Tag Archives: Yukon gold potatoes

Appetizer, Vegetable

Potato, Three-Cheese, & Swiss Chard Cakes

These colorful potato patties are reminiscent of panfried gnocchi with lots of greens and cheese added. Much easier to shape than gnocchi, and completely flour-free, they are an ideal side dish to meat or poultry, or a satisfying appetizer served atop arugula dressed with lemon juice and  olive oil or, as in the picture below, shredded green cabbage cooked with mustard seeds and garlic until browned at the edges and limp.

Feel free to use spinach or beet greens or Tuscan kale instead of the Swiss chard, and to swap out goat cheese for the Feta, or Pecorino for the Parmigiano; you really can’t go wrong with potatoes, greens, and cheese cooked in a bit of olive oil until golden on the outside and creamy on the inside!

Serves 2 as a side dish or appetizer

  • 1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
  • 2 ounces whole-milk Ricotta
  • 1 ounce French Feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1 ounce freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard, washed thoroughly
  • 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper
  • 2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced

Place the potatoes in a saucepan. Cover with cool water  and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until just tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Reserve the cooking water, but remove the potatoes from the saucepan, drain, and cool.

Peel the potatoes and place in a bowl. Crush with a fork, leaving some small chunks for  a more interesting texture. Stir in the Ricotta, Feta, and Parmigiano. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and all the pepper. Set aside.

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Return the potato cooking water to a boil. Remove the stems from the Swiss chard (reserve it for another use; I love the stems boiled, then tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper). Drop in the Swiss chard leaves  and cook 3 minutes, or until floppy. Drain, cool, and squeeze dry. Chop the leaves finely.

Place 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add the chili flakes, scallions, and garlic.  Cook over medium heat until the scallions are soft, about 3 minutes.

Add the Swiss chard leaves  and cook until they are wilted and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir into the potato mixture and allow to cool thoroughly.

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Compact the mixture with your hands and shape into 4 patties, each about 1 -inch thick.

Wipe out the nonstick skillet. Place it on medium heat. Brush it with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil.

Place the potato patties in the skillet and cook until golden and crisp on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Brush the tops of the potato patties with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil.

Flip the potato patties carefully. Cook until the other side is also golden and crisp, about 5 more minutes. Serve hot.

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Pizza

Pugliese Potato-Crust “Pizza” with Tomatoes & Mozzarella

The Pugliesi are known for transforming simple vegetables into memorable dishes, and the pizza below is no exception. A supple crust is made with boiled potatoes and flour (much like gnocchi dough, but firmer) and baked in a well-oiled pan until the edges crisp and brown. Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and fresh thyme are a classic topping, but you can add Parmigiano, olives, even salame or artichoke hearts, whatever strikes your fancy or beckons at the market.

The dough, unlike classic pizza dough, doesn’t contain yeast, so it won’t rise in the oven. While the pizza can be baked immediately after shaping and topping, you can also opt to  shape it and top it up to 12 hours ahead, making it  a perfect dish for entertaining.

Serves 4 as a main course, 8 as an appetizer

  • ½ pound Yukon Gold potatoes
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for the baking pan
  • 20 grape tomatoes, halved
  • 8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 ounces fresh Mozzarella, cut into 1/4 -inch cubes, drained in a colander 30 minutes and blotted dry

Place the potatoes in a 1-quart pot. Add cool water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Cook until tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes over medium heat, then drain, pass through a ricer, and cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven with a baking stone in it to 425°F (preferbaly set on convection bake).

Mix the potatoes, flour, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt on a counter until a smooth dough forms, adding a little water if needed to help the dough come together; if the dough is sticky, add a little flour. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Flatten into a disk and roll out into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured counter.

Generously grease a non-perforated (and preferably nonstick) 12-inch pizza pan with olive oil and line it with the dough. Drizzle the top of the dough with the olive oil; top with the tomatoes, cut side down. Season with the thyme, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper.

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Place the pizza pan on the baking stone in the preheated oven and bake 15 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Remove from the oven, top with the Mozzarella, and return to the oven for 2 more minutes, or until  the Mozzarella melts. Serve hot.

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Appetizer

Spicy Beef-Stuffed Potato Pancakes with Minty Yogurt

Pugliese cooks make delicious “pizze” using boiled potatoes and flour for the crust; similar to gnocchi dough, the potato dough is moist and supple and lends itself beautifully to various toppings, most commonly tomatoes, Mozzarella, and herbs.

A few weeks ago, I found myself with some leftover boiled potatoes and raw beef chuck, so I decided to try the Pugliese potato dough to encase a spicy beef filling. I shaped the mixture into small pancakes, and after a brief bake in a hot oven, the pancakes were golden and lightly crisp on the outside, moist and flavorful on the inside. At first glance, my husband thought the pancakes looked like chocolate chip cookies, so he was quite surprised when they appeared on his plate for lunch!

Don’t be put off by the long ingredient list; the recipe comes together easily and quickly, and the pancakes can be shaped up to 12 hours ahead and refrigerated until ready to pop in the oven.

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as an appetizer


For the potato dough:

  • 3/4 pound Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed
  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely ground

For the beef filling:

  • 1/4 pound ground beef chuck (80% lean)
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane
  • 1 small yellow onion, grated on the coarse side of a box grater
  • 2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

For the yogurt sauce:

  • 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

To cook:

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Make the potato dough: Place the potatoes in a 4-quart pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, peel, pass through a ricer onto a counter, and cool to room temperature. Add the flour, salt, pepper, and fennel seeds, and gather the ingredients until they come together into a dough. Do not overwork the dough or it will get sticky and require additional flour. Shape into a ball, roll into a log, and cut into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Set on a lightly floured counter, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside. (The dough will start to stick it is left on the counter too long, so it is essential that you flour the counter under the balls of dough.)

Make the beef filling: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Mash well with your hands to combine; cook a tiny bit of filling to check for seasoning, and adjust as needed. Divide the filling into 16 equal mounds on a plate.

Make the yogurt sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl; refrigerate until needed.

To cook: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Oil the parchment with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

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Take one ball of dough and cup it in one hand. Place a mound of beef filling in the middle of the dough. Press down with your free hand and then gather the dough up and over the filling to enclose. Flatten gently between the palms of your hands and place on the oiled parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Brush the tops of the pancakes with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (preferably set on convection bake). Bake the pancakes 12 minutes; remove from the oven and flip them over. Return them to the oven and bake another 12 minutes, or until golden on top and just starting to get a bit crisp. Serve hot, with the yogurt sauce.

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Fresh Pasta

Potato and Spinach Gnocchi with Caramelized Onions & Crispy Rye Bread Crumbs

These gnocchi are a variation on a Piedmontese specialty which goes by the name Cabiette. Some recipes call for grating the potatoes while they are raw and combining them with spinach (or more traditionally, nettles) and rye flour. I prefer boiling and ricing my potatoes because the texture is smoother and the gnocchi lighter. Either way, what gives this dish its distinct personality is the use of rye flour and topping of crispy rye bread crumbs, which give the gnocchi a pleasantly nutty flavor and marry well with the slight bitterness of the greens. If you can find nettles, pick off the tender leaves wearing gloves to protect your hands, discarding the stems.

The gnocchi can be boiled and topped with the caramelized onions, grated cheese, and bread crumbs up to 12 hours ahead and refrigerated, so this is a great make-ahead dish for entertaining. Just pop them into the preheated oven when you are ready to serve.

Serves 4

For the gnocchi:

  • 1 and 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 8 ounces fresh spinach leaves
  • 4 ounces ( 1 and 1/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter and trays
  • 1 ounce rye flour (1/3 cup), or additional all-purpose flour if preferred
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

  • 1 slice stale rye bread
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the baking dish
  • 1 pound yellow onions, thinly sliced

To cook the gnocchi:

  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1/4 pound Toma delle Langhe, Fontina, or Raclette, rind removed, grated

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Make the gnocchi: Place the potatoes in a pot of cool water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook until tender when pierced with a knife, about 25 minutes. Remove to a tray and reserve the cooking water.

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Pass the potatoes through a ricer onto a counter and allow to cool to room temperature (if you make the gnocchi while the potatoes are still hot, they will “sweat” and require additional flour, making them heavy rather than light).

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Return the potato cooking water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, discarding the cooking water. Squeeze VERY DRY with your hands and chop finely.

Bring 1 quart of water to a boil.

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On a counter, combine the riced potatoes, chopped spinach, all-purpose flour, rye flour, salt, and pepper. Gather gently into a dough; if the dough is sticky, add more all-purpose flour; if it is dry, add a touch of water. (Remember: you can always add flour, but you can never take it away, so be cautious when adding flour.) Don’t knead the dough, as the potatoes are naturally moist and they will make the dough feel sticky.

When the dough seems to be of the right texture, snip off a piece and test it in the boiling water: drop it in the boiling water until it floats to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon, taste, and adjust the texture of the gnocchi as needed, adding a bit more flour if they are too soft and falling apart, or a bit of water if they are too dry.

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Shape the gnocchi: Roll the dough into 1-inch wide logs on a lightly floured counter and cut into 1-inch pieces. Arrange in a single layer on a lightly floured tray.

Make the sauce: Process the bread into crumbs into fine bread crumbs in a food processor; toss with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, add the onions, and season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook until caramelized, stirring often, about 25 minutes over medium-low heat; set aside.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan and keep warm. Butter a large baking dish and set it aside.

Cook the gnocchi: Preheat the oven to 325° (preferably set on convection). Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the salt.

Drop in the gnocchi and cook until they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon to the buttered baking dish.

To bake: Top with the caramelized onions, and pour on the melted butter. Scatter the Toma over the gnocchi and top with the rye bread crumbs. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the bread crumbs are golden, and serve hot.

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