheese, milk, flour, rosemary, remaining salt and remaining pepper. Cover and blend until smooth. If making ahead, transfer to a container; cover and chill. Prepare Walnut-Rosemary Topper, cover and chill.

 3. To serve, bake potatoes, covered at 350F for 30 minutes. Pour sauce onto potatoes, stir gently. Sprinkle with topper. Bake, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until heated through. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Spinach- and Ricotta-Stuffed Tomatoes

This fortnight's Cookbook Challenge theme is love. I had some ideas for recipes I could do that had some significant meaning to my relationship with my husband, but instead I decided to go with a tomato recipe. Why tomatoes? Because they used to be known as "love apples" in Europe!

I didn't realize at the time that I chose my recipe that there's actually a shortage in tomatoes right now, so I ended up having to halve the recipe because I couldn't afford to buy eight tomatoes at $2.69 a pound. Luckily this recipe is really easy to halve, and now I have extra spinach in my freezer that I'll probably put in a quiche.

The recipe is from The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, published in 1982.

8 ripe red tomatoes, the best you can find

salt for draining tomatoes

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup finely chopped yellow onions

10 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted, drained, and squeezed dry

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

nutmeg, to taste

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (see below for toasting instructions)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional cheese to top tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley 

To toast pine nuts: Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet; place in a preheated 400F oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir once or twice during baking. Remove immediately when well browned and transfer to a cool plate; otherwise the heat from the baking sheet may cause them to burn.

 

Wash and dry the tomatoes and cut off their tops with a serrated knife. With the handle end of a small spoon, scrape out seeds and partitions, being careful not to pierce the sides of tomatoes. Salt the cavities and set tomatoes upside down on a paper towel to drain for 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the onions and cook, covered, over low heat until tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes.

Chop the spinach and add it to the skillet. (Yeah right, as if I didn't buy my spinach pre-chopped.) Combine onions and spinach thoroughly, season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cover. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Do not let the mixture scorch.

 Beat ricotta and egg yolks together thoroughly in a mixing bowl. Add spinach mixture, pine nuts, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, and the parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Gently blot tomato cavities dry with a paper towel and spoon an equal share of the spinach mixture into each one. Top each tomato with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan.

Arrange tomatoes in a shallow baking dish and set in the upper third of a preheated 350F oven. Bake until tops are well browned and filling is hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

Note:  I don't know if it was because my baking dish wasn't very shallow or if they simply needed more time, but I didn't think the tomatoes baked well enough in only 20 minutes. I was in a hurry (hence the lack of photos) so I didn't try to bake them any longer, but when I reheated a couple of them the following day in the oven, they came out much better. Just make sure the Parmesan on top is definitely browned, and the skin of the tomatoes is fairly wrinkly, and they should be perfect. Either way, the filling tastes fantastic.

Au Gratin Potatoes

Not the healthiest thing to eat, but oh so delicious. I served it with a green salad to balance things out. This recipe is from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook, published in 1996.

6 medium boiling or baking potatoes (2 pounds)
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
paprika

Heat oven to 375F. Scrub potatoes. You can peel them if you want, but the skins get very soft while baking in the cheese sauce, so I think it's unnecessary.
Cut potatoes into thin slices to measure about 4 cups.
Spread potatoes in ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole.
Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion in butter about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly.
Stir in milk and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.
Pour cheese sauce over potatoes in casserole.
Bake uncovered 1 hour. Mix remaining cheese and the bread crumbs; sprinkle over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes longer or until top is brown and bubbly.