Party of Two, Part Two

This post is part of a two part series on our Super Bowl party for two. To see the kick-off post – pun(t) intended – click here. I crack myself up As opposed to the poisson cru, this dish is more along the lines of traditional Super Bowl party fare and can just as easily be made for twenty as it is for two.

Part Two: Triple P Skins

The ingredient list for this recipe is made up of things that we always have on hand in our kitchen. Potatoes are a near perfect blank canvas for you to use your imagination with whatever you have in your refrigerator. C’mon, it’s potato, cheese, and meat. You can’t really mess it up.

Different pairs I can think of off the top off my head:

• smoked Gouda and thick cut double smoked bacon
• extra sharp cheddar and bacon
• Gruyère and crisped prosciutto

Let me know if you think of any more yummy combos. I would be happy to experiment and have you over to taste test In the meantime, here’s the recipe for our Triple P Skins.

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Triple P Skins (aka Pancetta Pepper Jack Potato Skins)
makes 8 skins

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium sized Russet potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 pound of pancetta, fried, crumbled, and drained on a paper towel
2 scallion stalks, greens and whites chopped
freshly cracked black pepper
sour cream

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and set a rack in the middle of the oven. Rub the potatoes with the olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake the potatoes for about 45 minutes or until fork tender.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool until they can be handled. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides. Reserve the innards for another use. How much potato you choose to leave behind in the shell depends on your preference but I would suggest not taking out so much that the shell can’t handle the filling and gets soggy or limp when picked up.

Lay the potato skins on a baking sheet and fill them evenly with the cheese and pancetta. Season them with black pepper to taste. Bake in a 450F degree oven until the cheese is bubbly and as toasted as you’d like. This will probably take 10-15 minutes.

Let the potatoes cool a bit before topping with sour cream and scallions.

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By the way, remember the innards you saved? There are tons of different things you could do with them. Potato salad, mashed potatoes, hash browns, etc… In our case, we made a quick patatas bravas!

Yes, that is the Spanish Wikipedia page for patatas bravas translated through Google. My favorite line is where it says the potatoes are “accompanied by a spicy tomato sauce that is poured over the potatoes using the entire body warm.” Doesn’t that just sound so dirty??

Well I dunno about all that hooplah but this is our quick version. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet. Once it foams, add the potatoes and a tablespoon of paprika and a ½ teaspoon of salt. If the mixture looks dry, add a pat of butter at a time until desired crispness/fry is achieved. Serve with ketchup.

Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Shallots

Like most married couples (I’d assume), Jason and I often talk about our future children. One of the most discussed topics is how we will be able to get our children to actually enjoy nutritious and healthy foods versus having to force it down their throats. We’ve agreed that the best way to avoid the latter is to employ a technique of basic trial and error. We believe that the main determinant of the foods that people enjoy or dislike is simply the preparation. Don’t like veggies raw? Cook ‘em. Don’t like veggies steamed? Roast ‘em.

Overcooking a vegetable is the major culprit of bad vegetable preparation and little place else is that theory more proven than with the innocent Brussels sprout. When overcooked, the stink factor will turn off almost anyone. When perfectly done, Brussels are a yummy balance of tender and crunchy, sweet and bitter.

When I found out that my mother-in-law was a die hard hater of these cute mini-cabbages, I just knew I had to convert her so that she too could enjoy the perfect balance of a well prepared Brussels sprout dish. I made this quick and yummy side dish for her back in November and hopefully she wasn’t lying when she said that she really enjoyed it. My brother-in-law is a whole other story though ) I’m not sure if any preparation of Brussels sprouts other than dousing them with tons of ketchup will break through his near impervious distaste for them.

If you have a hater of Brussels sprouts in your life, I encourage you to make this dish which I adapted from Food & Wine magazine. If that still doesn’t do it, try searching this great new website for more ideas!

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Caramelized Onions & Brussels Sprouts
serves 4 as a side dish

2 tablespoons butter, divided
3 large shallots, thiny sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1-2 tablespoons cider vinegar
12-15 brussels sprouts, trimmed and thiny sliced lengthwise
salt
pepper

Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat in a large pan that has a lid. Sautee the shallots with a pinch of salt until caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Add sugar and cider vinegar and stir until vinegar evaporates and sugar is melted. Transfer shallots to a bowl and reserve.

Wipe down pan with a paper towel and melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add the shredded sprouts. Leave it on the heat w/o touching it for 2-3 minutes so that the sprouts get some color. Then add 2 tablespoons of water and salt. Cover pan with lid so sprouts steam. Steam for about 5-10 minutes until the leaves are tender but still have a nice bright green color. Remove lid, stir in caramelized shallot mixture and some black pepper until combine and heated through.

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Keep checking back for new posts along with better (hopefully!) pictures thanks to a new foodio inspired by Jaden’s post on food photography. My extremely crafty father-in-law has lovingly re-created the lights for me and they are being shipped up as we speak!! ) Thanks Dad~!