smashed roasted potatoes & a simple lemon mustard vinaigrette salad

Tis the season for 'anytime' egg dishes . . . like this one . . . and this one . . . except that these Dutch Yellow baby potatoes are the feature of this post!

These darling baby potatoes are just a little bigger than a quarter! Perfect, I think, for making smashed roasted potatoes! 

They're cream-colored when raw, and then turn a warm yellow after roasting in the oven. They're quite delicious roasted with salt & pepper, chopped garlic, and olive oil!  

I love easy-to-prepare meals . . . and delicious ones too! And this is one of them.

Making smashed roasted potatoes can seem daunting with 1+ hours of cooking time, but if you split the boiling and roasting time to separate times of day, then it will feel quicker.

I boil the potatoes in the morning while I'm doing chores, and then I place them on a towel to dry and cool. It isn't until about forty minutes before dinner that I prepare them for roasting; and then while they're roasting in the oven, I make a simple lemon mustard vinaigrette for the bed of arugula that I rest the smashed roasted potatoes on.  The vinaigrette is a wonderful compliment to the potatoes too. And to wrap up the meal, I add an egg. My husband and I enjoy our eggs over-easy in this dish.  

I've also served smashed roasted potatoes with chicken and fish. They're even great all by themselves! And in the Summer, add sliced heirloom tomatoes for an extra special treat. Enjoy!

smashed roasted potatoes
Ingredients

12- 15 small yellow or red potatoes

salt & pepper

garlic, finely chopped

extra-virgin olive oil

Boil the potatoes

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan (preferably in one layer) and cover with at least an inch of water. Add 2 teaspoons salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they are completely tender and can be easily pierced with a metal or wood skewer. Make sure they are cooked through but don’t overcook. The total cooking time will be 30 to 35 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, set up a double layer of clean dishtowels on your counter-top. As the potatoes finish cooking, remove them individually from the water, and let them drain and sit for just a minute or two on the dishtowels.

Flatten and cool the potatoes

Gently press down on one potato at a time with a meat or potato masher to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Repeat with all the potatoes. Don’t worry if some break apart a bit . . . you can still use them.
You can also smash the potatoes with the palm of your hand, or with the flat bottom of a glass, but I prefer a masher because it leaves a textured top that's perfect for the salt. pepper, garlic and olive oil to nestle into.

Smashed roasted potatoes 

Transfer the flattened potatoes carefully to the baking sheet and let them cool at room temperature.

Roast the potatoes

Remove the pan of potatoes from the refrigerator, if prepared ahead. Heat the oven to 400°F. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt, pepper and chopped garlic; and then drizzle with olive oil.

Lift the potatoes gently to make sure some of the oil goes underneath them and that they are well coated on both sides. Roast the potatoes until they’re crispy and deep brown around the edges, about 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette 

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. 

Shake vigorously for 30 seconds until emulsified.

~ OR ~

Combine the lemon juice, mustard and salt in a bowl; 

and drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously.

Taste and adjust the salt, and add more lemon juice or olive oil to achieve a pleasing balance of acidity.

Toss with arugula . . .  and enjoy!

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spinach & three cheese stuffed shells

Another one of my New Year's resolutions is to add more delicious and satisfying vegetarian dishes to my recipe binder, making it easier for me to plan and prepare meals for our vegetarian friends.

I've been sampling and tweaking vegetarian dishes for several weeks now, and hope to share many of them with you throughout the year. Some are simple dishes like this baked egg dish with spicy sweet potatoes, black beans, manchego and goat cheese, and others are like this one.

We are so blessed to live in Southern California where we have access to abundant Farmer's Markets year round, so it's not difficult to add beautiful salads and vegetable side dishes to a main course . . . but I was in need of more hearty vegetarian main dishes.

It's easy to create pasta dishes with savory red or cream sauces and roasted vegetables, but I thought it would be nice to also have more tailored dishes . . . you know, for special occasions.

One of the new dishes that made it into my binder is spinach and three cheese stuffed shells. Instead of baking them in a large 9 x 13" dish, I bake them in individual ramekins. There's something special about eating from your very own pretty dish.

I love this recipe. It's easy to prepare . . . and delicious. You can serve it family style in a large baking dish . . . or fancy it up, and serve it ramekins. I like to serve these beautiful shells alongside a salad and fresh bread. It's hearty, yet light . . .  which is great, especially if you plan on serving dessert too.

Here's what you'll need . . .

16 jumbo shells (from a 12-oz box)

2 cups marinara sauce (or your favorite red sauce)

1 10-ounce package of frozen leaf spinach, thawed

1  15-ounce container of part-skim ricotta

2  ounces Parmesan, grated (about 1/2 cup)

8  ounces part-skim mozzarella, grated (about 2 cups)

1 egg

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed (optional)

Salt and pepper
Olive oil

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.

Spread the sauce onto the bottom of a large broiler-proof baking dish.

Squeeze the spinach of excess moisture, roughly chop and place in a large bowl.

Stir in the ricotta, Parmesan, 1 cup of the mozzarella, egg, crushed red pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the shells (about 1/4 cup each) and place on top of the sauce.

Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella (or more, if you like) and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
Bake until the shells are heated through, 10 to 12 minutes. Increase heat to broil. Broil the shells until the cheese begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley, Enjoy!

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