Potatoes

Cheesy mashed potatoes with broccoli

1 lb. potatoes
1 stalk broccoli
½ c. milk
2 tbs. butter
½ c. grated parmesan cheese
½ c. grated cheddar or raw milk
cheese
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper

Wash the potatoes, and cut them into small chunks. Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, cut the broccoli top into small florets. Peel the stalk of the broccoli and cut the peeled stalk into small pieces. Add to the potatoes, and continue to cook about 5 minutes more, until broccoli is tender and potatoes are very soft.

Drain water, and add the milk, butter, salt and pepper. Mash by hand with a fork or potato masher, or quickly process in a food processor. Stir in cheese, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serves 3-4.

Sheppard’s pie

This recipe uses a wider variety of vegetables than the traditional Sheppard’s pie, including rutabagas in the potato layer. Feel free to add in other vegetables as you desire. To make a vegetarian Sheppard’s pie, replace the meat with crumbled tofu or tempeh, and add an extra tbs. of olive oil and 1 tbs. soy sauce while browning.

For the meat layer:
1 tbs. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef or lamb
1 medium onion
1 c. diced carrot
1 c. diced celery root
1 c. chopped green beans
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried sage
½ tsp. salt
a few pinches black pepper

For the potato layer:
1 lb. potatoes
1 lb. rutabaga
2 tbs. butter
1 c. milk
1 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the carrot and celery root and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add green beans, herbs, salt and pepper and cook 2-3 minutes more. If your skillet is very large you can brown the meat (or tofu/tempeh) in the skillet with the vegetables, if its already quite full use a separate pan for browning then stir meat into the vegetable mixture.
Peel the rutabaga. You can also peel the potatoes or leave the skins on. Cut the rutabaga and potato into chunks and put them in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer until very soft, 15-20 minutes. Drain and mash with the butter, milk and salt.
Spread the meat mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top and gently spread them over the meat layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until top is golden. Serves 6.

Roasted root vegetables

This is a simple recipe with endless variations. You can use any firm root vegetable you have around. You can keep the seasonings simple, as in the recipe below, or you can add chopped garlic or onion and fresh or dried herbs as desired. This is a classic fall and winter dish, great for holidays and large gatherings.

3-4 potatoes
2 medium sweet potato
2-3 carrots
2 medium beets
2 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop the potato, carrot and sweet potato into bite sized chunks. Cut the fennel lengthwise into quarters and trim away tough centers. Cut the quarters into thin slices.

Put the vegetables into a large bowl and pour the oil over them. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Then chop the beets into small pieces. Add them to the mixture, stirring lightly to avoid turning all the vegetables purple.

Spread the vegetables into a large, shallow baking dish and cover with a baking tray or aluminum foil. Bake covered for 30 minutes, them remove cover and bake another 15 minutes, until vegetable are very tender. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving. Serves 4-6.

Potato corn chowder

6 c. vegetable or chicken stock
4 ears of corn, kernels shaved from the cob
1 lb. potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery rib, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. butter
¼ tsp. dried basil
¼ tsp. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
2 tbs. chopped fresh basil and/or parsley

Heat the oil and butter in a large soup pot. Sauté the onion until translucent, then add the dried basil, thyme, garlic, carrot and celery, and sauté a few minutes more. Add the potatoes and corn, stir well, and add stock to cover. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, and puree half the soup in a blender. Return to pot. Thin with stock to desired thickness, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the bay leaves and simmer 2o minutes more. Garnish with the fresh herbs just before serving. Serves 6-8.

Potato salad with fresh chives

4-5 medium potatoes, chopped (about 6 cups)
½ c. celery, chopped
¼ c scallions or red onion, finely chopped
2 tbs. fresh chives
½ c. mayonnaise or yogurt
1 tbs. dijon mustard
1 tbs. red wine vinegar
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. paprika

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, add the celery, scallion and chives, mixing well. Mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and paprika. Pour over the potato mixture and mix together. Serves 4-6.

Recipe adapted from The Kripalu Cookbook by Atma JoAnn Leavitt

Onion and potato gratin

6 medium potatoes, cut in to ¼ inch slices
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 c. grated gruyere cheese
½ c. grated parmesan cheese
1 c. heavy cream
salt and pepper
parsley for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes and onions in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain vegetables and spread half in the bottom of a 7 x 11 baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with half the cheese. Add the remaining potatoes and onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, until cream has thickened and the top is golden. Allow to cool slightly, and garnish with parsley, if using, before serving. Serves 4.

Red Potato Homefries

4 medium red potatoes, about 1 lb.
¼ cup minced red or yellow onion
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. whole cumin seeds
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. paprika
a few pinches of cayenne or black pepper
2 tbs. chopped parsley

Cube the potatoes and put them in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Bring water to a boil and cook until potatoes are just slightly tender, only about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes. Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and cook cumin seeds in the oil until they pop. Add potatoes to the skillet and stir well to coat with oil. Let the potatoes brown on one side for about 5 minutes. Then stir and let them brown on another side for 5 more minutes. Add onion to the pan and cook 2-3 more minutes, until onion is translucent. Turn off heat and stir in spices and parsley. Serve immediately, serves 3-4.

Roasted Potatoes with Red Onion and Herbs

6 medium potatoes, sliced lengthwise into ¼ inch slices
1 medium red onion, cut in half and then sliced into thin slivers
¼ c. olive oil
A few fresh herb sprigs, or dried herbs: thyme, rosemary, oregano.
½ c. grated parmesan or other hard cheese (optional)
1-2 tsp. salt (use more salt if you are not using cheese)
½ tsp. black pepper

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Place potatoes, onion and olive oil into a baking dish and stir to coast vegetables in oil. Sprinkle on herbs, cheese, salt and pepper, and mix well. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are very tender. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

Mashed Potatoes and Turnips

4 medium potatoes, cubed
2 medium turnips, peeled and cubed
¼ c. milk
2 tbs. butter
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
2 tbs. chopped parsley (optional)

Put chopped vegetables in a saucepan with water to cover them. Bring to a boil a simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetable are very tender. Drain and mash with a potato masher or fork. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined, making sure butter is melted. Serves 4-6.

Roast potato salad with yellow beans, tomatoes, and purple basil viniagrette

2 lbs. potatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium tomato, cut into small pieces
¼ lb. yellow beans, ends trimmed and cut in half
¼ c. plus 1 tbs. olive oil
¼ c. purple basil leaves, lightly packed
1 small garlic clove, chopped
2 tbs. red wine or apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper
2 tbs. purple basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade, for garnish (see below)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss chopped potatoes in 1 tbs. olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until tender, about 25 minutes. While potatoes are roasting, bring a small saucepan of water to boil on the stove. When boiling, drop the beans in the water and cook until just barely tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Combine remaining ¼ c. oil, the basil leaves, the garlic clove, the vinegar and ½ tsp. salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Remove potatoes from oven when done and toss together potatoes, tomatoes, beans and dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with the basil chiffonade. Serves 4.