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. 

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.

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. 

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.

My First Blog

This is my first blogger post. I don’t have any pictures of this meal, but I will add them later for future meals. I prepared a very non-traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner for my family. I love turkey, but I wanted to try something different this year. This year I made Pork with Bacon and Onion gravy, Garlic Red-Skinned Mashed Potatoes and Cornbread Dressing.   

For the Pork:

Preheat oven to 250ºF.

I used cheap end cut of the pork shoulder. I seasoned pork with my house Créole seasoning, but you can use a store bought Créole seasoning such as Tony Chachere’s^®. I toss my pork in a dry batter mix/blend of flour, fine cornmeal and cornstarch. Shake off excess. I heat my oil until hot, but not too hot, just as if you are frying chicken. I place my pork pieces in pan. Do not over crowed pan. Fry in batches if necessary. Place cooked pork on plates with paper towels or even better a rack. Place pork in a casserole dish. Wrap very tight with foil. Do not add any liquid. Pork will make its own juices. Place casserole dish in oven. Bake for about 2 ½ hours. The pork will be very tender when done. You can place pork in pot with bacon and onion gravy or serve separately.

For the Bacon and Onion gravy:

I add 1 diced sweet onion and ½ pound of chopped bacon. I sauté my bacon and onion in a frying pan until soft. I add about 1 tablespoon minced garlic. I continue to cook for a few more minutes. I add a ½ diced bell pepper to pan. Continue to cook until bell peppers are soft. I don’t measure, but add equal amount of flour to bacon grease. You want to slightly brown flour. Don’t overcook. I begin to slowly whisk in chicken or pork stock to avoid lumps. Add stock to reach the right consistency of gravy. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. I finish gravy at the end with chopped scallions. If you want to fancy this gravy up, use pancetta bacon and shallots with a little white wine.  

 For the Garlic Red-Skinned Mashed Potatoes:

I place red potatoes (new potatoes) in cold salted water. My rule of thumb is to add just enough water to just cover the potatoes. I love red potatoes because they have a lot of flavor and you don’t need to peel them. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes for about 30 minutes or until tender. While potatoes are cooking, melt unsalted butter in pot with some minced garlic. Sauté garlic in butter until slightly brown. Add heavy cream to pan. Pour hot butter and cream mixture over potatoes. Mash potatoes with a potato masher. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

For the Cornbread Dressing:

I have to admit I used a box cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving. My mother usually makes cornbread stuffing for the holidays, but she was not feeling well. I must confess I am not a fan of cornbread stuffing, but my mother, who is from Alabama wanted it. Since I am a northerner I prefer bread stuffing, sausage stuffing or rice dressing (dirty rice) from Louisiana. I have to say I made it taste okay by sautéing onions, and celery in butter. I used some chicken stock for the liquid. I bake stuffing in oven for about 25 minutes. Maybe I should put more effort into learning how to make it properly. Oh well it still came out good. Love ya ma!