Tag: Western

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Caviar

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Here’s the perfect fall appetizer (or brunch dish!) to usher in the cooler weather. These crispy smashed potatoes are like fancy French fries meets loaded potatoes in the best way possible. Feel free to use any kind of fish roe here — tobiko, salmon roe, or anything similar will give these potatoes a pop of briny goodness.

Ingredients:
  • 4 ounces turkey bacon
  • 5 teaspoons avocado oil
  • 1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 small shallot, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped tender herbs (such as chives or dill), plus more for serving
  • 1 avocado, sliced, cut into 1″ pieces
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 1.75-oz. jar salmon caviar, or similar
  1. Cook bacon and 2 teaspoon avocado oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is browned and crisp, 8–10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.
  2. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in cold water to cover; season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer potatoes until a knife slides easily through the flesh, 20–25 minutes. Drain and let cool 5 minutes, then slice in half.
  3. Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Spread out potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or a potato masher, gently smash potatoes to about ½” thick. Let cool another 5 minutes.
  4. Drizzle remaining 3 teaspoon avocado oil and remaining over potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Roast until potatoes are golden brown and crisp, 40–50 minutes.
  5. While the potatoes are roasting, mix sour cream, lemon juice, chopped herbs, and shallot in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Arrange potatoes on a platter or divide among plates. Top each with avocado, seasoned sour cream, some turkey bacon, green onion, caviar, and more herbs. 

Cauliflower Mash

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This cauliflower mash may not be the most beautiful, but it’s flavorful, creamy, and convincing enough to convert even the most ardent mashed potato fan into a cauliflower believer. Best of all, you can make it ahead of time and reheat when you’re ready to serve.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cauliflower, cored and broken into florets
  • 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk
  1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  2. Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet along with the garlic. Toss with the avocado oil, garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Roast for 35 minutes. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic out of their peels.
  3. Once cooled, place the cauliflower and garlic in a blender and add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, nutritional yeast, black pepper, and coconut milk and blend until smooth.
  4. To serve, gently reheat cauliflower mash on the stove in a saucepan on low.

Chickpea Salad with Red Peppers and Chorizo

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Here’s the easiest end-of-summer appetizer (or side dish or lunch or whatever you want it to be, really) on earth. It’s smoky, it’s sweet, it’s piquant, and it’s (mostly) healthy. The sum of the parts is greater than the whole here, but the key is letting it sit for at least half an hour so that the flavors meld.

Ingredients:
  • 3 ounces dry-cured Spanish chorizo, casing removed, thinly sliced into half-moons (about 1/2 cup) 
  • 2 14-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/4 cup drained jarred roasted red bell peppers, chopped
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped white onion
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or pineapple vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  1. Stir together chorizo, chickpeas, roasted bell peppers, onion, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and black pepper in a large serving bowl until well combined. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste; stir in parsley. Let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and serve cold or at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip and Walnut Banana Bread

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Not all banana bread is created equal. Some banana bread veers a little too healthy, resulting in a cardboard-like texture. Hard pass. This banana bread recipe, however, manages to straddle the line between delicious and healthy: it’s not too sweet or buttery, but it’s studded with dark chocolate so you’re not missing any decadence. A mix of flours keeps the texture balanced.

Ingredients:
  • 4 ripe bananas
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees and coat a 9″x5″ loaf pan with cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas using a fork until they are the consistency of applesauce, then stir in the egg, vanilla, and maple syrup.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the banana mixture and mix until fully combined, then gently fold in the chocolate chunks and walnuts.
  4. Spoon the batter into the loaf pan, then bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the banana bread from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days or in the fridge up to 5 days.

Fettuccine with Clams and Sun Gold Tomatoes

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The only thing better than fresh tomatoes and pasta in the summer is fresh tomatoes and pasta with shellfish in the summer. Adapted from Bon Appetit, this incredibly easy fettuccine comes together in a matter of minutes, making the best of the season’s bounty. If you can, use fresh pasta here, although dry noodles will work just fine too.

Ingredients:
  • Salt
  • 3 pounds clams, scrubbed
  • 12 ounces fresh fettuccine
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons white miso
  • 12 ounces Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes, halved, divided
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
  • Pepper
  • 1/2 cup torn basil, plus more for serving
  1. Partially fill a large bowl with cool water, add a handful of salt, and mix to dissolve. Add clams; let sit 15 minutes to expel grit. Drain and rinse. Repeat with a fresh bowl of cool water and salt. Set aside.
  2. Cook fettuccine in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute short of al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Set pasta aside.
  3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Cook garlic, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Pour in wine, add drained reserved clams, and increase heat to medium-high. Cover and cook, until clams are open, about 4 minutes. Transfer opened clams to a large bowl. Leave unopened clams in pot, re-cover, and continue to cook, checking every 2 minutes to remove any open clams; discard any unopened clams after 10 minutes.
  4. Reduce heat to medium and stir in miso to dissolve. Add half of the tomatoes and cook, pressing occasionally with spoon to help break open, until some of the tomatoes burst and release their juices, about 4 minutes.
  5. Add butter, remaining tomatoes, and reserved pasta and cook, tossing and adding reserved pasta cooking liquid a little at a time if needed, until pasta is al dente and has soaked up some of the sauce (it will thicken as it sits). Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add clams along with any juices and basil and gently toss to combine.
  6. Arrange pasta on a serving platter and top with more basil.