Roasted Fingerling Potatoes With Garden Herbs & Garlic

The weather has been lovely of late -- warm, sunny days with cool breezes and the clearest blue skies. These are the kind of days that just make you feel happy no matter what else is going on. And it seems to have the same effect on plants, judging by the herbs in our little garden which are sending out new leaves and flowers like it was going out of style. The bees are having a field day collecting pollen and their low drone makes a delightful background hum when we're sitting outside. Here is one of the happy bees pollinating our thyme plant.

This shows a small part of our marjoram plant which has basically doubled in size since I transplanted it from its terracotta pot to the ground a month ago.

These herbs were just crying out to be tossed with some potatoes, olive oil, sea salt, pepper and garlic and roasted until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. And I was only too happy to oblige, using these lovely organic Russian banana fingerling potatoes.

I served these roasted potatoes with a grilled tri-tip grass-fed steak (from Bear River Valley ranch) and my new favorite asparagus recipe. Delicious!

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes With Garden Herbs & Garlic

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

* 1 lb small, waxy potatoes such as Russian Banana, Yellow Finn or Yukon Gold

* 3 Tbsp olive oil

* 2 tsp sea salt

* 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

* 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

* 3 Tbsp minced fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, marjoram, etc.)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Wash/scrub the potatoes and set aside to dry in a collander for a minute or two.

2. Toss the potatoes, olive oil, minced herbs, salt and pepper until coated thoroughly then turn out into a single layer in either a glass or ceramic baking dish or a thick baking sheet.

3. Roast, turning two or three times, for 40 or so minutes or until you can easily poke a fork into one of the larger potatoes. Let cool briefly and serve warm.

You might also like:

• Curried Potato Salad
• Maple Roasted Yams With Bacon & Beer
• Perfect Oven Fries
• Potato Latkes
• Potato Leek Soup With Fennel & Herbs
• Steamed Potatoes With Herb Butter

Asparagus With Goat Cheese & Candied Pecans

We've been buying such lovely organic asparagus lately. The bunch I used for this dish were delightful - so young and tender - like slender green pencils. Ah, springtime...

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This recipe was inspired by my next-door neighbor, Dale, who graciously invited us to join him and his family -- he and his wife have four adorable kids -- for dinner the other night. He'd made a very tasty tomato sauce with pasta and these delicious asparagus (turns out that all their kids love asparagus!)

What follows is probably a fairly rough interpretation of Dale's recipe (our son was starting to melt down by the end of the meal so my attention was a little divided while Dale was explaining how he'd prepared them) but it turned out very tasty so I'm sharing it with you all.

The creamy goat cheese, shallot and bacon complement the fresh flavor of the asparagus in a most addictive way... I added the toasted, candied pecans and liked the little hits of sweet nuttiness they provide. Enjoy!

Asparagus With Goat Cheese & Toasted Pecans

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

* 1 bunch fresh asparagus, washed, with the woody ends removed (bend them until you find the point at which they snap naturally -- that's the place to break 'em!)

* 1 large shallot (or a small onion will work well if you can't find shallots)

* 1 strip of bacon, chopped into small pieces

*  2 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled into small pieces

*  Generous handful of candied pecans - here are two ways to candy nuts- one is quicker and easier but results in stickier nuts and the other is a little bit more time-consuming but the nuts don't turn out sticky and they keep better.

Directions

1. Bring a good-sized pot of water to boil. While you're waiting for it to reach a boil, chop the shallot or onion finely, then add the bacon to a medium-hot frying pan or skillet. If the bacon does not render enough fat on its own to fry the shallot in, just add a little glug of olive oil or butter to the pan. Once the fat or oil is hot, add the shallot and sautee until softened and translucent - 3-5 minutes. Turn off heat and remove from the pan from burner.

2. Once the water has reached a boil, add the asparagus and blanch them for roughly 2 minutes or until the stalks reach the desired level of doneness (is that a word?!) Remove them with a slotted spoon, drain and then add them to the frying pan with the shallot. Toss until the asparagus is well-coated with the shallot and bacon fat mixture. Add the goat cheese and transfer to a serving dish or platter. Garnish with the candied pecans and serve.

More recipes you might like:

• Arugula Salad With Pomegranate & Toasted Pecans
• Green Salad With Goat Cheese, Pears & Candied Pecans
• Maple Roasted Yams With Bacon & Beer
• Oven Roasted Asparagus With Garlic

Restaurant Reviews

Berkeley, CA

• Amanda's Feel Good Fresh Food
• César
• Corso Trattoria
• Imperial Tea Court
• LaLime's
• Riva Cucina
• Wat Mongkolratanaram

Oakland, CA

• Bakesale Betty
• Camino
• Dopo
• Pizzaiolo

Pomegranate Molasses, A Gift From The (Middle Eastern) Cooking Gods

I’ve been meaning to write about pomegranate molasses ever since my dear Aunt Katy (of Healthy Living Natural Foods fame) sent me a bottle of the stuff nearly two years ago.


Pomegranate molasses is made by boiling down the juice of a particular type of tart pomegranate along with some cane sugar and lemon juice. The result is a dark, sticky syrup that adds a wonderful zing and sweetness to lots of dishes, dressings, drinks, etc.


A staple in Middle Eastern cooking, it has a unique taste that I love. Tart, sweet, and rich, it is good in soooo many things! 


Here are a few ideas to get you started: substitute it for half of the vinegar in a vinaigrette, drizzle it over butternut or delicata squash before roasting, add a few teaspoons to jazz up a beef or lamb stew, throw a splash in some iced tea or lemonade for a delicious, refreshing summer drink, or mix it with minced garlic, orange juice, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper and a little olive oil to make an amazing marinade for chicken, pork or lamb before grilling.

Thankfully, pomegranate molasses is widely available in many supermarkets and smaller ethnic markets nowadays, often for just $3-$4 a bottle. If you can’t find it in a market near you, you can always find it on Amazon.com which sells a bunch of different brands. The bottle I have is made by a Lebanese company called Mymouné and it is excellent though I suspect it is probably hard to find and also on the more expensive end of the spectrum.


Or, if you’ve got some time on your hands, you can make it yourself though this will probably cost you more than buying a bottle since pomegranate juice is kinda pricey. Here’s a simple pomegranate molasses syrup recipe from Elise at Simply Recipes (no pun intended.)


A few more delicious uses for pomegranate molasses:

• Bourbon-Pomegranate Molasses Braised Short Ribs 
• Pomegranate Molasses Butter Cake 
• Muhammara (Red Bell Pepper Walnut Dip) 
• Muhammara-Slathered Veggie Kabobs 
• Slow-Roasted Tomatoes With Pomegranate Molasses & Basil

Browse through more Gifts From The Kitchen Gods:

• Better Than Bouillon
• Fresh, Frozen Herbs
• Ginger Syrup
• Immersion Blender
• Microplane Zester
• Plastic Pot & Pan Scraper
• Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale Mustard
• Soft Skin Fruit and Vegetable Peeler

Kitchen Literacy reading in Berkeley on April 9th!

Good news! Ann Vileisis, author of the eye-opening book, Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes From & Why We Need To Get It Back will be reading and signing books at Mrs. Dalloway's at 2904 College Avenue here in Berkeley.

Come have a listen and meet the author on April 9th at 7:30!

If you want to refresh your memory beforehand, you can read my interview with Ann here. 

Hope to see you there!