Garlic-and-Herb Mashed Potatoes

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These mashed potatoes couldn’t be any easier to make thanks to a secret ingredient: Boursin cheese. Yes, I know, it’s not the healthiest ingredient, but potatoes are a vegetable so the whole thing cancels itself out. It’s creamy, it’s garlicky, and it’s way too easy to eat straight out of the pot.

This recipe makes enough for 10 people, so halve it unless you want leftovers for days.

Garlic and herb mashed potatoes
Ingredients:
  • 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks 
  • 12 cups water 
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste 
  • 2 cups garlic-and-herb spreadable cheese (such as Boursin) (from 3 [5.2-ounces] packages), at room temperature 
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed 
  • Black pepper, for garnish 
  1. Place potatoes in a large pot. Add 12 cups water; bring to a boil over high. Add salt, and reduce heat to medium; simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
  2. Place potatoes back in the pot and mash with a ricer. Add cheese and milk; fold until smooth. Season to taste with salt and garnish with pepper.

Weeknight Turkey Curry

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I can’t really categorize this dish: it’s a little bit South Asian, a little bit East Asian, a little bit American. It’s comfort food, though, and an easy one at that. Make this when you’re trying to clear out your pantry, serve over rice, and you’re golden.

Ingredients:
  • 1 onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons avocado oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey (or beef)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 5 teaspoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Madras curry poweder
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 ounces Japanese curry sauce mix (such as House Foods Vermont Curry or S&B Golden Curry)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 cups cooked rice and kimchi, for serving
  1. Pulse onion, carrots, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl.
  2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add turkey, salt, and season with pepper. Cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 6-8 minutes. Add onion mixture and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in butter, then sprinkle flour over and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add curry powder and turmeric and cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  3. Mix in soy sauce and fish sauce. Pour in broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits. Reduce heat and simmer occasionally, until slightly thickened, 8-10 minutes.
  4. Stir in curry sauce mix and simmer, stirring often, until gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and remove from heat.
  5. Serve curry on top of rice in serving bowls and with kimchi on the side.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

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Okra is my favorite vegetable so naturally, I love gumbo. That silky, sumptuous texture that good gumbo has? It’s all okra, so unfairly maligned. Served over rice, I could eat this hearty stew all winter.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup avocado oil
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 4 slices turkey bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 3/4 to 1 cup flour, depending on how thick you want the gumbo to be
  • 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 6 canned whole, peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 10 ounces okra, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • Cooked white rice, for serving
  • Hot sauce and file powder, for serving
  1. Heat 1/4 cup oil in an 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, season chicken with salt and pepper, and add chicken to pot. Cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add sausage and turkey bacon and cook, stirring, until bacon is browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate with chicken.
  2. Add remaining oil and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until this mixture is the color of dark, reddish caramel and forms a roux, about 8 minutes. Add celery, onion, and bell pepper and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add thyme, cayenne, tomatoes, garlic, and bay leaf and cook for 3 minutes. Return chicken, sausage, and bacon to pot along with the okra and stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, okra is tender, and gumbo is thickened, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove and shred meat, then stir back into gumbo. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice, hot sauce, and file powder.

Twice-Baked Loaded Potatoes

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Do me a favor and look past this incredibly unflattering photo of the most delicious potatoes. Filled with aged cheddar, Gruyere, sour cream, and chives, they’re buttery, they’re creamy, and they’re super indulgent.

Ingredients:
  • 4 russet potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 cup grated aged cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 8 slices turkey bacon, cooked and cut into 1/4″ strips
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  1. Heat oven to 450F degrees. Put potatoes on a baking sheet and bake, turning occasionally, until tender, about 1 hour. Transfer to a rack and let cool slightly.
  2. Halve potatoes lengthwise and scoop out insides with a spoon into a medium bowl, leaving 1/4″ of the outer layer of potato and skin behind; transfer empty potato halves to a baking sheet. Combine scooped potato insides, 1/2 cup each cheddar and Gruyere, and sour cream, butter, chives, parsley, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and bacon and season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into potato halves and sprinkle with remaining cheese and the paprika.
  3. Bake until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Miso Macaroni and Cheese

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Mac and cheese season is upon us again. This stovetop mac and cheese has a not-so-secret ingredient: miso, which adds an umami punch. Mixed with aged sharp white cheddar, it’s simple-looking, but absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:
  • 12 ounces small shell or elbow pasta (or similar)
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons white miso
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 8 ounces extra sharp aged white cheddar, grated
  1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. (Do not rinse pasta.)
  2. Whisk milk, miso, garlic powder, black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan to combine, then bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
  3. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Sprinkle flour over and cook, whisking constantly, until combined and mixture is foaming but still pale, about 4 minutes.
  4. Whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming, very gradually pour in 1 1/4 cups hot milk mixture, then cook, still whisking constantly, until smooth. Add remaining milk mixture and whisk again until smooth. Add cheese and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid and cook, whisking, until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth again. Add reserved pasta and stir, adding more pasta cooking liquid to loosen sauce if needed, until pasta is well coated. Serve warm.