Pan-Fried Crab Cakes (2012 - Week 33)

Week 33 Featured Ingredient: Crab

I don't think I've worked with crab before, so I picked it as this week's mystery ingredient.  I decided to make a classic Crab Cake with a Lemon Herb Sauce.  The crab cakes were super delicious.  The sauce was just ok, but the cakes really didn't need it; they were flavorful enough on their own.  Why haven't I made these before?!

Pan-Fried Crab Cakes with Lemon-Herb Sauce

Adapted from The New Best Recipe Cookbook
Serves 4  (2 cakes/serving)

Ingredients:
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat (with shells/cartilage removed)
4 scallions, green parts, minced (~1/2 cup)
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt and ground white pepper
1 large egg
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
lemon wedges or dipping sauce

Lemon Herb Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2&1/2 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 large scallion, white and green parts, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper

Directions:
In a medium bowl, gently fold the crabmeat, peppers, scallions, herbs, Old Bay, bread crumbs, and mayonnaise, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab.  Season with salt and white pepper to taste.  Carefully fold in the egg with a rubber spatula until the mixture just clings together.  Add more crumbs if necessary.

Shape small clumps of the the mixture into a fat, round cake about 3" wide and 1.5" high.  Arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours).

Put the flour on a plate.  Lightly dredge the cakes in the flour.  Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.  Gently lay the chilled crab cakes in the skillet and pan-fry until the outsides are crisp and browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Serve immediately with lemon wedge or dipping sauce if desired.

To make Lemon Herb Dipping Sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes until ready to serve.  (Will keep in the fridge for several days)

Fish Meunière with Browned Butter and Lemon

I couldn't decide what to make for dinner, so I played a fun little game with my Facebook friends.  I took out 5 large cookbooks, assigned them letters from A to E and then asked my friends to pick a letter and number and then I looked up the recipe from each corresponding page in the cookbook.  I let my husband decide which recipe he liked best of the random numbers.  (Of course, some pages landed on random stuff like "pastry dough" or "mayonnaise" so those didn't seem appealing for dinner).  He picked this fish recipe.  FYI: Meunière means Miller's wife, a reference to the flour used in the recipe.  Unfortunately, I learned it's difficult to find fresh sole or flounder in Wisconsin.  I had to purchase cheap frozen flounder fillets and thaw them out.  They were smaller than the recipe called for, so I reduced the cooking time a little. The recipe was inexpensive, easy, fast, and good.  No complaints.

Fish Meunière with Browned Butter and Lemon
From The New Best Recipe Cookbook 
Serves 2

Ingredients:  
2 sole or flounder fillets (5-6oz each and 3/8" thick)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Browned Butter Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
3/4 tablespoon juice from 1/2 lemon
lemon wedges, for serving, from other 1/2 lemon

Directions:
Pat fish dry with paper towel.  Generously salt and pepper both sides of fish; let stand ~5 minutes until fillets are glistening.  Coat both sides of fillets with flour, shaking off the excess, and place on a baking sheet while the skillet preheats.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering.  Add 1 tablespoon butter and swirl to coat the pan bottom.  When the foaming subsides, carefully place the fillets skin-side-up in the skillet.  Immediately reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, without moving the fish, until the edges of the fish are opaque and the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Using 2 spatulas, gently flip the fillets and cook on the second side about 2 minutes, until fish is flaky.

To make the sauce, add butter to the skillet and swirl until melted.  Continue to cook until butter turns golden brown and has nutty aroma.  Remove from the heat and add lemon juice.  Sprinkle the fish with parsley and and spoon some sauce over the top.  Serve immediately with lemon wedge.

Pear and Pomegranate Salad (2012- Week 32)

Week 32 Featured Ingredient: Pomegranates

Pomegranates are now in season for the holidays, so I decided to make a recipe using this fruit for our large Thanksgiving family gathering.   I was in charge of bringing a salad, so I found a delicious-looking salad recipe online that used both pomegranate seeds and pomegranate juice. 

The salad itself was really good.  My relatives seemed to enjoy it.  I strayed from the original recipe by adding spinach and green kale to the arugula instead of romaine and I left out the pistachios because I knew our gathering included at least one person with a nut allergy.  I liked the crunch and sweetness that the pears and pomegranate seeds added, and the crumbled feta had a nice soft contrast.  It was a nice balance and an elevated salad for a special occasion.

Regarding the vinaigrette, the original recipe called for pomegranate molasses.  I checked 4 different grocery stores, but it was clear that I wasn't going to find this strange ingredient anywhere.  So I decided to make this special molasses by reducing pure pomegranate juice.  It didn't work, mostly because I started with way too much juice in the pot.  I ended up using a couple tablespoons of the juice in the vinaigrette anyway, as is.  The vinaigrette was good, but I couldn't detect the pomegranate flavor.

Pear and Pomegranate Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
(Anne's Recipe-- adapted from Food 52 Online)
Serves ~8-10

Salad:
4 cups fresh baby spinach
4 cups fresh baby arugula 
2 cups fresh green kale
3 ripe pears, cored and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
pomegranate vinaigrette

Pomegranate Vinaigrette:
1 large shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (reduce 1/2 cup pomegranate juice to a thick syrup)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepepr
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the shallot, pomegranate molasses, vinegar, salt, and pepper and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil and let vinaigrette stand at room temperature until salad is assembled.

Combine the greens, pears, and half of the pomegranate seeds in a large bowl.   Crumble half of the goat cheese over the ingredients in the bowl.  Whisk the vinaigrette until uniform and add a little bit to the salad, gently tossing to coat to your liking. Crumble the remaining cheese over the salad and sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds over the top. Serve immediately.

Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Gratin

Here's a veggie side dish I contributed to the Vechinski family Thanksgiving.   I merged a couple recipes I found online to come up with this veggie casserole.   I chose to use fresh vegetables and roast/steam them before adding them to the casserole, but I suppose you could just use frozen packages to make things faster and easier.   Everyone seemed to really like it.  When you notice people taking a second helping of a vegetable dish, it must be good. :)

Roasted Cauliflower and Steamed Broccoli Gratin

Ingredients:
1 large cauliflower head (~2&1/2 lbs), cut into florets
1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1&1/4 cups lowfat milk
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (or sharp cheddar or whatever)
Topping:
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425ºF.  Spread cauliflower florets onto baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to evenly coat.  Roast for 10 minutes, stir, and roast for another 15 minutes until the edges brown/caramelize and the cauliflower is tender.

While the cauliflower roasts, place the broccoli in a steamer basket fitted over a large saucepan with boiling water.  Cover and steam broccoli until crisp-tender, about 5-6 minutes.

In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  Add onion; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in flour, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper.  Add milk; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Add cheeses and cook and stir until cheese is melted.  Turn off heat, add the roasted cauliflower and steamed broccoli, and toss gently to coat.

Spoon mixture into a 2-quart (8x8") baking dish.   To make topping, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter, and Italian seasoning.  Sprinkle over cheesy vegetable mixture.   Bake at 350º for 30-40 minutes until top is lightly browned and cheesy is bubbly.

Note:  Unbaked casserole may be prepared a day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate, then bake as directed.

Dutch Apple Loaf

Here's another quick bread I made for Jeremy's family's Thanksgiving.   It was moist and tasty, but still not as good as the apple bread my aunt makes for Thanksgiving.   I really liked the topping on this loaf though.

Dutch Apple Loaf
Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1&1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups diced peeled tart apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in buttermilk and vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture.  Fold in apples and nuts.  Pour into a greased 9x5" loaf pan.  For topping, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 350º for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool in pan at least 10 minutes, and then cool on wire rack at least an hour before serving.

Cranberry-Walnut Bread

 I made this loaf to take to Jeremy's family Thanksgiving.  Jeremy's mom and I really liked it.  Some people just aren't cranberry fans I guess.  I, for one, think this recipe is a keeper!

Cranberry-Nut Bread
Makes one 9" loaf
Recipe taken from "The New Best Recipe" Cookbook

Ingredients:
2/3 cup buttermilk
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/3 cup juice from 1 large orange
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped coarse
1&1/2 cups cranberries, chopped coarse

Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375ºF.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5" loaf pan and dust with a little flour, tapping out the excess.

In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk, butter, egg, orange juice, and orange zest.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just moistened.  Gently stir in the nuts and cranberries.  Do not over-mix.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the spatula.

Bake at 375º for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350º and bake an additional ~45 minutes until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.   Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 1 hour before serving.    (The bread can be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days)

Microwaved Sweet Potato for 1

My husband was gone deer hunting, so I had to prepare dinner for just myself.  I wanted something fast and low-fuss, so I made myself a salad plus this microwave-baked Sweet Potato with a brown sugar and pecan topping for a little extra yummy flavor. Delicious.  

Microwave-Baked Sweet Potato with Pecan Topping
Serves 1
  
Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
1/2 tablespoon softened butter
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped pecans

Directions:
Scrub, but do not peel, the potatoes.  Pierce them in several places with a fork.  Microwave on High for 12 minutes until done.

Meanwhile, sprinkle chopped pecans on a paper plate and microwave on high for 1 or 2 minutes, they should smell toasted when they are done.

Combine the butter, sugar, and pecans in a small bowl.  Once potatoes are done, slice length wise, about 2/3 of the way down (do not cut through) and "fluff" the inside of the potato with a fork.  Sprinkle the pecan mixture over the top.

Crispix Chicken and Brussles Sprouts

I wanted to use up a chicken breast in the fridge, but I ran out of bread crumbs, so I made my own crunchy coating using Crispix cereal.  It was really good. :)

Baked Crispix Chicken

Ingredients:
1 or 2 chicken breasts
~1&1/2 cups Crispix cereal
~1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
~1/2 teaspoon paprika
pinch kosher salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lime lowfat yogurt

Directions:
Mix together the Dijon mustard and yogurt.  Evenly coat the chicken with the mixture. 
Crush the Crispix in a large resealable plastic bag and mix with the other seasonings.  Dip the chicken into the mixture until evenly coated.   Bake chicken on baking sheet in oven at 400ºF for 30 minutes or until done.


Braised Brussles Sprouts


1 pound Brussles sprouts, stem end trimmed and discolored leaves removed by hand
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Bring the sprouts, water, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cover and simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes (shaking the pan occasionally to redistribute the sprouts) until a knife tip inserted into sprout meets no resistance.  Drain well and season, if desired, with black pepper and butter or parmesan cheese.

Grilled Bison Tenderloin with Herb Butter (2012 - Week 31)

Week 31 Featured Ingredient: Bison

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam.... onto my plate.   This was another find at the Farmers' Market, and I'm so glad I tried it.   We grilled the bison tenderloin medium-rare (because that was the recommendation) and it was super juicy and tender and spectacular.  The Essence spice rub was delicious on the steak--I highly recommend it-- and the herb butter gave it that little extra creamy buttery yumminess.   I decided to buy Emeril's Essence Seasoning at the store, but there's also a recipe to make your own.
  
Grilled Bison Steaks with Herb Butter

Recipe from Food Network Channel - Emeril Lagasse
 

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil

1/4 cup Essence, recipe follows

4 bison steaks 

Herb Butter, recipe follows

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the oil and Essence on a plate and mix into a paste. Spread both sides of the steaks completely with the mixture. Place in a shallow dish, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and bring the meat to room temperature before grilling, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill. Slice the butter into 1/2-inch thick pieces and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Place the steaks on the grill and cook to desired temperature, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, place 1 to 2 pats of herb butter on each steak.

NOTE: Bison will naturally be a darker red than beef.  As bison cooks more quickly than beef, it is best to measure the thickness to cook:

1 inch thick - Rare: 6 to 8 minutes, Medium: 8 to 10 minutes

1 1/2-inch thick - Rare: 8 to 10 minutes, Medium: 10 to 12 minutes

2 inches thick - Rare: 10 to 12 minutes, Medium: 14 to 18 minutes

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Herb Butter:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh lemon thyme or thyme leaves

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, cream together all the ingredients. Place on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over the butter and pushing in as you go, roll into a tight cylinder, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate until firm. (The butter can be refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 1 month.)

Yield: 6 ounces 

Herb Butter

Radish, Cucumber, and Spinach Salad (2012 - Week 30)

Week 30 Featured Ingredient:  Beauty Heart Radish

I made my first trip to the Milwaukee Winter Farmers' Market at the State Fair Park.  There were lots of excellent veggies in sight, but this one really caught my eye when I saw the vibrant pink color inside.  I'd never seen a radish like that.  I found a recipe online and changed it up by adding spinach and orange bell peppers to add more color and nutrition.   I liked this salad.  The Beauty Heart Radishes were very mild and basically added crunch and a pretty color.

 

Radish, Cucumber, and Spinach Salad with Dill Vinaigrette
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, halved lenghwise, thinly sliced

1 large Beauty Heart Radish, thinly sliced

1 orange bell pepper, cut into thin strips
4 cups fresh baby spinach

zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
Put cucumber, radish, bell pepper, spinach, and lemon zest in a medium bowl, and add cheese. Whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, dill, sugar, and garlic in another medium bowl, whisking until sugar has dissolved; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified. Add vinaigrette to cucumber mixture; toss well.  Refrigerate salad in an airtight container up to 1 hour.

Ham, Gruyère, and Apple Panini

This was a 'raiding the refrigerator' lunch.  I happened to have ham, Gruyère cheese, apples, and thyme sprigs in my fridge, so I found a recipe that used them all.  I love a good grilled cheese sandwich. :)    I don't own a panini press, but my George Foreman grill worked just fine.

Ham, Gruyère, and Apple Panini

Recipe from Food Network Channel - Giada De Laurentiis

Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4"-thick slices
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
4 thick slices bread (I used sliced rye bread)  
2 tablespoons mustard
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
4 slices (4-ounces) Black Forest ham


Directions:

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apple slices and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are slightly soft, about 4 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.

Preheat a panini press. Spread each bread slice with 1/2 tablespoon mustard.  For each sandwich, arrange 1/4 cup of cheese on a bread slice and top with 2 slices of ham. Place the apple mixture evenly on top of the ham. Add the remaining cheese and cover with the remaining bread slice. Grill in the panini press until the cheese has melted and the tops are golden and crispy, about 5 minutes.

Raspberry Tart (2012- Week 29)

Week 29 Ingredient of the Week: Mascarpone Cheese

On the Food Network Channel, all the chefs are always using Mascarpone cheese, and I kept wondering if I was missing out on something.  Is it the same as cream cheese? Something better?  I just had to find out.  But I never saw it in the cheese or dairy section at the grocery store.  And then, while I was shopping for some Gruyère cheese for my Chicken Cordon Bleu, it suddenly appeared, hidden in the exotic cheese section near the deli!  So I whipped out my iPhone and searched for a recipe using this new ingredient.  This recipe caught my eye because it looked simple and because raspberries were on sale this week!  Woo hoo!

Jeremy and I enjoyed this dessert, although I made the crust way too thick.  I should have just thrown out half of the dough I made instead of trying to press ALL of it into the pie plate.  It was still good, but with just a thinner crust, it would have been perfect.   So... how did the mascarpone differ from regular ol' cream cheese?  Jeremy said he didn't notice.  I definitely tasted a difference, although it's hard to explain.  The mascarpone tasted a little sweeter, a little creamier.  I liked it.

Tart de Framboises au Mascarpone (Raspberry Tart)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup ground almonds
1&3/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
9 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
4&1/2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound fresh raspberries
chopped pistachios (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease a pie plate (or six 4" tart pans) with butter, then dust with flour.

In a bowl, stir 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar and ground almonds together until well combined. Mix in the flour, then stir in the unsalted butter and egg.  Mix until the dough is smooth and pliable, then form into a ball and place into the freezer for about 15 minutes.  Roll out dough and pat into the prepared pan.  Bake at 350º for about 20 minutes.  Let cool. 

In a bowl, whisk together the mascarpone cheese, yogurt, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is thick and smooth. Spoon the mascarpone filling onto crust; arrange raspberries on top of the filling in an attractive low mound.  Sprinkle each tart with pistachios if desired.  Refrigerate at least 15 minutes before serving.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Fun fact:  Despite its French name, Chicken Cordon Bleu is an American creation, first referenced in the New York Times in 1967.   'Cordon Bleu' means 'Blue Ribbon'   So this chicken dish is named 'Blue Ribbon Chicken.'

Jeremy and I really liked it.  Sure, I'd give it a blue ribbon. :)   I used Gruyère cheese as a special treat, but you could substitute regular ol' Swiss cheese.  I used ham because I already had some in my fridge that I wanted to use.  Next time, I'd use a thinner cut of chicken breast because no matter how much I pounded that chicken, it wasn't going to be 1/4" thickness.  I settled for 1/2".  Also, I could have added 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter to the bread crumb mixture to give it better browning in the oven.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
4 thin slices prosciutto or ham
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
1/4 cup flour
1 large egg
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper

Directions:
Place the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.  Using a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to a uniform 1/4" thickness.  Remove wrap.  Place ham over the top to cover the breast.  Next, sprinkle each breast with the grated cheese.  Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight.  Secure with toothpicks.

Shallow bowl 1: Dump some flour. 
Shallow bowl 2: Break an egg into bowl and beat with fork until smooth.
Shallow bowl 3: Combine the bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip into the egg mixture, and then coat with the bread crumbs.  Place the chicken on a baking pan lined with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350º for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Purple Potatoes

I decided to make myself a sit-down dinner while I watched a Chopped marathon on the Food Network Channel tonight, so I made a half-batch of this recipe for mashed purple potatoes from Eating Well.  It was just okay.  I liked my recipe for the herbed purple potato wedges a lot more.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Purple Potatoes
from Eating Well
139 calories/serving

Ingredients:
1 head garlic
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 multi-branch sprigs fresh thyme (about 1/3 ounce)
2 pounds purple potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400° F.  Rub off excess papery skin from garlic head without separating the cloves. Slice the tip off the head, exposing the cloves. Place the garlic in a small baking dish, such as a bread pan. Drizzle with oil and lay thyme sprigs around it. Cover with foil. Roast until very soft, 30 to 45 minutes. Uncover and let cool. 

About 15 minutes before the garlic is done, cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until tender, 8 to 12 minutes. Drain well.  Return the potatoes to the pot. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into the potatoes. Strain the oil through a fine sieve over the potatoes, pressing on the solids (discard the thyme). Add sour cream, milk, salt and pepper; mash to desired consistency.