Garlic Smashed Potatoes
Makes 4 servings
1 1/2 pounds tri-colored creamer potatoes or baby red potatoes
1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons green onions, sliced thin
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash the potatoes, then put them in a large pot and fill with water just until the potatoes are submerged. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 15-20 minutes.
Drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle. Pat them completely dry.
Using a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with the extra virgin olive oil, remaining ½ tablespoon salt, garlic, and freshly ground black pepper until evenly coated. Smash the potatoes flat by using the bottom of any small glass, mug, or jar.
Bake until the potatoes are browned around the edges and crisp on the bottom, about 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions. Serve hot.
Recipe from The Truffled Life
Baked Kale Gratin
Makes 8 servings
-
1 1/2 lb. green curly kale
-
4 slices bacon, chopped
-
3 Tbsp. butter
-
1/4 c. minced shallots
-
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
-
3 garlic cloves, minced
-
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
-
3 Tbsp. flour
-
2 3/4 c. half-and-half
-
1 1/4 c. grated Parmesan, divided
-
1 1/2 c. coarse fresh breadcrumbs
-
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Instructions
Heat oven to 375°F. Remove tough stems from kale and chop. Steam kale in a covered large Dutch oven in 1/2 inch of water 7 to 8 minutes until wilted and tender. Remove kale and drain well.
Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 to 6 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in Dutch oven. Melt butter in drippings. Sauté shallots and next 3 ingredients 6 to 7 minutes or until tender and golden. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in half-and-half. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup Parmesan. Fold in kale.
Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch or 2-quart baking dish. Stir together breadcrumbs, olive oil, and remaining 1/4 cup cheese; sprinkle over kale mixture.
Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe from Country Living
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Makes 6 servings
-
3 bell peppers
-
2 Tbsp cooking oil, divided
-
1 lb Italian sausage
-
1 yellow onion, diced
-
3 garlic cloves, minced
-
1 tsp Italian seasoning
-
1/2 tsp garlic powder
-
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
-
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
-
1 cup marinara sauce
-
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
-
3/4 cup chicken broth
-
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash and dry each bell pepper, then cut the bell peppers in half horizontally. Make sure to cut them as evenly as possible. Using a sharp paring knife carefully cut and remove the stem from the top half of each bell pepper (see picture below). It’s okay if there is a small hole left where the stem was removed.
Place each bell pepper half in a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Brush the bell peppers with 1 Tbsp oil and season with ¼ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp cracked black pepper. Bake the bell peppers in a preheated oven for 20 minutes to soften. After 20 minutes remove the bell peppers from the oven and set aside.
While the bell peppers are baking, make the filling. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of oil. Brown the Italian sausage.
Once the sausage has browned, add the diced onion and minced garlic to the skillet. Continue to sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
Next add the uncooked rice, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, 1 tsp of salt, and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir to combine.
Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the mixture to come to a full boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer, without lifting the lid or stirring, for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest, without lifting the lid, for an additional 5 minutes.
Next remove the lid, fluff the rice, and stir the mixture again to redistribute the ingredients. Begin to fill each bell pepper with the meat filling. Stuff as much filling as you can into each, filling them all the way to the top.
Top each bell pepper evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. Loosely place some tented aluminum foil over the top of the casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes the bell peppers should be tender but not mushy.
Now remove the foil and turn the heat on to broil. Broil the stuffed bell peppers for 2-3 minutes or just until the cheese gets a little brown on top. Be sure to watch the bell peppers closely at this step to prevent the cheese from over browning. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and enjoy!
Recipe from Budget Bytes