Salt & Vinegar Roasted Potatoes

Courtesy of Framed (http://framed-mylifeonepictureatatime.blogspot.com)

Salt and vinegar potato chips are my absolute favorite. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it! They're very easy to make! It's worth it to find some high quality malt vinegar. I was able to find some in the British area of the International foods section at Harris Teeter. YUM!

• 1/2 pounds small round or fingerling potatoes
• Coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup malt vinegar

 

1. In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil over high in salted water. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes; drain. Place a folded dish towel on a work surface and place a potato inside. Gently smash potato so that it is flattened but still in one piece (edges will split). Repeat with remaining potatoes.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Place potatoes on sheet and brush tops with 1 tablespoon oil. Bake until crisp and golden, 35 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Remove from oven, toss with vinegar, and season with salt.

Pan Seared Filet with Cabernet Sauce

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

I just moved over the weekend and last night was the first time I was able to cook in the new kitchen! What better meal to break it in than filet mignon? I decided to make some asparagus and potatoes as well, because they just naturally seem to go well with steak :)  My boyfriend, aka new roommate, also worked an extremely long day, so I thought coming home to a steak dinner could be nice. Cooking with wine also gives me an excuse to drink the wine, minor detail. I did scale this recipe in half, and it turned out just fine!

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled butter
• 4 filet mignon steaks (each about 4 ounces
• 1/3 cup chopped shallots
• 2/3 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 generous tablespoon drained capers
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of steaks with salt and generous amount of ground black pepper. Add to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium. (This actually took me a bit longer to cook b/c the filets were thick -- adjust as necessary.) Transfer steaks to 4 plates. Tent with foil. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute. Add wine, capers, and mustard; simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon over steaks.

Roasted Potatoes
Take about 12 small golden potatoes and half them (you could also use red). Coat a baking dish with Pam and drizzle a little olive oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Rosemary Herb Seasoning (or whichever seasoning you prefer, but rosemary works nicely). Bake at 375 for approximately 35 minutes. Stick a fork in the potatoes to ensure they are tender.

Asparagus
Portion this out however you would like. Snap the spears at their natural snapping point. Place into a Ziploc Steamer bag if you have these on hand -- they are wonderful. Drizzle a little olive oil, salt and pepper into the bag. Steam for about 1.5 minutes. If you do not have steamer bags, simply broil these in the oven for a couple of minutes, or bake them.