Category Archives: Side Dishes

Chipotle Cheddar Corn Muffins

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Julie • 0 Comments
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The movement I started in my last post continues. I am still occupying winter. So far my success has been limited – the temperature dropped yesterday from a balmy 68 to a more seasonable (but still not seasonable enough) 55 degrees, and the mercury is set to plummet all the way down to 52 today. Bundle up, people! You may even need long sleeves!

It occurs to me that I made a bit of a blunder in my attempted tribute to winter – I didn’t include the cornbread. What’s chili without cornbread? A bunch of stewed beans in a bowl, that’s what (okay, it’s still really, really good). But something’s missing without dense, slightly sweet cornbread – let’s be honest, cornbread is practically a utensil for chili. How else do you make sure you don’t miss one single delicious drop? A spoon just doesn’t cut it.

This cornbread has considerably more going for it than your standard Jiffy mix. Along with a slight smoky heat from minced chipotle pepper, it contains a virtual smorgasbord of chili toppings – with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and scallions, you may not even need to top your chili.*  In general, I use cornbread as a base for chili – plop it in the bowl, spoon chili on top, and enjoy. But this warrants at least a few bites on its own before turning it into a makeshift chili scooper/dishcloth. And if you’re willing to separate cornbread from its best friend chili, it also makes a great quick savory breakfast or snack.

*LIES. Always top your chili.

Chipotle Cheddar Corn Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup minced green onions
1/3 cup corn kernels (frozen or canned)
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, seeds removed, minced

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, butter, and sour cream. Whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar and stir with a fork to combine. Add cheddar, green onions, corn, and minced chipotle to the dry ingredients and stir. Pour in the egg mixture and stir gently until just combined – do not overmix. It’s okay if the mixture is a little lumpy.

Divide batter evenly between prepared liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Filed Under: Breads, Side Dishes

Crispy Potato Roast

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Julie • 2 Comments
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Martha, Martha, Martha.

I tend to shy away from anything Martha Stewart. I steer clear of her products after being given a serviceable-looking dutch oven that I had to return after it was recalled due to a minor flaw (it exploded in people’s ovens, no biggie). And I’ve always backed slowly away from her recipes because, early on in my baking days, I attempted an uncomplicated-seeming vanilla cake recipe no less than four times, with every attempt ending in spectacular failure. Rather than blame my own fledgling kitchen skills, I of course blamed Martha. Clearly, she was trying to sabotage me – I felt entirely certain that I had uncovered a diabolical plot wherein Martha would create the perfect recipe, and then tweak the proportions just enough so that nobody would ever be able to successfully recreate the dish. It would be genius, really – with the wannabe chef now drowning in a sea of her own woeful inadequacy, where to turn but back to Martha? Who better to lift you back up than the one who dragged you down? I told myself after that first cupcake calamity that I wouldn’t fall for it, and the subsequent Martha Moratorium lived on for several years. During that time I actually learned to cook and bake, and realized that I probably should stop blaming Martha for my early on kitchen fiascos.

It was right around this time that I stumbled across this recipe, and it was a perfect storm: I had made peace with Martha, I had gotten a mandoline for Christmas, and I had a five-pound bag of organic russet potatoes that were starting to show serious signs of wear from sitting in my vegetable basket for the better part of two weeks. In addition, when I googled to reassure myself that someone other than Martha had successfully cooked and eaten this, I found that someone had – and when Deb says something is easy and good, I believe her.

Pretty even before it's cooked. Mmm, raw potatoes.

I’m not going to tell you this isn’t time-consuming. It is, a little bit, even with a mandoline. If you don’t have one, I honestly don’t know if it’s worth it – it’s a lot of slicing, and these potatoes really need to be wafer-thin. But if you’ve got one and you’re not utterly terrified of it (I have a Kevlar glove for mine – seriously), this is a great way to get some use out of it. This dish has the benefit of not only tasting good, but looking good – really good. The potatoes are browned and crispy, almost potato chippy, on top, and perfectly cooked through on the bottom. I made it on a lazy Saturday afternoon to serve alongside pistachio crusted tofu, and it kind of stole the show because it’s so ridiculously pretty. To be 100% honest, that’s really the main reason I made it – the fact that it tastes so good is just icing on the cake. More icing on the cake? The leftovers make unbelievable home fries the morning after.

Crispy Potato Roast
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter, melted
3 lbs russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
4 shallots, thinly sliced lengthwise
Sea salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Several whole sprigs of thyme

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine butter and olive oil in a small bowl. Brush the bottom of a baking dish with about half of the mixture (Note: You may need to play around a bit with dishes for this. The original recipe calls for four pounds of potatoes, but I found that I didn’t have a baking dish big enough to fit all of them. Three pounds just fit into a 1.5 quart oval casserole dish). Sprinkle with sea salt and red pepper flakes.

Peel the potatoes. Using a mandoline slicer (or a sharp knife, tons of patience, and a bunch of elbow grease), slice the potatoes very thinly crosswise. Arrange vertically in the baking dish. Wedge the shallot slices between potatoes throughout the dish. Brush with the rest of the oil and butter mixture and season with more salt.

Bake for 1 1/4 hours (yeah, I know – put on a movie as soon as you put these in the oven). Lay the thyme sprigs atop the potatoes and bake for another 35-45 minutes, until potatoes are crispy and browned on top (cover with foil for the last leg of this marathon baking time if you notice the top browning too much). Serve immediately.

Source: Martha Stewart

Filed Under: Side Dishes

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Julie • 2 Comments
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roasted brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts get a bad rap (rightfully so, for the most part). If you’ve ever been assaulted by the distinctly unpleasant aroma of a giant boiling pot of them, you know why. These tiny little cabbages share the unfortunate smell of their larger family members when prepared in the conventional way (boiling, steaming). But when you crank up the oven, toss them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and let them slow-cook in that dry heat? Oh, that smell seems like a bad dream that couldn’t possibly come from these crunchy little morsels. The edges caramelize and bring out the natural sweetness (I know!! I didn’t know it was there either!), and the outer leaves detach when tossed on the baking sheet, forming salty, potato-chip like bites that you just may end up frantically shoveling into your mouth over the hot oven before anyone sees you.

I was an immediate convert from the moment I first had brussels sprouts prepared this way, to the point where I actually crave them. And I’ve witnessed lifelong brussels sprout haters widen their eyes in happy surprise after trying one (maybe after I virtually forced one down their throats, but that’s not important). Give them a shot, especially right now, when they’re in high season and you can buy them right on the stalk. You won’t regret it.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
1 lb brussels sprouts (raw or frozen)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Trim off the very end of the sprouts and pull off any outer leaves that have yellowed. Cut in half (or quarters if sprouts are larger than ping-pong ball size).

Toss in a large bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Shake sprouts in a single layer onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until tender and dark brown on edges, tossing halfway through. Sprinkle with grated parmesan (if using) and serve.

Filed Under: Quick & Easy, Side Dishes