What a week – taxes done, apartment in shambles, WordPress up and running again, email hacked and re-secured, cake cooling (more on that last bit later.)
In preparation for his Broadway opening of Peter and the Starcatcher, Orville decided to catch a wicked cold. It was so bad we alternated sleeping on the couch so we could both get better rest and maybe–just maybe–I could avoid being infected! So far so good, but his pre-Christmas cold took 3-4 days to manifest in me – on an 8 hour bus trip to Pittsburgh, so that was fun. Still hoping to avoid it this time around because I want to enjoy celebrating his Broadway milestone at their opening night party!
This is me. You can't hear me, right?
In the middle of all this, my taxes got filed, my laundry didn’t get done, WordPress (the blogging system I use for MTK) went a little crazy by not letting me write new posts, I changed the passwords on all my email accounts after finding I’d been hacked, and I have a great new cake post coming next week. I can’t give you any more details than that yet because I’ve been placed in a cone of silence. [photo credit: WouldYouBelieve.com]
Really the best tasting coffee ever!
Aaand… I acquired a new french press (steel instead of glass–here’s hoping I can’t break this one) and a lovely new sauté pan, gifts from a lovely friend. You know how I feel about pretty shiny new kitchen things, and these are indeed lovely and shiny. Our last french press bit the dust months ago, and we’ve been making do with a Melita cone and a tiny Mr. Coffee. They both do a respectable job, but I didn’t realize how much better I like coffee from a press until the new stainless steel Bodum arrived. It just makes a richer, bolder, yet smoother cup o’ joe.
OK – on to the recipes! There are THREE side dish recipes below: Rosemary- Garlic Baked Potato, Rosemary & Garlic Roasted Home Fries and Sautéed Zucchini & Red Onion. All are super-simple and classic go-to dishes that pair with almost any main dish, so I hope you’ll use them often. Bonus, we’ll be using the last two in our upcoming Leftover Treat – a Veggie Frittata!
Rosemary-Garlic Baked Potato
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Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Servings: 2 servings | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
2 Russet baking potatoes
Leftover rosemary sprigs and garlic from a recipe of Rosemary Garlic Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Straight from Barb's Test Kitchen!
Preheat oven to 425º.
Wash and dry the potatoes. Pierce several times with a fork or paring knife. Place in a microwave safe baking dish and microwave for 5 minutes (rotating halfway through if your microwave doesn’t have a carousel).
Mince the leftover garlic cloves.
Remove the potatoes from the microwave. Handling carefully (use a kitchen towel), slice the tops longways (like a hot dog bun). Insert a sprig of the leftover rosemary and stuff in half the chopped garlic in each potato. Brush the skins with Rosemary Garlic Olive Oil and season with Kosher salt.
Finish the potatoes in the oven, baking for about 20-25 minutes, until a paring knife slides easily in and out. Serve along with more Rosemary Garlic Olive Oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper!
Rosemary & Garlic Roasted Home Fries
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Prep Time: | Cook Time: | Servings: | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
2 tbsp Rosemary Garlic Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400º.
Cut the potatoes into ½ inch dice.
Transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle the Rosemary Garlic Olive Oil over the potatoes and toss to coat. Season LIBERALLY with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Roast for 15 minutes. Remove and use a spatula to turn the potatoes. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Turn the potatoes once more and return to the oven for a final 5 minutes of roasting.
Remove and serve with leg of lamb, eggs benedict or just about anything. And don’t forget to save a couple of cups for a frittata in the morning!
Sautéed Zucchini & Red Onion
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Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 5-6 minutes | Servings: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
2 lbs zucchini or yellow squash (or a mixture)
1 medium red onion
Rosemary Garlic Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Prepare the zucchini by lopping off the stem and the end bit, slicing it lengthwise, and slicing it to make ½ inch thick half-moons.
Peel the onion and lop off the top and root ends. With one of the flat ends down, cut the onion in half, then cut each half across the grain into ½ inch slices. You want them to be about the same size as the squash pieces.
In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat one tablespoon of Rosemary Garlic Olive Oil over medium heat until it starts to shimmer. Add the onions and zucchini. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss or stir to coat. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes until the vegetables begin to caramelize, then toss or turn the vegetables and let cook another 1-2 minutes. Test for doneness (this is up to you, but I like a little toothsomeness in the squash and crunch in the onion). This is a very quick-cooking dish, and the vegetables will continue to cook after you move them to a serving dish, so don’t overcook them. If you do cook it a minute or two more, keep the vegetables moving by tossing or stirring every 20 seconds or so.
Remove to a serving dish and serve alongside… well just about anything, right?
I'm Brian Myers Cooper. I'm an actor and I live in New York City. Like most regular folks here in the Big Apple, my kitchen is... well, tiny. And challenging. A few odd cabinets even more oddly placed. A stunted fridge and stove. Almost fourteen whole inches of actual counter space! Is it any wonder why soooo many New Yorkers eat out almost all the time?