Double Roasted Potatoes


Yesterday found me knee-deep in holiday planning, making a list, checking it twice, that sort of thing. So in an effort to not toss a freezer’s worth of food before our holiday vacay, I defrosted a two-pound flank steak from Costco and looked around for an accompaniment.

Hiding behind the boxed mac & cheese I found a half full bag of red potatoes, left over from our faux Thanksgiving the week before. I knew I didn’t want mashed potatoes, love them though I do, since I’m (pretending to be) on a diet. As I stared uselessly into space, I caught a glimpse of a recipe for roasted potatoes by Melissa Clark that I’d clipped from the New York Times a few weeks ago. I love reading Melissa’s column and have her book In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite on my Christmas wish list (Sir Gonzo, pay attention, please!).

Also, the recipe called for a cast-iron skillet and little else to muss up the kitchen, which was further proof of her genius.

As my husband heated up the charcoal grill for the steak, he asked how long I needed for the potatoes. “Only 30 minutes once they’re prepped!” I called out from the kitchen, with confidence, nonetheless.

But oh, how wrong I was.

Experienced chefs will tell you to always read your recipes. Twice. Which I did. Twice. And each time I read the instructions this way: roast the potatoes for 15 minutes at 325° F, then crank up the heat to 450°F and roast for 15 minutes more. However, what the instructions actually said was this: roast for an HOUR and 15 minutes at 325°F. An hour and 15 minutes! Or 75 minutes, to be exact.

Nuts.

Former computer dork that I am, I read only the numbers in the instructions and not the actual words. Now what? In the spirit of Melissa’s try anything joie de vivre, I yanked out my copy of Fast, Fresh & Green by Susie Middleton and decided to combine Susie’s quick roast method with Melissa’s recipe.

Because, in the end, if I wanted my steak, potatoes and gin and tonic to be served simultaneously, I really didn’t have much choice.

Turned out, the potatoes were fabulous. Perhaps not as crunchy as Melissa would have liked, but her addition of a smashed up cinnamon stick and the garlic really made the dish unique. Plus, I got to use my baby 8” cast-iron skillet to break up the cinnamon stick (place it in a plastic baggie first; you can also use a mallet or hammer for this step), which was fun. Melissa’s recipe called for unpeeled garlic, making the dish easy breezy to get into the (now 450°F) oven, but I think I might try peeling them next time.

Then again, why mess with perfection?

Spiced Garlic Roasted Potatoes

1 ½ pounds red potatoes, chopped into 1-inch cubes (don’t bother peeling them)
6 unpeeled garlic cloves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small cinnamon stick, smashed to bits
2-3 teaspoons kosher salt, to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Combine all ingredients in a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
3. Roast for 35-45 minutes, until the potatoes are tender on the inside with some browning for crunch on the outside. Stir once or twice as they roast.
4. Season with salt, if needed, and serve.

Adapted from a recipe by Melissa Clark.

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Vegetable Frittata

Mark Bittman, who I credit with getting me to cook outside the pasta box, featured this recipe a few years back in his Minimalist column in the New York Times. Until the moment I read this, I’d always thought of eggs as breakfast food. Eggs for dinner or even lunch seemed to me to be something that either French people or single people did. But once I started making this dish, I never looked back.

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Chicken, Apple & Brie Sandwich

In honor of the 4th Earl of Sandwich, the guy who made eating meat on bread cool, today is National Sandwich Day, which has a much better ring to it than national day after election day, now would you please take down your campaign posters? Am I right?

Something of a first for me, I’ve replicated a “recipe” of a dish I ate elsewhere. And by elsewhere I mean Brioche Dorée at LAX, just past the Admirals Club. A quick glimpse at Yelp.com reveals that either (1) everyone but me hates this place or (2) only haters posted their reviews of this place. Because I have to tell you, airport food or not, this sandwich rocked. Super doughy bread with a crusty exterior, fresh turkey, slightly melted and tangy brie, crisp granny smith apple slices and a schmear of apricot. Combine this with free pre-flight Heinekens and I knew it was something I had to have again.

Back at home, and by home I mean Trader Joe’s, I picked up the fixings for this noteworthy sandwich. Deli chicken, fresh bread, brie, a Granny Smith apple and dried apricots.

I sliced the apricots in half, then smashed them into the bread just a bit. I layered the brie on the bread, then topped it with the apple slices, figuring the toaster oven would do its job and melt the brie just so. Then I piled on the chicken, plunked it in the toaster oven for about three minutes. And there! A sandwich fit for a dash through LAX.

Updated 05/31/2013: Now that I’m gluten-free, I use my favorite gluten-free white sandwich bread by Udi’s.

Happy Halloween!

I’ve got homemade chicken pot pies baking in the oven and little Gonzo Girl chomping at the bit for trick or treats. Last night we carved pumpkins … you can tell I was in a Martha Stewart state of mind. Happy Halloween everyone!

The Best of Maui


I could tell this trip was off to the right start when the flight attendant gave us two free Heinekens to enjoy as our “pre-flight drink.” Ahhhh, nothing tastes better than lukewarm beer in coach. Throughout the course of the flight she slipped us no less than three more beers, mixer and vodka for two Bloody Mary’s, warm chocolate chip cookies, milk for little Gonzo Girl, and—y’all ready for this??—a chilled bottle of champagne.

Now I’m sure you’re wondering, why? Why would a flight attendant provide us with these simple yet much appreciated luxuries? Because I bought her a Carmel latte from Starbucks. There I was, walking toward our gate at LAX, when I spotted a harried flight attendant who said she was late for the Maui flight, and somehow it came out that she needed coffee. I understand. I myself can’t function without it, and so neither would she.

Obviously free drinks are the highlight of any experience, but that was just the beginning. From an ocean view room upgrade at The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas to the best pizza I’ve had in ages, this was definitely a great trip.

Best Spot to Watch Sea Turtles (while drinking): Mala Ocean Tavern (1307 Front Street, Lahaina; (808) 667-9394). I’ve been here three times and each time I’ve had the ahi burger. Generally I’d scoff at grinding up something as fabulous as ahi into a burger, but then I’d be the fool. This burger is so amazing I may never have ahi any other way. Also, the fries. Oh, the fries. And the beer, Maui Brewing Co.’s Big Swell IPA, which holds its own against my San Diego local fave, Stone IPA. Not to mention those prehistoric sea turtles bobbing about in the waves.

Best Pizza on Maui: Pizza Madness (1455 S Kihei Road, Kihei; (808) 270-9888). Hidden behind an Avis Rental Car kiosk, this place is definitely old school. You’ll see locals drinking happy hour brews at the bar while tourists scarf down slice after slice of pizza heaven. Thick, saucy slices of pizza, more Big Swell IPA, who could ask for a better meal before boarding the red eye to LAX?

Best Grocery Store to buy supplies for dinner when your kid is running a fever: Foodland Farms (345 Keawe Street, Suite 304, Lahaina; (808) 662-7088). As much as I like to cook, while on vacation I prefer to stuff myself with bar food. Yet when I entered Foodland Farms I felt oddly peaceful, as if I’d found the mother ship. This market, which competes with the older Safeway right across the street, has a fresh fish market, a cheese bar and a wine cellar that would do Whole Foods proud.

Of course, our trip wasn’t all free booze and Big Swell IPA. We also ate at …

Leilani’s on the Beach at Whalers Village (2435 Ka’anapali Parkway, Bldg. J, Lahaina; (808) 661-4495). Food is good, service is great. Try the turkey sandwich for lunch. For the kids, mac and cheese, but a large enough portion that you don’t feel like you’re getting ripped off.

Hula Grill Ka’anapali at Whalers Village (2435 Ka’anapali Parkway, Bldg. P, Lahaina; (808) 667-6636). Food is fine, but the view is fantastic. Bathrooms are very clean (v. important when traveling with a toddler).

Round Table Pizza (2580 Kekaa Drive # 105, Lahaina; (808) 662-0777). Yes, more pizza! Dinner for four under $25 in Maui is hard to do, but Round Table delivers. They don’t serve wine or beer, but you can BRING YOUR OWN!! Or even buy it from the coffee shop (yes, the coffee shop) right next door.

Duke’s Beach House (130 Kai Malina Parkway, Lahaina; (808) 662-2900). For our last night we went big – hula pie big! I’m not sure why ice cream tastes better in Maui, but trust me, it does. Oh, and I also ate dinner, sautéed macnut and herb crusted opah coated in Parmesan and bread crumbs.

To work off all that good eatin’ we swam every day in the ocean at my favorite beach in Maui, Ka’anapali’s North Beach, and I even tried stand up paddle boarding for the first time. Loved it!

Every great vacay must come to an end. Our last day out, we trucked over to the island’s north side to check out the wind surfers, then headed south to Kihei, home of the fantastic Pizza Madness. And our reward for surviving the dreaded Maui-LAX redeye? No, not more free drinks, but instead this: a possible Patrick Dempsey sighting at the LAX Admiral’s Club. Who needs pre-flight drinks when you can text Us Magazine with a star sighting?

Butternut Squash Soup

Like magic, this soup came together in a way I couldn’t have expected when I started. Initially I had planned to channel my inner Barefoot and make her roasted butternut squash soup and curry condiments from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics. But then I got to the store and they didn’t have McIntosh apples, so I bought Fuji, and I couldn’t find sweetened coconut, so instead I shrugged and figured I’d wing it on this one.

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I Can Cook, But I Can’t Grill Cheese

As kids, my sister and I would come home from school and “make” nachos, which basically consisted of throwing plain Doritos onto a plate before smothering them with cheddar cheese.

As the microwave in our avocado green kitchen whirled away, those old-school Doritos (what ever happened to them, anyway?) would get soft in places as the cheese surrounded every nook of that salty goodness. Add a Coke and who needs dinner?

Me with my sister aboard a container ship outside Taipei, summer of 1979

I still love melted cheese but wouldn’t you know it…for the life of me I cannot make a grilled cheese sandwich. I can assemble it just fine but you see what happened. That burnt toast and the cheese which is, oddly, not melted? That about sums up every grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever made.

Maybe I need to return to those girlhood nachos. Wait. Can you burn something in the microwave…?

There’s a first time for everything


Some girls dream of their wedding days, some of their first kiss. Me? I have, for far too long now, dreamt of my first Le Creuset pot. Many times I’ve almost taken the plunge, only to pull back, scared to make that big of a commitment. $220 for a 5.5-quart pot? Seems pricey, even if, as the folks at www.lecreuset.com point out, “true memories are priceless.”

Then my friend Sahyo told me I could use the Bed Bath & Beyond 20% coupon for online items. Just go to the store, she said, and they’ll take care of the order for you. True, you have to pay for shipping, but with such a generous discount I hardly noticed.

And now, I present to you, my one, my only, my first…Le Creuset!