Coleslaw

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 6 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon celery salt
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper

Directions: 

Toss cabbage in a large bowl with the carrots. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour the mixture over the cabbage and carrots and toss to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate until serving time.

Chorizo and Potato Frittata

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen large eggs
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ unsalted butter
• ½ dried chorizo, diced
• 1 cup manchego cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• ½ pound Yukon gold, peeled and cut into ¼ inch dice
• Salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

• 9” Cast iron skillet

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a bowl, beat eggs vigorously with heavy cream, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Boil diced potatoes for approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Drain. In a large cast iron skillet melt butter. Sauté diced potatoes and chorizo for about 12 to 15 minutes on medium heat. Strain butter from skillet. Remove potato and chorizo mixture from pan. Place on paper towels.

Add egg mixture to cast iron pan. Evenly sprinkle diced potatoes and chorizo mixture over egg mixture.  Layer the frittata with manchego cheese. Bake in oven for 40 minutes. Cut into wedges. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Note: Frittata mixture can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 hours. 

Blue Cheese Dip

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Yields: 1 quart

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup Maytag^®  blue cheese, crumbled
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons cracked white pepper
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Directions:

 

Mix all the ingredients until smooth. Make sure to strain the lemons.

Note: Try this with crudités platters or the Buffalo hot wings. Add 1 tablespoon of buttermilk to give it a little more tang.

Parmigiano-Reggiano Frico

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Yields: about 16 Parmigiano-Reggiano Frico

Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350ºF
2. For each crisp: place 1 tablespoon of Parmigiano-Reggiano grated cheese into a ring mold set over parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Spread cheese evenly into round shape.  Repeat for each round.
3. Bake in oven for 5-8 minutes until the cheese begins to turn a rich golden brown.
4. Serve immediately on a towel-lined plate while still warm and crisp.

Note: You can also do cheddar or Swiss frico.

Créole Fried Scallops

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Serves: 2 servings

 

Ingredients:

 

• ½ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Créole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• Pinch salt, plus extra for seasoning over the fried scallops
• 16 large sea scallops
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Lemon wedges

 

Directions:

Fill a cast iron skillet halfway up the side with vegetable oil, and heat to 350°F.

Meanwhile, sift flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.

Toss the scallops with the seasoned flour, and coat well. Shake off excess seasoned flour, and then fry the scallops in two or three batches for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towel. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon over the top. Serve with rémoulade or Créole tartar sauce. 

Collard Greens

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 to 60 minutes

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredient:

• ½ pound smoked meat, ham hocks, smoked turkey wings, or smoked neck bones
• 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
• 2 pounds collard greens, chopped
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 quarts water or chicken stock
• Vinegar, for condiment

Directions:

In a large pot melt butter. Sauté onion in butter for a few minutes until soft. Add garlic to pan. Do not over cook garlic.

Wash the collard greens thoroughly. Remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in your left hand and stripping the leaf down with your right hand. The tender young leaves in the heart of the collards don't need to be stripped. Stack 6 to 8 leaves on top of one another, roll up, and slice into ½ to 1-inch thick slices.

Place greens in pot with meat, butter, onion and garlic. Cook for a minimum of 45 to 60 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally. When done taste and adjust seasoning.

Note: You can mix in other greens such as mustard greens, turnip greens or kale.

Harvest Beets

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds beets, peeled and cut into ¼ inch slices
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅓ cup cider vinegar
• ½ cup beet liquid
• ½ cup cherry juice
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Dash fresh cracked black pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

Boil beets in their skins until tender for about 45 minutes.

Drain beets and cool. Reserve some of the liquid for sauce.

Peel and cut beets into ¼ inch slices.

Add vinegar, orange juice, cherry juice, and vanilla. Bring to a boil. Whisk in cornstarch to thicken. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until nice and syrupy.

Add beets to pan and stir to coat beet well.

Take beets off the heat. Let beets sit for 30 minutes. Place pot back on heat and slowly bring to a boil. Stir in a little bit of butter at a time. Serve.

Ham and Cheese Omelette

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs, whipped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 4 ounces ham, diced
• 3 American cheese, sliced
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, salt and pepper. Beat well with a fork.

Melt butter in 8” nonstick pan. A seasoned cast iron pan will work just as well.

Pour egg mixture into skillet. As the omelette begins to set, lift up edges with a spatula. This will allow uncooked portion of egg to flow under the cooked portion.

When eggs are set but the top is still slightly moist, sprinkle ham and cheese over omelette.

Fold one edge of the omelette over the ham and cheese, and then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Slide omelette onto the plate and cut into portions.

Note: For a French omelette you can add herbs such as chives, chervil, tarragon, and parsley. French omelettes are folded over three times to form a pocket.

Serving Ideas: Serve with Pommes Frites sprinkled with feta cheese.

Smoked Skirt Steak

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Prep Time: 10 minutes to trim and rub the meat

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients: 

• 2 pounds skirt steak
• 2 teaspoons Créole seasoning

• Hickory wood chips, soaked in water
• Smoker
• Water

Directions: 

Preheat smoker to 280ºF.

Trim any excess fat from the surface of the steak and cut the steak in half crosswise.

Season the skirt steak with Créole seasoning 

Place skirt steak on rack.

Smoke skirt steaks for about 25 minutes for a medium-rare steak and 30 minutes for medium steak.  Off course if you like your steak more done you can cook longer. When done, take out of smoker to let rest for 10 minutes before carving. The meat will be smoked, but not overpowering.

Note: If grilling the smoked skirt steak, cook steak to a temperature of 100º – 105ºF for about 18 minutes, and then finish grilling to the internal temperature you want.

Also you can use any seasoning you want on this steak. Try using a jerk seasoning or adobo seasoning. 

Philly Cheesesteak

Recipe courtesy Roosevelt Lewis

The cheesesteak is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. I have eaten cheesesteaks made with chicken, sausage, bacon, and shrimp. In Philadelphia there are so many different varieties of cheesesteaks. I am partial to a cheesesteak wit’ onions and cheese whiz. In this recipe I wanted a cheesesteak that was rich and creamy. Since, mushrooms, bell peppers and cream cheese go well together I thought this might be good as a cheesesteak. This is a gastro pub style cheesesteak, but really, really good. 

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients:   

• 1 ounce green bell pepper, julienned, optional
• 1 ounce mushrooms, thinly sliced, optional
• 1 ounce onion, julienned, optional
• 8 ounces New York strip steak, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup beef stock
• 1 ounce cream cheese
• 2 ounces American cheese, sliced
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1 Armoroso’s Hearth-Baked Italian roll or good Italian roll
• Dash seasoning salt

Directions:

Melt butter in sauté pan. Heat pan over medium heat. Stir in green bell pepper, and onion. Sauté the green bell pepper and onion until they are soft. Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add New York steak and seasoning salt. Cook until meat is almost done. Deglaze the pan with the beef stock. Stir in cream cheese and American cheese. Cook until melted. Serve on buttered and toasted Italian roll.

Cornbread

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 24 servings

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup oil
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon salt, optional
•  ¼ stick melted butter, at room temperature 
• 1 ¼ cup self-rising flour
• ¾ cup self-rising cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cup milk
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla, optional

 Directions:

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line 24 muffin cups.
	In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, sour cream, and oil. Mix in separate bowl flour, cornmeal and baking powder; salt and sugar. Blend thoroughly. Stir into dry ingredients liquid mixture. Grease muffin pans with half oil and half melted butter mixture. Pour or spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
	Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. Note: ¾ cup corn kernels, thawed, optional. Cheddar cheese and jalapeno peppers can be added too. Brush muffins with melted butter after done or ½ butter ½ honey mixture when done.

Thyme Roasted Red Potatoes

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Ingredients:

• 5 medium red potatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoons white pepper
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt, to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. Wash potatoes and cut into sixths. Toss with olive oil until coated.
3. Add kosher salt, white pepper & fresh thyme. Season liberally with cracked black pepper.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes until lightly browned and soft. Toss with Parmesan cheese as soon as it potatoes come out of oven.

Three Potato Au Gratin

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 heads garlic, cut in half
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1 pound Yukon gold white potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch slices
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch slices
• 1 pound red potatoes, cut into  ¼ inch slices
• 2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• Kosher salt and white pepper
• 2 tablespoons chives, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Grease an oval soufflé dish with the butter.

In a saucepan, bring the garlic and cream to a simmer. Season the cream with kosher salt and white pepper. Simmer the cream for 15 minutes, or until the cream has reduced by ¼ and has slightly thickened.

Season the potatoes with kosher salt and white pepper. Layer the Yukon gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, red potatoes by alternating layers with cheese. There should be a total of six layers.

Strain the garlic from the heavy cream and pour over the potatoes. Cover the soufflé dish with aluminum foil. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Cool the gratin for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano and chopped chives.

Skillet Hash Browns with Cheese

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Serves: 3 servings

Ingredients:

·        3 large russet potatoes, peeled and shredded

·        3 tablespoons unsalted butter

·        Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

·        1 teaspoon garlic powder

·        ½ onion, finely diced

·        3 ounces American cheese

·        Large cast-iron pan

Directions:

Peel and shred potatoes. Place shredded potatoes in a large bowl.

Mix in onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Melt butter in cast-iron pan at medium heat. Place shredded potatoes in pan. Do not turn potatoes until nice and golden brown. Using a spatula, turn potatoes. Layer American cheese onto potatoes. Cheese will melt by the time potatoes are brown on the bottom. Use a spatula to lift potatoes out of pan. Place on a plate with paper towels. Cut into triangles. Serve.

Note: Serve hash browns with sour cream and chives.

Shepherd’s Pie

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis 

Shepherd’s pie which is also known as “Cottage Pie” is traditional English dish that consist of meat cooked in gravy with mashed potatoes. The name shepherd’s pie is believed to be named after shepherds because they tend to take care of sheep not cattle, thus shepherd’s pie is made with lamb. In England a shepherd’s pie that is made with beef is called a Cottage pie.  In my version I use beef instead of lamb.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 ¼ hours

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients:

 

·        1 ½ pounds ground beef

·        1 onion, finely chopped

·        ½ cup carrots, peeled and diced

·        ½ cup peas

·        1 cup corn kernels

·        2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

·        8 tablespoons unsalted butter 

·        ¼ cup heavy cream

·        ½ cup beef broth

·        1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

·        Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

·        Cheddar cheese, shredded, optional for garnish

Directions:

Place potatoes in cold salted water. Cover and boil potatoes in salted water until tender for about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 tablespoons butter in large frying pan.

Sauté onions and carrots in butter until tender over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add peas to frying pan.

In a separate pan bring heavy cream and corn to a boil. Take off heat. Cover and let corn steep for about 15 minutes or longer.

Add ground beef and sauté until done. Add salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Add beef stock, heavy cream and corn mixture. Cook uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef stock if necessary.

Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.

Place beef, onion, carrot, peas, and corn mixture in baking dish. Use a pastry bag to pipe out mashed potatoes over beef and vegetables. If you don’t have a pastry bag you can also use a large spoon.  

Bake in 400ºF oven for about 30 minutes. If garnishing with cheddar cheese, broil in oven for a few more minutes until golden brown.

Variations: If you want a leaner version of this dish try ground turkey or chicken instead of ground beef.

For a vegetarian version of this dish, use vegetable stock in place of beef stock. In place of ground beef, add 2 pounds crimini mushrooms, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, and ¼ cup red wine.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 ¼ hours

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 head garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Kosher salt and white pepper, to taste

Directions:

Separate head of garlic into individual cloves.

Toss in olive oil and wrap tightly in small piece of aluminum foil.

Bake in 350°F oven for 45 minutes.

When the garlic has cooled, squeeze garlic out of the individual cloves.

Mash the roasted garlic with a fork.  

Peel and boil potatoes in salted water until tender.

Force the cooked potatoes through a ricer or mash with a potato masher.

Put the riced potatoes, garlic, sour cream, butter, and salt and white pepper in a mixer bowl, and whip at medium speed until smooth.

Add heavy cream to adjust consistency.

Note: If you use a ricer, simply rice the garlic along with the potatoes.

Pommes Frites with Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

This a very simple recipe to make restaurant quality French fries at home. Pommes frites which are more commonly known as “French fries” in the United States is a Belgian dish that is traditionally served in paper cones with some sort of sauce on top. In Belgium they are served with European mayonnaise or curry ketchup. In the United States, ketchup, ranch dressing, fry sauce[1], and tartar sauce are the most widespread accompaniments.  

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 8 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch batons
• 1 quart peanut oil
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• Tartar sauce, recipe below

• candy-thermometer

Directions:

Peel the potatoes, and cut them into ¼ inch batons.  Stack baton slices, and cut into ¼ inch sticks. Place fries in a bowl with water. When you are ready to cook potatoes, drain potatoes, and then spread onto a sheet pan. Pat dry potatoes. 

Preheat frying pan to 325ºF. Test the oil temperature with a candy-thermometer.

Fry potatoes in small batches for about 4 to 5 minutes until cooked, but not browned. Do not overload pan.

Remove the potatoes using a slotted spoon. Place potatoes on a paper towel lined sheet pan. Allow them to cool to room temperature.

Raise the temperature of the oil to about 375ºF.

For the second fry, fry the potatoes in batches for about 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove potatoes, and transfer into a colander or bowl. While still hot season potatoes with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Note: You can add bacon fat or duck fat to make these fries even more savory.

Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:

½ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons sweet relish

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

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[1] Fry sauce is typically one part ketchup to two parts mayonnaise

Mashed Red-Skinned Potatoes with Garlic and Parmesan

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ pounds red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, roasted and peeled
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Directions:

1. Put potatoes in and garlic in large pan.
2. Cover with cold water.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
5. Drain well.
6. Mash with the butter, heavy cream, salt and white pepper.
7. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano

Oven-Roasted Home Fries

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis 

Cook Time: 51-53 minutes

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 large unpeeled russet potatoes, well scrubbed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and membranes removed, finely chopped
• 2 medium shallots, peeled and minced
• 3 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cut potatoes in halve lengthwise. Place potatoes directly on oven rack, skin side up. Roast potatoes until surface of potatoes are golden brown for about 45 minutes until tender. Let potatoes cool and then cut into large dice.

Melt butter with olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and shallots to hot pan. Cook vegetables until they are softened for about 3 minutes.

Add potatoes to pan.  Toss the potatoes with oil/butter mixture. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes. Generously season with salt and pepper, and toss with Italian parsley.

Serve with bacon and eggs. You can add onion and garlic with red pepper flakes to spice it up.

Oven-Baked Fries

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis III

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound russet potatoes, cut into wedges

2 tablespoons bacon grease

1 teaspoon sea salt, to coat

1 teaspoon black pepper, to coat

2 dashes paprika, optional

French Fry Sauce

2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup ketchup

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Place potatoes and all ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss potatoes with ingredients. Layer potatoes on sheet pan. Cook potatoes for about 25 minutes or until crisp and done.

JoJo Potatoes

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis 

Jojos are thick cut potato wedges that are dredged in the same seasoning and flour as chicken. Jojo potatoes are typically fried in the same oil as fried chicken and are usually served with fried chicken.

Cook Time: 8 to 14 minutes

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes or red skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons Créole seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Flour, as needed

Directions:

Cut each potato into 4 lengthwise wedges; Steam potatoes for about 5 – 10 minutes or until half way cooked.

Season potato wedges with garlic powder and Créole seasoning.

Dredge potatoes in flour.

Fry potatoes at 350ºF for about 3 – 4 minutes or until crisp. Serve immediately.

Italian Roasted Potatoes with Herbs

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 large russet potatoes, cut into batons

¼ cup olive oil

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon basil

¼ teaspoon parsley

¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Italian bread crumbs

Directions:

You will need, a large cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, spray with non stick oil.

Cut up six large potatoes and slice length wise.

In a large bowl, add olive oil over the top of the potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are well coated.

Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, parsley. Sprinkle over the top of that, Parmigiano-Reggiano. Spread on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle Italian bread crumbs over the whole pan of seasoned potatoes. Bake at 425ºF for 40 minutes until golden brown. 

Fried Potatoes and Onions

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients:

·        4 large russet potatoes

·        1 large onion, sliced thin

·        4 tablespoons unsalted butter

·        1 teaspoon garlic, minced

·        ¼ teaspoon salt

·        ¼ teaspoon black pepper

·        Water, optional

Directions:

Peel and slice potatoes about ⅛ inch thick or thinner. Slice onion thinly.

In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, melt unsalted butter.

Add sliced potatoes and onions. Cover and fry for 10 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the potatoes and onions over so they do not break apart. Add minced garlic to pan.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and continue to fry. Remove cover. Fry for 5 minutes or until potatoes begin to turn slightly brown; turning occasionally.

Optional: Add water or stock to potatoes after they are brown. Cover potatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes. If you prefer your potatoes crisp, then do not add liquid.

Note: Add 1 green bell pepper for Potatoes O’Brien. When you add fresh parsley to this dish you have Lyonnaise potatoes.

Corned Beef Hash

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis 

I was raised eating corned beef hash for breakfast and loved it! This is the same corned beef hash that when it slides out of a can it kind of resembles dog food, yet growing up I had no clue that there was another kind of corned beef hash that existed outside of the canned dog food twin. I started to research the history of hash, I found that the canned corned beef hash came out of necessity due to World War II rationing. In essence this is po’ folks food at its best. Leftovers can be the finest ingredients for comfort food dishes. My version of this dish holds true to the integrity of this dish.

Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, finely chopped
• ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 pounds corned beef, chopped
• 3 cups cooked Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• Fresh parsley, chopped, optional

Directions:

Heat butter in a large cast iron skillet or flat griddle top on medium heat. Add the onion, red and green bell pepper; cook a few minutes, until translucent.

Mix in the chopped corned beef and potatoes. Spread out evenly over the pan. Increase the heat to medium high and press down on the mixture with a metal spatula.

Do not stir the potatoes and corned beef, but let set and from a crust. You should hear them sizzling which is a good thing. Check the mixture with the metal spatula to see if they are browning. If nicely browned, use the spatula to flip sections over in the pan so that they brown on the other side. Press down again with the spatula. If there is too much sticking, you can add a little more butter to the pan. Continue to cook in this manner until the potatoes and the corned beef are nicely browned.

Remove from heat. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Season corned beef mixture with freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste. 

Note: Since this dish can be made with leftovers, any meat with even mashed potatoes could be made into hash. 

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Recipe courtesy Roosevelt Lewis

Ingredients:

• 2 cups balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 teaspoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 dash Tabasco^®, optional

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together. Serve over salad. 

Penne Quattro Formaggi al Forno (Four Cheese Baked Penne)

Recipe written by Roosevelt Lewis

I love baked macaroni and cheese because it is Southern comfort food at its best! I put my own twist on this classic Southern dish by using penne instead of elbow macaroni and adding Grana Padano. Grana Padano is an Italian semi-fat hard cheese that has a flavor similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano[i]. I like Grana Padano in cream sauces over Parmigiano-Reggiano because it has a little more of a creamier texture and more complex in flavor. The cheese sauce I have created for this dish is basically a Mornay sauce [ii] with the addition of white cheddar and American cheese.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• ½ pound penne
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups milk or condensed milk
• ½ cup Vidalia onion, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 6 ounces extra-sharp white cheddar, shredded
• 4 ounces American cheese, shredded
• 2 ounces gruyère, shredded
• 2 ounces Grana Padano, grated
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Chopped Italian parsley, for garnish

Topping: (optional)

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the penne to al dente.

While the penne is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Sauté Vidalia onion until soft. Add garlic to pot. Cook for about 1 to 2 more minutes. Whisk in the flour and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the extra-sharp white cheddar, American cheese and gruyère cheese. Season with Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Fold the penne into the mix. Let penne sit in sauce for 5 minutes. Pour penne and cheese mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with Grana Padano.

If using breadcrumbs, melt the unsalted butter in a sauté pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the penne with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Note: A lot of recipes use eggs in bake pasta dishes, but to me it has more of an egg custard like texture. To me macaroni and cheese should be creamy, not like an egg custard.

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[i] Parmesan is the French name for Parmigiano.

[ii] Mornay sauce is a béchamel sauce (white sauce) that consists of ½ gruyère cheese and Parmesan cheese.