Tag: potatoes

Corned Beef & Chouriço Hash

done2

I almost like the day after St. Patrick’s Day even better than the holiday itself.  You might ask why, but if you have ever tried a genuine home-made Corned Beef Hash, it wouldn’t take long to figure out the answer!  Since I always add in a nice link of chouriço to my Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Paddy’s Day, I like to add it right into the hash the next day.  And wow, the results are amazing, the spiced sausage adds in that little extra kick that sets it apart from any other hash you have ever had!.

This is what your dinner looked like last night.

Refrigerate your boiled dinner over night and this is what you get. You will find the fat has floated to the top making it easy to remove, yay.

Grab some potatoes and corned beef to start with.

Dice up a large onion. I used my Pampered Chef Manual Food Processor because I wanted to speed this process along.

Next dice up your potato. I like a small dice, but not so small that they disintegrate with additional cooking. Remember these potatoes have been boiled, so they are quite tender.

Start by removing any remaining fat on your corned beef. Then cut into strips.

Dice.

Then do the same to your chouriço. Be sure to first remove the skin.

Sautée your onions.

Then add in your remaining ingredients.  Add in a bit more oil when you add in the potatoes and meat if the onions have soaked up all the oil you originally added in.

Add on some Portuguese All Spice or paprika.

Be sure to give this time to really crisp up, nothing worse than a mushy hash.

done1

Corned Beef & Chouriço Hash

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. cooked corned beef, diced

1/4 lb. cooked chouriço, diced

4 cooked med/large potatoes, diced

1 large onion, diced

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more if needed

1/2 tsp. Portuguese All Spice or Smoked Paprika

salt and pepper to taste

top with egg (optional)

Directions:

Sautée onion in vegetable oil in a large over med/high heat until tender.  Add in potatoes and meat adding additional vegetable oil if needed.  Sprinkle mixture with Portuguese All Spice or Smoked Paprika.  Allow mixture to crisp up mixing only occasionally to allow for caramelization.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with eggs and toast.  Enjoy! 

*Gluten free only if beer was not used in the cooking of the original Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner.

Pork Shoulder Boiled Dinner (Cozido)

done2

Ah the Boiled Dinner….  I think God invented the boiled dinner just for Sundays.  If you want to talk about an easy and delicious meal we need not say more than one simple word – “Cozido” (or Boiled Dinner).  If you’ve never made a boiled dinner out of intimidation, let me set your mind at ease because there literally could not be a less complicated, less stress free and less time-consuming prep time.

Growing up a good Cozido was always an option for Sunday dinner and it was such a treat.  My mother would always get her biggest pot on the stove and fill it with this amazing piece of smoked meat, onions, cabbage, potatoes and of course meat.  She would set it going when we got home from church and a couple of hours later we would have a feast.

The one and only downside to this is the price of the meat, at an average of $3-$5 per pound this 10+ pound piece of meat can get quite pricey just due to the sheer size of it.  What you need to do is look for a sale as I did!  I found a great deal on this one for $1.69 per pound and fed 10 adults with it!  Now that’s a great value!

One of the best parts of this meal is that you can add in anything you like really.  I see this one pot meal as Portugal’s answer to Ireland’s Corned Beef.  It’s got a great flavor that when boiled with other ingredients is enough to flavor the whole meal.   You can keep it simple as we do with onions, cabbage, potatoes and chouriço or you can add in carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips any hearty vegetable you like really.  Just be prepared for everything to take on that yummy smoky flavor.

I got a great deal on this smoked shoulder. Whatever you do make sure what you are buying for this recipe is a SMOKED shoulder, not a picnic ham, not a fresh shoulder, but a SMOKED one. The flavor is completely and totally different from fresh pork.

Cut open the packaging, drain and rinse under cold water.

You will likely find this mesh on the skin of your meat, this is meant to keep the meat all together and should be used in cooking. In their words, let it be (for now).

The great thing about this recipe is you can add or take away as many ingredients as you like. My family likes boiled onions, so we add in three good-sized onions. If you don’t care much for them, still add one in for flavor. If you would like more, go for it.

For this recipe, we want to be sure the onions stay in tact, so all that is required is peeling, don’t cut them up or they will melt right into the dish which is not the goal here.

To add in that Portuguese flavor, all you really need is one link of hot chouriço. I don’t peel for this recipe, I just add some slits along the bend of the chouriço.

Fill a very large pot with water. I am using my Pampered Chef Executive Stock Pot.

This may look funny, but some people in my family prefer potatoes with skins and some don’t. So, I do them both ways for this recipe.

Place your rinsed shoulder in the pot.

Now add in your onions and cabbage.

Add in the chouriço.

Cover the pot and boil. The shoulder is already pretty well cooked, so you are just really melting the fat a bit, heating it through and cooking the potatoes and other veggies… That being said, it is important to give the boil enough time to allow the flavors to infuse together. So, you will want this to come to a boil and then turn it down to a low boil for a minimum of 90 minutes.

Once done, remove the mesh from the pork.

And serve on a platter.

And serve on a platter.

Pork Shoulder Boiled Dinner (Cozido)

Serves 10

Ingredients:

1 10 lb. Pork Shoulder

6-8 potatoes, peeled (or not)

3 large onions, peeled

1/2 cabbage

1/2 lb. hot Portuguese Chouriço

Directions:

Place potatoes in the pot and cover with water.  Place pork shoulder in the pot and cover with water.  Add in onions, cabbage and chouriço.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Turn the heat down and continue a low boil for 90 minutes to 2 hours.  Remove mesh from the meat and discard.  Enjoy!

*** Gluten-free

 

Twice Baked Potatoes

done1

Why bake a boring ole potato once when you can bake it twice and make it spectacular?  My Twice Baked Potatoes are loaded with not only butter and sour cream, but bacon and cheese.  I know, I know, not exactly keeping with those New Year’s resolutions right? But, it’s Championship weekend people, I’m still in “football food” mode.

These Twice Baked Potatoes are flavorful, they are packed with everything you love so there is no muss at game time and the best part is you can eat them with a fork and a knife or just pick um right up and you have a perfect finger food.  And I’m not even going to try to pretend they are healthy, but they aren’t fried and they are even gluten-free.  So, they aren’t the worst thing in the world health-wise either!

Make them in a big batch like I have for a party or tailgating or make a smaller batch for dinner.  Or you can do like I did and make the big batch, have them for the party and freeze the rest so you have them right at your fingertips whenever you are looking for an easy side, they freeze great!  Baking potatoes the old-fashioned way is not a quick process, so making a big batch is always the way to go in my opinion.  Here’s how I do them…

So, I use my double burner griddle for this project. Pampered Chef sells a great one, talk about cutting down on time and energy!

So, I use my double burner griddle for this project. Pampered Chef sells a great one, talk about cutting down on time and energy!

I always start off with preparing the bacon, mostly because when I make bacon, I like to make the entire package and we don’t need the entire package for this recipe, so I make breakfast in the morning and then I reserve the rest of the bacon for the recipe. Call me crazy, but it saves me time. In any case, you will need 8 slices of bacon for this recipe.

The problem is when an entire package of bacon is hanging around, it needs to be covered in my house otherwise it will dwindle throughout the morning if it’s not hidden!

Then I gather my potatoes, I like russet potatoes for baking. I try to find the ones that are oval in shape as opposed to round and med/large for variety.

Russets come dirty, so be sure to give them a good scrub, you will be eating the skin on these.

I like to bake them whole, but I like to half split them for ease in cooking time.

I like to make these in a disposable aluminum tray for a couple of reasons. First I am making a bunch here, so I am not wrapping each one in aluminum foil. This tray mimics that. Also, because this makes for easy clean up.

I like to then add a good pinch of salt to each one. We did not dry these, so they should still be wet helping the salt to cling. If you pre-washed or something, then just run them each under water for this effect.

Now turn them all over and do the same thing to the other side. A good pinch of kosher salt to each. It may seem like a lot, but you are really just seasoning the skin of the potato which is very important.

Cover tightly in aluminum foil and bake at 400°F for 1 hour and 45 minutes or so.

Now spit them using your original cut as the guide.

You will have twice the amount at this point which will require a second tray. Be sure to salt the bottom of that tray again.

Scoop out the middles of each potato leaving a reservoir for the filling and a good “wall” all the way around.

Add in your scooped out fillings to a bowl.

Add in a stick of salted butter. Remember you are making 16 twice baked potatoes, that spreads that butter out. Besides, it’s football food. If your potatoes are not hot because you chose not to scald your fingers as you handled the potatoes, just pop this in the microwave for about 2 minutes.

Start to go at it with a potato masher.

Get some good fresh sour cream.

Add in sour cream.

Add in cheese.

Add in kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Now, back to the bacon. It survived! Yay!

Chop it up pretty well still allowing for some good size chuncks.

Add to your bowl.

But reserve some for topping.

Mash mash mash.

Add in some half and half or heavy cream, whichever you have on hand.

Now fill each of your potatoes with a healthy amount. Be sure to spread it evenly though.

Once they are all filled, pre-heat your oven to 350°F.

Add a good bunch of cheese to top each.

Then top that with bacon bits.

Bake for about 1/2 hour until they are heated through and the cheese is all melty!

done1

Twice Baked Potatoes

Serves 8-16

Ingredients:

8 med/lg. Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 stick salted butter

8 slices bacon, fried and drained and chopped, divided

3/4 cup sour cream, plus more for serving

kosher salt to taste

fresh cracked black pepper to taste

water-soaked minced onions or chives for serving (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400°F.  Scrub potatoes clean and while still wet, carefully slice into potato lengthwise about 3/4 of the way through as though you were going to split them for stuffing (see photo above).  Salt the outside of the wet potato with kosher salt on all sides and place in aluminum pan.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Remove from oven and turn oven down to 350°F if baking immediately.

Let cool just long enough for handling. Continue cutting potato along the original cut line spitting the potatoes in half.  Now, scoop out the middle flesh of the potato leaving about a 1/4 inch wall along the entire outer potato skin (this provides stability, see photo above).  Place the scooped out potato flesh in a bowl for mixing.  Add in butter, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese,  3/4 of your bacon, a good pinch of salt and about 10 cracks of black pepper. Mash all ingredients together with a potato masher (warm for a minute in the microwave if the contents are not warm enough to melt the butter and incorporate all the ingredients at this point.)

Now, fill each potato cavity with the mixture.  Top with an additional Tablespoon or so on each along with a few remaining bacon bits.  Bake until heated through and melty for about 1/2 hour.  Serve with sour cream and [instructions]

water-soaked minced onions or chives.  Enjoy![/instructions]

*note-  This is a gluten-free recipe.

Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy

done3

I don’t know about you, but after the third turkey leftover meal, I am about done with turkey for a while.  It’s time to change things up come December and I’ve got a special treat to kick things off.  Nothing says good old American ‘stick to your ribs’ comfort good like Pot Roast!  And with my recipe for Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy, it’s a one pot meal you will be sure to keep in your Sunday dinner arsenal.

Start by clipping some bacon into a dutch oven. I am using my Pampered Chef Roc Crock Dutch Oven.

Cook bacon until crisp and set aside. Reserve the bacon fat in the pan.

I am using a 3lb. Boneless Chuck Roast for this recipe.

Use a good kosher salt in this recipe.

Spread the salt evenly on all sides of the meat. You can do this ahead of time if you like. Doing it up to 8 hours ahead of time allows the salt to really get into the meat.

Dredge all sides of the meat in flour.

Shake off the excess.

Place meat in the heated bacon grease on med/high heat.

It’s o.k. for this process to take time, you really can’t rush it. The more patience you have during this step in the process, the more flavor you will have in your dish.

Peel and cut carrots into 2″-3″ segments.

These are little red potatoes, the largest is probably 2″ in diameter.

Add carrots in over the potatoes.

Over the carrots and potatoes add in a couple stems each of rosemary and thyme.

Next, place the meat on top of the potatoes and carrots. Then spread frozen pearl onions on top of that.

Add in red wine.

Cover and place in a preheated oven at 275°F for about 3 hours.

AAA

GGG

You can use any type of domestic or portabella mushroom in this or really whichever kind you like. These white button mushrooms were on sale this week, so that’s what I used here. You want to brush them clean, no water and cut off any really blackened ends.

Quarter the mushrooms. I like quartering in this instance because I like more of a chunck to this gravy. If you like them smaller, by all means chop them up however you see fit. If you don’t happen to care for mushrooms, you can of course omit them.

Now it’s time for your reserved crispy bacon.

Melt a half a stick of butter into your pan. Remember you poured your liquid into another container for now, so your pot should look like this one.

Grab one large clove of garlic.

Slice it up pretty thinly.

Saute garlic, mushrooms and bacon in the butter.

I am using flour to thicken the gravy. If you are doing this in a gluten free mannor, swap out the flour for cornstarch.

Spread the flour over the contentts of then pan. Mix it around and cook for a minute or two.

Now add in your reserved cooking liquid.

Bring the liquid up to a boil for about one minute, then shut off and serve in a gravy boat.

Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients

3lb. Chuck Roast

1 cup flour or corn flour

2 Tbs. kosher salt

Olive oil for frying.

4 medium carrot

9 small red potatoes

1 cup pearl onions

2 sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

3 slices of bacon

1-1 1/2 cups red wine 

Directions:

Salt all sides of the meat. Dredge in flour and shake off ane excess. Fry up the chopped bacon, remove bacon and set aside for gravy, reserve fat in pan.  While on med/high, sear all sides of beef.  remove and set aside to build pot.  Place potatoes in bottom of pan, then top with carrots, rosemary and thyme.  Place beef on vegetables and top with pearl onions. Add in 1-1/1/2 cups of red wine.

For gravy:

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup flour or corn starch

6 mushrooms, quartered

1 garlic clove, sliced

reserved bacon bits

1 1 1/2- 2  cups reserved liquid from roast

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter into the pot where the roast was made.  Add in garlic, bacon and mushroom, saute.  Once mushrooms are tender add in flour.  Cook flour for about a minute or two while stirring.  Add in reserved cooking broth.  Bring to a boil for about one minute or so.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

*By switching from flour to corn flour and corn starch, this recipe can easily become gluten-free.

Portuguese Beef Stew (Carne Guisada)

25 Comments

done5

My Vavô had Portuguese soup for supper every night when he got home from work, but Sunday’s were reserved for his favorite meal… Beef Stew. In St. Michael meat was expensive, much too expensive to have on a regular basis.  So, when the family moved to the United States and a better life was set before them, my Vavô worked hard to achieve that better life for his family and to enjoy such luxuries in life as Beef Stew on Sundays.

Fernando Mota, my Vavô, achieved what he wanted for his family, he bought a home, became a U.S. citizen, paid taxes, raised three children, had several grandchildren and a few great-grandchildren before he passed away.  He achieved the American dream in every sense of the term.  Now all three of his children continue what he began by working hard, owning homes and helping their children and grandchildren to achieve the same and better.  I wish my children could sit at a table with their great grandparents and enjoy a big bowl of Beef Stew.  But, the next best thing is to chronicle these little details of my grandparents lives for them to learn about as they grow up.  And food is a wonderful place to begin that journey of remembering and telling family stories.  I like to use food as a vehicle to help my children to stay rooted in their heritage.

My family’s Beef Stew recipe is a melt in your mouth favorite, meant to be enjoyed with a good piece of Portuguese bread to sop up the molho (gravy/broth).  You won’t find vegetables as you might in a traditional American Beef Stew, it’s made up of mainly meat and potatoes.  And the flavors are out of this world with pepper, onion, garlic and spices.  Take a look and see how we do it…

Start by taking your meat out of the fridge… you want it to come to room temperature. This dinner is meant for my small family, so I used just over a pound of chopped up beef, the packaging said “stew meat”.

Start preparing your ingredients by dicing one med/large onion.

1/2 lb. or 1 link of hot portuguese chouriço. If you like things a little less spicy, mild is fine too.

Peel the chouriço.

Slice.

Collect about 8 or 9 medium all-purpose potatoes. Nothing fancy here.

Peel them.

Chop them up.

And finally… One large clove of garlic.

Peel.

Add some olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium heat.

Add your onions in.

Next, add in your chouriço.

Add in your meat before you add in any liquid… sautée.

Add garlic to the pot.

Use 1/2 tsp. of Portuguese Allspice.

Add in one heaping Tbs. of crushed red pepper. This is not a terribly spicy pepper, it has some kick, but definitely mild in comparison to some hot sauces out there.

Add in potatoes.

Add in one full beer then refill that bottle with water and add in.

You should come right up to the top of your meat and potatoes with liquid, if it’s a little over, don’t worry, it will all soak in nicely.

Add in 1/2 a small can of tomato sauce.

Add in 1/2 a small can of tomato sauce.

Add in a pinch of salt to help with the seasoning of the potatoes, but don’t go nuts here, the pepper and the chouriço both have a good amount of salt in them as it is.

Simmer with the lid on over a med/low burner.

You should stir this every once in a while throughout the simmer.

In order to make this recipe work, this next part is essential. You need to cook this low and slow not only until the potatoes are tender, but until they just about fall apart on you. It’s the starch from the potato that brings the thickness to the molho (gravy/broth). Once the potatoes cook as described, taste for salt.

done1

done7

Recipe for Portuguese Beef Stew (Carne Guisada):

(serves 4)

2 lbs. chopped stew meat

1/2 lb. Portuguese hot chouriço, sliced

1 med/lg. onion, diced

1 clove fresh garlic, crushed and peeled

8-9 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

12 oz beer (or red wine for gluten-free preparation)

12 oz water

1/2 small 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 heaping Tbs. crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp Portuguese Allspice

pinch of salt

olive oil

(additional cooking water may be needed to keep moist during the cooking process)

Directions:

Once all the ingredients are prepped, heat a large pot with a few Tbs. olive oil over medium heat. Add in onions, sautée for a couple minutes.  Add in chouriço and stew meat.  Stir.  Add in  Allspice, garlic, and pepper, stir.  Add in potatoes, beer, water, salt and tomato sauce.  Stir. Cover and simmer over a med/low burner stirring about every 10 minutes or so.  Cook for at least 1 – 1 1/2 hours until potatoes are extremely tender. (If during that hour and a half you see that it is starting to get dry before the potatoes are very well cooked, add in additional water, beer or wine accordingly)

Enjoy with a fresh Portuguese roll!

*note: This is a gluten-free recipe with the swapping out of beer for wine or as always gluten-free beer.

*note: to make your own Portuguese Allspice: combine 1/2 cup plain paprika (not smoked or spicy), 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp. grated orange rind

*note: this can easily be made in a slow cooker, 8 hrs on low, just be sure when it is done, potatoes are beyond tender

Baked Salt Cod Casserole (Bacalhau Assado)

done5

The Italians have lasagna, the Greeks have moussaka, the Mexicans have enchiladas and the Portuguese have Bacalhau Assado.  Whatever the country, a time consuming casserole dish filled with beautiful food is a cherished part of family gatherings and family dinners alike. I truly believe these dishes are where the phrase “Food of Love” was started. We Portuguese love our salt cod, so it is only natural that our most loved casserole has salt cod as the star.  Derived from a country that has deep seeded roots as sea-faring navigators and fisherman, the Portuguese introduced Salt Cod to most of Europe.  We have dozens upon dozens, perhaps even hundreds of recipes for salt cod and not any that I can think of for fresh cod.  I suppose we wouldn’t need any recipes for fresh cod as salt cod is not only more delicious, but also considered a great comfort food.  As a matter of fact, as I write this now, I can recall it has always just been naturally assumed in my family that when speaking of “cod fish” we think salt cod, not fresh.  This became apparent to me later in life when at an American sea food restaurant where Atlantic Cod was served topped with little buttery cracker crumbs… I was almost confused to think of it fresh like some might be confused to think of bacon as fresh pork.

Portuguese Baked Salt Cod Casserole (Bacalhau Assado) is a serious dish for serious food lovers.  Layers of carefully constructed sliced potatoes, salt cod and sautéed onions (Cebolada)  all baked together and topped with boiled eggs and olives and infused with good olive oil to form the perfect balance of flavors, this dish has it all.

In my family, as I am quite sure in many Portuguese families, this wonderful creation is enjoyed at many a social gathering… but, most especially the holidays.  A nice tray or casserole dish of Bacalhau Assado sits right near the Shrimp Mozambique and the Polvo (Octopus) each year at Christmas!  A more delicious site has yet to be created!

Many of the recipes I post here on thePortugueseAmericanMom.com are easy, simple, inexpensive and quick. This is not one of those recipes.  Although this dish is not at all complicated, it does require the coordination of several different steps and so is definitely not something that can get done in under a half hour.  It is a labor of love and worth every minute!

Let’s start with the star ingredient… the cod fish…

Salt Cod at Portugalia Marketplace in Fall River, MA

With so much to choose from, it can be difficult to select just the right cut. I like to make my life a little bit easier, so I usually go for something without bones! 2 lbs. please 🙂

Here is what I brought home.

Just look at all that salt! Most of that will need to be removed for the cod to be edible.

Some people like to soak the fish overnight, which works well too… accept you will need to change the water a few times as it does tend to need more than just a soak… Me, I like to boil the salt out.

Boil and drain, this process will need to happen 2-3 times depending on just how salty the fish is and what your taste is… I like the fish to have a good amount of salt flavor, because otherwise what’s the point right? So, I try to keep the boiling process down to twice… Don’t forget this fish needs to stand up to potatoes and onions.

Gently with your hand, flake off chunks of fish to separate.

This is the broken up cod… you don’t want to mash it, you want it chunky.

Now that the cod is prepared, lets move onto the potatoes…

These are Yukon Gold potatoes... Any kind of all-purpose white potato will work as well.

These are Yukon Gold potatoes… Any kind of all-purpose white potato will work as well.

Peel the potatoes and place them in a cold pot, then fill with cold water and a nice pinch of salt.

Look how golden these turned when cooked.

You want to thinly slice your potatoes, but you also want them to not fall apart… Just find a happy medium and whatever you are comfortable with will work.

Now lets work with the onions… this part of the preparation is very similar to my Cebolada post less the tomatoes.

Start by slicing some onions, I like a varying slice, some thick some super thin.

Add onions to a hot pan with olive oil and add just a small pinch of salt… Saute over medium heat until tender.

One the onions have become tender, add in ground red pepper, minced garlic and Portuguese Allspice.

When your onions get to this stage, they are ready to go. (They should no longer be stiff at all, but not mushy either… you are looking for a medium bodied onion that is very flexible, this still needs to be baked once incorporated into the dish)

Now that all three elements of the recipe are ready, we can start to build…

Now start building the final product in your casserole dish… This recipe will fill a 9″x13″ pan.  Add in a drizzle of olive oil to coat the bottom of the baking dish. I prefer either glass or stone as seen here… If using a metal pan, be sure to coat bottom and sides well. (I would even spread it around with a paper towel if using metal)

This is a simple layering process. Start with one even layer of potatoes. You will use about 1/3 of your sliced potatoes.

Now add in an even layer of onions. You should use about 1/3 of your onions.

Now for the cod fish. You will need about 1/2 of your fish now… I don’t like to put too much cod on top as I feel like it gets dried out, so sometimes I reserve a few pieces for the top, but I didn’t do that today.

Spread evenly atop the onions. I like to drizzle just a little olive oil at this point.

In the middle is when you want to use any potatoes that are not perfectly round due to falling apart in the cutting process… you want the bottom to be solid and the top to be pretty… So here they are.

Keep layering in that order… Potatoes, onions, cod…

Once you reach the top, finish you should have onions on top… Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in a 350°F oven for one hour. Then bake uncovered for about 15 minutes.

When it comes out of the oven, grab some olive oil, drizzle… grab some olives and sliced hard-boiled eggs (2) and decorate the top.

done1

Serve hot… but, it’s still yummy when cooled a bit!

done3

 

 

Recipe for Baked Salt Cod Casserole (Bacalhau Assado):

(serves 8-10)

2 lbs. salt cod, deboned

4 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled

5 large onions, sliced

1 heaping Tbs. ground red pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup olive oil, divided

12 olives

2 eggs, hard-boiled and sliced

1/2 tsp. Portuguese Allspice

kosher salt

Directions:

Start by washing and then boiling the cod fish.  Drain and boil again.  Drain and flake into chunks.  Set aside.

In a large pot, boil (in lightly salted water)peeled potatoes.  Allow to cool a bit and slice.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, saute onions until tender.  Add in garlic, red pepper and Allspice.  Add in a small pinch of salt.  Saute until very flexible, but not mushy.

In a 9″x13″ casserole dish, layer ingredients.  Start with olive oil, then 1/3 potatoes, then 1/3 onions, then 1/2 the cod, then drizzle with olive oil and repeat using the next 1/3 potatoes, the next 1/3 onions and the remaining cod.  To finish add the remaining potatoes then the remaining onions.  Drizzle with olive oil again, cover with foil and bake at 350°F for one hour.  Remove foil and continue to bake for 15 minutes.

Top with sliced hard-boiled egg and olives.

Enjoy!

*Note: This is a gluten-free recipe.

Portuguese Style Pepper Stuffed Potatoes (Batatas com Pimenta)

done1

Sometimes the simplest foods are the most delicious.  That is certainly the case for this Portuguese classic.  Growing up, there were always a big platter of these at any given family gathering.  Just a simple red bliss potato boiled till tender and stuffed with some wet crushed pepper or pimenta moida.

In this recipe, I have taken this simple recipe to the next level.  Although still simple, I have added one more step… cooking down the pepper with a bit of olive oil and garlic.  Give them a try, you’ll be glad you did.

Start off by carefully cutting into your uncooked potato... Go in about 2/3 of the way through and stop. You will want to make sure the flat side of the potato is facing down so that when they are placed on the platter later, they don't roll too much.

Start off by carefully cutting into your uncooked potato… Go in about 2/3 of the way through and stop. You will want to make sure the flat side of the potato is facing down so that when they are placed on the platter later, they don’t roll too much.

Cover your potatoes in a cold water in a pan just large enough to accomodate your potatoes. For purposes of this recipe, lets say 8 medium sized red bliss potatoes.

Cover your potatoes in a cold water in a pan just large enough to accommodate your potatoes. For purposes of this recipe, lets say 8 medium-sized red bliss potatoes.

Add in a generous pinch of salt. The goal here is to flavor the potato itself.

Add in a generous pinch of salt. The goal here is to flavor the potato itself.

Grab one clove of garlic.

Grab one clove of garlic.

Crush the garlic and remove the peel.

Add garlic into the potatos and salted water. Then turn on the burner to bring potatoes to a boil.

Add garlic into the potatoes and salted water. Then turn on the burner to bring potatoes to a boil.

When you see the splits in the potatoes start to come apart a bit, its a good hint to check to see if they are fork tender. Then allow to cool a little while in the water and then drain to continue cooling. You will need to handle these with your hands.

When you see the splits in the potatoes start to come apart a bit, its a good hint to check to see if they are fork tender. Then allow to cool a little while in the water and then drain to continue cooling. You will need to handle these with your hands.

While this is going on, you can begin preparations for the stuffing:

Run two cloves of garlic through a press, or mince garlic by hand. Add to cold olive oil in a small skillet. Then turn burner on to medium. You want to saute the garlic without burning or turning garlic brown. The goal is to not only cook the garlic, but to infuse the oil with that garlic flavor.

Next add in a good quality wet crushed red pepper. My family makes our own each fall and we remove most of the seeds so it isn't too spicy. You can find a good quality wet crushed red pepper in any portuguese market and in some super markets. If you don't have either option... gather a few medium spice peppers, seed and grind, soak with salt in its own juices over night to achieve a similar affect. Or order from a portuguese grocer on line.

Next add in a good quality wet crushed red pepper. My family makes our own each fall and we remove most of the seeds so it isn’t too spicy. You can find a good quality wet crushed red pepper in any portuguese market and in some super markets. If you don’t have either option… gather a few medium spice peppers, seed and grind, soak with salt in its own juices over night to achieve a similar effect. Or order from a portuguese grocer on-line.

Simmer on low for about 5 minutes in the garlic infused oil. Allow to cool slightly.

Your potatoes should be cool enough to touch for this next step. Gently open the slit you made in the potato just enough to allow a spoon full of pepper in there... There is almost always a casualty or two that split wide open into two pieces... just put those on the bottom of your platter!

Your potatoes should be cool enough to touch for this next step. Gently open the slit you made in the potato just enough to allow a spoon full of pepper in there… There is almost always a casualty or two that split wide open into two pieces… just put those on the bottom of your platter!

Go about the stuffing of the potatoes until you have filled your platter.

Yum!

Yum!

Portuguese Style Pepper Stuffed Potatoes (Batatas com Pimenta)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

8 medium red bliss potatoes

1/2 cup Portuguese wet red crushed pepper

3 garlic cloves, divided

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

Prepare potatoes by washing and cutting into each potato about 2/3 way through and stopping. Add into a pot and cover with cold water.  Add in salt and 1 clove of garlic crushed.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  When split in potatoes start to separate, check they are fork tender.  When fork tender, shut off flame and allow liquid to cool a bit.  Drain and continue to allow to cool.

Prepare the stuffing by sauteing two cloves of garlic that have been run through a garlic press to a small skillet with cold olive oil.  Turn burner on to medium heat and gently saute the garlic in the oil for a couple of minutes.  Add in about 1/2 cup of red pepper.  Saute for about 5 minutes over low heat.  Allow to cool slightly.

Stuff potatoes with pepper mixture.  Serve.  Enjoy!

*note: this is a gluten-free recipe.

 

Rockstar Potatoes

Rockstardone

Why Rockstar Potatoes you ask? Why, because you feel like a rock star when you serve them to your family and friends! If you are tired of humdrum mashed or baked potatoes, try these, they are sure to be a hit!

These potatoes will be a welcome side to any weeknight meal or any holiday table.  They are simple and delicious.  Once you get the method down, you can make this with regular white potatoes as seen here, red bliss would be yummy too or you can think way out of the box and chop up some sweet potatoes and have a tasty savory sweet potato side!

Let’s get started…

raw bacon

You will want to begin where many delicious creations start… with bacon. Here you see thick center cut bacon in a medium skillet. It’s nothing crazy, just out of your grocer’s cooler. Use any type of bacon you like or have on hand. This is what I had. Place 4 slices in a pan and fry them up crispy.

baconcooling1

Next, set bacon aside on some paper towels to drain. But, don’t get rid of that bacon grease that is in the pan… that will now become your cooking fat. (OH, and make sure if you have people with wandering hands roaming your kitchen, that you cover this up, otherwise you may end up with no bacon in your final product!)

rawingredientsinpan

Next, take about 5-6 potatoes and chop them up to the size of a half-dollar and place them in the pan with your bacon grease… then add your onions and thyme.

onions

Take one small onion and slice sort of thinly. (if you like more onions, use a bigger onion, I won’t tell)

thyme_edited-1

Now for the thyme… I really think fresh thyme is key in this recipe, it adds that little something special… but if you don’t have it, use dry (just reduce the amount because dry herbs can get over powering, so take it slow) For the fresh thyme, remove the leaves from the stems and discard stems.

garlic

After you have browned up the potatoes and onions a bit (say 10 mins or so) Add in one clove of chopped garlic. I add this later on because I don’t want the garlic to turn bitter from over cooking. Also at this stage add a pinch of salt and some fresh cracked black pepper. (Keep in mind the bacon is salty, don’t over salt)

chopped bacon

As you allow the garlic to make friends with the potatoes and the onions, chop up the bacon you have reserved, it’s going in next.

ingredients in pan2

OK… so here is everything together… as soon as you mix in the bacon, double check that you have added in all your ingredients and then pop it into your oven at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 mins. until tender. (note: Make sure your skillet is oven safe, if you aren’t sure… just place ingredients into a baking dish and continue)

PHplate22_edited-1

And Wala… You’re a Rock Star!

Rockstar Potatoes Recipe:

(serves 4)

5-6 medium white potatoes, cut into 1/2 dollar size

4 slices thick cut bacon

1 small onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.  Fry up bacon in a medium skillet, set aside on paper towels to drain.  Use reserved bacon grease to fry up potatoes with onions and thyme, 10 minutes, stir occasionally.  Add in garlic, cook about 2-3 minutes.  Chop reserved bacon and add in.  Place skillet in oven (be sure skillet is oven safe! – if not, transfer to a baking dish).  Check for tenderness 15-20 mins. Enjoy!

note: Gluten free. So long as your bacon is gluten-free (always check for packing ingredients) then this is a naturally gluten-free recipe.

*** note: For a slightly healthier version, toss out the bacon grease and replace with olive oil.  You won’t be a rock star, but you’ll still be a pop star!