Cast Iron Pan Potato Latkes

By Natalie

Inspired and adapted from recipes in the Cooking With Style cookbook as well as Jacques Pepin. 

This terrific method of preparing potato latkes for cast iron pan frying discards the laborious task of shredding or grating potato in favour of using a blender. You then ladle the batter into a hot cast iron pan to be fried to crispy, delicious perfection.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion quartered
3 potatoes diced
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. dry dill
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

In a blender combine all the ingredients and blend them thoroughly for about 30 seconds. You may have to periodically stop the blender and push potato chunks down with a wooden spoon to get the process going.

Blend to the point where it has become a somewhat grainy not completely smooth batter.

Heat a combination of canola oil and butter in a cast iron pan to medium high and ladle in some of the batter to form small pancakes.

Fry until nice and golden, 2-3 minutes, and then flip and fry again on the other side.

When nice and golden remove to a platter and let sit for a minute or two then serve with bacon, sour cream, apple sauce, hot sauce or whatever else you like your latkes with!

Enjoy.

One Potato, Two Potato w. Potato Bread, Lemon-Custard Potato Pie, Salmon-Stuffed Baked Potatoes & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: One Potato, Two Potato - Janet Reeves 

Publication Details: Nimbus Publishing, 1987 and 2002

If you are a fan of potatoes, this cookbook is a dream come true. Written by a PEI native, needless to say, it is a celebration of spuds, how to cook with them and their history.

The book starts with sections like "What is a Potato" and "The History of the Potato" and includes charts, cooking times and even profiles of things like the Potato Museum in Washington DC, which is sadly no longer around.

The many, many recipes of all types each include potato in some way and show how remarkably diverse the uses it can be put to are.

There are potato cakes, cookies and candies in addition to classic mains and a large array of salads and baked potato recipes. As a result you get everything from Potato Chips Cookies to Cabbage and Potato Soup.

Here we have shared at least one recipe from each section, often accompanied by little bits of potato trivia and charming illustrations.

 (click on scans to enlarge)

West Indian Style Beef Short Ribs and Potato

Today we are going to take a look at a way to make delicious beef short ribs on the stove top done with West Indian style flavours and seasonings. Because these are simmered for a long time they are also exceptionally moist and tender.


The first step you want to take is to season each of your short ribs on both sides with the following:

• liberally with Jamaican style curry powder. You want a thin layer all over the ribs.
• liberally with a Caribbean seasoning blend. I like and used the Caribbean Spice and Roasted Garlic blend from Cool Runnings, but you can use others or a jerk seasoning blend
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder on each side
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder on each side
• liberally with black pepper
• sea salt to taste

Set the seasoned short ribs out on a platter and let sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.

When it is close to cooking time, heat some olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. When the oil is hot add 1 large chopped onion and season it with about a teaspoon of the Jamaican curry powder. Saute the onion for around 3-5 minutes.

Then add your seasoned short ribs and brown them for about 2 minutes a side.

Once they have been browned add enough beef stock to the pot to cover the ribs. Then add the following ingredients:

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 teaspoons of a Caribbean style hot sauce (I used El Yucateco Caribbean Hot Sauce)
4 minced cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons minced ginger

Bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for around 2 hours.

In the final 30 minutes of simmering you can add potato pieces to the pan.

Serve the ribs with rice and the potatoes.

I like to serve the rib racks whole, though you can cut them up into individual serving pieces.

Enjoy.

See also: Stove-top Braised Beef Short Ribs

See also: Beef Short Ribs Charcoal Barbecued with Homemade BBQ Sauce

Braised Oxtail Stew with Carrots and Potatoes

As any regular reader of this blog knows, I am a huge fan of oxtail as an ingredient. I have looked at some of my favourite take-out Caribbean oxtail in Toronto, as well as a couple different recipes of my own on how to make this type of oxtail dish at home.



While various Caribbean oxtail dishes are my favourite take overall, I also like oxtail dishes and stews from other regions and culinary traditions. Today I am going to take a look at a European oxtail stew that is served with carrots and potatoes. It is a delicious way to make it.

As is the case with West Indian oxtail dishes, the oxtail in this stew needs to be braised for a very long time. While the long cooking time may be inconvenient, it makes for a truly divine, moist and tender meat when it is all done!

Today's recipe is for between 2-3 lb. of oxtail pieces.

To begin with, season your oxtail liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper and then lightly dust it all over with flour.

Heat some olive oil over medium-high heat on the stovetop in a large saucepan or in the bottom of a Dutch Oven. Add the oxtail and saute it, stirring it and flipping it regularly, until browned. This usually will take 3-5 minutes.

When the oxtail is browned, add 2 cups of red wine to the pan. Then add enough beef stock to just cover the oxtail pieces. Then add the following ingredients:

salt and black pepper to taste
3 bay leaves
5 crushed, peeled cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
A couple (or a few!) dashes cayenne pepper

Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 3 hours. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, chop up 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs and 3-5 potatoes, unpeeled and quartered or chopped into large chunks. I used red potatoes, but you can use any you like. Add the vegetables to the pan, and continue simmering, covered, for another 45 minutes to an hour or until the vegetables are done to your liking.

Before serving remember to remove the bay leaves.

This dish is perfect served atop a bed of rice or with buttered and lightly seasoned egg noodles. Very hearty, it also pairs nicely with red wine and should be enjoyed with a nice, rustic loaf of bread.

Enjoy.

See also: Michael's West Indian Flavor: Perfect Oxtail in New Toronto

See also: Stove-top Caribbean Style Braised Oxtail

See also: 12-Hour Slow Cooked Caribbean-Style Oxtail

Clay Baked Lamb Shoulder Chops with Potato and Onion

Last week I took a look at a cute and fun little cookbook originally from the 1970's called Mary Poppins in the Kitchen. 

The cookbook, whose premise was to portray a week in the culinary life of Poppins and the Banks children, featured a number of recipes primarily centred around traditional English fare.

In among the recipes was one for a simple Irish lamb stew. The cookbook called for the use of cubed lamb shoulder that would be placed among layers of onion and potato.

This recipe reminded me of a recipe I found from a Soviet era Ukrainian cookbook -- Ukrainian Cookery Recipes -- that I did a new and (in my opinion) improved take on, in the post Ukrainian "Scalloped Beef" Revisited.

In this case I also saw potential for a new take using lamb shoulder chops, which I love, but keeping them whole. I also really like making lamb in a clay baker as, with properly lengthy cooking times, the chops come out incredibly moist and delicious.

(If you want an introductory look at using a clay baker, I did one called The Simple Art of Clay Baking for one of my previous blogs.)

To begin, buy some fresh lamb shoulder chops. I used six for my dish. Take your lamb chops and season them liberally on both sides with finely chopped rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Let them sit out at room temperature while you soak your clay baker for the required 15 minutes by filling both halves of it with water.

Meanwhile, slice about 3 medium size onions into rings. Then slice up a few unpeeled potatoes into quarter inch slices as well. I used a combination of some smaller red and yellow ones.

Once you have emptied out the water, place a first layer of chops on the bottom of your clay baker. Most should fit three chops (or half of them in this case).

Top this with a layer of onion and potato slices. Season the onions and potato with some salt and pepper.

Then place another layer of the seasoned chops and a final layer of onion and potato, again seasoning the onion and potato with salt and pepper.

Once you have done this add enough cold water to fill up the baker right to around the midway point of the top onion and potato layer.

Put the top of the baker on and, as always place it into a COLD oven (you must never put a clay baker in a pre-heated oven). Turn the oven to 375 degrees and cook for 3 hours.

After three hours take out, uncover and let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve the chops topped with the onion and potatoes. The meat will fall apart with a fork and the onions and potatoes will be perfectly cooked and delicious.

Goes nicely with some rice or a garden salad and, of course, some red wine.

Enjoy.

See also: Ukrainian "Scalloped Beef" Revisited

See also: Clay Baked Spicy Curried Goat

Traditional Pot Roast with Winter Vegetables

Recently we took a look at a recipe for a fall and winter classic, the Yankee Pot Roast. Today we are going to revisit the pot roast with another look at how to make this great dish that is so perfect to enjoy at the end of a cold day.




As with the Yankee Pot Roast recipe, here we will be doing our roast on the stove-top in a Dutch Oven.


This recipe works best for one of the cheaper oven beef roasts, like a chuck or blade roast, in the 3-5 pound range. These benefit from longer cooking times.

Your first step is to take out the roast and season it liberally (or to taste) with salt and pepper. Then rub 4 cloves of minced garlic into the roast all over. Let the roast sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Over medium high heat, heat some olive oil in the bottom of your oven and then brown the roast on all sides 3-4 minutes a side.

When the roast is browned you want to add one packet of the large-sized dry onion soup mixes (like Lipton or Knorr make) but instead of using the 4 cups of water generally called for you mix it with 4 cups of beef broth. Let the the roast sit in the centre of this and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer the roast, top on the Dutch Oven, for 2 1/2 hours. You should check periodically to make sure you have good simmer going but that it is not boiling.

At this point you want to add your chopped vegetables. While the Yankee Pot Roast uses only red potato and carrot, here you use whatever you want and have at hand. Red, Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, squash, carrots, turnips, zucchini, sweet potato -- any of these work and should added to the broth chopped up rustically.

Bring to a boil again and again lower heat and simmer, top on covered, for another 30 minutes or until the vegetables are done to your liking.

This produces an exceptionally moist roast with delicious side vegetables in a hearty onion broth.

Goes well with mashed or "smashed" potatoes, rice or buttered egg noodles and, of course, a good red wine.

Enjoy,

See also: Simmered Sirloin Tip Steak with a Mushroom Gravy 

See also: Ukrainian "Scalloped Beef" Revisited

Stove-top Yankee Pot Roast

Today I am going to take a look at a classic New England home cooking recipe, the Yankee Pot Roast. This recipe works best for one of the cheaper oven beef roasts, like a chuck or blade roast, in the 2-5 pound range.




Unlike many pot roast recipes, however, I am going to do this one stove-top in a Dutch Oven.

Yankee pot roast is a terrific dish as the roast cooks in its own rich, tomato based gravy and cooks as well with vegetables that come out perfectly cooked as sides.

While, as any readers of my blog know, I generally like beef cooked rare to rare-medium, this is an example of a recipe where the beef is cooked for a longer period of time to make it very moist -- to the point where you can cut it with your fork!

To start you want to season your roast liberally on all sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then rub two tablespoons of olive oil and 4 minced cloves of garlic into the roast as well. Let the roast sit, seasoned, out at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.

When ready to cook heat some more olive oil in your Dutch Oven over medium-high heat and then brown the roast on all for sides for about 3-4 minutes a side. This will seal in the juices.

Remove the roast and set aside. Without removing any of the seasoning or liquid in the oven, add two medium chopped onions (and more oil if needed) and brown the onions for 6-8 minutes until golden, again over medium high-heat.

When the onions are browned, put the roast back into the Dutch Oven onto the bed of onions.

Pour in 3 cups of beef broth, 1/4 cup of ketchup and 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce and stir. Then add to this 4 - 6 canned whole tomatoes that you have halved. Do not add any of the liquid from the can. I like to use canned tomatoes as they are peeled.

Bring the broth mixture to a boil, reduce heat and let the roast simmer on the stove-top in the Dutch Oven, covered, for around 2 1/2 hours or until tender.

At this point add 4-6 halved or quartered red potatoes (not peeled) and 1-2 chopped carrots to the liquid, cover again and bring to a boil. Again reduce heat and simmer for another 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove roast and let sit, in some liquid and with some or all of the vegetables, for 15 minutes.

Serve sliced with more of the broth gravy and the vegetables. Goes nicely with a side of some buttered egg noodles or rice, country style bread and, of course, red wine!

Enjoy!

See also: Beef Shank Potato Carrot Dutch Oven Casserole -- Revisiting an 80's Leftover Roast Beef Recipe 

See also: Caribbean Style Goat with Potatoes in a Dutch Oven

Beef Shank Potato Carrot Dutch Oven Casserole -- Revisiting an 80's Leftover Roast Beef Recipe

Today we are going to take a look at a vintage 1985 recipe from an Ontario community cookbook for "Roast Beef Hash" and reinvent it a bit.



I came across this recipe in the St. Paul's 25th Anniversary "Our Favourite Recipes" cookbook, part of a type of fundraising cookbook that I love and that examples of which we have looked at before on our cookbook TBT features. This one was to aid a church in Golden Valley, Ontario. The recipe immediately appealed to me as easy, thrifty and likely really good.

While I think the recipe would work fine on its own, and probably would turn out to be quite tasty, I thought a few changes might make it even better than it sounded on paper while keeping the essence of the original. These included using beef shank in place of leftovers and cooking it stove-top in a Dutch Oven instead of in a casserole.

First, to keep it thrifty we are going to use cuts of beef shank. This is a very inexpensive cut of meat, usually bought bone-in, that can be truly delicious though it requires long cooking times.

Take the beef shank and season it liberally with salt and pepper to taste. For this recipe we used four shanks. Once seasoned, dredge the shanks in flour until nicely coated on both sides.

Meanwhile, heat some extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of a Dutch Oven to medium-high on the stove top and brown the shanks for about one minute a side so that they they look as pictured. Remove them and set aside as you brown the others.

When they are all browned place all the shanks back into the Dutch Oven without draining any of the juices. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic, enough water to just cover the shanks, and an appropriate amount of onion soup mix. So, for example, if you use four cups of water, as we did, then use as many packets of the soup mix as needed according to their instructions as if you were making the soup.

Bring this to a boil and then lower temperature, cover and simmer for 3 hours.

After three hours have passed add one large diced onion. Cover and simmer for another half hour. Then add 2-3 potatoes chopped rustically into several pieces each and add two diced carrots. Again, cover and simmer for another half-hour.

At this point the beef should be fall apart moist and the vegetables nicely cooked and flavoured. Top with some chopped parsley.

Serve over egg noodles (if desired) in a bowl with crusty bread and/or with rice on the side. Goes perfectly with a table red and garden salad.

Inexpensive and a crowd pleaser! Enjoy.

See also: The Oliver: Reinventing a 50's Colossal Salami Sandwich -- Vintage Cookbook TBT