roasted – The Answer is Always Pork

pesto potatoes and cauliflower

Jordan and I were brainstorming a menu for our supper club dinner last week with two goals in mind. One, make something simple, and two, use up the lingering produce from our CSA. Well, I must say Jordan was hit with a tremendous stroke of genius when he came up with this idea. The roasted potatoes and cauliflower are delicious in their own right and then you toss them in a fresh basil pesto and top them with a bit of parmesan. Yep, totally awesome.

You can either roast the potatoes in the oven or pan fry them. The first time we made this dish, we fried them. The second time we were cooking for a crowd and decided to roast them instead. Both methods turned out well, but roasting easier and is less hands-on so I chose that for the recipe below.

Roasted Potatoes and Cauliflower with Pesto
1 bunch basil, leaves removed from stems
1 small handful pine nuts, walnuts or pistachios
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1 clove garlic, grated
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper
4 – 6 potatoes, russets or yukon golds, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 head cauliflower, cut into small to medium-sized chunks

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

In a food processor, process the basil with the nuts and parmesan. Add the garlic and some salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice. Slowly add the olive oil to emulsify the mixture. Taste for seasoning and pour into a small bowl. You can make the pesto days ahead of time and refrigerate it, or even weeks ahead and freeze it.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Toss them with some olive oil and a nice pinch of salt. Roast for 30 – 40 minutes, tossing occasionally, until they start to brown. After 40 minutes, add the cauliflower and roast another 20 minutes. Once the potatoes and cauliflower are brown, remove them from the oven and season with additional salt. Pour them into a large bowl and add half of the pesto. Toss to coat. Taste and add more pesto if needed. Sprinkle with parmesan just before serving.

We served these potatoes the first night with a roasted pork shoulder. We had the leftovers the next morning with eggs sunny side up. Both ways were delicious! It’s worth noting that these potatoes reheat surprisingly well—so make extra.

-Emily

quick chick(en)

Last night dinner had to be easy, and preferably quick. Why? Well, because I’ve neglected all of my chores in favor of baking and butter making. Hard to believe, I know.

I also have this problem at the butcher counter where if all of the young, corporate women in front of me (I am one now, sort of) ask for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I have to break the mold by asking for an entire chicken, and 3 lbs of lamb shanks. Yep. And I was making a dinner for two.

These two issues (mountain of chores and whole chicken) collided last night and … I made easy roast chicken thighs and legs.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.

Break down the chicken into appropriate sized pieces for two people (or don’t go crazy at the butcher counter). Salt and pepper both sides.

Place chicken in an oven safe baking dish, drizzle with a little olive oil, toss in some sliced onion, carrot, and whole garlic cloves. I forgot to, but you could also throw in some rosemary or thyme to jazz the bird up a bit.

Bake for 45 minutes (or until the meatiest part feels like the fatty palm of your hand when you press it — Jordan’s trick).

While this is cooking you can start a load of laundry, throughly clean the bathroom, and scrub the kitchen floor, assuming your home is less than 500 square feet.

Conclusions: The chicken was delightful, as roast chicken always is, especially the juices in the bottom of the pan, and super easy. I tossed it in the oven, and forgot about it for 45 minutes and it still turned out just fine. My perfect bite … roasted garlic clove, dark meat, crispy skin, dunked in chicken juice. Try it, you won’t be disappointed.

-Emily

P.S. Throwing the chicken under the broiler at the last minute makes the skin nice and extra crispy as well.

-Jordan