Crispy Potato & Parsnip Hash with Stonyfield Yogurt + DreamFarm

Disclosure: I am honored to be a member of the Stonyfield Clean Plate Club. I received product or coupons for writing this post, but all opinions are my own.


It amazes me that there are still relatively common foods that I haven't tried. Some just don't make it onto my radar and others puzzle me enough that I pick them up at the grocery store and think, "What in the world would I do with this?"

Parsnips are one such food.

During my Trader Joe's rounds last week I found that the parsnips {which happened to be particularly inexpensive} suddenly looked too intriguing to leave out of my basket. So they came home with me and we got acquainted.

Have you ever tried a parsnip? It's a root vegetable that looks a lot like a carrot with a pale complexion. Like maybe carrot's SPF-conscious cousins.

Knowing nothing about parsnips and how to prepare them -- but figuring that they couldn't be too different from other root veggies -- I decided to give them a go in a Crispy Potato and Parsnip Hash and see how they'd turn out.

I peeled them, chopped them and threw them into this cool little contraption that was sent to me to try: the Dreamfarm Vebo.


 It's a silicone basket where VEggies {and whatnot} can be BOiled, steamed and strained all in one convenient place. It was pretty nifty! {Although I have to tell you, you could get some serious steam burns if you're not careful pulling the basket out of the boiling water. Just a heads up.}

Despite the fact that I am not a big fan of carrots {I've tried so very hard to like the over the years, but I just can't do it!}, I really enjoyed the parsnips! It could have something to do with the fact that the way I prepared them gave them just the right amount of golden crispness on the outside and tender creaminess on the inside. The flavor was slightly sweet but not too strong and went perfectly with the Dutch yellow baby potatoes and onions that I roasted along with them.

We love this dish on Sunday mornings with breakfast fixins {read: topped with a runny egg and alongside a few strips of bacon}, or as a side dish with a big dollop of tart and creamy Stonyfield Greek Yogurt on top. You can mix some fresh chives into the yogurt for a little extra flavor, but it isn't even necessary.

Want a Vebo of your own? Enter to win one below! I'll be picking a winner at random next week. Good luck!

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Crispy Potato & Parsnip Hash with Stonyfield Yogurt Sauce 

1 pound Dutch yellow baby potatoes, cut into approximately 1 inch pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into approximately 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Sea salt
Stonyfield Organic Plain Greek Yogurt
{Optional} Fresh or dried chives, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.

2. Place cut potatoes and parsnips into the Vebo. Place the Vebo in a pot filled with water until just covering veggies. Add about a teaspoon of salt to water. Boil for about 10-12 minutes or until the vegetables are fork-tender.  {If you don't have a Vebo, you can certainly dump the veggies directly into a pot.}

3. Meanwhile, saute onions until just tender in a small pan and set aside.

4. Carefully remove Vebo from pot to drain or pour vegetables into a strainer in the sink. Spread vegetables out onto prepared baking pan and gently toss with oil. {You may want to drizzle a bit more on top.} Add onions to mixture and toss together.

4. Sprinkle with onion powder, garlic powder and salt.

5. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until they're golden brown on the outside, giving them a turn about half way through cooking time.

Serve with a dollop of Stonyfield Greek Yogurt and chives sprinkled on top.

Savory Guinness & Veggie Cobbler

I attended a small Catholic school as a kid. Our school "mascot" was The Shamrock.

Exciting/menacing, I know.

Anyway, because of our obvious ties to the emerald emblem, I grew up with a strong appreciation for St. Patrick's Day & figured that everyone else in the world celebrated it as enthusiastically as we did.

{For us, it was "Spirit Day". Read: Pep rally, fun activities, and the biggest thrill of all -- getting to come to school dressed in non-uniform attire.}

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that adults liked celebrating St. Patrick's Day, too... just for different reasons.

As fond as I am of St. Patrick's Day festivities & fare, I've never really been one to dye food unnatural {and unappetizing} colors for the sake of thematic authenticity. Maybe that's the reason I've never hopped on the Red Velvet bandwagon.

But I digress.

Now, beer, on the other hand. That's a celebratory tradition I can stand behind. {Again, minus the dye.}

This recipe idea came to mind out of nowhere {after my initial idea drought}, and I just had to try it out and see if it would work. It did. Though sadly, it didn't look as pretty as it tasted.

However... if you're the type that wouldn't let a perfectly drink/meal/dessert go to waste just because it's tinted a funky green color, then maybe you can overlook the flaws of this dish, too.

While Guinness is perfectly fine on its own as the star of the show for an evening of carousing, it plays a great role in the background of this rich, hearty meal as well adding deep flavors to both the "gravy" and the dumplings. I made mine a vegetarian version, but I bet it would be good with beef or chicken for the meat-eaters among you.

If you're looking for something a little less "shamrocky" to make for St. Patrick's Day {or need something to help soak up those pints of green beer}, give this a try.

Otherwise, check out these other boozy delights from past posts!

Irish Cream Cookies

Homemade Irish Cream

 

Chocolate Whiskey Cupcakes

Or these cute Pot O' Gold Favors for the kiddies:

Savory Guinness & Veggie Cobbler

For Filling:

1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 medium carrots, peeled & chopped
1 clove, minced
3-4 small Yukon gold potatoes, about 1 inch dice {about 2 cups}
1 12 oz. container sliced mushrooms
1 dried teaspoon rosemary or thyme (or 1 tablespoon if using fresh}
3 {heaping} tablespoons flour
6 ounces Guinness {approx}
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Salt to taste

For Topping:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
8-10 oz. Guinness or stout beer1. Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots, sprkinkle with a dash of salt. Cook until the onions are beginning to get translucent and the veggies start to get tender. Add garlic and cook for about a minute.

2. Toss in potatoes, mushrooms, and herbs and stir well. Cook for about 6-7 minutes to soften up the potato and let the mushrooms start giving off liquid.

3. Sprinkle the veggies with flour and toss well. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.

4. Pour in the Guinness and chicken broth. Stir well and let it simmer until it comes up to a bubble. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the liquid thickens up and starts to look more like a sauce or a gravy, scraping the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing is sticking and you're getting all those tasty brown bits. {Plus, less scraping when it's time to clean!} Season with salt to taste.

5. Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cheddar in a medium bowl. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

6. Add about 8 ounces of Guinness and mix it until just combined. It'll be kind of lumpy. If it's still too dry and you have large patches of flour left, add a little extra beer at at time until it's moistened. Otherwise, leave as is. {You don't want it to be too wet or it'll spread too much like mine did. The consistency should be like drop biscuits.}

7. When the potatoes are pretty much fork tender and the sauce is thick, pour the stew mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

8. Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, plop little mounds of batter over the top of the stew. It doesn't have to cover the whole thing.

9. Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until the dumplings have set and the stew is bubbly.

Tailgate Thursday: LSU Edition!

I'm hoping you didn't notice, but I sort of skipped over Tailgate Thursday last week. There was just too much stuff going on and too little time to get everything done. Oh yeah, and the recipe I had planned totally bombed. So there was that little factor, too.

But this week, I'm back and I'm ready to share some Purple & Gold love for the LSU Tigers!

Steve and I had the chance to go to a game at "Death Valley" a while back... and boy, was that an experience! {Sadly, our team lost that game and we were forced to walk through the valley of death with bourbon-fueled fans heckling us along the way... no fun at all.}

With our LSU friends. Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Circa 2007

One thing I do remember fondly about our LSU tailgating experience was the food. I'm pretty sure that in order to be an LSU fan, you have to sign some sort of agreement stating that you will purchase professional tailgating gear and make enough food to feed an army! I'm talking VATS of fried oysters, fried shrimp, and anything else you can batter and fry along with sides of spicy crawfish pasta salad and boatloads of other snacks. They sure do know how to throw a party!

Of course, the state in general is known for some pretty fantastic foods... Fresh gulf seafood, Cajun cooking, and New Orleans fare are just a few things that come to mind when I think of Louisiana

For my LSU tailgate menu, I decided to go the easy route with quick but yummy bites that you don't need fancy tailgate gear to make at home.

1. Purple Tiger Dream Cocktail by Carla at Haute Cocktail, 2. Cajun Tater Bites,
3. Tiger Butter Candy, 4. LSU dress from Twelve Saturdays

Let's start with the Purple Tiger Dream Cocktail that Carla mixed up for us. The deep purple color made by combining raspberry liqueur, cranberry juice, and blue curacao along with a few other ingredients is a perfect match for Twelve Saturdays' adorable little one-shouldered number. Cocktail coordination!

I couldn't resist buying purple potatoes for the Cajun Tater Bites to go with the theme! These are so easy to make and the color really gives a festive touch to these spicy starters. {If you can't find purple potatoes, plain small potatoes should work just fine.}

For a sweet treat, you won't find tastier stripes than the Tiger Butter Candy that comes together in about 20 minutes! It's a cross between fudge and bark with a creamy peanut butter kick. Easy and satisfying!

I can't believe this is my 6th Tailgate Thursday post, which means we're mid-way through football season already! Have you tried any of my tailgate recipes? Discovered any new ones we shouldn't live without? Feel free to share with me here or on my Facebook page... I love to see what's happening in your kitchen!

Purple Tiger Dream Cocktail
by Carla at Haute Cocktail

1/2 oz. Blackcurrant vodka {or plain vodka if you don't have Blackcurrant}
2 oz. Raspberry Liqueur
1 oz. Blue Curacao Liqueur
2 oz. Cranberry Juice
Lemon-Lime Soda

Directions:

1. In a shaker mix vodka and cranberry juice and pour in a glass with ice.
2. Add raspberry liqueur and blue curacao to glass and fill up with lemon-lime soda.

*If the drink is a little too blue, add extra cranberry juice until a deep purple color is achieved.

Cajun Tater Bites

20 small purple potatoes, scrubbed
Approximately 4 ounces of cheddar cheese, sliced into small squares

For Topping:

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon Cajun or blackened seasoning {more if you want more of a "kick"}
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
salt to taste

1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Assembling Potatoes:

1. Fill a medium pot with water and a tablespoon of salt. Place scrubbed potatoes in water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15-18 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool.

2. Slice each potato in half.* Season with salt. While warm, top with a small square of cheddar cheese.

3. Finish with a small dollop of yogurt mixture.

*You may need to cut a tiny sliver off the bottoms of potatoes for them to stand without rolling.

Tiger Butter Candy
adapted from Taste of Home

1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter {I used reduced fat... not that it really matters!}
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Prepare an 8x8 square baking pan by lining with foil. Coat foil with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, place white chocolate chips and peanut butter. Heat for about 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave, stopping at 30 minute intervals to stir until the mixture is smooth and chips are fully incorporated.

3. Pour peanut butter mixture into prepared pan and spread in an even layer. Set aside.

4. Repeat melting process with semi sweet chips {it will take less time since it's a smaller amount}.

5. Spoon melted chocolate over peanut butter mixture in long tiger-stripe-like strokes.

6. With the tip of a knife or a toothpick, swirl chocolate into peanut butter mixture to look like tiger stripes.

7. Chill in freezer for about 15 minutes or until set, then remove and break into pieces.

Give In To the Heat

I am loving our little trips to the produce store I mentioned a few weeks ago. Loving.

Half the time I don't even have plans for what I'm going to make with the things I buy. I just wander up and down the {two. Yes, two.} aisles and pick up whatever tickles my fancy.

"Why, hello, weird looking vegetable. You will be very happy in my kitchen. Hi there, pretty leafy green. In the basket you go."

I'm like a kid in a candy store. {With less risk for cavities.}

It's been kinda fun buying produce that I've never cooked with before. For one, we've upped our veggie intake quite a bit. And our meals have gotten a lot more exotic and creative.

Normally, once the mercury starts rising {and around here, it already has}, the dishes I'm inclined to make are lighter, cooler, and as simply prepared as possible. {Sorry, oven, we're already roasting without your help.}

But when I bought some poblano peppers last week and then found a recipe for Creamy Potato Soup with Poblano & Mushrooms, my craving beat out the sweltering temps and I made up my mind to crank up the air conditioning and making a pot of steaming hot soup for dinner.

It was a good decision.

The charred poblanos add a spicy kick to the soup, and I love the heartiness of the potatoes and mushrooms.

Step outside your comfort zone and pick up some veggies that catch your eye next time you're in the grocery store. If it turns out half as good as this soup, you'll be glad you ventured outside the "broccoli zone". :)

Creamy Potato Soup with Poblano & Mushrooms
Slightly adapted from Smart Cooking the Costco Way

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 white onion, diced
8 ounches mushrooms {I used white button}
1 garlic clove, minced or grated
2 poblano peppers, charred under broiler*, skin removed & cut into 1/4 inch dice
3 small to medium Yukon gold or other creamy potato, cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 cups chicken broth mixed with 1 cup water
1/2 cup half and half
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat. In a medium pot, add chicken broth and water and bring to a boil.  

Add onions to skillet and saute until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and peppers, saute for another minute or two. Finally, add mushrooms, and saute until slightly cooked down.

Add skillet mixture to pot with boiling broth, followed by potatoes. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. 

Scoop out about half the vegetables and about 1/2 cup of broth {less vegetables if you want your soup more chunky}, and puree in a blender. While blender runs, add 1/2 cup of half and half.

Return the puree to soup and stir well.

Reheat the soup to a simmer and season to taste with salt and pepper.
*To char peppers: Set oven to broil. Move oven rack to highest spot. Line a small baking sheet with foil. Place whole peppers on baking sheet and put on highest oven rack. Allow peppers to cook until skin blisters {about 4-6 minutes}, then flip and broil other side. {Keep an eye out, the broiler is powerful}.

Remove peppers from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.  You should be able to easily remove charred skin from pepper. If not, place peppers in a brown paper bag or plastic bag and allow steam to loosen skin until it is easier to peel off.

Pull out stem, slice peppers open and remove seeds.

OktoberFeast!

I know what you're thinking. And, nope, I did not get eaten alive by the creature living in my dining room table. But thanks for your concern. ;)

The end of the year (!) is proving to be a very busy one around these parts. To say we've had a lot going on would be a major understatement. And I have SO MUCH I want to share with you about the Fall cooking and baking that's been happening in my kitchen.

But first... Halloween. How was yours? Ours looked something like this:

We decided to go the cost effective route and make our own Halloween costumes for the second year in a row. This is what we came up with {Thank you, Costco, for the free boxes. And Goodwill for the ill-fitting Dockers and long sleeved shirt for a grand total of $6.}. I chose to be a food item, of course. Does this surprise you at all? {Or were you more surprised by hubby's shockingly white thighs?? Love you, dear!}

Other than our debut as Scout & S'more, our Halloween was pretty uneventful. We didn't buy candy. {GASP!} We didn't turn on our porch light.  We didn't get one knock at the door. I learned my lesson about Halloween and apartment living long ago when I bought bags of candy and was left with... bags of candy {And very tight fitting jeans as a natural consequence}. So, as grinchy as it may seem, we only partook in adult Halloween events this year and rationalized it by saying that I'm sure we'll pay our dues when we have little Trick-or-Treaters of our own one day.

While we didn't have our own Halloween party, we did decide to invite our friends over on Saturday for a housewarming party. But not just ANY housewarming party... an Oktoberfest themed housewarming party. Complete with steins, liederhosen, alpine horns {you know, like the Ricola commercials}, and copious amounts of German-ish fare.

Four pounds of kielbasa. Two pounds of chicken-apple sausage. Four pounds of sauerkraut. Two and a half pounds of German Potato Salad. Mustard Marinated Pork Tenderloin. Homemade Pretzel Rolls. Three different Fall fruit desserts. Hundreds of ounces of beer. {And a partridge in a pear tree. Oops. Wrong holiday.} Not an ounce left over. No joke.

I'm sure I'll be sharing most of the recipes for these tasty treats throughout the next few weeks... but for now, I'll leave you with an easy, flavorful German Potato Salad recipe that makes a great side dish.

Hope your October was fantastic, and that your November will be even better!

German Potato Salad with Bacon Vinegar Dressing & Dill
Slightly Adapted from Epicurious

• 2 1/4 pounds medium-size red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 6 bacon slices, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill {or 1 tsp dried dill weed}

1. In a large pot, boil potato slices until fork tender, about 10 - 15 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Cover with foil.

2. Sauté bacon in large skillet over medium heat until brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Discard all but 2 1/2 tablespoons drippings. Heat drippings in skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Whisk in next 6 ingredients. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Add onion mixture to potatoes and toss to gently to coat with dressing. Let stand 3 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped bacon and fresh dill; toss. Transfer potato salad to serving platter. Serve warm.