potatoes

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Ina Garten's French Potato Salad

Fresh herbs are one of my favorite things about summer cooking and this recipe is a great way to showcase my garden’s bounty.  The chopped herbs are tossed with warm potatoes, champagne vinegar and white wine to come together for a fabulous summer side dish.Ina Garten’s French style, no-mayo, potato salad is going to take your average summer barbecue to the next level. It’s a fantastic served as a side dish accompanying crab cakes, a grilled steak or even simple hamburgers.

The herbs can take some time to prep, but it’s worth it to serve up what everyone is sure to tell you, is the best potato salad they have ever had. After making this homemade potato salad, you never serve the stuff from the deli counter ever again! This recipe is best if served within a few hours of making, warm or at room temperature, however, this dish holds up pretty well for about 24 hours if you need to make it in advance.  After that, the herbs start to brown and breakdown. If refrigerated, take out about an hour before serving to take the chill off.

Ina Garten's French Potato Salad
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Potato Salad with Herbs & Vinaigrette
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 

Ina Garten's French Potato Salad is full of fresh herbs and vinagar and the perfect dish to elevate your next backyard barbecue!

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, French
Keyword: potato, side dish, vegetarian
Author: Ina Garten
Ingredients
  • 1 pound small white boiling potatoes
  • 1 pound small red boiling potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons good dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons chicken stock
  • 3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 10 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 1/4 cup minced scallions white and green parts
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves
Instructions
  1. Drop the white and red potatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are just cooked through. Drain in a colander and place a towel over the potatoes to allow them to steam for 10 more minutes. As soon as you can handle them, cut in 1/2 (quarters if the potatoes are larger) and place in a medium bowl. Toss gently with the wine and chicken stock. Allow the liquids to soak into the warm potatoes before proceeding.
  2. Combine the vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes. Add the scallions, dill, parsley, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Potato Skin Bites

Game day food needs to be easy to make, easy to eat, and above all else, DELICIOUS! So look no further because the Potato Skin Party Bites from Feast & Merriment are everything you need all rolled into one recipe.

These one bite potato skins are guaranteed to turn your guest’s eyes away from the TV and straight onto you! But you better be ready because they’ll be looking at you asking for seconds and thirds. Consider it a Local Taste promise that this will happen!

The best part of this recipe is that you can make it ahead of time and just throw it all together 10 minutes before half time and it will be GAME ON!

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potato skin bites

Game day food needs to be easy to make, easy to eat, and above all else, DELICIOUS! So look no further because theses Party Approved Potato Skins are everything you need rolled into one recipe.

These one bite potato skins are guaranteed to turn your guest’s eyes away from the TV and straight onto you! But you better be ready because they’ll be looking at you asking for seconds and thirds.

Traditional potato skins are typically hollowed out halves of whole potatoes, loaded with cheese, bacon and served with sour cream. They require a fork and knife to eat and a deep fryer to make. It’s a boat load of work in the average home kitchen. Whereas this recipe serves up all the deliciousness that comes with traditional potato skins, but delivers it in an easy to eat, easy to make, crowd pleasing, single bite! Whomp- there it is!

How to Make Potato Skin Bites

Slice the potatoes in 1/8″ inch rounds, brush on olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, flip, repeat, bake, transfer skins to an oven proof serving platter, top with cheese and bacon, pop back in oven until cheese melts and garnish with scallions and ranch dressing. Serve.

You could get seriously creative with the toppings on these potato bites, but I like to keep it simple.

When it comes to what kind of potatoes to use, I tested out a few different types of potatoes for this recipe and the clear winner was the red skinned potato. It had a much better flavor and consistency than its friends the Russet and The Yukon Gold. Note: When selecting your red potatoes, try to pick ones of similar size. This will help out with plating.

The testing didn’t stop there. I also tested out a few cheeses. I crowned Colby Jack the winner due to flavor profile, the melting quality, and the presentation of blended white and orange color. You can use any good melting cheese you wish, but make sure to grate your own. Pre-shredded cheeses contain unnecessary additives which prevent them from melting well and you want your cheese to melt into ewy-gooey deliciousness.

And if you can believe it- there is something that makes this recipe even better! You can make it in advance!  Simply bake the potatoes as directed, let cool and store until ready for use. They will remain good for at least one day. Prepare all remaining ingredients and store until ready for use. When you are ready to serve, simply assemble, bake and serve. This makes this recipe the ultimate party recipe!

Feasters Tip

You can scale this recipe up or down in quantity based on your needs. The process is the same.  For reference, a sheet pan can hold about 5 red potatoes which feeds about 3-4 people as an appetizer.

potato skins bites
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Baked Potato Skin Bites
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

The ultimate game day recipe! 

Course: Appetizer
Ingredients
  • red skinned new potatoes
  • olive oil, salt, pepper
  • Colby jack or other good melting cheese
  • fresh bacon bits
  • scallions
  • ranch dressing
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

  2. Slice red skinned potatoes in 1/8″ rounds 

  3. Brush on Olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Flip and repeat. Bake for about 25 minutes. Flip and bake for about another 15 until cooked through and browned nicely. 

  4. Transfer to an oven proof serving dish (optional) Top with a good melting cheese such as colby jack and fresh bacon bits. Bake until cheese melts. 

  5. Top with scallions and ranch dressing. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

You can scale this recipe up or down in quantity based on your needs. The process is the same.  For reference, a sheet pan can hold about 5 red potatoes which feeds about 3-4 people as an appetizer.

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Chive risotto cakes

One of the great indulgences in life is Risotto. But how about risotto cakes? You take one of the most wonderful foods and you can fry it….Mmm Mmm Good.

Risotto cakes are really easy to make. Make your favorite risotto recipe and chill it, form small patties, coat in panko bread crumbs and fry.

I am a big fan of Ina Garten’s Chive Risotto cakes. The recipe is really easy and everyone will think it took you hours of slaving over the stove!

Chive risotto cakes
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Risotto Cakes
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Ingredients
  • 2 cups cooked and chilled Risotto (best if left overnight)
  • 1 cup panko flakes
Instructions

  1. Spread the panko in a shallow dish.

  2. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on med-high heat. 

  3. Form patties out of the risotto and coat in the panko crumbs. 

  4. Place the patties in the oil and cook for about 3 minutes on each side until the risotto cakes are crisp and golden. 

  5. Drain on paper towel and serve hot. 

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potato au gratin

Growing up, the Potato Au Gratin we had at the dinner table did not look like the version I make today! It came from a box and I think if we had eaten it in the dark, they would have glowed orange! And although they may have been glowing orange and made of powdered cheese and dehydrated potatoes, I still loved them.

I see those boxed potatoes in the market to this day and I am always tempted to buy them, but I stopped eating those boxed potatoes a long time ago.  I just can’t bring myself to do it. (I feel like Ina would be too disappointed in me.)

I decided it was time to make the real, grown up version, of Potatoe Au Gratin. I read many recipes and watched several videos. I tested several recipes and had many failed attempts. There were versions that were watery, versions of undercooked potatoes,  potatoes cooked perfectly but lacking flavor, and the worst of all, the version that resulted in a dish of mushy potatoes sitting in cream. As frustrated as I was, I persevered on my quest for perfect Potatoes Au Gratin. 

I found success thanks to a base recipe by Chef Tyler Florence. The dish is savory, satisfying and also quite elegant. Potatoe Au Gratin is the perfect side dish to serve with a bistro steak or with roasted chicken. It’s become one of my favorite recipes, especially for when an indulgent special occasion side dish is called for.  

Potato au gratin
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Potato Au Gratin
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: French
Keyword: potato
Ingredients
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme plus more to finish
  • 2 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • unsalted butter
  • 2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
  • 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan plus more for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a saucepan, heat up the cream gently with the bay leaves, thyme, garlic, nutmeg and some salt and pepper.
  3. While the cream is heating, butter a casserole dish.
  4. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bay leaves and thyme from the cream.
  5. Coat the bottom of the dish with a small amount of cream. Pour the remaining heated cream into a large bowl with the potato slices. Mix gently to coat the potatoes. Then select an approach for assembling.
  6. Option 1: Rustic approach. Sprinkle the Parmesan & Cheddar over the potatoes. Season with a dash of salt and pepper. Mix to gently incorporate. Spoon the potatoes into the prepared dish. Level out the potatoes for uniform cooking time. Pour the remaining cream at the bottom of the bowl over the top. Top with more Parmesan and fresh thyme leaves. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, but poke holes in the foil for the steam to escape. Bake for about 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
  7. Option 2: Controlled approach. Create a base layer of potatoes slightly overlapping in the prepared casserole dish. Season lightly with salt & pepper. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan & Cheddar cheese. (Do not cover potatoes completely with cheese or it will be oily! Just a gentle sprinkle of cheese on each layer will do.) Spoon a bit of cream over potatoes using your judgement on portioning for each layer. Repeat (about 4 layers?) layering potatoes, seasoning, cheeses and cream, ending with pouring any remaining cream over the top. Top with more Parmesan and fresh thyme leaves. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, but poke holes in the foil for the steam to escape. Bake for about 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Recipe Notes

This can be made in one casserole dish or in individual gratin dishes. 

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