Tag: easy sides

Best Hasselback Potatoes: Easy, Elegant & Delicious for Your Next Meal

These are the beauties we enjoyed tonight – with garlic, onion, and Parmesan this time. Crisp skin, meltingly tender and flavorful interior – a new favorite!

I love potatoes. They’re filling, affordable, and (of course) deliciously versatile! Feeding my family of ten every day equals a lot of meals. So I’m grateful for great side ideas like Hasselback potatoes, which seem fancy but are really quite simple. And – no peeling is a plus!

(Just make sure you plan ahead for enough time to bake them – they take about an hour in the oven, plus a little time for prep, so start them early!)

Whether with a steak, steamed lobster, chicken nuggets or barbecue meatballs (or whatever your preferred main dish), these are a great option!

HASSELBACK POTATOES 

(makes 6 potatoes)

Ingredients:

  • 6 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, dried
  • 4-5 Tbsp butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 2 tsp salt (or 1 Tbsp kosher salt)
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp granulated onion, optional
  • 1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary, optional
  • 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan, optional
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line baking sheet with foil.
  2. Scrub and dry potatoes. Set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, rosemary, and Parmesan (if using). Stir to mix.
  4. One at a time, place the potatoes in between the handles of two wooden spoons or large chopsticks of the same size. With a sharp knife, carefully cut the potatoes into thin slices, leaving the bottom of the potato connected. The wooden spoon handles assist with this endeavor.
  5. Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet and brush with butter/seasoning mixture, carefully getting between each slice, and continue till all potatoes are coated.
  6. Bake potatoes till tender and skin is crisp, about 55-60 mins. 

Bon appetit!

Let me know when you try them and what you think!

– Maria

Make Easy Buttermilk Biscuits Today! (Plus a Quick Shortcake Variation!)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is buttermilk-biscuits.jpg

Hot, flakey biscuits with a tender, steaming center and a slightly golden, crisp exterior, spread with melted butter and fragrant-sweet honey or jewel-toned jam… Who’s hungry to get baking?

I used to find biscuits rather painful to make in large quantities for my large family (biscuits for ten hungry people means a LOT of biscuits), with all the cutting-in of shortening and scrubbing out of measuring cups and such.

But now, thanks to this recipe that uses oil instead of shortening, mixing is a snap. Then a quick rolling out, cutting up, and then the blissfully brief baking time (12-15 mins) means that you and I can enjoy the delightful biscuit-joy much sooner. And much more often.

(As a quick side, I’m using this dough to make pigs-in-a-blanket tonight – one of my kids’ favorites!)

Heat up that oven, lovely, and let’s get baking!

Makes 12+ biscuits – Recipe adapted from Bob’s Red Mill recipe

INGREDIENTS

  • 2/3 cup buttermilk (As a quick substitute, I use whole milk or cream mixed with about 2 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice, stirred and left for about 5 mins)
  • 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In a small bowl, stir together buttermilk and oil.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, combine till well mixed. Shape into a ball, place on floured surface and knead 4-5 times (too much kneading will make the dough tough).

3. Roll dough out to desired thickness (I aim for 1/2″ to 3/4″), and using a cookie cutter (or just a round glass dipped in flour), cut out 12 or so biscuits. (My mom used to use a sharp knife and make rectangular biscuits – whatever floats your biscuit boat.) Place about 1″ apart on a baking sheet.

4. Bake in center of preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or till biscuits are starting to turn light brown. Serve with butter and jam. And honey. Or lemon curd. And whipped cream. Or for lunch with tuna fish. Or chicken salad. Or with Chicken a la King. Or as a side to a hearty beef stew or a vegetable-rich broth or a creamy chowder or spicy chili… (I’ll stop now.)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is biscuits-3.jpg

* Quick & Easy Shortcake Adaptation!

For when you have fresh fruit and want a delicious, quick (and easy!) dessert or brunch option:

To flour mixture, add 2 Tbsp white sugar.

If desired, add 1/2 tsp vanilla to buttermilk/oil mixture.

Proceed as directed. After baking, quickly halve and butter shortcakes, then top with sliced fruit or berries sweetened as desired, with whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

UBER-EASY Option for when you DON’T have Fresh Fruit: Substitute freezer jam. Then top with whipped cream. I do. It’s amazing. No one complains – they’re too busy snarfing it up and making happy, thankful sounds.

Enjoy as soon as possible.

Happy baking! (Let me know how your biscuits turn out! And then please post a link to this article on your social media, thanks!)

– Maria

*To not miss a single recipe and have them sent directly to your inbox, be sure to sign up in the box on the right!