Friday Foodie - Dijon Potato Salad

Cool, tangy and perfect for summer.  Enjoy your weekend, friends. 

Dijon Potato Salad

2 lbs. red potatoes, cubed

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup olive oil

1 celery rib, finely diced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a gentle boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain well and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet to cool.

2. Combine the mustard, vinegar, dill, tarragon, sugar, pepper and salt in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly to form an emulsion.

3. Combine the cooled potatoes, celery and scallions in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Serves 6 to 8.

Friday Foodie - Pesto Pasta

Pesto is one of the greatest foodstuffs ever created, along with teriyaki sauce and Nutella. And I love pasta, so it was to my great delight that I discovered this little gem of a recipe, which is as easy as it is delicious. If you can’t find pre-made pesto, or you’d just like to try your hand at making it from scratch, I’ll include the recipe for that, too.

Pesto Pasta

5 oz. cooked spaghetti

4 oz. prepared pesto (about a 1/3 of a cup or so)

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta al dente; drain. Stir in pesto and Parmesan.

Voila.

Pesto

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1 garlic clove, peeled

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts

5 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a food processor or blender, puree basil, garlic, salt, Parmesan and pine nuts. With the processor or blender running, add olive oil through feed tube until incorporated.

Friday Foodie - Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This is a bowl full of creamy, awesome, garlicky goodness right here. The ultimate non-chocolate comfort food: Garlic Mashed Potatoes. They should call it Mmmm, because when you take a bite you can’t help but make that sound.

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Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1 whole garlic bulb
Olive oil
1 lb. new potatoes, unpeeled
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
parsley

To roast garlic: cut off the top of garlic bulb, sprinkle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove 6 cloves and chop. (Actually, at this point they're so soft I just squeeze the garlic out of the outer layer right into the bowl.)

Cut new potatoes into quarters. In a large pot, bring potatoes to boil over medium-high heat. Boil until soft, about 12-15 minutes. Mash, then add whipping cream and the garlic. Add butter, then salt and pepper to taste. Top with a dash of chopped parsley.

I usually fudge a little on the recipe to save some calories, but if you’re wanting/needing the full-comfort version, this is it.

After