Sauteed Parsley Potatoes (Poelee Pommes de Terre)

In French, poêlée de pommes de terre aux fines herbes translates to "sautéed parslied potatoes". They are a cross between pommes rissolées, pommes parisiennes and Lyonnaise Potatoes. The potatoes are sliced, pan-fried then diced and sautéed in parsley oil.  The dish is complete in no time.

My favorite way to serve these kinds of potatoes is with a steak salad. I grill a tri tip sirloin steak, slice it thin and mix it with red oak leaves and a simple lemon and olive oil vinaigrette. This is probably one of my favorite meals of all times!

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9.2.10

Barbecue Tips: Sweet Potatoes Cooked in the Coals

Our summer season has been filled with pool parties and a lot of barbecues. Grilling vegetables and meat is usually what makes the meals, but who doesn’t love all the yummy side dishes as well? If you’re looking to make something besides potato or pasta salad, here’s a delicious and not so ordinary suggestion: baked sweet potatoes, cooked in the coals or in ashes. Sweet potatoes are so much healthier than regular potatoes and the kids love to scoop the smooth and velvety sweetness. Read More...

Roasted Creamer Potatoes

Creamer potatoes are potatoes that are harvested while they're still young. I recently bought these apricot-sized potatoes at the farmers' market. They were so cute, I couldn't resist!

I roasted them whole with skins on and rubbed them in butter flavored with oregano flowers from our garden. The potatoes have a crisp-skin on the outside, while the inside is tender and moist. If you can't find creamer potatoes, you can use Yukons that have been cut into quarters, but it's not the same as having each bite wrapped in crispy potato skin. Mmmmmm.

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Gourmet Red Potato Salad Recipe

This potato salad recipe is unique in that it contains no eggs. My husband Lulu doesn't like mayonnaise and one of his sisters is allergic to eggs, so I made an eggfree salad dressing using chipotle peppers, lime, cream cheese, sour cream, roasted Roma tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers, red wine vinegar and pickled garlic. I used wax potatoes from our garden which add color to the salad. To the potatoes, I added red radishes, celery, sun-dried tomatoes, red kidney beans, pine nuts and a myriad of herbs. It’s perfect for a summer picnic!

Gardening with the girls... They were so proud of finding the potatoes!

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Stuffed Gnocchi (Cheese Stuffed Pasta with Romesco Sauce Recipe

I recently had stuffed gnocchi at a restaurant and have been itching to recreate the dish at home, with my own little twists of course. I decided to stuff my homemade gnocchi with pieces of Nabulsi cheese, which is Persian black sesame cheese. I chose this particular cheese because I like the way it melts when it is cooked. It's not as messy as mozzarella, but it does become soft and a bit stringy. I paired the cheese-stuffed pasta with homemade romesco sauce, which contains pine nuts, almond butter, olive oil, bread, a head of roasted garlic, sherry vinegar and roasted red bell pepper. The bright, red color pops against the gnocchi. And since the sauce pairs so well with seafood, I served fried fish on the side.

Lya, Lulu and I had so much fun filming the "how to make gnocchi" video a few weeks ago, and this dish brought back the memories. My little munchkin was sad that she didn't get to help roll and form the gnocchi last time, so I made sure that she got her chance today. She enjoyed it so much, mostly because she nominated herself to be the official taster. Making gnocchi is very interactive, and I’ve found it’s a great way to get kids cooking. It doesn’t hurt that it tastes great too!

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