Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

gibbs smith

Easy Like Sunday Morning Roasted Potatoes

I call them shapeless Sundays. They can arrive on Saturdays, too. Days without plan or structure, destined to unroll easily, with a slow and quiet start, like a train chugging lazily out of the station, first trip of the day. They almost always begin early and alone, and are best on rainy, cool fall days when the pets have finished their breakfasts and are stretching languidly before the fire, guests still sleeping upstairs. These times feel like Christmas morning, without the rush and myriad obligations, just the sheer joy of a new day and the promise of unwrapping it like a present under the tree.

Weekends are my favorite time to cook and I always love cooking indulgent goodness for guests. I start thinking about what to prepare over that first cup of hot coffee, savoring the initial solitude and silence of the day.  This past weekend, like so many in the past, salt-crusted oven-roasted garlicky potatoes came to mind. They’re excellent with an omelet and complete a meal in a more satisfying way than toast or even grits. And, roasting with fresh garlic and herbs (rosemary and thyme do very well), they make the entire house smell delicious, sure to rouse sleepy heads.

This recipe is so deceptively simple, yet it came to me, indirectly, from one of Paris’ most famed kitchens, La Tour D’Argent, via a friend of mine who worked there for a time. The keys are a good coating of fine olive oil and crunchy sea  (or kosher) salt, fresh juicy potatoes, and a high oven temperature. The heat and salt render a gorgeous crust on the outside and a cloud of fork-tender sweetness on the inside of each potato. The knobby crevices of fingerling potatoes work wonderfully, but in recent years I’ve favored small Yukon Gold potatoes. The perfect balance of starch and waxy, they literally pop in the mouth, and are slightly sweet and buttery tasting – even without butter.

From my first cookbook, Southern Farmers Market Cookbook (Gibbs Smith, 2009), the recipe remains one of my all time favorites for easy, breezy cooking for any season. The potatoes work just as well as a side to a crisp, fresh salad, as they do a pot roast or roasted chicken, or just on their own, in a bowl, piping hot from the oven. Every time I make them, I know that within an hour or so, I’ll be laughing and smiling with guests that will soon be enjoying them.  Life’s simplest pleasures are often the best.

Salt-Crusted Oven-Roasted Garlicky Potatoes

(Serves 6)

Salt-Crusted Oven-Roasted Garlicky Roasted Potatoes are delicious and deceptively simple to make. From Southern Farmers Market Cookbook (Gibbs Smith, 2009) by Holly Herrick. Photo by Rick McKee.

Ingredients:

3 pounds fresh fingerling or baby Yukon Gold potatoes

1/4 cup good-quality olive oil

2 tablespoons sea or kosher salt

5 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed

6 sprigs fresh rosemary

Method:

Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Lightly scrub the potatoes, trimming away any dark spots. If the potatoes are not uniformly sized (and they usually are not), cut the potatoes as needed so that they all are approximately the same size, about 2 inched in length and 1 inch in diameter. Pierce any uncut potatoes with a knife so they will not explode in your oven as they cook.

Using your hands, toss the potatoes with the olive oil and salt on a roasting pan, coating evenly. Toss in the garlic and rosemary and arrange all on a single layer in the pan. Bake in the center rack of the oven, tossing the potatoes by aggressively shaking the pan, every 6 to 7 minutes. Cook until very tender in the center when pierced with a knife, about 25 – 40 minutes depending on freshness and size. Remove the rosemary stalks and discard. Serve immediately as these babies are best when they are steaming hot. Served thus, they will literally pop in your mouth.

 

 

 

 

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And so, as fall has fully descended upon beautiful Williamsburg, I’m enjoying fall colors and cool weather I haven’t experienced in years. Smith’s Farm produce stand up the road is bursting with heirloom winter squashes and pumpkins. It’s a lovely, wonderful view and near daily shopping stop for me these days. My neighbor’s just put up  his temporary cemetery for Halloween, and I’m starting to think about Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and am hoping you will make room for these potatoes on your holiday table.

Southern Farmers Market Cookbook is out of print, but can be found on Amazon from various resellers. It’s a favorite of mine and I have found that especially many young couples with a penchant for easy, and especially seasonal cooking, enjoy making it a part of their permanent cookbook library. Or, so I’ve been told.

SouthernFarmers

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time, keep it easy and bon appetit!

Author, Chef, Cookbook writer Holly Herrick

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holly and Rocky

 

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Mashed, Finally – with Recipe Preview from Holly Herrick’s Latest Cookbook

The Birth of Cookbook #8

My publisher Gibbs Smith surprised me with a phone call late last September and described their vision for a cookbook featuring entirely mashed foods, a sophisticated and internationally inspired ode to perhaps the ultimate comfort food – all things mashed. Immediately, my brain flooded with the possibilities of texture and flavor plays runnning the gamut from potatoes (of course), every vegetable under the sun, legumes, fruits, even meats and eggs. I jotted them down as fast as my fingertips allowed, and before I knew it, I had an outline, a contract and a deadline – 75 tested recipes and corresponding pages within 3 months.

The holidays were just around the corner, my Dad was about to have a stroke (this unforeseen and sad part of the story ended well, thank God), and life seems to move faster with each passing year, but I didn’t hesitate to say yes, yes and yes!  Saying no to virtually every social and professional invitation that came my way, I huddled closely to my stove and my assorted mashing tools until my work was done, which I wholly enjoyed.  I’m happy to report that the first leg of the “Mashed” journey is joyfully complete. The pages were submitted a few short weeks ago. I’m breathing deep sighs of relief because I believe the recipes will be enjoyed around many happy tables for many years to come. My wonderful and patient editor Michelle Branson tells me the photos by photographer Alexandra DeFurio and stylist Anni Daulter are “exquisitely beautiful” (note photo below is by me) and cover design are underway now. I can’t wait to see all of the above and start the editing process. The book, simply and aptly titled “Mashed” (Gibbs Smith) will be released in early September.

The recipe that follows is one of my favorites featuring fabulous root vegetables. It’s already become a staple on my table. I have a bowl waiting for me to go with a seared peppered steak for lunch. The pretty, pale green colors recall early spring days and holidays such as Easter and St. Patrick’s day.  By adding a bit more cream and stock, this turns into a beautiful, and delicious soup.

Triple Threat Celery Mash combines celery root, fresh celery, and celery seed with just enough potato fluff factor to create this winning Mashed dish.

Triple Threat Celery Mash combines celery root, fresh celery, and celery seed with just enough potato fluff factor to create this winning Mashed dish.

Triple Threat Celery Mash

(Yields 8 servings)

For the longest time, I thought of celery as a rather boring culinary building block. Something you put in stock or aromatic mixes to provide base flavor or fill with peanut butter for a snack, end of story. But, when living in France decades ago, I discovered celery root (or celeriac) which is the bulb that yields that stalks that yield the leaves, all of which have wonderfully distinct and varied levels of celery flavor. The crunch and the freshness of the stalks, the fluttery light aroma of the leaves, and the mysteriously, layered buttery celery essence of the root all come together in one place in this magnificent dish. Its gamey, vegetable flavor would work magic with roasted rabbit, duck, goose, or venison – making it an almost automatic annual holiday table show-stopper!

1 large celery root, rough outer skin and inner skin removed and discarded , and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

2 medium Russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 2 cups)

2 stalks fresh celery, trimmed, cleaned and cut into 1”-lengths (Note: Reserve any fresh celery leaves for garnish)

Water to cover

1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt

1 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Finely chopped fresh celery leaves for garnish

Place the prepped celery root, potatoes, and fresh celery in a medium pot. Cover generously with fresh, cold water. Add salt. Bring up to a boil over high and reduce to a simmer over medium/medium low heat. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until all ingredients are very tender when pierced with a knife or fork. Pour the potatoes, celery root, celery and water into a colander and drain well. Return to the warm cooking pot. Heat the celery/potato mixture over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking to move around the pan and dry out the ingredients. Separately, heat the cream, butter and celery seed in the microwave or in a saucepan until warm and melted. Pour, in thirds, into the celery and potato mixture, mashing coarsely with a manual masher to combine and puree. Season with salt and pepper, tasting to adjust as needed. Serve hot, and garnish if desired with a few chopped celery leaves. (Note: The mash will store beautifully in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat over water bath or microwave before serving.)

Now, I believe it’s time for lunch. As always, bon appetit!

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New Covers for The French Cook Series Cookbooks

Fresh Cookbook Faces

Happily,  publisher Gibbs Smith, has decided to re-vamp the covers on all of the books in the French Cook series. The signature bright colors will remain under fresh new covers that will showcase the gorgeous photography in each book, and also eliminate the pesky plastic wrap that made it hard for cookbook shoppers to see what’s within these beautiful pages. Here’s a sneak preview of what will be hitting bookstore and internet shelves in the next few weeks.

New cover art for The French Cook Cream Puffs and Eclairs. Photography by Alexandra DeFurio.

New cover art for The French Cook Cream Puffs and Eclairs. Photography by Alexandra DeFurio.

Soups and Stews (my favorite of all of my books in this series) gets a new cover, too, showcasing the talents of photographer Chia Chong.

Soups and Stews (my favorite of all of my books in this series) gets a new cover, too, showcasing the talents of photographer Chia Chong.

Photographer Steven Rothfeld's work shines in this book, full of inspiring, easy to use classical French sauces and variations.

Photographer Steven Rothfeld’s work shines in this book, full of inspiring, easy to use classical French sauces and variations.

Author Greg Patent makes a stunning case for the art of sure-fire souffle artistry, matched with lovely photographs by Kelly Gorham.

Author Greg Patent makes a stunning case for the art of sure-fire souffle artistry, matched with lovely photographs by Kelly Gorham.

I hope you will love the new look. Please write and let me know your thoughts.

As always, bon appetit and happy cooking!

Holly

 

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