Roasted Baby Gold Potatoes with Arugula

Simple sides...

That's what this post is about.  Need a new side dish?  Stuck on the usual ones?  Well, everyone loves potatoes so why not serve them in a new way.

This potato side is simple to make.  The oven does all the work, and with the addition of arugula you get some added greens.  Plus it tastes fabulous!

The nice little dressing give it a little zip, so make sure not to skip that part.  

One try of these potatoes and they may become your new "go-to" dish!

Roasted Baby Gold Potatoes with Arugula 


serves 4

1 lb baby gold potatoes, halved
1 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
salt & pepper
1 - 1 1/2 c arugula, loosely packed
1 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl toss potatoes with oil, garlic, salt & pepper.  Spread out in a flat layer on the cookie sheet making sure they are cut side down.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and place back in the large bowl.  Immediately stir in the arugula and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to steam 5 minutes to wilt the arugula.  Whisk together the lemon juice and the olive oil and toss with the potatoes.  Serve. 

Old Fashioned Biscuits

I'm on the quest for the perfect biscuit!

Biscuits bring to mind farmhouses, pioneers, kitchens full of flour, big breakfasts, lots of family gathering around, and hot melted butter.  They also remind me of my mom's biscuits and gravy and my mom's Aunt Grace's kitchen back in Oklahoma.  Everyone trying to help with cooking, a kitchen crowded with people, and my Great Uncle Howard riding up on his horse to come to breakfast.  Such memories of country life for a child that grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

So on my quest for the perfect biscuit I steal, (I'm mean write down) every old recipe my mom has every time I go visit her.  Not nearly done...cause she has sooo many!  This one I found tucked in a drawer paper clipped to a stack of special recipes.  She can't remember which relative these came from but knew they had been made many many times.

So I decided to make these today.  The key to these is baking powder.  A small amount of butter in these.    They are very easy to whip up and I had them in the oven in no time.  They were not the most moist biscuit, but they certainly would do in a pinch.  All in all a good standard biscuit.  I'm still on my quest.  One of my favorite's so far are these. 

Try some this weekend and give a taste test to these biscuits.  Old timer's swear by them (or at least my family tree did!)

Old Fashioned Biscuits

Makes 6 biscuits

1 1/2 c All Purpose Flour
½  t salt
1 ½ t baking powder
½ t sugar   
3 T butter
½ c milk

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 

Mix together the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or two knives cut in the butter until you have pea sized bits.  Add the liquid, mixing quickly and gently for about 20-30 seconds until you have a soft dough. 

On a lightly floured board, pat dough into a rectangle about 3/4-inch in thickness.  Cut into squares using a knife or bench scraper. 

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. 

Creamy No Roux Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

Craving pasta?

I do....often.  But, I haven't been eating as much pasta as I'd like lately.  I truly love the stuff, but watching the carbs calls for less pasta.  So sad.  But every once in a while I have to have some comforting pasta.

So I was surfing the net and I was on the www.theKitchn.com and ran across a  post for a dreamy looking pasta dish.  Do you know this site?  It's an excellent resource for recipes, how to's, and anything food related.  Go visit it you can!  So, I was surfing this site and came across a recipe for what they called Creamy No Roux Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese.  No roux? Really?  Peaked my interest, but they really had me at "stove top"!

So I decided I had to make this.  And I did.  

It was really easy to make.  Something you could do as a side dish during the week.  Or if you prefer along side your Sunday dinner.  Either way this lives up to it's name.  It's creamy...there really is 'no roux', and all is made simply on the stove top.  Doesn't get much better.

I already posted another Stove Top Macaroni & Cheese dish using King Arthur's Vermont Cheese Powder.  You can find that recipe here.  Honestly they are both good.  This one, of course, uses fresh shredded cheese and is slightly more involved, but the result is fabulous!
Try them both and see for yourself!

Creamy No Roux Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

by the Kitchn

Serves 4 to 6  

What You Need

Ingredients

1 pound pasta, any shape
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-3 cups shredded cheese, like cheddar, monterey jack, or colby
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
Optional extras (cook before adding): Ham, bacon, onions, peas, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower

Equipment

Pasta pot
Sauce pan
Whisk
Spatula

Instructions

1. Boil the Pasta: Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil over high heat in the pasta pot. Add the pasta and a tablespoon of salt. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Warm the Milk: When the pasta has finished cooking, prepare the cheese sauce. Begin warming 1 cup of the milk in the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the flour until there are no lumps. When you just start to see tendrils of steam rising from the warming milk, whisk in the milk-and-flour mixture. Continue whisking gently until the milk thickens slightly to the consistency of heavy cream, 3-4 minutes.

3. Make the Cheese Sauce: Turn the heat to low and begin mixing handfuls of cheese into the milk. Stir in the salt and mustard. Stir until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Remove the sauce from heat.

4. Combine the Pasta and Cheese Sauce: In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Stir to coat the pasta evenly. Add the second half of the sauce and any extra add-ins.

5. Serving and Storing Leftovers: Serve the mac and cheese immediately while still warm. Leftovers will keep for up to a week and can be reheated in the microwave. If the sauce is a little dry after re-heating, mix in a splash of milk to make it creamy again.

Additional Notes:
• Baked Mac and Cheese: If you have a little extra time, you can bake the macaroni and cheese to give it a golden crust. Pour the prepared mac and cheese into a casserole dish, cover with a lid or foil, and bake at 350°F for 1/2 hour. Remove the covering, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and a few pats of butter, and bake uncovered for another 15-20 minutes until the top is golden and the interior is bubbly.