Pan roasted fingerling potatoes

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The potato. The simple and dearly beloved potato. It can be fried, baked, boiled, mashed, pureed. It can be added to soups and stews, it can be made into dough and shaped as pasta or bread, it can be added to pizza, sandwiches or salads, but most importantly, it can be enjoyed on its own.

When you think about it, you can’t really mess up cooking potatoes (unless you leave them raw or burn them badly). They are quite forgiving when it comes to cooking.

I have to admit that I am a crazy potato eater. I love, love potatoes and I can hardly get tired of them. And, more often than not, I have to restrict myself from eating them regularly. I have my potato phases when I will eat cream of potato soup or potatoes in salad for 2 weeks (yikes!!!). That is why it shouldn’t be a surprise that my mission for several years was to perfect pan fried potatoes. It seems like an easy task; just throw sliced potatoes into a hot pan with some oil, but very often they will come out soggy or slightly uncooked. The texture I was always looking for was a crunchy and crispy skin on the outside and creamy and soft flesh on the inside. 

The technique you will find below does exactly that. The desired texture is achieved by boiling whole small potatoes, smashing them with the flat side of a knife while still warm, and pan frying them in a very hot pan until golden and crispy. By boiling the potatoes they get cooked and their moisture is retained. Smashing the potatoes exposes their soft flesh and creates little nooks and crannies that become crunchy edges during the frying process. The final touch of tossing the hot potatoes with smoked paprika and finely grated fresh Parmesan creates a crispy and very flavorful skin and adds just the perfect amount of seasoning.

I can proudly declare that these potatoes are super-duper awesomly delicious. In fact, I was so happy how they turned out that if you look reaaaaaally close into some of the pictures you can see my little anxious fingers trying to snatch some of them.

Enjoy!

 

Pan Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 1 lb fingerling or small baby potatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large shallots or 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 7 tbsp olive oil*
• 4 eggs
• 1.5 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Directions:

1. Wash the potatoes, place them in a medium pot and cover them with cold water. Add salt and heat the pot over medium-high heat until it starts boiling. Lower the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until soft (to check, pierce one potato with the tip of a knife and if there is no resistance, the potatoes are ready).

2. Drain the potatoes and let them cool for 10-15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile heat a cast iron skillet** over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and sauté the shallots and garlic until soft and translucent (about 2 minutes). Transfer the mixture into a small bowl and set aside. Wipe clean the skillet by using a paper towel and keep for using later.

4. Place one potato on a cutting board and using the flat side of a large knife (or a kitchen towel) and the palm of your hand, gently press to flatten the potato to about 1/2 inch thickness. Repeat with the remaining potatoes. Don’t worry if some potatoes break apart, you can still use them.

5. Heat the empty (this is important) cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until you see light smoke coming from the surface. Add 2 tbsp of oil into the pan and add a single layer of potatoes (about 1/3). Slightly lower the heat if necessary (if the pan is smoking), and fry until the edges become golden brown (about 3 minutes). Flip the potatoes and fry them for additional 2 minutes.

6. Place the potatoes into a medium mixing bowl by using a slotted spoon.

7. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.

8. While the last batch of potatoes is cooking, poach the eggs using the technique described in this post.

9. With the heat off and while the pan is still hot, return the potatoes and the shallots mixture into the pan. Add the smoked paprika and the Parmesan cheese. Toss until the potatoes are evenly coated and mixed with all the ingredients. Add black pepper and salt if needed.

10. Distribute the potatoes into 4 plates. Add a poached egg on top of each potato plate and sprinkle with extra grated Parmesan cheese.

*Olive oil is not recommended for high-heat frying. I use it in spite of this because I like its taste. If you prefer, use canola, sunflower or grape seed oil instead.

**Using a heavy (or cast iron) skillet is important because it will retain the heat for a long time, reducing the frying time and ensuring nicely browned potatoes.

Lutenitsa–Pepper Tomato Spread

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This story begins with a gigantic bucket of red peppers on a sunny fall day. The bucket was supposed to weigh 11 lbs (as my mom advised me), but in fact the bag ended up being 25 lbs. You know how the farmers market has these big buckets of bumper crop at the end of the season, the produce is usually at a good price and is perfect for canning and winter storing. That is what I ended up buying for $13 and I didn’t realize the weight of the bucket until I got home. Oh, well...what is a girl to do in this situation...I tried staring at the pile of peppers hoping that my stare will reduce the amount in half, but it didn’t work. So, as the Americans say, “the more, the merrier”.

The story then continues with me trying to start the coal grill, which for some reason decided not to cooperate with me on the day I had to roast 25 lbs of peppers. After 30 minute struggle and a step by step phone tutorial from a friend, I managed to get the stubborn grill going. After this success I put my plan in order and estimated that I will be done grilling all the peppers in about an hour. The grill had other plans though and it got its revenge on me by making the process 4.5 hours long. Phew! 

As you are reading you are probably wondering why on earth I am doing all this work. Well, the story goes back many, many years ago to the time when I was a young girl back with my family in my hometown of Sofia. It was another sunny fall day and my mom, sister and I would go on several trips to the farmers market and buy (what back then looked to me like) at least 200 lbs of peppers. Of course we didn’t buy that many peppers, but the bags seemed sooooooo heavy and the trips soooooo long.  Then the whole family will be organized into a mini factory line – roasting, cleaning, grinding, chopping, mixing, jar filling and sterilizing. The end product was Lutentitsa. I remember how tired I would be after the intense long process but we had to keep going otherwise the peppers will get spoiled (back in the 80’s we didn’t have freezers in Bulgaria and those European refrigerators were of miniature sizes). The best part of the day, at this point night, was a chilled watermelon that we ate when we were done – at about midnight. I remember the fragrant aroma coming from the heavy watermelon slice with juices running all over my hand and along my arm. I didn’t care, I was about to bite into the crisp juicy flesh and enjoy it with my eyes closed. What a nice prize for all that hard work.

Everyone made Lutenitsa when I was younger. All of my friends will have those family canning days, especially in the fall when the nature’s abundance is so great. But what stuck with me the most was the smell of the roasted peppers. The charred sweet aroma would fill the air and it could be sensed all over the city. Every family, every balcony had a pepper grill (chushkopek) and it would be used with great pride every summer and fall. 

Lutenitsa to Bulgarians, my dear American friends, is what peanut butter is to you. It is spread on breakfast toast and enjoyed as a snack or a party/appetizer bite. 

Back to my story and the present day. I always missed Lutenitsa, not just any Lutenitsa, but my mom’s Lutenitsa. It is the best! It is chunky and sweet (not from sugar but pureed carrots) and with tons of parsley. I liked my mom’s Lutenitsa so much when I was younger that I always wished we would make more...it never seemed enough. And as people say, be careful what you wish for. Life has its own ways of giving us what we want. In my case, it came as a misjudged 25 pounder bucket of peppers.

Spread on the love, my friends, and enjoy Lutenitsa as Bulgarians do, on a piece of crusty bread with some butter, feta or soft goat cheese.

To my mom, with all my love!

Lutenitsa

Equipment:
• 8-10 (16oz) jars with jars with new metal lids
• 1 large pot (at least 7” deep)

Ingredients:
Makes about 8-10 16oz jars

• 10-11 pounds (25-30 peppers) of sweet red peppers
• 6 medium carrots, peeled and sliced in half
• 2 sticks of celery, sliced in four
• 1 cup parsley, chopped
• 18oz (1 medium + 1 small cans) tomato paste
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tblsp balsamic or red wine vinegar (optional)

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the jars.

2. Preheat your grill, if using. If you don’t have a grill, you can use the oven broiler instead (for step 3)

3. Wash and dry the the peppers. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet (work in batches if needed), leaving at least 1/2 inch space around each pepper. Place peppers under the broiler (alternatively you can use the grill) and roast until their skin blisters and turns black. Check peppers every 3-5 minutes to make sure they are not burning. Turn peppers over when a side is blistered and with dark spots. Roast until all sides of the peppers are blistered and with black spots, 25-40 min depending on your oven type and broiler settings. Remove peppers from the oven and place in a large pot or bowl and cover tightly with a lid. Repeat with the remaining peppers, if any. Let peppers cool completely, the steam in the bowl/pot will loosen their skin. The skins should peel away off of the peppers easily when cooled.

4. Place carrots and celery in a medium pot, cover them with water and bring to a boil. Lower down to a low-heat and simmer until the carrots and celery are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the water and let the carrots and celery to cool down for 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, peel the pepper skins from the cooled roasted peppers, remove the stem and the seeds. Seeds can be easily removed if the roasted peppers are cut open and the seeds are gently scraped with a spoon or back of a knife. Do not run peppers under water to clean, you’ll lose most of the roasted flavor that you worked so hard to get.

6. Place as many peppers as you can fit in your food processor (using an immersion blender works well too). Pulse a few times until peppers are pureed but still a bit chunky. Place the pureed peppers in a large mixing bowl.

7. Add the boiled carrots, boiled celery and the tomato paste in a food processor, blender (using an immersion blender works well too) and puree until smooth. Place the puree in the large bowl with the peppers. Add the chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and balsamic vinegar. Mix everything until well incorporated. Taste and add more salt, vinegar or olive oil per your liking.

8. Take a jar, make sure it is dry, and fill it with Lutenitsa using a spoon. Make sure the jar is not filled all the way to the top, fill only to the point where the jar neck starts. Wipe clean the jar top, otherwise it might not create a solid vacuum with the lid. Close the jar with a lid and make sure the lid is tight. Repeat the process with the remaining jars until no Lutenitsa is left.

9. Working in batches if necessary, place the Lutenitsa jars in a large pot, standing and lid side up. Leave a little room between the jars, just enough so they are not touching. Make sure that the pot is deep enough; you need at least 2 inches of space above the top of the jars. Fit as many jars as you can but make sure the jars are not touching each other. Fill the pot with water so that it covers the jar lids by at least an inch.Bring the pot to a boil, lower to med-heat and simmer bubbling for 10 minutes (start timing after the water starts boiling). During the 10 minutes of canning make sure the water is bubbling but not super aggressive and splashing. Check the jars from time to time to make sure no jar is leaking.

10. After the 10 minutes of canning, pour the water from the pot carefully, it will be really hot! If some water is still left at the bottom of the pot that is ok, the most important thing is to be careful when pouring the hot water from a pot filled with jars. Let jars sit for 10 min to cool off slightly.  Using a jar lifter or a thick kitchen towel, carefully remove jars from the pot and place them on a kitchen towel. Repeat the sterilizing process with the remaining jars, if any.

11. Cool the jars completely and store in a cool place. Lutenitsa can be stored for up to 1 year. Refrigerate opened Lutenitsa jars, and consume within 10 days of opening.

Tomato and caramelized onions galettes

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You know the summer is almost over when the cool air starts trickle in, when you catch yourself grabbing a warm sweater when going out the morning or for that evening walk around the lake or the neighborhood. The air during these times of the day is crisp and clean. It expands your lungs and fills them with cool freshness; it makes you feel alive and full of energy.

When these days arrive I catch myself desperately trying to hold on to the summer in every possible way. I either insist on wearing that striped summer dress, or to sleep with all of my 3 windows open. I want to continue to listen to the birds fighting on the nearby tree, or to eat those gigantic heirloom tomatoes just as they are, biting on them and sucking all the delicious sweet juices. 

But everything in nature is driven by the cycle of life and this summer must come to an end too. But before it does, I wanted to grab the last tomatoes and onions and cucumbers and garden flowers and thyme and mint and dill...and to enjoy them while they are still full of life.

So, today’s recipe is about summer vegetables, in their truest way. Respectful to their nature and to the flavors they offer. I wanted to use only a handful of ingredients and let their beauty shine. I had picked some colorful heirloom tomatoes, sweet onions and sprigs of fragrant thyme from the farmers market. I had also had a box of puff pastry in the freezer and I thought a savory galette would be perfect. I sautéed the onions in some butter for 20 minutes until they caramelized and became golden brown. Their subtle flavor and sweetness was a perfect match for the juicy flavorful tomatoes and the flaky buttery crust. 

I baked the galettes for 20 minutes and enjoyed them while still warm with a glass of chilled white wine – in fact, I enjoyed the galettes so much that I ate two.

And now...off into your kitchen. And don’t forget to let me know how they turned out!

 

Tomato and caramelized onions galettes

Ingredients:

Makes 6

• 3 cups of thinly sliced onions (about 4-5 onions depending on their size)
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• Flour for dusting
• 1 box of puff pastry dough, thawed and chilled*
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche (optional)
• 30 heirloom cherry tomatoes (about 1 lb.), sliced in 1/8 inch circles
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 egg white
• 12-15 sprigs of fresh thyme

* My grocery store only had pre-cut 5 x 5” puff pastry squares. Using and cutting a large sheet of pastry dough works well too.

Directions:

1. Heat a non-stick or heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter. When melted, add the onions. Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and let the onions caramelize over low heat for about 15-20 minutes or until soft and golden brown.

2. Meanwhile, lightly dust your surface with flour, place the pastry dough and cut in 6 squares. Take one of the squares, lightly dust with flour on each side and roll to stretch 1/2 inch in each direction. Cut about 1/4 inch of each corner to round the shape and place the stretched piece on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat the process with the rest of the pastry squares (you might need 2 baking sheets depending on their size). Place the tray/trays with the puff pastry in the refrigerator for 15 minutes for the dough to harden and become easy to manage.

3. Preheat the oven to 365˚F.

4. Using a fork Pinch one of the stretched pastry squares several times using a fork. Take one tablespoon of the creme fraiche and spread in the center up to about 1 inch from the edges. Take a tablespoon of the caramelized onions and spread it on top of the creme fraiche. Arrange a layer of tomatoes on top of the onions by slightly overlapping the tomato slices with another one. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush the crust with egg white wash (1 egg white mixed with a splash of water). Repeat the process with the rest of the dough squares.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges become golden brown.

6. Cool for 15 minutes and sprinkle each galette with fresh thyme.

Enjoy!

Note: When coming from the oven, the galettes might be puffed up. Pinch several times with a fork to deflate if there are any bubbles. The pastry will deflate on its own when it starts to cool off.