Crispy Cracked Potatoes

Posted on by
9

potatoes

I ate the most wonderful baby potatoes at Graffiato. They were tiny, cracked, crispy, tossed with parmesan cheese and spiked with lemon. They were one of the best things we ordered that night. Once my hunger for them struck again, I knew that I had to recreate them. Although I deduce Graffiato’s potatoes to be deep fried, this version is baked to make the potatoes a little bit easier to cook and a little bit healthier. These potatoes are a crowd-pleasing, easy, and unique side dish.

boiling potatoes

To make these crispy, cracked potatoes, start by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. To the pot, add in some teeny, tiny, baby potatoes. I used new potatoes, but Graffiato used a variety of multi-colored ones, which was nice. While the potatoes simmer, preheat your oven to 450ºF. Let the potatoes cook in the water until they can easily be pierced with a fork.

cracked potatoes

Drain the potatoes and transfer them to a baking sheet. Using the heel of a fork or any other flat object, press down on each potato until it pops open and looks like PacMan. Toss the potatoes with a generous amount of olive oil, and season them with salt and pepper. Bake the potatoes for approximately 15 minutes, or until they begin to brown and crisp.

parmesan potatoes

When you remove the potatoes from the oven, grate over a generous amount of parmesan cheese. Toss the potatoes so they are evenly coated in the cheese. Just before serving, drizzle the potatoes with lemon juice for a sharp and balanced flavor. These potatoes are delicious hot out of the oven, cold out of the fridge, or reheated, so don’t be afraid to make plenty of them. I can pop them into my mouth one by one and be in heaven!

Shopping list:

  • Baby potatoes
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Lemon- 1
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Ramen Confession

Posted on by
5

ramen

I am ashamed of myself, but I’m not sorry. I’d do it again… I’d do anything to satisfy my ramen craving. I’ve had ramen cravings strike before, but I’d always been able to fulfill them by visiting one of DC’s rapidly multiplying ramen places. I either wait two hours for a bowl at a very small but popular place, or I drive to get some. But I was short of time, out of a car, and hungry for some soup. What to do? I had to make my own, but the noodles were a huge challenge. I HAVE NOT been able to find a suitable ramen noodle, so I had to turn to the dark side. Yes, I used Top Ramen noodles (hangs head)…and they were delicious!

stock

Ramen broth is really important, so start off by making your own chicken stock, adding in a package of raw chicken wings along with the cooked carcass for extra flavor. The smell of simmering chicken stock is beyond wonderful.

Thin beef

Once the chicken stock is ready, transfer the amount you need into a pot. For 4 servings, 3 quarts of stock are plenty. Slice the vegetables that you want to have in your soup, and drop them into the simmering stock to cook. I used 1 zucchini, 1 pint of shiitake mushrooms, and broccoli florets. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, drop in 2 blocks of dried ramen noodles. After the noodles have cooked for 2 minutes, drop in 1 pound of thinly sliced beef. The beef cooks really quickly.

ramen

Now it’s time to make your broth really savory. Add soy sauce to taste, about 3 tablespoons of the low sodium variety. Then, to give my ramen some extra dimension, I whisked in 2 tablespoons of General Tso’s stir fry sauce (whisk the sauce with a small amount of stock to thin it out and then stir it into the main pot). Alternatively, you can enrich your broth with any combination of the following: fish sauce; miso paste; gochuchang; or anything else you think will work.

At this point, your ramen is ready to serve, but there are some things you can do to pump it up. Sprinkle some pea shoots over the top for freshness, and/or drop in some corn kernels, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, or anything else you like. You can also (and should) add in a halved, soft boiled egg. Eat your ramen out of a big bowl with chopsticks and a big spoon, and enjoy! Feel comfortable and cozy, and satisfy your cravings. Maybe you’ll even create some!

Shopping list:

  • Chicken stock, homemade- 3 quarts
  • Zucchini- 1
  • Shiitake mushrooms- 1 pint
  • Broccoli florets- 1.5 cups
  • Top Ramen noodles- 2 blocks
  • Thinly sliced beef- 1 pound
  • Soy sauce- 3 tablespoons
  • General Tso’s stir fry sauce- 2 tablespoons
  • Pea Shoots
  • Eggs- 4
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Crisped Cous Cous with Roasted Shrimp and Veggies

Posted on by
2

cous cous

During these dark winter nights, I get really sleepy and don’t feel like cooking a big meal. But because it’s cold outside, I still want to eat something warm and comforting with a lot of flavor. I frequently turn to simple meals like this one- meals that use ingredients I tend to have in my kitchen and require minimal effort.

To make this cous cous, preheat your oven to 400ºF, and begin preparing your vegetables. For 3-4 servings, cut 1/2 of an onion, 1 eggplant, and 1 zucchini into 1-inch pieces.  Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet, and drop on 4 cloves of garlic still in their peels. Drizzle all of the vegetables with enough olive oil to coat them evenly. Drop a few sprigs of rosemary onto the pan as well, and season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Bake the vegetables for about 25 minutes, rotating the pan half way through.

roasted veggies

Once the 25 minutes are up, add about 8 large shrimp to the baking sheet with the vegetables. Return the sheet to the oven for about 5 minutes until the shrimp are pink and opaque. The shrimp juices will mingle with the vegetables and the cous cous once everything gets mixed together, and it adds wonderful flavor!

While the vegetables bake, prepare your cous cous. Add 1 cup of chicken broth to a small pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Bring the liquid to a boil, and then remove it from the heat. Mix in 1 cup of cous cous, put the lid on the pot, and let it sit until the cous cous absorbs all of the liquid. Then, fluff the cous cous with a fork. To get it slightly crispy, drizzle some olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, and dump the cous cous into the pan. Let it fry until the grains at the bottom take on a golden color.

Remove the skins from your roasted garlic. Drizzle the juice from 1 lemon over the vegetables and shrimp, and then stir them into the crisped cous cous. Serve and enjoy! This cous cous recipe makes a wonderful dinner, but can also serve as a great side dish if you omit the shrimp (or if you eat all of the shrimp out of your leftovers like we did). I hope this meal helps power you through another chilly night.

Shopping list:

  • Cous cous- 1 cup
  • Chicken broth- 1 cup
  • Olive oil
  • Salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary
  • Shrimp- 8, large
  • Eggplant- 1
  • Zucchini- 1
  • Onion- 1/2
  • Garlic- 4 cloves
  • Lemon- 1
Print Friendly, PDF & Email