Baked Potato Puffs – A New Way to Pomme Dauphine from a Potato Fiend

The hardest line cook job I ever had was working the broiler station at the Carnelian Room, where on a busy night I’d prepare over 250 steaks and chops, which wasn’t even the most difficult part. No, the biggest challenge was actually frying these potato puffs to order, to go on all those plates.

It was a lot of work, but a labor of love, since pomme dauphine, as my French friends would call this, is one of the greatest foods ever invented, especially for potato fanatics like me. However, as with most fried foods, they can be messy to make, and unless you have an industrial-strength hood fan, your kitchen will smell like a deep fryer for days, which is why I wanted to try and do a baked version.

I was very happy with the results, and while the outside wasn’t dark and crispy like the fried version, the inside was virtually identical, and thoroughly enjoyable in their own right. Whether you’re making them as a warm snack with a dip, or to go alongside some eggs, or a grilled steak, the baked version should work out just fine.

Of course, since we’re getting close to Thanksgiving, if you are one of these people who deep-fries the turkey, I would probably go with the traditional method. Especially since you’ll be cooking outside where sneaking a few of these while you’re working will be pretty easy to get away with. Either way, I really do hope you give these potato puffs a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Small Baked Potato Puffs:

(I did a tiny test batch, so I highly recommend doubling or tripling the recipe)

1 cup cooked, plain mashed potatoes (Yukon or Russet)

salt and cayenne to taste

small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
butter for the muffin tin

For the pastry dough:

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

pinch of salt

1 large egg

- For a mini muffin tin*, butter well, and bake at 450 F for about 20 minutes, or until browned and puffed.

- Or, deep-fry at 375 F for a few minutes until browned and puffed.

* These might work in a regular muffin tin, but you’ll need to bake longer.

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Chicken Apple Sausage Patties – Doesn’t Feel Like Chicken

Imagine a sausage patty made from chicken that’s just as tender, juicy, and flavorful as one made from pork. What? A not-dry, not-rubbery feeling chicken-based sausage? Sounds impossible, and it is, unless you sneak in a little bit of pancetta, and follow a few simple techniques.

Instead of buying ground chicken at the market, which is always too finely ground, we’re going to use thighs, and grind our own. This makes for a significantly more succulent and tender patty, as long as you keep the meat very cold while working with it. I like to pulse it on and off in the food processer, but your can also use your grinder attachment, or go low-tech, and just chop it finely with a big knife or cleaver.

As I mentioned in the video, if you’re not into patties, you can make links, or simply crumble the raw mixture into a hot pan, and break it up as it cooks. Once browned, you can add your butter and flour, and continue with the pan sauce. Besides saving you a little time, this method probably makes for the most flavorful gravy.

By the way, most chicken apple sausage recipes call for some kind of sugar to be added, but I really don’t think it’s necessary, thanks to the natural sugar in the apples. As with all ground meat recipes, you can always fry up a small piece of your mixture, and test for yourself, but for me, the little touch of maple syrup in the sauce is all the extra sweetness this needs. Either way, I really do hope you give these chicken apple sausage patties a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 Chicken Apple Sausage Patties (about 4 ounces each):

For the sausage:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

4 ounces pancetta or bacon

2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds (toast in dry pan until fragrant)

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons finely minced fresh sage

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, grated, and squeezed dry

For the Pan Gravy (enough for 8 Patties)

6 tablespoons butter

8 sage leaves, optional (remove when crisp)

6 tablespoons flour

2 1/2 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed

1 tablespoon maple syrup, or to taste

1/3 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

- Click here for the Buttermilk Biscuits recipe.

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Face Pie – The Halloween Pastry You Can’t Un-See

A few months ago I saw a pie image on Twitter so creepy, and disturbing, that I actually questioned whether it was too terrifying to post as a video. Usually, Halloween-themed recipes have the opposite problem, as they are almost never actually scary, but that’s not an issue here. By the way, can someone get sued for giving people nightmares?

Anyway, I eventually traced the image back to what I assumed would be some sort of food blog, but it was actually someone’s Etsy shop, where they were selling inedible versions of this basic design. So, I wasn’t able to see how it was made, but did use their “face” as a rough guide, and despite being somewhat anatomically challenged, I thought this came out looking great. And by great, I mean terrible.

If you’re disturbed enough to make this, you can use our tourtière recipe for the crust and filling, which is exactly what I did here, except for whatever reason I added a touch of ketchup to the meat. Of course, this technique would work for topping any pie, including all your favorite fruit versions, and the next time cherries are in season, I may just have to give this one more try. Or not. We’ll see. In the meantime, if at all possible, please enjoy!

- Follow this tourtière video link for the crust and filling recipes.

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Black Lentil Stew with Sausage & Kale – Dark Food for Dark Days

There’s nothing like a big, steaming bowl of comfort food to make everything seem all right, and this dark, but delightful black lentil stew with sausage and kale is no exception. Whether you’re battling a lack of sunlight, or troubles at work, or you’re a NY Giants fan, a dish like this can do wonders to brighten your mood. 

Sausage and lentils is a marriage made in heaven, and so good together, that not even kale can ruin it. I’m kidding, and actually love kale, but if you’re not the biggest fan in the world, maybe try it one more time in this. As long as you cook the greens until they get nice and tender, you’ll be surprised how sweet, and mild they become.

In case that’s asking too much, spinach, and/or other vegetables will also work here, as these types of recipes are a perfect catch-all for seasonal produce. You people with neighbors who grow zucchini should pay especially close attention to that last part. Regardless of what you add, or don’t, I really do hope you give this black lentil stew a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 large portions:

2 tablespoons butter

1 yellow onion, large dice

1 large carrot, cubed

1 rib celery, cubed

12 ounces smoked garlic sausage, or any kind of sausage (cook fresh sausage first, and then slice)

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups black lentils

6 cups chicken broth

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

2 bunches (about 12 ounces by weight) kale or other leafy dark greens, chopped, washed

1 large diced tomato, optional

sour cream and cayenne to garnish

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Honeycomb Toffee – Do the Hokey Pokey

This very easy to make candy goes by many names; cinder toffee, sponge candy, and my personal favorite, “hokey pokey,” but no matter what you call it, this eye-catching confection is a proven crowd-pleaser. And, that’s before you dip in in chocolate, as my British friends highly recommend.

It’s no big secret that people love sweet, crispy things, but this also features the most interesting melt-in-your-mouth texture, which is created by thousands of bubbles, trapped in the cooling sugar syrup. As you can see in the video, I did two batches with different amounts of baking soda, and while the second batch did look better, the first batch was crunchier, and didn’t have any kind of aftertaste.

Other than suffering a horrible burn, there’s not a lot that can go wrong with this recipe, as long as you heat the syrup to 300 F. I checked mine with a probe thermometer, although a candy thermometer that attaches to the side of the pan would be a lot easier. Some folks say you can simply go by appearance, and when the syrup goes from clear to slightly golden, it’s done, but that requires a certain amount of experience.

Another method to gauge the temperature is by dropping a little bit of the molten syrup in water to see if it instantly turns into rock candy. That will work, but since thermometers aren’t expensive, and every kitchen should have one, that really is the way to go. Regardless, as long as you promise to be careful, I really do hope you give this gorgeous, homemade honeycomb toffee a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions:

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup (or golden syrup)

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon baking soda (do not use baking powder)

2 tablespoons water

- Heat to 300 F. before adding baking soda

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Detroit-Style Pizza – This "Rock City" Pizza Rocks

The next time you hear people arguing about whether Chicagoor New York has the best pizza, politely interrupt them, and make sure they know about Detroit-style, since it really should be part of the discussion. And by discussion, I mean heated argument.

Even though Detroit-style pizza is often referred to as “deep dish,” I don’t think that accurately captures the essence of this crispy, crusty, crazy-good slice. It has flavor elements of a slightly charred, blistered, thin-crust pizza, with the texture of light, airy focaccia. Plus, if you use the properly shaped pan, the edges of your crust get wonderfully crunchy, making for a very unique experience.

If you can’t get the classic 14” X 10” Detroit pizza pan, you can also use a 12” cast iron skillet, although you may need to not use quite as much dough, since I forget how much surface area that has, but it should be close. You can also use two 8” X 8” metal cake pans, but no matter what you go with, be sure it’s at least a few inches deep, otherwise things could get ugly.

Since I’m new to this style of pizza, if you’re from Detroit, please let me know how close I got, and if there’s anything obvious I’m missing. I know I needed more, and thicker, pepperoni, but other than that, I was really happy with how this came out, and hope everyone gives it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one 14x10 Detroit-Style Pizza:

For the dough:

1 cup warm water

1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 cups bread flour

For the sauce (you’ll have a little extra):

one (24-oz) jar marinara sauce

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon garlic powder

The rest:

8 ounces sliced pepperoni

12 ounces brick cheese (I used 8 oz. of Monterey Jack and 4 oz. of cheddar)

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Avocado Ricotta Crostini – Start Spreading the News

Michele and I were in Oakland recently, at a restaurant called Southie, when I saw something I’d never seen before; avocado and ricotta cheese paired together on a crostini. I didn’t order it, but was fascinated by the idea, and eventually it turned into what you see here.

By the way, everything we did have was great, so if you’re in the area, check them out. I don’t do a lot of shout-outs here, but that'll make me feel a little better about stealing their appetizer. They actually did theirs with the cheese spread on first, and then sliced avocado placed over the top, but I decided to go for something a little easier to serve, and went with a spread instead.

I found this to be a very delicious combination that was sort of unusual, and yet familiar at the same time. I did roughly equal parts cheese and avocado, but of course you can play around with this ratio, depending on your mood. The same goes for the garnishes, where any number of fresh, or pickled seasonal vegetables would work wonderfully, as would a scattering of crispy bacon.

As you know, we’re heading straight into the heart of entertaining season, and no matter what you decorate yours with, these beauties would make for a great appetizer or snack, which is just one reason I really do hope you give these avocado ricotta crostini a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 6 appetizer-sized portions:

1 large ripe Hass avocado

3/4 cup ricotta cheese (or more or less depending on the ratio you want)

1/2 lemon, juiced (you could also add some of the zest)

1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh basil

salt and cayenne to taste

sliced cherry tomatoes and radishes to garnish

drizzle of olive oil

pinch of sea salt and freshly snipped chives for the top

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