Double Duty Recipes Series

Families are busy, right?  I remember having the dilemma of trying to get two active daughters off to soccer practices six and sometimes even seven days a week after work or early on a Saturday morning.  Everything had to be quite well orchestrated in order to get the daily activities and weekly responsibilities accomplished.  That is when I created a repertoire of Double Duty Recipes.  Lemon Potatoes is the inspiration for this Double Duty Recipes Series.

With such a busy schedule, my challenge was to consider a recipe that could be used for two meals, (double duty) such as dinner the first night with a grilled steak or chicken breast, then planned leftovers for salad the next day.  The recipe that follows for Roasted Potato Salad with Crispy Bacon and Chives is a re-creation of the Lemon Potato recipe featured in this post – a favourite of my lemon-loving daughter.

You may want to consider doubling this recipe for Lemon Potatoes – just saying.  They are delicious.  And, addictive.  And, you will probably find that you don’t have enough left over for the double duty recipe.  This happens often!  I can tell you from past experience that our family of four would hover over the tray just hot from the oven after we drizzled the lemon juice on top of the crispy roasted potatoes and happily feast on them.

LEMON POTATOES

CHEF TALK:  Small nugget potatoes work well here.  This is a unique method of cooking (par-cooking) potatoes because you start with hot water and par-boil the potatoes for a few minutes before roasting them.  The secret is high heat for a short period of time in the oven – the light coating of flour and seasonings creates a nice crust.  Drizzle fresh lemon juice over the potatoes immediately as the tray comes out of the oven. The potatoes absorb the fresh lemon juice, lending great flavour to this hot dish.  This recipe can easily be made gluten-free by substituting the flour with a gluten-free blend.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1  1/2 lbs.  (usually 1 bag) small nugget potatoes, halved or 1 1/2 lbs. large russet potatoes, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 – 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
• 2 – 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 of a cooking onion, diced
• Juice of one half of a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
• Zest of 1/2 lemon, if desired

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.
3. Set a medium to large pot of water to boil.  Add the potatoes.
4. Par-boil for five minutes – the potatoes will not be cooked through at this point. Drain.  Remove the potatoes to a stainless steel bowl.
5. Add the butter, flour, seasonings and diced onion.  Toss well. Place on the baking sheet.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes without turning (the small nugget potatoes will be nicely coloured with darker caramelized tips). If you are using the larger potatoes, roast for 30 – 40 minutes until the edges of the potatoes are golden with caramelized tips.
7. Remove from the oven and drizzle the lemon juice over the potatoes (and zest if you are using).  Toss to combine.  Adjust seasoning if necessary.  Enjoy while they are hot or cool the potatoes in order to make the following recipe.

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WITH THIS RECIPE?

CHEF TALK:  Those of you who follow my cookbooks know that I often take a recipe and give you options for reinvention.  This is a perfect example of a Double Duty Recipe.

I am fairly certain that once you make this version of potato salad, it will be a part of your salad repertoire for many occasions.  It is rustic with its chunky ingredients, very flavourful and guaranteed to be a hit. Give it a try.

DOUBLE DUTY RECIPE SERIES

Roasted Potato Salad with Crispy Bacon and Chives

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 lb roasted LEMON POTATOES, (leftovers from doubled recipe above)
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 3 – 4 eggs, hard-boiled, each egg cut into quarters or eighths
• 1 scallion, sliced thinly
• 4 – 6 rashers of smoky bacon, cooked until crispy and broken into coarse pieces
• 1 – 2 dill pickles, depending on size, 1/4 inch dice
• Chives, for garnish
• Salt and Pepper, to taste, as required

METHOD:

1. Simply combine the above ingredients, first reserving a little of the bacon, egg and scallion for garnish.
2. Taste for seasoning (it often does not require any).
3. Garnish with reserved bacon, egg and scallion and chives.
4. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated until it is time to serve.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

OTHER DOUBLE DUTY STRATEGIES FOR THIS RECIPE:        

CHEF TIP # 1:  Time Saver: Use the time that your water is coming to a boil to hard boil the eggs.  By the time the water comes to a boil, it will be time to remove the eggs with some of the boiling water and let them sit for 10 minutes before plunging them in cold water to cool.  Crack the shells by tapping them all over, but do not peel. Keep them in the cold water. After 10 minutes has passed, shell the eggs – you will find that this is now an easy task.  Store the peeled whole eggs in a container filled with fresh water in the refrigerator for up to three days.

CHEF TIP # 2:  Time Saver: On a parchment lined baking sheet, roast one entire package of bacon in the oven.  Just separate the rashers of bacon and lay them flat close to each other.  Roast at 350°F until desired crispness. Use 4 – 6 rashers of bacon for the salad and store the extra bacon for a quick lettuce, bacon and tomato sandwich or to sprinkle on salads, etc.  (You can freeze cooked bacon, too).  Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined saucer.

CHEF TIP # 3:  Bonus Flavour Booster:  Remove any excess bacon fat from the tray that you are roasting the bacon on but leave the stuck-on bacon bits that remain on the parchment on the sheet – use this same baking sheet to roast your lemon potatoes for a bit of added bonus bacon flavour (again – double duty!).

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

• Parchment Paper
• Oven Temperature Accuracy
• Tweaking
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I hope you enjoy this Double Duty Recipe for Potatoes.  It is a family favourite and I am sure it will become one of yours, as well.  Drop me a line if you want to see more Double Duty Recipe ideas.

“What I say is that,

if a man really likes potatoes,

he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.”
― A.A. Milne

Happy Double Duty Recipe Cooking, everyone!

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The UrbnSpice Chef

 

 

You Might Also Enjoy These:

Double Duty Recipes:  Orange Glazed Salmon and Orange Fennel Salad

Potato Crusted Quiche – A Gluten Free Crust made from Potato 

Sausage & Potato “No Bread” Stuffing

Caramelizing Onions and How Do I Do That?    

Roasted Tomato Compote – Another Way of Looking at Condiments  

FURTHER READING:

Potato Nutritional Information:  Potatoes are healthy!

The Carbohydrate Myth:  http://www.littlepotatoes.com/potatoes101/carbohydrate-myth.php