I also ate out a couple of times, but it was at chain restaurants, so I've decided to write more about smaller, local or just plain unique eating experiences (although I'll never EVER have anything to say negative about the RIBS at BATON ROUGE - oh baby!)
Recipe 1 - Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Asparagus
I made this recipe based on cheesy sauce and from googling Aparagus potatoes gratin (which I found here, http://bellavita-bellasblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/italian-asparagus-and-potato-gratin-in.html you will see my recipe is almost nothing like that one) I just like looking to see if, you know, my idea exists?? It did :) But I did it differently. This recipe is inspired by any cheesy casserole or scalloped potatoes I have ever done (any rip offs, not intended). Read the recipe for the ingredients before you start - I made this kind of on the fly so I'm writing it like I made it.  |
| Just delicious, can you go wrong with cheese? |
Preheat your oven to 400F
Combine in a large bowl:
1.5 lbs peeled yukon gold or other all purpose potato sliced thinly (use a mandolin if you have it)
.5 lb of asparagus tips, chopped into 2 inch pieces (if the asparagus is thick stemmed, cut it in half or quarters so they are nice and small)
Season with about 1/4 t salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper
In a saucepan on medium heat cook:
1 small onion or 2 shallots minced
2 garlic cloves minced
2T (25g) of unsalted butter)
for about 6 or 7 minutes until it smells awesome
Whisk in 2T of white flour until you have a nice paste
Whisk in 2C of milk gradually until well combined
Cook over medium for about 10 minutes until nice and thick - whisking frequently (not necessarily constantly).
Remove from heat and add 1C of grated cheese (cheddar, gruyere, mozza, parmesan, romano all work well, do a mix to keep it tasty)
Stir well until cheese is melted
In a large casserole or gratin dish layer half of the potato mixture, half the sauce, the rest of the potatoes and remainder of the sauce. Press down so everything is nice and coated. Top with some extra cheese, maybe about a half cup grated (Parm and cheddar would work very well here)
Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 400 degree oven - until it looks brown and bubbly on top :)
THESE WERE DELICIOUS!
We ate them with Ham and a lovely vegetable saute (seasoned with some thyme, fantastic!)
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| Looks great, watery but tasty! |
This recipe is a bit of a bust. It tastes good but I don't think I'd ever make it again because I don't know if I love Polenta enough to go through with it again.
Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/beef_and_polenta_bake.php
Only mods: I doubled the tomato paste and doubled the italian seasoning, I used more cheese in the polenta. I would recommend cooking the polenta longer and make it almost a paste consistency or else you're going to have a somewhat watery dish (like I did) so not a complete success but you know what? It tastes pretty good, especially with GARLIC BREAD.
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