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Vichy Carrots

By Denise Pare-Watson

One of the very first classes that I was taught in Professional Cooking Culinary Training was Vegetables & Starches Class. I gained a whole new appreciation for vegetables from my culinary instructors during this three-week segment. It was jam-packed with useful information pertaining to all types of vegetables. I was surprised how little tips and techniques made such a difference in the taste of a vegetable; for instance – peeling and cooking a rutabaga properly.  I talk about exactly that in this post. But, the vegetable dish that sticks in my mind the most is Vichy Carrots.

The name of this dish originated from a village in France called – you guessed it – Vichy. Known for its slightly carbonated volcanic water, it is said to be one of the most mineral-rich waters in France. Although is not likely the average person will be able to obtain this magical Vichy water, there is nothing stopping us from making Vichy Carrots by substituting either water, carbonated water or chicken stock.

Pot Latch Salmon Papillote | urbnspice.com

Potlatch Salmon Papillote served with Vichy Carrots and Israeli Couscous

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Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
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Filed Under: Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, My Recipes, Sides, Urb'n'Spice Tips and Techniques Series, Vegetables Tagged With: Braising Vegetables, Carrots, Sides, Vegetables

Pan Roasted Sweet Potato with Lime

By Denise Pare-Watson

This recipe for Pan Roasted Sweet Potato with Lime is one of our personal family favourite side dishes. We have served it with breakfast with eggs and sausage as well as brunch, lunch or dinner. It is just one of those dishes that seems to fit on any menu plan.  We have been known to happily devour the entire dish between the two of us.

What do you think of sweet potatoes?  Growing up, sweet potatoes were not something that I remember eating as a child. Nowadays, sweet potatoes –  particularly pan or oven roasted sweet potatoes, appear on our table once or twice a week in one way or another.  We love them!  You must try them simply baked or microwaved, whole, skin on until tender; split open and eaten with a pat of butter, salt and pepper.  So delicious!  Sweet potatoes are a super food and known as one of the world’s healthiest foods with sources of Vitamin A, C, B6, B3, B1, B2, potassium, fibre and many other healthful properties.

Pan Roasted Diced Sweet Potato with Lime | urbnspice.com

Pan Roasted Diced Sweet Potato with Lime | urbnspice.com

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: My Recipes, Sides, Vegetables Tagged With: Knife Skills, Roasting Vegetables, Sides, Sweet Potato, Vegetables

Sausage & Potato Stuffing – Gluten Free

By Denise Pare-Watson

If your guest list this holiday season has you hesitant to face gluten-free or dairy-free restrictions, this gluten-free Sausage & Potato Stuffing is the perfect side dish for you. As it happens, my guest list this year includes gluten-free, dairy-free and grain free restrictions, so I can definitely relate.

Sausage & Potato Gluten Free Stuffing | urbnspice.com

Sausage and Potato Stuffing: Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Grain Free Stuffing

This is a no-fret recipe.   It has all of the traditional ingredients of a classic stuffing without the bread and includes aromatic vegetables, rich chicken stock, a splash or two of white wine, flavourful sausage and crispy bacon.  I can guarantee that after you taste this Potato “No Bread” Gluten Free Stuffing, you will want it to be part of your family holiday favourites.
Sausage & Potato Stuffing | urbnspice.com

Sausage & Potato Stuffing

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 6 – 8 servings

CHEF TALK: This gluten-free, make-ahead dish, is sure to become one of your go-to side dishes. It is delicious served with a ham or turkey dinner or for any occasion.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 lb mixed nugget potatoes
  • 1/2 lb (226 g) of pork or breakfast sausage (I used gluten-free Bratwurst), removed from casings
  • 2 slices of bacon, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 medium carrot, diced finely
  • 1 stalk celery, diced finely
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced finely
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried summer savoury
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 cup chicken stock

METHOD: 

Prepare the potatoes:
    1. Pierce the potatoes once or twice with a skewer and place them on a microwave-safe dish.
    2. Microwave for five minutes and remove from the microwave. Cool for a few minutes until they are easy to handle. (You can prepare these ahead).
    3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, quarter them or dice them into small pieces as shown in the photographs. Set aside.
For the Stuffing:
  1. In a large fry pan over medium heat, fry the sausage meat, breaking it up into small crumbles, until it is caramelized.
    CHEF TIP: This process of caramelizing adds flavour to the stuffing. Remove the cooked sausage meat from the frying pan and set aside.
  2. Now add the diced bacon to the same fry pan and cook the bacon until it is brown and crispy.
  3. Add the diced onion and stir together until the onion is starting to turn colour.
  4. Add the diced carrot, celery and bell pepper and stir until the vegetables are softened.
  5. Add the minced garlic and stir to cook for a minute or two.
  6. Add the herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  7. Add the white wine and cook until the wine evaporates – about one minute.
  8. Return the sausage to the pan and stir in the cooked diced potatoes.
  9. Stir all of the ingredients together and then add the chicken stock.
  10. If you want to make this dish ahead, take the frying pan off of the heat and let it cool before you cover and refrigerate until you are ready to reheat at 325oF for 30 to 40 minutes.
  11. If you wish to serve this dish right away, simmer for a few minutes until the chicken stock is absorbed by the vegetables and potatoes. Check and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
  12. Keep the stuffing warm.
  13. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.  Enjoy!

Here is your visual step-by-step How to Make Sausage & Potato Gluten Free Stuffing:

Bacon and Onions | urbnspice.com

The process of caramelization of bacon and onions and sausage will have people coming into your kitchen to see what’s cooking!

Sausage & Potato 'no bread' stuffing | urbnspice.com

Add the aromatic vegetables to the sausage and potato stuffing mixture.

Cooking the Vegetables for the potato stuffing | urbnspice.com

Cooking the Vegetables for the potato stuffing

Sausage & Potato 'no bread' stuffing | urbnspice.com

Adding the sausage and quartered potatoes to the stuffing

Sausage & Potato Gluten Free Stuffing | urbnspice.com

Sausage and Potato Stuffing: Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Grain Free Stuffing – A great make-ahead dish for the holidays!

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:

  • Tweaking

Bonus Learning Tip Post:

  • Gluten-Free Tips and Techniques
    __________

Happy Gluten-Free Cooking, everyone!

As always, if you give this recipe for Sausage & Potato “No Bread” Stuffing – Gluten Free a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. You can find me on social media – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I’m sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.comDenise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media:

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Urbnspice is on Twitter

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I am also on Instagram

You Might Also Enjoy These UrbnSpice Posts:

Roasted Potato, Crispy Bacon & Chive Salad

Potato Crusted Quiche – A Gluten Free Crust made from Potato 

How to Caramelize Onions 

FURTHER READING:

Potato Nutritional Information:  Potatoes are healthy!

The Carbohydrate Myth  

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014-2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Dietary Restrictions, Gluten Free Recipes, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, My Recipes, Potatoes and Rice, Sides, Vegetables Tagged With: Family Favourites, Gluten Free, Make Ahead Dishes, Potatoes, Sides, Stuffing

Lemon Potatoes

By Denise Pare-Watson

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.

Double Duty Recipes: Roasted Potato, Crispy Bacon & Chive Salad | urbnspice.com

Double Duty Recipes: Roasted Potato, Crispy Bacon & Chive Salad

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 - delicious and addictive | urbnspice.com

Lemon Potatoes

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.

Lemon Potatoes | urbnspice.com

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
Double Duty Recipes: Roasted Potato, Crispy Bacon & Chive Salad | urbnspice.com

Double Duty Recipes: Roasted Potato, Crispy Bacon & Chive Salad | urbnspice.com

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
    __________

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 Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

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

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016-2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Double Duty Recipes Series, Gluten Free Recipes, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, Main Dishes or Entree Options, Salads, Sides, Vegetables Tagged With: Double Duty Recipes, Family Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, inspiration of the day, Main Dishes, Potatoes, Sides

DOUBLE DUTY RECIPES

By Denise Pare-Watson

Roasted Potato Salad with Crispy Bacon and Chives

Double Duty Recipes Series

It is a busy time of year and no one really wants to spend time in the kitchen. Social schedules are full with block party events, casual get-togethers and gatherings of every kind.  Then, there is always the dilemma of what do I bring? What better time of year to consider a recipe that can be used for two events – “Double Duty Recipes” 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.  This is one of UrbnSpice’s  Double Duty Recipes that you will enjoy making again and again.

Double Duty Recipes: Roasted Potato, Crispy Bacon & Chive Salad | urbnspice.com

Double Duty Recipes: Roasted Potato, Crispy Bacon & Chive Salad 

You may want to consider doubling this recipe.  The Lemon Potatoes 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!…

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017-2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Double Duty Recipes Series, Gluten Free Recipes, Main Dishes or Entree Options, Potatoes and Rice, Salads, Sides Tagged With: Double Duty Recipes, Family Recipes, Gluten Free, Potatoes, Salads, Sides

On Cutting Vegetables

By Denise Pare-Watson

On Cutting Vegetables

“Vegetables sure are hard to cut – they are so problematic!  So unwieldy, so roly-poly, so wobbly!”

“This class is going to be so great!”

(Snippets of conversation overheard during an Urb’n’Spice  Knife Skills & Cookery Class)

Butternut Squash - cutting skills | urbnspice.com

Cutting Skills – Butternut Squash
Cutting Skills - Rutabaga | urbnspice.com

*****

“I hope this book will inspire the kitchen con-artist in you,

increase fruit and veggie consumption in your family,

and motivate you to become an Accidental Cook. Pass it on!”

― Merrin McGregor, Vegetables Accidentally

*****

“I don’t think I’ll ever grow old and say,

“What was I thinking eating all those fruits and vegetables?”

― Nancy S. Mure, Eat! Empower.

*****

Further Reading of Interest from Urb’n’Spice:

The Confident Kitchen Series – How to tackle a butternut squash

Rooting for Rutabaga – An Understated Vegetable

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015-2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Foodie Quotes, The Confident Kitchen Series Tagged With: Cutting Skills, Food Quotes, Sides, The Confident Kitchen Series, Vegetables

Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans

By Denise Pare-Watson

I am a lucky, lucky chef to have my Mom’s Vintage Family Bean Pot handed down to me.  The beans just taste better made in this good old bean pot!  The recipe that I am sharing with you for Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans is an easy dish to throw together.   It can slow cook all day on a Sunday afternoon and you will be rewarded with a rich and fragrant comfort dish.  Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans | urbnspice.com

I feel very fortunate to have the vintage family bean pot. It has been in our family for at least four generations.

It has a worn and rustic patina on the outer surface and is wonderfully seasoned from decades of use.  The fragrance filling my kitchen was so inviting that we could hardly wait to dig in.

The recipe that I have the best results with starts with dried beans.   Although most of the recipes I have made in the past use navy beans, I prefer a medley of beans.
Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans using a Medley of Beans | urbnspice.com

Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans using a Medley of Beans

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014-2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Beans and Legumes, Gluten Free Recipes, Sides, Vintage Recipes Tagged With: Baked Beans, Beans & Legumes, Family Recipes, Sides, Vintage Recipes

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Meet Denise – The Urbnspice Chef

Welcome to Urbnspice - A Taste of Heart and Home. Inspiration in my kitchen is often a trip to the market or an experimental coincidence! Come and join me on this culinary journey where I share my passion for the creative, technical and teaching components of the profession and unravel culinary quandaries for you with fun and easy to follow user-friendly recipes, tips & techniques.
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