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
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line baking sheet with foil.
Scrub and dry potatoes. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine melted butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, rosemary, and Parmesan (if using). Stir to mix.
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.
Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet and brush with butter/seasoning mixture, carefully getting between each slice, and continue till all potatoes are coated.
Bake potatoes till tender and skin is crisp, about 55-60 mins.
Juicy, mouth-watering burgers, prepped early, then baked and served hot from the oven, means you get to hear the cheers without a lot of last-minute work. One of my family’s favorite dinners!
My kids love burgers!
I love this recipe because it’s delicious, easy, and I can prep it early – even a day before – and then bake the foil-wrapped burgers for about fifteen minutes, and suddenly I feel like a hero!
Saving yet another day with an amazing, scrumptious, low-stress dinner. No cape necessary. (But no judgment if you want to wear one while serving.)
Boom.
(adapted from justapinch.com)
Who knew one little foil packet could contain such happiness? (Well, my kids do, now!)
INGREDIENTS:
12 hamburger buns
12 hamburger patties, made, seasoned, and cooked any way you like (I make my own – see bottom for recipe)
4 Tbsp finely diced dill pickle (about 4-5 baby dills, or 2-3 medium pickles) – I add more!
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp paprika (I use smoked paprika)
dash hot sauce or cayenne powder, optional
Mix together in bowl, stirring well. Set aside if using shortly or refrigerate till ready to use.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare and cook the burger patties till almost done, set aside. (They will continue to cook in oven.)
3. Melt butter (or heat olive oil) in saute pan on stove on med-low heat. Add sliced onions, stir. Cook till softened and golden, about five-ten minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt, if desired. Set aside.
4. Spread sauce on top and bottom of hamburger buns, then place a slice of cheese on each side. Or only one side, depending on how cheesy you feel.
5. Placed cooked hamburger patty on one side of bun and top with a spoonful of caramelized onion and then the other side of bun.
6. Wrap in foil (I use about 12″ square and wrap on the diagonal, but you do what you want.), and bake in oven for 12-1 5 minutes, till cheese has melted.
7. Serve warm with whatever sides make your heart sing: fries and salad, chips, potato salad, steamed broccoli, sautéed green beans… Go side crazy.
8. Be a hero. I always feel like I’m one to my kids when I serve this meal! They get so happy unwrapping that foil to eat the juicy, cheesy, delicious burgers inside. And I get happy hearing about their feelings of happiness.
Enjoy (the burgers and the compliments)!
*BONUS RECIPE!
HAMBURGER PATTIES A LA MARIA
2 lbs ground sirloin or lean ground beef
1 packet dry onion soup mix
2 cups old fashioned oatmeal (Don’t judge. I’m trying to stretch my beef to feed my horde. Leave this out, and the egg, if you are a purist and don’t need the extra stretch. Note that you will likely have fewer/thinner patties.)
1 egg
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup diced bacon (optional)
1. Mix all ingredients gently but thoroughly.
2. Divide into twelve equal parts, shape into balls. Gently press into evenly flattish patties with hands, maybe about 1/3 of an inch thick. Make an indentation in the center (this is to help them cook through the middle). I put my finished patties on a baking sheet until I’m ready to cook them.
3. Cook on medium heat on the grill or griddle or skillet till done, turning once, about 2 mins or less each side. (I use my big electric griddle and cook about 8 at a time.)
4. Place on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet, set aside till assembling hamburgers.
Bright tomatoes, aromatic garlic sizzled in olive oil, the punch of capers and the saltiness of Kalamata olives – this is one of our family’s favorite dinners, with even my youngest demanding second (or third!) helpings.
I love it because it’s quite quick and easy, and if you have a few things stocked in your pantry, you can make it any weeknight when you’ve forgotten to thaw meat ahead of time (like I tend to do about once a week).
Don’t be put off by the anchovy paste or tempted to omit it until you’ve made this and tried it – while it’s perhaps a less common ingredient, it gives this dish the base notes of the amazing briny flavor and depth of authentic Puttanesca.
Don’t add salt until you’ve tasted it! The anchovy paste, capers, and Kalamatas add quite a lot of salty flavor. Let it simmer before you shake.
INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp olive oil
4-5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Dash crushed red pepper flakes (if desired)
2 Tbsp anchovy paste (This is readily found in any well-stocked grocery store)
6 oz tin tomato paste
28-oz tin diced or crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce in a pinch)
2-3 Tbsp capers, drained (my kids like more)
1 1/2 cups kalamata olives, sliced
1 cup water
Fresh parsley, minced (if desired)
16-oz pasta of choice, prepared according to package directions, drained, set aside
DIRECTIONS:
In large pot or sauté pan (I use my wok), heat about 3 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic, let sizzle till fragrant and just starting to turn golden, about 1 minute.
Squirt in anchovy paste, sprinkle in dash of red pepper flakes (if using), stir gently till aromatic and somewhat clumpy-looking, another minute.
Add tomato paste and stir gently, then dump in crushed/diced tomatoes (or tomato sauce) and water. Add capers and Kalamata olives. Stir.
Bring to bubbling, turn down to low and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
Taste, adjust seasonings if needed (some find the saltiness perfect, some like to add a small dash of salt)
When the bubbling sauce is cohesive and the smell is filling your house with a delightful aroma, it’s probably close to done.
Serve on top of pasta, sprinkled with parsley.
To make my life easier, I put the cooked pasta back in the large pot I boiled it in and then tip the Puttanesca sauce over it, mix gently, and sprinkle the minced parsley on top (if I have it).
