There is something very comforting about potatoes. So simple, so homey. But you can easily dress them up too, and that is what this recipe does: moves them from comfort potatoes to “cool looking special occasion potatoes”. They are tiny (about the size of a large marble, or a quarter). If you can’t find them at a farmer’s market, they also sell them in 1 pound nets at Trader Joes. Add shallot, thyme, lemon and salt/pepper to some butter, and voila. Yummy. And comforting.
Let’s talk about garlic bread. It’s a total summer time thing for me and I almost never make it in the winter, even if it does pair nicely with Italian dishes like the traditional “Spaghetti and Meatballs”. But now that it is summer, it’s time to work on perfecting these loaves of yumminess. This time, I decided to not take a loaf from the store and slather it with garlic and herb butter, but I made the bread too. And I made the “pull apart” / “crazy bread” style bread that I have become so fond of. Added a lot of parm and voila. Yumminess! Best part is that it virtually falls apart into slices when removed from the loaf pan, so no need for a knife.
Everyone has their own “perfect burger”. This is mine.
For starters, it has Bacon Onion Jam, which is in itself a reason for living. It is pretty amazing frankly. I am going to have to keep some of this in my fridge, made at regular interval, for the rest of my life. It is not so pretty to photograph, but take my word for it, it;s good. Really. Really. Good.
And then there is the burger meat, which I grind myself. Millions of times better than store bought. It is time consuming though. I also add porcini powder which no, does not make the burgers taste mushroom-y, just makes them taste more meaty, and thus more amazing. If you have the time and the inclination, give the full recipe a try (or you can use store bought ground beef, but it won’t be the same).
The other day, I made this Berbere Spice Mix. It is super yummy and I find myself putting in and on pretty much everything. But, seeing not everyone knows what to do with the flavors, I thought that I would give you three examples: Skillet Potatoes, Chicken Skewer Wraps with Tzaziki Sauce (yes, Ethiopian and Greek in this case) and a beautiful Heritage Pork Chop. Yum.