Instant Pot Pork Chops w/ Green Beans and Potatoes

The inspiration for this recipe came from a conversation with a woman I work with and I needed to get it into my Instant Pot . When she talked about the green beans that she cooked in her pot , my mouth started watering and lightbulbs started blinking in my head. Growing up with the world's best cook, Janis Tosatto, this was a staple at our dinner table. I decided that I would try my rendition this week and it turned out perfectly .
This recipe will feed 2 people, with a few beans and potatoes leftover for lunch tomorrow. The seasoning I used on the pork and the vegetables is Red Rocks Hickory Smoke Seasoning from Savory Spice and is my go to for most everything. The beans and potatoes brought back such great childhood memories and the pork was tender and cooked through.

Instant Pot Pork Chops w/ Green Beans and Potatoes

2 10 oz Bone-in Pork Chops
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
2 cups chicken stock
14 oz green beans, broken in half
12 oz baking potato, peeled and cubed
3 garlic cloves, sliced
Salt and pepper (or seasoning of preference)

Hit the saute button and when it says hot, add olive oil. Brown chops on each side, 3 to 4 minutes and remove to plate.
Add onion, saute until soft.
Add stock, stirring to deglaze pot.
Turn off. Add beans, potatoes and garlic and more seasoning. Stir together.
Place chops on top of vegetables.
Making sure that the silicone ring is in
place, lock lid into place and close pressure valve.
Set on manual for 5 minutes at high pressure. My pot came to pressure within 12 minutes.
NPR for 10 minutes and release (with caution) remaining pressure.

Roasted Rosemary Baby New Potatoes

This is another side that I prepared to go with my pork chops. It's a rendition of the ones I make at home, only I used duck fat as opposed to olive oil in the recipe. I had mentioned seeing goose fat at the market to Lee and Laura and they informed me that the fat makes the best roasted potatoes. They were very good, crispy and creamy.

 Roasted Rosemary Baby New Potatoes

250 grams baby new potatoes

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 Tbsp. dry rosemary

1 Tbsp. duck fat

salt and pepper

Toss all of the ingredients on a small roasting pan and place in a 400 degree oven. Bake for 40 minutes.

Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes w/Roasted Garlic and Chives

This is another recipe that came to me from Ziplist. It's a great holiday side, but really can be prepared any time of the year. The great thing about this recipe is that you can prepare it the day before and reheat it in the oven. The potatoes are so light and fluffy and the chives and roasted garlic give them some nice flavor. You won't be disappointed in this recipe. I adapted this recipe from www.goodlifeeats.com.

Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes w/ Roasted Garlic and Chives

3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, cut in chunks
2 dried bay leaves
1 cup whole milk
1/4 chicken broth
8 oz container mascarpone cheese, room temperature
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 head roasted garlic
1/2 tsp pepper, or more to taste
kosher salt, to taste
1/2 bunch of chives (1/2 inch diameter), snipped

Add potatoes to stock pot with water. Add bay leaves and 1 teaspoon salt. bring to boil, lower to simmer and cook until very tender, 20 -30 minutes.
While potatoes cook, whisk together milk, broth, mascarpone and butter in a large oven safe bowl. Stir in pepper.
Once potatoes are cooked, drain water and discard bay leaves. Press potatoes through a potato ricer into bowl with mascarpone mixture. Press roasted garlic through ricer. Stir mixture to combine. Taste for seasonings and add more if desired.
Bake covered with foil at 350 degrees until heated through. Stir in chives and serve.
May be prepared ahead of time and stored in refrigerator overnight.

Potato Gratin with Gruyere

I have made many different potato gratins in my day and they have never worked out right for me, until this recipe. For some reason it all came together and the flavor was wonderful! The recipe came from the December 2010 Bon Appetit. I am glad I saved it and that I prepared it. They called for the recipe to be prepared in a 9 inch glass pie dish, I chose to bake mine in a 12x6x2 inch glass dish.

Potato Gratin with Gruyere

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

1 large garlic clove, peeled and slightly smashed

1 1/4 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds

1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup coarsley grated Gruyere cheese

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350. Generously butter 9-inch glass pie dish. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Combine garlic and cream in small saucepan and bring to simmer over low heat. Cover and remove from heat.

Arrange 1/3 of potato rounds, slightly overlapping, in concentric circles in prepared dish; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of thyme and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour 1/4 cup garlic cream over. Repeat layering 2 more times with remaining potato, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic cream. Pour remaining garlic cream over, then whole milk. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake until golden brown and potatoes are very tender, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4

Lemon Oil Smashed Potatoes

This simple and delicious recipe comes from At Home With Michael Chiarello, my new favorite cook book (actually, they are all my favorite). I prepared this with a grilled chicken that I will post later. The lemon olive oil and the mixture of fresh herbs are very nice.

Lemon Oil Smashed Potatoes

3 lbs. Yukon Gold Potatoes, unpeeled

Finley ground sea salt

Grated zest of 4 lemons

1/4 cup minced fresh chives

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh thyme

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon

freshly ground black pepper

2 cups lemon extra-virgin olive oil or 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil and the grated zest of 4 more lemons

In a large saucepan, combine potatoes with water to cover by 1 inch. Add 2 Tbsp. salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender, 15 to 25 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl.

Mash potatoes with a fork until broken up but not smooth. Add zest, chives , thyme, tarragon, 2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper; mix well with fork. Add lemon olive oil, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well with each addition. You may not need all the oil. They are ready when still chunky and begin to glisten with oil.

Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad

I came across this recipe in my July 2009 bon appetit and thought it would be the perfect side for my smoked ribs and I was right. I'm usually not a fan of potato salad made with vinegar, but this is a keeper. The recipe called for Yukon gold potatoes, but my store did not have them, so I used red. I also added some stone ground mustard to the olive oil for a little extra flavor. The salad is also good cold, but better served the same day.

Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad

Serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 lbs. red potatoes, unpeeled

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 Tbsp. stone ground mustard

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. Cool to just warm, 10 to 15 minutes; peel potatoes. Cut each potato in half, then into 1/3-inch slices.

Place warm potatoes in large bowl. Stir vinegar and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves, then drizzle over potatoes. Toss to coat. Mix in onion slices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature.

Mix oil and mustard. Add with parsley to potatoes. Toss well and let marinate about 20 minutes and up to 2 hours at room temperature.

Scalloped Potato Gratin

I have tried many scalloped potato recipes in my time and never had any real success until this recipe. My mom wanted them for Christmas day, so I searched foodtv.com and found this recipe from Tyler Florence. Tyler never let me down before, so I thought I would give it a go. The end result was perfect. They weren't runny or clumpy, just creamy and tasty. The only thing I did differently was to top the gratin with mozzarella instead of Parmesan. My mom hates Parmesan, so I only used it on the inside layers and then gave it a good handful of mozzarella on top.

Scalloped Potato Gratin

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Leaves from 1 sprig of fresh thyme

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Butter

2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup gated Parmesan, plus more for broiling

Preheat oven to 375.

In a saucepan, heat cream with thyme, garlic and nutmeg.

While cream is heating, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes.

Mustard & Coriander Roasted Potatoes

This is a great recipe for roasted potatoes. I usually do my rosemary roasted potatoes , but I may have to switch it up some. The flavor of these potatoes is so amazing and the vinegar gives them a nice subtle kick. The potatoes are crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Try these with a grilled pork loin or a nice juicy rib-eye. The recipe comes from the March 2008 Bon Appetit.

Mustard & Coriander Roasted Potatoes

1/4 cup Champagne vinegar

2 Tbsp. mustard seeds

6 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, crushed

Coarse kosher salt

3 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes

6 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring vinegar and mustard seeds to boil in small saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer until almost dry, about 5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Add mustard and coriander. Season with salt and pepper. Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover by 1 inch; sprinkle with salt. Boil 3 minutes. Drain and return to pan. Cook over medium-high heat until dry, shaking pan occasionally, 3 minutes.

Meanwhile drizzle oil over large rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven to heat for 10 minutes.

Add potatoes to mustard mix and toss. Spread potatoes on hot baking sheet (oil may splatter). Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes. Turn, roast until brown and tender, about 15 to 20 minutes longer. Serve hot.

Mashed Potatoes

On Sunday night, I decided to make meat loaf for dinner and thought that mashed potatoes would be a good go along. I rarely ever make them, in fact I can count on one hand the times that I have made them as an adult. It's not that they are to make, I'm just a little lazy. My little sister got me a nice new ricer and I decided to try it out for this dish. My mom always made them with the old fashioned hand masher and I still prefer them with those little lumps of potato.

Mashed Potatoes

2 lbs. red potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cloves of roasted garlic
1/2 cup skim milk
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and pass through ricer along with roasted garlic. Add milk, butter, cheese, salt and pepper and parsley. Stir to combine and serve.

Potatoes Anna

This is such an easy dish and the results are wonderful. Your friends and family will think that you worked really hard on it and if you get it out of the pan without a misstep it looks impressive too. This was one of my Christmas side dishes that would have been perfect, if I had not been in such of a hurry to get it onto a plate. It actually does not look too bad, considering half of it slid off the plate when the pan got inverted. With a few ingredients, a cast iron skillet and a mandolin, you can serve a beautiful and tasty dish.

Potatoes Anna

3/4 cups melted butter
3 lbs. baking potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pour melted butter into a 10 inch cast iron skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch.(You will use the rest as you layer the potatoes.) Set the pan over low heat and layer in sliced potatoes. Build the bottom layer with overlapping slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and melted butter. Continue this routine until you have used all the potatoes. When all the potatoes are layered and the bottom has formed a light crust, cover with foil and using the bottom of a smaller skillet firmly press to compress the potatoes. Place into oven, covered tightly with foil. (Place a baking pan on a lower rack to catch any drips.)
Bake for 20 minutes, press firmly on potatoes again, Remove foil, bake uncovered, until the sides are visibly brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes more.
To serve, loosen the sides with a knife, then carefully invert onto a plate and slice into wedges.

Tuscan Potato Salad

This recipe comes from the June/July 2007 issue of Cook's Country magazine. I have been wanting to try it out and did so last night. I have always been a little leery of using vinegar in potato salads because I can't stand German Potato Salad, but this is a great recipe. I halved it since I am cooking for 2. The changes I made to the recipe are; used baby gold potatoes, used a 2 oz. jar of sliced pimentos. I will post the recipe as written in the magazine.

Tuscan Potato Salad

2 lbs. small red potatoes, scrubbed & sliced 1/4" thick
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
2 large jarred roasted red peppers, drained and sliced thin
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Bring potatoes, 2 Tbsp. salt and enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch to boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 5 minutes. While potatoes simmer, whisk vinegar, water, garlic, rosemary, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a large bowl.
Drain potatoes thoroughly in colander and spread in even layer on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle half of vinegar mixture over hot potatoes and let stand until cool, about 20 minutes. Stir mustard into remaining vinegar mixture, then slowly whisk in oil. Scatter parsley, peppers and Parmesan evenly over potatoes. Transfer potato mixture to bowl with vinaigrette and toss gently until combined. Serve. This salad can be refrigerated for up to two days.

Purple Potatoes

Here is a picture of the purple potatoes before I cooked them. I peeled them for the recipe and used my mandolin to get even slices. They are really beautiful to me, I love the unique color of them. They actually maintain their color when they are cooked, I feared they would turn black or muddy looking. The package compared the taste to russets. I felt they were a little creamier than that and they looked awesome on the pizza.

Potato Sage and Rosemary Pizza

I know that it seems strange to put potatoes on a pizza, I mean why not throw a little pasta on just to really starch it up, but it was really good. I have always wanted to make a pizza with potatoes after watching Martha Stewart make one years ago. How can you go wrong with pizza, potatoes, rosemary and olive oil? I found this recipe in the March '07 issue of Bon Appetit and thought I would go for it. I will post the recipe as they printed it. I used my own crust for the recipe, I had some frozen from last month when I made the Semolina Pizza Crust. You could also use a prepared crust like Boboli for this recipe. When I went to the store for my Yukon Gold potatoes, I got very frustrated because they did not have any. But then I saw the purple ones and did a little dance in the aisle. I had heard of purple potatoes, but never thought I would see them in Kansas City. I thought they would be as elusive as broccoli rabe, either you grow your own or dream of the day that it finally appears in the produce section of your local market. I also used thin slices of mozzarella from the deli at Green Acres as opposed to the packaged shredded kind. This pizza was excellent for dinner with a salad on the side. It would be perfect to serve at a party along with a variety of other appetizers.

Potato, Sage & Rosemary Pizza

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
12 oz. unpeeled small Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced very thin
1 13.8 oz. tube refrigerated pizza dough
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes slices in single layer, saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Cool briefly.
Unroll dough on rimmed baking sheet. Scatter potato slices over dough, leaving 3/4" plain border. Sprinkle with rosemary, sage, garlic and crushed red pepper. Sprinkle with cheeses to cover.
Bake pizza until crust is crisp and cheeses melt, about 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

Easy Homemade Gnocchi

I love Gnocchi and have always wanted to make it at home. I have come across some recipes that use instant potato buds as opposed to cooking the real things. This recipe was not only easy, but it tastes great too. After I cooked them, I added some pesto. I served the pasta with some green beans and carrots that were too die for. Here's the recipe, I hope you try it out! You can also top with a light tomato sauce or the traditional butter and sage. This recipe is for 2 servings.

Gnocchi

2/3 cup dry potato buds
2/3 cup boiling water
1 egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Put potato buds into medium size bowl, add boiling water and stir until blended. Let cool. Add egg and salt and blend with a spatula. Slowly add flour, folding in with spatula, until you have a fairly firm dough that does not stick to the bowl. Turn dough out onto well floured surface and knead lightly. You don't want the dough too sticky, but adding too much flour will make the gnocchi heavy. Roll into ball and cut in half. Roll each half into long cylinders about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into bite size pieces and roll over gnocchi paddle or a fork will do. Dust with flour and let them sit for about an hour. You can freeze them, just make sure you flour them well, so that they do not stick.
To Cook: Add gnocchi to large pot of boiling salted water. They will rise to the top when read, after about 8 minutes. Drain and top. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Egg in a Nest

In my vast collection of recipes, I saw this picture of an egg nestled in hash browns, but could not locate it when I wanted to prepare the dish. So I came up with this one. They turned out pretty tasty and you could use any type of cheese.

Egg in a Nest

1 cup refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
1/3 cup Asiago Pressato cheese, shredded
2 eggs
seasoning salt and black pepper

Spray 2 ramekins (4 1/2 x 2) with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl combine potatoes and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Divide in half and place in ramekins; pressing into bottom and up the sides. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove ramekins and crack an egg into each. Season with salt and pepper and return to oven for ten minutes. After the 2nd 10 minutes put under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to burn.

Hash Brown Potato Casserole

I did not have a recipe for this, but I kind of knew what I wanted it to be. I actually forgot to put it together, so I baked it at a higher temperature than you would normally do. This baked at 375 for 15 minutes, then at 400 for 30. It was in the oven with the popovers and I thought it was getting too brown, but the trick to popovers is not to open the oven!

Hash Brown Potato Casserole

1 (30 oz) bag Country style Hash Brown Shredded Potatoes, thawed
1 (10 3/4 oz) can Southwest Pepper Jack Soup
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Colby-jack cheese, shredded
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 8 x 11 baking dish with cooking spray. Combine all the ingredients in medium size bowl and place in baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly.