Ah, spuds. Potatoes. Those super versatile, no one is ever the same, full of carbs, but still ever so delicious bundles of goodness. I seem to have s number of different kind in my pantry and fridge right now, so I thought I would do a small series on their versatility. First up: a new version of the baked potato called a Shingled Potato Bake. Simple (just peel, cut, oil and bake) and yummy. Best done with starchy potatoes like Idaho / Russets. Great to accompany a roast on a Sunday.
I’ve been working on perfecting some “from scratch” and quick lunch recipes. This one is almost from scratch (meaning, I used puff pastry so that was store bought, but everything else was from scratch). A little less than 40 minutes from “still in the fridge” (though you do need to take out the puff from the freezer) to “completely devoured”. Plus that includes the photography time. I did burn my mouth though from one of the tomatoes bursting. I probably should have waiting a few more minutes before eating, but I was hungry.
This is a great tart for this time of the year when cherry tomatoes are so plentiful in the garden and at the farmer’s markets, but actually can be made year round because cherry toms are reliably decent even at other times of the year.
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.
This week, I found myself in possession of a pound and a half of fresh figs. Not sure really how that happened, as figs are expensive and while you can find them a lot of places, certainly less common than say, an apple. Anyway, I absolutely love figs, but there is no chance that I could have eaten all of them (and enjoyed them) in one go, so I decided to make this lovely jam with about 2/3 of the lot. It’s a sweet jam, of course, with notes of honey, thyme and orange, but it pairs really nicely with savory — would go great with pork, and as shown with this cheese (it’s manchego) or even charcuterie. Or mix it into oatmeal or yogurt, or yes, even toast. It’s surprisingly versatile and yummy to boot. Also, it is very easy to make.
I’ve named these little gems cookies, but they are savory of course (with just a hint of sweetness) with the intent to snack on with a nice glass of white wine (or red, but I think that a nice white would be best with these). Also, it’s nice because you can actually make a couple logs, stash them in the freezer and bake them up as you see fit. The recipe makes about 100 little (1 1/2 inch) cookies, which is just enough for a handful for 4-6 people … great for a small gathering.