Grilled Potato and Goat Cheese Napoleons with Basil Oil and CINCO

A fun and simple way to grill potatoes and be a show off at your next Cookout.

Click to read more ...

BBQ Salmon and Horseradish Potato Salad

I have to start this post with a message to my family up north....

YAY! Happy Canada Day guys! Canada (specifically out west) is one of my favorite vacation spots. Not only because of my incredible family there, but because of how beautiful it is and how nice the people are. It's always a blast- especially this last trip!

We got to hang out with tons of Cousins, Aunts, and Uncles in Calgary....

And tried on Bill's Canadian hockey jerseys....because he needs to own two. Uh huh.

We got to snowshoe out to Cameron Lake in Waterton....

Take Jeff out on his first real ski day...

And how can I forget the Poutine - my favorite comfort food!

Heaven on a plate, I tell you. We even got to go to Banff (our favorite!) to watch the Canada/Russia Olympic Hockey game with a bunch of Canucks!

Momma was a happy camper!

Even though we are the only cousins born and raised in the USA, Canada will always have a special place in our hearts. We are half Canadian after all :)

On to the recipe for today! Last night we had another softball game (and lost...booo!), so we needed a quick and easy dinner. It turned out to be so good! I had bought this BBQ sauce at Trader Joe's last week and had intended to use it for some chicken, but then I remembered that we had some salmon in the freezer. That's how the BBQ Salmon idea was born. I thought it sounded a little odd at first....but trust me, it's delivicious!

We also had a corn relish that my friend Megan made us last week, so we thought that would be a great compliment to the smokey BBQ.

First, I made our side. Horseradish Potato Salad, which could not be easier. For the dressing, I mixed together some sour cream, horseradish, vinegar, salt, pepper, dill, and dijon mustard.

Then I diced up some red potatos and boiled them for 10 minutes untl they were fork tender, and mixed them in with my dressing, along with 1/2 cup sauteed onions.

I let this chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes while we prepped the salmon.

Jeff seasoned the salmon with some salt and pepper, and then grilled it for a couple minutes on each side.

When the salmon was almost done, he brushed some BBQ sauce on top, and flipped it once more to get a good carmelization.

The result was a smokey, spicy (we added a little hot sauce to the BBQ), sweet salmon that was perfect with the corn relish and potato salad. It was an amazing dinner! We even served it up with some homemade pickles on the side :)

HORSERADISH POTATO SALAD

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

3 pounds small (2-inch) potatoes, your choice of variety 
1/4 cup red onion, chopped (I sauteed a vidalia)
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish (we used at least 4)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Boil the potatoes until fork tender, cool them to room temperature and quarter them. In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and fold over the potatoes. Adjust seasoning to taste

Potatoes: Two Ways.

YAY, it's Friday! I have never been more ready for the weekend. What a week of home renovations, entertaining, school, AND work. I get tired just thinking about it!

This weekend won't be much better. Tonight, we have to finish some stuff in the bathroom, tomorrow we have softball practice and the "Wings and Rock Festival" at Marietta Square. Then on Sunday, Steve is back to help us with the bathroom some more. Whew. It never ends!

At least last night I got to relax and have someone else cook dinner! We went over to Jeff's brother's house to visit with the new baby! Introducing Roan Christopher....

He is absolutely perfect! Such a cute little guy. I'm so excited to see him grow up! Erik made spaghetti and meatballs (with some sausage in the sauce also), and garlic bread. Yum. There's nothing like a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs!

Towards the end of the night, the boys got the sparklers and morning glories out for Maya to play with. It was really fun for everyone...

Including this big kid :)

While I was over there last night, Erik reminded me that I've only posted 3 recipes this week (thanks bud), so today I have two potato recipes for you. They are both really good, and super easy.

First up, we have salt and vinegar grilled potatoes. I first saw this recipe in Martha Stewart Living. I am a huge fan of salt and vinegar chips, so I knew I'd love these potatoes. First, you soak your sliced red potatoes in some white vinegar for about 30 minutes.

Next, you grill them on medium heat for about 5 minutes of each side, or until they are cooked through.

I really like to taste the vinegar, so we added a splash over each potato. It also helped hold the salt on top. Delicious!

The next kind of potato I want to share is really a show stopper. It's a parmesan roasted potato! Start by tossing your diced potatoes in about 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. You want to make sure that parm is coating each little cube.

Next, on a sprayed cookie sheet, lay out your potatoes evenly so that they are not touching.

Bake 'em at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes or until golden brown on each side. Keep checking them so they don't burn!

You should have golden, crispy potatoes in no time! They are the perfect side for a good steak or bbq chicken. Heaven. I love the taste of burnt cheese....

Have a great weekend everyone!!

SALT AND VINEGAR GRILLED POTATOES

1 cup white vinegar

2 pounds sliced red potatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Slice potatoes in 1/4 inch rounds. Soak in vinegar for about 30 minutes. Remove and grill on each side for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through. Top with the soaking vinegar and some salt and pepper and serve!

PARMESAN ROASTED POTATOES

3 pounds red potatoes, diced into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup (or more) grated parmesan

salt, pepper and red pepper to taste

Dice potatoes and coat with parmesan, salt and pepper. Cook on a greased baking sheet at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes, checking every 10 to make sure they don't burn. Enjoy!

Poutine!

Before I discuss this amazing Canadian comfort food, I have to talk about this taco I had last night from Tin Lizzy's. It's called the 'southern comfort taco'. This place has great tacos, a great patio, and great drinks......great all around! My taco included grilled chicken, bbq sauce, grilled onion, goat cheese and fried pickles. Yep I said it. Fried pickles on a taco! It was incredible.

I am really damn excited for this post. It's been a long time comin'....

I am literally obsessed with this next dish. It's everywhere in Canada! Even A&W has their own $3 version.  You can read more about A&W taking over Canadian fast food on my Uncle Dave's blog....they are huge up there!

It all started when Jeff, My Sis, and I went snowshoeing in Waterton, we stopped at the only restaurant in town that was open.  We were exhausted from a long day of hiking through the snow and needed to re-fuel...

Turned out, this little place had amazing food! The chef was from Quebec, and we had heard that poutine originated there (from our waitress). We asked it it was any good, and she said it was the best poutine she'd ever had! Done and done. We had to get it. Check this baby out....

Everything about this poutine was amazing! The crispy fries, thick, brown gravy, and those perfect cheese curds. Although it wasn't the healthiest lunch in the world, it was to die for. We were stuffed after lunch, and the minute we got home to Lethbridge, Grandad was ready to eat dinner. At 5pm. I couldn't even think about food.....as you see from this pic.

I actually somehow still managed to stuff myself with escargot and scallops, but that's another story :)

I decided when we got home and were missing Canada (pretty much the minute I landed in ATL), that I needed to recreate poutine, but in a lighter version. I had fully intended on making the cheese from scratch, because I'm crazy, but I opted for store bought instead. Everything else is either organic or homemade. Even the buttah :)

Instead of deep frying the fries, I hand cut them from organic potatoes and baked them until crispy. You could totally use frozen french fries if that's your thing. I won't judge...

Flip them half way through to get both sides nice and brown (please excuse the pics from here on out, my camera died so I was using my iphone)...

While the potatoes cooked, I made my gravy. I used homemade chicken stock that I made the weekend before...

I made the gravy by melting a little butter in a medium saucepan, then adding in some flour.

Once the flour has cooked for a couple of minutes, add in some chicken stock and a splash of worchestershire sauce.

Once the gravy has thickened, I checked it for seasoning. My fries were already salty, so I only needed a little salt and a lot of freshly cracked pepper.

Next, I poured the gravy over my fries, and topped them with shredded cheddar. Mozzarella would be more authentic, but I love a good sharp cheddar.  French fries and gravy are like peanut butter and jelly. They are totally meant for each other!

POUTINE (Beth's way)

3 pounds russet potatoes

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tbs worchestershire sauce

2 tbs butter

3 tbs flour

1 cup shredded cheese

Slice potatoes into thin fries. Spread on a sheet pan and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes, then turn them over and cook another 20. Every over cooks differently, so check your fried occasionally!

While they are cooking, melt butter in a skillet and add in flour. Cook for one minute and then add in your stock and worchestershire sauce. Bring to a bubble and season with salt and pepper. When thickened, pour over fries and top with shredded cheese. Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

One of my favorite comfort foods, kicked up a notch with a little secret ingredient :)

Click to read more ...