Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

A native of temperate sunny California, I am amazed by how attuned I have become to the east coast seasons over the past several years.  As the days become shorter and the temperature lowers, I suddenly crave comfort foods.  It started last week with an intense desire for mashed potatoes.  Low and behold, last Tuesday I received a bag of fairly large potatoes from the farm.  The potatoes were pretty caked in dirt so I didn’t immediately recognize that they were red potatoes.  When I went to wash and peel them, I was deflated.  I thought, “red potatoes don’t make good mashers”.  But my craving couldn’t be held off and I made them anyway.  They were perhaps the best mashed potatoes I have ever eaten.

Come to find out those red potatoes were the Red Pontiac variety.  While they are a fairly waxy potato variety, making them perfect for preparations where you want the potatoes to keep their shape (like potato salad), they are starchy enough that they make a killer mashed potato.  Lucky me!

Red Pontiac potatoes have thin red skin, medium eyes, and a crisp white flesh that turns delectably creamy when cooked.  They are generally round, but occasionally oblong or knobby, and can vary in size from larger to almost “new potato” size.  Because the skin is so thin, it can easily be left on the potato when cooked.

Red Pontiac potatoes are great boiled, steamed, roasted, and mashed.  Sources conflict on whether or not they are great frying or baking potatoes.  I haven’t tried that yet myself.

As a nutritional source, potatoes are often underestimated. They are actually low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and are a good source of vitamins C and B6, potassium and manganese, and are even a significant source of fiber.

Potatoes are best when they are free of bruises, sprouts or green spots.  Greening in potatoes indicates the presence of a substance called solanine, which can be toxic.  Either avoid potatoes with sprouts or greens spots, or be sure to completely cut the green away when using them.

Potatoes are best stored in a dark, dry space like a dry cellar or basement.  They don’t do well refrigerated or exposed to warm temperatures.  They are also not the best candidates for freezing, as the water in the potato tends to separate from the starch.

This is a hearty, but light fall soup that uses up the last of the season’s corn, as well as potato, carrots, red bell pepper, and jalapeno.

I used my pulled chicken breast meat for this recipe (see last week’s Simply Fresh for instructions for roasting bone-in chicken breasts).

– 4 slices center cut bacon, chopped

– 1 large onion, chopped

– 1 jalapeno pepper , seeds and ribs removed, minced

– 2 large cloves garlic, minced

– 1 1/2 cups diced red bell pepper

– 2 cups diced carrot

– 2 tablespoons flour

– 5 cups home-made or purchased chicken or veggie broth, heated to boiling

– 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

– 2 cups diced Red Pontiac potato

– 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, divided

– 1 12 ounce can evaporated skim or 2% milk

– 2 cups shredded cooked chicken

– 1 teaspoon salt, (only if using unsalted homemade broth; otherwise season to

    taste)

– freshly grated black pepper, to taste

METHOD:

1. In a large Dutch oven, sauté bacon over medium-high heat until crisp.  Using a slotted spoon remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Remove all but one tablespoon drippings in pan.

Return pan to heat and lower to medium-low.  Add onion, jalapeño, garlic, red pepper and carrot.  Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and liquid from vegetables evaporates.  Sprinkle vegetables with 2 tablespoons flour.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Stirring continuously, add hot broth and mix until flour is well incorporated.  Add thyme, potato, and salt.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer until potatoes are tender and broth thickens, about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, blend evaporated milk with 1 cup corn in blender until smooth.

3. Add corn-milk mixture, chicken, and additional 1 cup of corn to soup.  Mix well and cook until just heated through (do not boil or milk solids will separate from soup and curdle it).  Season to taste with salt and fresh black pepper.

These scalloped potatoes are divine comfort food.  It is important to remove excess water from the cooked greens to avoid watering the sauce.  For tender greens, press down with a spoon over a colander.  For heartier greens, squeeze dry with your hands.

If you prefer a really thick sauce, use heavy instead of light cream.

– 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

– 3/4 cup light cream

– 1/2 cup white wine

– 1 large Red Long of Tropea onion, (or shallot) minced

– 2 cloves garlic, minced

– 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

– 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

– 1/2 teaspoon salt

– 1 1/4 cups chopped, cooked greens, excess water removed (see above note)

– 2 pounds Red Pontiac potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

– 2 tablespoons Freshly grated Parmesan

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 400℉.  Spray an 11″ X 7 1/2″ casserole dish (like a medium size Pyrex) with cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a large pot, mix broth, cream, white wine, onion, garlic and rosemary.  Heat over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble on the edges.  Add goat cheese and whisk until melted and smooth.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.

2. Pour a little cream mixture into the bottom of the casserole dish.  Layer half of the potatoes over the bottom of the dish.  Top evenly with greens, and then layer with remaining half of potatoes.  Pour the rest of the cream mixture over the potatoes.  Press down on the top of the potatoes to try to submerge them in the liquid.  Not all potatoes will be completely covered by the liquid.  Cover with foil and place dish on a baking sheet.

3. Bake potatoes, covered, for about 40 minutes, or until potatoes are almost tender.  Remove foil.  Sprinkle with Parmesan.  Bake an additional 15-20 minutes, or until top is golden, potatoes are very tender, and liquid is thick and bubbly.  Remove potatoes from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Serve.