Day 2: Turkey Burgers, Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Smashed Potatoes

Today I made turkey burgers. They were tasty! I really liked them. The potatoes were not worth the time. I would have rather had red potato oven fries. And they would have been so much easier.

Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

1	turkey thigh , about 2 pounds, skinned and boned (or 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless thighs) cut into 1-inch chunks; arranged on sheet pan; frozen until semifirm, about 30 minutes
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1/2	teaspoon ground black pepper
2	teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2	teaspoons Dijon mustard
1	tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil

Instructions

Mix together. I pan-fried them. They would be awesome grilled. I used ground turkey and added a scoop of ricotta cheese (that's would the directions suggested). Definitely a keeper.


Roasted Smashed Potatoes

This recipe is designed to work with potatoes 1½ to 2 inches in diameter; do not use potatoes any larger. It is important to thoroughly cook the potatoes so that they will smash easily. Remove the potatoes from the baking sheet as soon as they are done browning—they will toughen if left too long. A potato masher can also be used to “smash” the potatoes.

Ingredients

2	pounds small Red Bliss potatoes (about 18), scrubbed (see note)
6	tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1	teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
	Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Adjust oven racks to top and bottom positions and heat oven to 500 degrees. Arrange potatoes on rimmed baking sheet, pour ¾ cup water into baking sheet, and wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Cook on bottom rack until paring knife or skewer slips in and out of potatoes easily (poke through foil to test), 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and cool 10 minutes. If any water remains on baking sheet, blot dry with paper towel.

2. Drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over potatoes and roll to coat. Space potatoes evenly on baking sheet and place second baking sheet on top; press down firmly on baking sheet, flattening potatoes until 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and season generously with salt and pepper; drizzle evenly with remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Roast potatoes on top rack 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes to bottom rack and continue to roast until well browned, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Check them the last time earlier. They got a little burned. Like I said, I wasn't super impressed.

Roasted broccoli is super easy. Cut, drizzle with olive oil, season with kosher salt and pepper. Roast in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes. You will never eat broccoli any other way. Ever.

January

I haven't blogged anywhere since August. And I don't even feel guilty. Something had to go to make my life simpler. But I am going to try something in January-hopefully I will post close to everyday this month.

I frequently get stuck in making the same things for dinner over and over again. This January I am going to try something new-my goal is to not repeat a dinner once. 31 days of 31 new dinners. I hope I can do it. I am well aware that there are days when this might not be possible (you know, working full-time with two little ones and a husband who works more-than-full-time) but I am going to try my best.

So here's January 1st.

Pan Roasted Chicken with Potatoes from Cook's Country
(I am not the best at taking pictures...one day I will improve-when I have some time!)

INGREDIENTS
4 split bone-in chicken breasts
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2pounds red potatoes , cut into 1-inch wedges
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove , minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Pinch red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS
Making the Minutes Count: While the chicken browns, cut the potatoes.

1. Heat Oven: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Season and Brown Skin Side of Chicken: Pat chicken dry with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken well on skin side, about 5 minutes.

3. Microwave Potatoes: While chicken browns, toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in microwave-safe bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until potatoes begin to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, shaking bowl (without removing plastic) to toss potatoes halfway through.

4. Bake Chicken: Transfer chicken, skin side up, to baking dish and bake until thickest part registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Brown Potatoes: While chicken bakes, pour off any grease in skillet, add 1 more tablespoon oil, and return to medium heat until shimmering. Drain microwaved potatoes then add to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes.

6. Make Drizzling Oil: Whisk remaining 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes together.

Drizzle oil over chicken and potatoes before serving.


My chicken breasts were huge so I used 2. We feed our family of four plus had enough chicken left over to make something else. I'm thinking maybe a pot pie for dinner tomorrow? That also meant my chicken took a lot more time to cook. I would suggest putting the chicken in a larger pan. I used a small pan and the oil kept popping into the oven. We had the smoke detector going off no less than 3 times. Yikes.

I liked it, though. The drizzling sauce was really good. (We cut the recipe by 1/3m, but it was still too much-I guess it depends on how many people you are serving). It will make it's way into the rotation after January.

Bountiful Baskets Dinner

Last night I used a bunch of my produce from my bountiful basket. I've been doing bountiful baskets for quite awhile now and love it. Here's what I made:


I used Jacque's technique for the pork chops. First you bread the pork chops however you want. I rinsed and dried my chops. Then I dredged them in flour and dipped in egg. For my breading, I used panko bread crumbs mixed with garlic salt and crushed rosemary. I love the taste of rosemary but Brad hates the leaves so I buy crushed. Brown the pork chops in a little hot oil in a large skillet with a lid. Add liquid (I used a little apple juice and the rest water), cover, and steam until the pork chops are done. I tend to buy the thick chops so it takes about 45 minutes. I had to add quite a bit of liquid. The apple juice carmelized and added a lot of flavor. For the last ten minutes (about) I added some thick slices of apples (peeled and cored). I add the apples right on top of the chops so they add moisture but don't burn. Brad LOVES these pork chops. They are yummy.

I used our red potatoes to make a mash. I love red mashed potatoes. One of my favorite foods. When I make red mashed potatoes, I like to leave some bite sized pieces. I add the typical butter and milk (warmed-so important!). Then I like to add garlic salt and a little sour cream. Not super healthy but super tasty!

The green beans were our favorite! I simply boiled them until they were tendercrisp. I then added a touch of olive oil and a pinch of garlic salt (we like garlic, can you tell?!).

Overall it was a fresh, nice meal! I probably will save it for a Sunday next time, though. My kids get crazy at dinner-making time!

Sweet Potato Fries

We love sweet potato fries. We really like oven fries, but these are much healthier so we do these, too. They are really easy. The most important thing to have is a sharp knife. Sweet potatoes are pretty hard.

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes (let's be honest-they are actually yams)
olive oil
spices of choice : we like garlic salt, pepper, and creole-which we were out of so settled for our Red Robin seasoning :)


Directions:
Peel and wash the sweet potatoes.


Cut the potatoes into 3 chunks.


Cut each of those chunks into small fries. You want to do smaller fries. Larger steak fries tend to get mushy.


Put all the fries into a large Ziploc


Drizzle in a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Just eyeball it. The fries should be coated but not dripping. Lay the fries in a single layer on a baking sheet. Make sure it is a single layer! For easier clean up, line the pan with foil. Don't forget to spray! The olive oil can be deceiving-it does NOT prevent the fries from sticking. Then season. You want to err on the side of too much spice-even when it looks like tons of spice it can turn out a little bland. If you look closely you can see all the extra garlic salt on the pan.


Cook at 400 degrees until golden brown on the bottom (about 15 minutes-mine took about 17-20). Flip the fries. Season the other side if desired. Cook for about 15-20 minutes more until the other side is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Grilled Red Potatoes

This recipe is awesome. It's really easy, too. This side works great with grilled chicken, steak-really anything grilled.

Ingredients:
1 lb red potatoes (the really small ones are the best)
1/4 cup olive oil
9 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 teaspoon salt (I think it needs a little more)

Wash the red potatoes. Cut in half-if the potatoes are large, cut them in more pieces. We had really big red potatoes so I cut them in eighths. Place the potatoes onto wooden skewers all facing the same way. Place on a plate in a single layer. Poke the potatoes with a fork. Set aside.

Heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, salt, and rosemary. Cook for about 3 minutes. Basically you are infusing the oil with the flavors. Strain the mixture. Reserve 1 TBSP solids and oil in a separate bowl (it works best to just put it right into the serving bowl). Discard the remaining solids.



Brush the potatoes with the infused oil. Cook in the microwave for 8 minutes. They should be almost done.

Grill over a medium-high heat until potatoes are completely cooked, about 10 minutes.




Take the potatoes off the skewers and toss with the reserved oil and solids.


And enjoy!