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Denver Omelet

Denver Omelet

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Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from Chef John / Food Wishes

This classic American-style omelet is firmer and more caramelized than the softer French omelet, but every bit as delicious, and prefect for your next “breakfast for dinner.”

  • 1TBS butter
  • 3large eggs
  • ⅓cup grated cheddar cheese
  • ¼cup diced smoked ham
  • 2TBS finely diced onion
  • 2TBS finely diced green bell pepper
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • pinch of cayenne, optional


Beat eggs, but not too much. Over beating makes them watery.

Heat butter in a pan over medium heat. Add ham, pepper, onion mixture and cook until veg are soft. Reduce heat to medium low. Add eggs, mix lightly and let cook from the bottom. Sprinkle the cheese when the top is still liquid. Give a sprinkle of cayenne if desired. Continue cooking until top is top looks wet, but is no longer runny. Fold in half using spatula.

Corned Beef & Cabbage

Corned Beef & Cabbage

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Yield: 3 to 4 Servings
Adapted from Chef John / Food Wishes

Irish or not, it seems you must have this on St. Patrick’s Day.

  • 2½lb corned beef brisket
  • spice packet
  • 2TBS brown sugar
  • 2bay leaves
  • water to cover
  • 1onion, quartered
  • 3carrots, cut in large chunks
  • 3ribs celery, cut in 2-inch pieces
  • 1tsp salt
  • 2lb red potatoes, washed, cut in half
  • 1small green cabbage, cut in 8ths


Place beef, brown sugar, bay leaves and contents of seasoning packet in a large Dutch oven or stockpot; cover with water. Bring to a simmer. Skim any foam, then cover and reduce heat; simmer, covered, 1½ to 2 hours, until nearly done.

Add potatoes, onion, carrots and celery and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.

Add and cabbage, cover and cook until beef and vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes

Remove beef and rest 15 minutes.

Cut beef across the grain into slices. Serve with vegetables and some of the broth.

Sauce Suprême

Sauce Suprême

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Yield: 4 servings
Recipe from Elizabeth E. Skipper

Without the cream, this is chicken gravy. Add the cream and you’ve turned it into a sauce suprême, which is gravy raised to a higher power. It’s amazing how much richness a little cream adds.

  • 4TBS butter
  • 4tsp flour (seems too little)
  • 1½cups chicken stock at room temperature or warmed
  • ¾cup heavy cream
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and mix in the flour using a whisk. Cook for two to three minutes, whisking occasionally to remove the raw flour taste. Add the stock off the heat. whisking briskly to prevent lumps. Continue whisking over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add the heavy cream, heat through. check the seasoning and adjust to taste.

Jambalaya 😊

Jambalaya 😊

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New Orleans

Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from The Daring Gourmet

I have updated the recipe to show the hot sauce as optional. This has a decent heat level (too hot for Gayle) without any hot sauce, possibly due to the Creole seasoning. I used Tony Chachere’s. Just opening the can made my eyes water and I sneezed twice. You can change or remove any of the proteins, although the Andouille is very traditional. Some calamari would be a nice addition.

Next time: There is too much liquid for the rice. Increase the rice to 1½ cups . Also might be worth setting the cooked meat aside before adding the veg., then returning when the rice is added.

Chicken & Marinade

  • 2TBS Creole seasoning, divided
  • 1lb chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • ½lb Andouille sausage, sliced in ¼ inch slices
  • 2TBS butter
  • 8-12oz medium raw shrimp, deveined (optional: tails removed)
  • 8oz raw calamari (optional)

Vegetables

  • 1yellow onion, chopped
  • 3cloves garlic, minced
  • 1green bell pepper, diced
  • 1-2stalks celery, diced

Jambalaya

  • 1½cups (or more) white long grain rice
  • 1(14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 0-2tsp hot sauce (optional)
  • 1tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2cups chicken broth
  • 2bay leaves
  • ¾tsp salt
  • 4green onions, thinly sliced

Marinate Chicken: Place the chicken in a bowl with 1 TBS of the Creole seasoning, mix well and set aside while you prep the vegetables.

Prep the vegetables: Chop & mince all of the vegetables as required. Set up the mise en place for the other ingredients.

Saute Chicken, Sausage & Vegetables: Heat the butter in a large straight sided skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on all sides.
Add the Andouille sausage and cook for another 3 minutes or so until the sausage begins to brown. Remove chicken and sausage and set aside,
Add more oil if needed, the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and mix in. Cook for 30 seconds.

Jambalaya: Add the rice, diced tomatoes, hot sauce (optional), Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and if you’re brave. the remaining TBS of Creole seasoning, stir to combine. Return the meat to the pan and add the chicken broth and bay leaves.

Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, giving it one stir, around the halfway point. Add the shrimp (and calamari if using), cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Serve sprinkled with some sliced green onions.

Savory Potato Tart

Savory Potato Tart

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Yield: 8 to 10 Servings

David Tanis / NY Times

We all love a rich, creamy French potato gratin, but for a special occasion, or just for fun, make this version, which is encased in buttery flaky pastry so the gratin becomes a savory tart. Serve a small slice alongside roasted meats, or a larger portion for a vegetarian lunch, accompanied by a green salad. If you want to make it a few hours ahead, or even a day before, it reheats beautifully.

For the pastry:

  • 2cups AP flour, plus more for dusting
  • ½tsp salt
  • ½lb (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter cut in ½-inch chunks
  • ½cup ice water

For the filling:

    • 2lb medium yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, peeled
    • 1¼cups crème fraîche
    • 1TBS kosher salt
    • ½tsp black pepper
    • Pinch of grated nutmeg
    • 2garlic cloves, minced
    • 2tsp chopped fresh thyme

For the egg wash:

      • 1egg yolk
      • 1TBS cream or crème fraîche


Make the pastry:
Put flour and salt in a mixing bowl (or use a food processor or a stand mixer with paddle attachment). Add half the butter and mix well, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add remaining butter chunks and the water and mix until dough comes together. Remove dough, divide into two equal pieces and dust with flour. Quickly form each piece into a ball, then press down to make two 1-inch-thick disks. Wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. (May be made a day in advance or frozen for up to 2 weeks.)

Make the filling:
Slice potatoes as thinly as possible, using a sharp knife, mandolin or food processor. Put potato slices in a large bowl and add crème fraîche, salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic and thyme. Mix well with hands, making sure all slices are coated and seasoning is well distributed. Set aside.

Make the tart:
Heat oven to 425°F. On a well-floured surface, roll out each pastry disk to 12½ inches in diameter. Line an 11-inch fluted French tart pan (with removable bottom) with one sheet of pastry, pressing in at the sides and leaving a 1-inch overlap hanging.

Add the potatoes to the tart pan in even layers, making sure to scrape in all remaining crème fraîche with a rubber spatula. Lay the second pastry sheet on top. With a paring knife, trim excess dough and crimp the edges all around to seal. Make a few slits in the dough to allow steam to escape. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set tart on it. Stir egg yolk and cream together and paint the top of the tart generously.

Bake the tart:

Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F, then reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 1 hour more, until top is golden and potatoes are tender when probed with a paring knife. Cool slightly, then set tart pan over a small, sturdy bowl, so that the bottom of the tart pan is elevated and the fluted ring comes off. Carefully transfer tart to a plate. Serve small slices, hot or at room temperature. May be cooled completely and reheated if desired.

Pommes Anna

Pommes Anna

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Yield: 6 to 8 Servings
Adapted from Melissa Clark / NY Times

A classic French dish, pommes Anna translates as Anna potatoes. A mandoline works well for cutting the potatoes into thin, uniform slices. This recipe calls for clarified butter

  • 5lbs russet or all-purpose white potatoes, as needed
  • ¾cup clarified butter, melted
  • Kosher salt, as needed
  • Freshly ground black pepper, as needed

Heat oven to 450°F. Place a rack in the middle and set a rimmed baking sheet on top of it.

Trim potatoes into cylinders, peeling any skin left after trimming. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice into 1/8-inch slices and blot dry with paper towels. You should have about 8 cups.

In a heavy 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons clarified butter over medium heat. When hot, carefully place 1 potato slice in the middle, then quickly place more slices around it, overlapping them clockwise to make a ring. Place a second ring to surround the first, going counterclockwise. Continue to the edge of the pan, alternating the direction in which the potato rings overlap. Sprinkle with a generous 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with another 2 tablespoons butter.

Create second layer of potatoes, just as you did the first. Season with salt and pepper; drizzle with butter.

Continue layering potatoes, butter and salt until everything is used, making a dome of potatoes in the middle (they will sink as they cook). Occasionally shake skillet gently to ensure potatoes aren’t sticking. When finished, there should be enough butter that it can be seen bubbling up the sides of the skillet.

Butter the bottom of a 9-inch pan and one side of a piece of foil. Push the pan down firmly on top of the potatoes to press them. Remove pan, then cover potatoes with the foil, buttered side down. Cover the foil with a lid. Set skillet on the baking sheet in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove skillet from oven, uncover and remove foil, and again press potatoes down firmly with the 9-inch pan. (Re-butter bottom of pan, if necessary, before you press down.) Return to oven and bake uncovered, until potatoes are tender and the sides are dark brown when lifted away from skillet, 20 to 25 minutes.

Once more, remove skillet from oven and press potatoes down firmly with pan. Tip the skillet away from you to drain off the excess butter into a bowl (this can be reused for cooking), using the lid to keep the potatoes in place. Run a thin spatula around edge and bottom of skillet to loosen any slices stuck to the pan. Carefully turn out the potatoes onto a serving platter.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

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with Fresh Herbs and Garlic

Yield: 2 to 4 Servings

Tyler Florence / Food Network

Fingerling potatoes have a subtle sweet flavor. The are wonderful roasted until crispy with some fresh herbs.

  • 2pints fingerling potatoes
  • 2sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2-3sprigs fresh sage
  • 3sprigs fresh thyme
  • 6cloves garlic, left unpeeled
  • 3TBS extra-virgin olive oil, plus for sheet pan
  • Salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 500°F and place a baking sheet inside to heat.

Add potatoes, rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic to a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Remove sheet pan from oven, lightly coat with olive oil, and pour potatoes onto pan. Place potatoes in oven and reduce heat to 425°F. Roast for 20 minutes, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside.

Classic Lyonnaise Potatoes

Classic Lyonnaise Potatoes

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Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Emerils

Some restaurants do this with diced potatoes, but the traditional method calls for sliced. This simple combination of potatoes and onions is anything but ordinary.

  • 2TBS olive oil
  • 2lb Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
  • Salt and freshly ground white pepper
  • 4TBS (½ stick) butter, cut into pieces
  • 3onions, julienned
  • 2TBS chopped garlic
  • 1TBS finely chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, cover bottom of pan with half the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with half the butter and repeat with an additional layer so all the potatoes and butter are used. Cook until potatoes begin to brown on the bottom, 10 to 15 minutes. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onions and potatoes are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Toss together.

Using a spatula, gently lift potatoes out of pan and place on a serving platter. Garnish with parsley.

Simple Scones

Simple Scones

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Yield: about 6 to 10 scones
Adapted from Becky Coan
adapted from Perfect Recipes for Having People Over, Pamela Anderson.

Becky makes these often for church meetings.  These are an above average scone.  She says she also likes to add some finely ground nuts for additional texture.

  • ½cup sour cream
  • 1large egg
  • 2cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅓cup sugar
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • ½tsp salt
  • ¼tsp baking soda
  • 8TBS unsalted butter, frozen in ½-inch pieces
  • ½cup blueberries, raisins, Craisins, chocolate chips, etc.
  • demerara, sparkling or other course sugar for topping.

Optional Glaze:

  • 4oz confectioners’ sugar
  • 1tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 3-4oz milk


Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400°F.

Use half-sheet pan with Silpat.

Whisk sour cream and egg in a small bowl until smooth.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and fruit/chips in a medium bowl.

Grate butter into flour mixture, using large holes of a box grater or grind the frozen butter with the grating disc off a food processor; toss to combine. Stir in sour cream mixture until large clumps of dough form. Use your hands to press dough against side and bottom of bowl to form a ball. (There may not seem like enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)

Dump dough into bowl.  Mix with your hands until it mostly holds together. Turn dough out onto a floured surface.

Roll or press the dough out thick rectangle.  Cut in half lengthwise and then cut the halves into quarters or any suitable size.  Place on pan about 2 inches apart and press to about an inch thick.

OR: Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 7½ inch circle about ¾ inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles. Place about 2 inches apart on pan.

OR: Roll or press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12x3x1¼ inches. Cut the rectangle in half then cut the pieces in half again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in half on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape.

OR: Drop into 6 to 9 plops on pan.  (I find this too thick to plop).

Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on size.

Remove from oven and transfer to a rack to cool.

Optional Glaze:

In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and tablespoons of milk until you reach the desired consistency.

Drizzle or spread on the scones.

Haluski (Cabbage & Noodles)

Haluski (Cabbage & Noodles)

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Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Adapted from Spend with Pennies

Cabbage and Noodles (aka Haluski) is an old Polish dish. Different areas have slightly different versions, Slovak Halusky is more of a potato dumpling while other areas enjoy it as cabbage and noodles. This needs a big pot and a non-stick skillet.

Back in the good ol’ days of early 2022, kielbasa and other smoked sausages came in 14 oz packages. Now they’re only 12 oz. Marginally enough, I’ve updated this to call for 16-24 oz.

  • 8oz uncooked egg noodles
  • 2TBS olive oil, divided
  • 16-24oz kielbasa or other pre-cooked sausage, sliced
  • ¼cup salted butter
  • 1large onion, diced
  • ½-1head cabbage, chopped (approx. 6-8 cups)
  • 1clove garlic, minced
  • ⅔cup frozen peas
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cook noodles in a 6-quart sauce pot or dutch oven according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Note: You can use the same pot used for the noodles to cook the kielbasa, but it tends to leave a nasty residue that is hard to clean. It is generally better to use a non-stick skillet.

Using the pan of your choice, over medium high heat, add 1 TBS olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add kielbasa and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Add the remaining olive oil, butter and diced onion. Cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

If you used a separate pan for the kielbasa, dump the contents into the noodle pan now.

Add the cabbage and garlic. The pot will be very full, but the cabbage will wilt while cooking. Cover and cook until tender (10-15 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Stir in peas, noodles and salt & pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Taste and check for final seasoning. Serve.