Thursday, September 7, 2017

Twice Baked Potatoes with Bacon, Caramelized Onions & Cheese
















5 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and diced
2 c shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 lb bacon chopped and cooked until crispy
2 medium onions diced and caramelized in olive oil
1/2 c plain greek yogurt
1 c heavy cream
2 sticks unsalted butter
Garlic powder to taste
1 T oregano
1 T parsley

Preheat oven to 375℉

Butter a 9x13 casserole dish (2-3 inches deep)

1. Boil potatoes for about 20 minutes until fork tender. Drain and leave in the pot.
2. Add butter, yogurt, cream, oregano, parsley to the pot. Mash the potatoes coarsely - no need to fully mash them. Add about 1/2 of the bacon, onions & shredded cheese, mixing all the ingredients well.
3. Pour the potato mixture into the 9x13 casserole dish. Level the mixture evenly. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese, bacon and onions.
4. Bake for 30-45 minutes until bubbling and browned on the edges.
5. Serve immediately.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Reuben Pasties















Ingredients

2 batches Pumpernickel Pie Crust (refrigerated) (recipe HERE)
Extra Whole Grain Rye Flour for rolling & dusting crust
3/4 lb thin slices Corned Beef
1/2 lb Swiss Cheese (shredded)
2 c well drained Sauerkraut
2 T cornstarch


Directions

Yields 8 pasties.

Preheat oven to 425℉
Cover two 1/2 sheet baking pans with parchment or silicone baking mats

Chop the Corned Beef slices into 1" x 1/4" pieces
Mix the drained sauerkraut with the cornstarch (to trap the moisture)
Mix the corned beef, sauerkraut mixture and shredded cheese into an even mix.

Roll out crust to about 1/8" thick.
Cut circles approximately 8" diameter
Place a crust circle on the baking sheet and add about 1/2 cup of the meat/cheese/sauerkraut mixture in the center. Fold one side of the circle over to the other side keeping the filling inside and match up the edges. Press together and roll into a crimped edge sealing the entire edge. Make three cuts on the top to allow steam to escape.
You should be able to place 4 on each baking sheet.
Bake for 25-35 minutes until crust edges are brown and the top begins to brown.


















Serve with Russian Dressing (see my recipe HERE)

Pumpernickel Pie Crust

Ingredients

150 g ( 1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour

100 g (very scant 2/3 cup) Whole Grain Rye Flour

1/2 tsp (4 g) fine sea salt

1/2 lb (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

About 80 ml (5 tbsp) ice-cold sparkling water

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, rye flour, and salt. Add butter cubes and use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingertips to mix the butter into the flour until it’s completely incorporated and crumbly (some pea-sized chunks, some lima bean-sized chunks, and some crumbs). Sprinkle sparkling water or beer over the butter-flour mixture, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing until the liquid is evenly incorporated. The finished dough should be slightly crumbly, but stick together when pressed.

Gather the dough together and fold it over on itself in the bowl a few times, just to bring it together. Split the dough in half, and form each half into a flat disc. Wrap the discs of dough tightly in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour

Russian Dressing

Ingredients
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 cup homemade mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup-style chili sauce or ketchup
4 teaspoons bottled (regular; not packed in beet juice) horseradish, or to taste
1 teaspoon hot sauce, preferably Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
Fine sea salt
Instructions
Mash the onion to create a paste, or use a large heavy knife to mince and mash the onion into a paste. Transfer the onion paste to a small bowl and whisk in the mayonnaise, chili sauce, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sweet paprika. Season with fine sea salt, if desired.
I made the mayonnaise from the recipe HERE using a food processor, then just added the additional Russian Dressing ingredients directly and mixed it there.

Homemade Olive Oil Mayonnaise

Ingredients

1 large egg

4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper*

1 cup olive oil

Instructions

In a food processor, blend together the egg, lemon juice, mustard, fine sea salt, and freshly ground white or black pepper, blending until well combined. With the motor still running, add the oil in a very slow, thin, steady stream and blend until the dressing is thick and smooth.