Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

These are simple and delicious and a great side dish for roast chicken, steak, or rack of lamb.

Ingredients:

1 lb. fingerling potatoes, sliced in half vertically
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. rosemary, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400˚. In a large bowl, toss potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary. Spread potatoes onto baking sheet and face potatoes skin side up. When oven has reached 400˚ place potatoes in oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Potatoes should be crispy and fork tender.

Gruyere Grilled Cheese with Bacon, Mushroom, and Caramelized Onion Hash

This is my all time favorite grilled cheese sandwich.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:

4 slices sourdough or french boule bread
6 oz. gruyere, sliced
6 slices applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, diced
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp. thyme, chopped
Salt
Pepper
Butter

Directions:

Butter one side of each slice of bread. Set aside.

Put bacon in large skillet and heat over medium low. Cook the bacon until crispy, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. Remove bacon from pan using a slotted spoon, and put on a plate with a paper towel to drain. Make sure to reserve the bacon fat. Add onion to the pan. Cook until onion has caramelized, about 30 minutes. When onion has caramelized, add mushrooms and thyme to pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms release their liquid and are tender, about 5 minutes. Add bacon back to pan and stir to combine. Turn off heat and remove hash from pan.

Take two slices of bread and place butter side down. Put half of the sliced gruyere on the
two slices of the bread. Spoon equal amounts of the mixture onto both slices of bread. Top with the other half of the gruyere and the second slice of bread. Heat the skillet over medium low. Add sandwiches to pan. Cook until bread is crusty and golden brown and cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan, cut in half on a diagonal and serve.

Chipotle Sweet Potato Purée

This is the perfect accompaniment to my Smoked Chicken Drumsticks with Bourbon Honey Orange Glaze. It would also be great with a steak or other poultry dishes. This serves two, but can easily be multiplied.

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 chipotle pepper from can of chipotle in adobo
1 tbsp. adobo
1 tbsp. milk
Salt


Directions:

Preheat oven to 450˚. Bake potatoes for 45 minutes to an hour; potatoes should be fork tender. Let cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half and scoop out potato from the skin. Put potatoes in food processor with butter, honey, chipotle, adobo, and milk. Pulse until smooth. Season to taste with salt.

Smoked Chicken Drumsticks with Bourbon Honey Orange Glaze

These drumsticks are tender, smoky, spicy, and delicious, and the skin gets super crispy. I used 6 drumsticks since I was making this for 2 people, but this recipe makes plenty of rub and glaze if you want to make more. I recommend serving these with my Chipotle Sweet Potato Purée.

Ingredients:

6 chicken drumsticks
3 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin


Glaze:

1/2 cup orange juice
5 tbsp. bourbon
2 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix light brown sugar, kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried mustard, cayenne, chili powder, and cumin. Rub on drumsticks and refrigerate drumsticks for at least 2 hours before smoking. Take drumsticks out of refrigerator at least 30 minutes before smoking.

In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, bourbon, honey, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat smoker to 300˚. Using indirect heat, smoke drumsticks until they reach an internal temperature of about 145˚. This should take around an hour and 15 minutes. Raise heat to 450˚. Mop or spray chicken with glaze. Using direct heat, cook chicken for about 20 more minutes, glazing about every 5 minutes. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165˚. Remove from smoker.

Pumpkin Butter

This is a great spread on toast, muffins, biscuits, etc. It is the quintessential flavor of fall.

Ingredients:

1 pumpkin pie pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, and diced
2 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water

Directions:

In a medium sauce pot add pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and water. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling reduce to low heat. Cover pot and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30-35 minutes. Pumpkin should basically fall apart when stirred when done. Pour mixture into food processor. Pulse until smooth. Return mixture to stove and simmer on medium low for 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Seeds

Don't throw away the seeds after carving a pumpkin. Make a delicious snack instead.

Ingredients:

Seeds from 1 pumpkin pie pumpkin or 1 small carving pumpkin, washed and dried
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 375˚. In a bowl, mix pumpkin seeds, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread evenly onto a baking tray. When oven is preheated put tray in oven. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Spaghetti Bolognese

This is one of my absolute favorite meals to make. I find cooking bolognese sauce to be relaxing and satisfying, and the end result is a wonderfully comforting meal. I would recommend serving it with my garlic bread. This recipe makes enough sauce to have for dinner for 4-6 people with plenty of leftover sauce that can be frozen and reheated later.

Ingredients:

1 lb. spaghetti
2 lbs. 90/10 ground beef
Extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 cup red wine
3 28 oz. cans peeled san marzano tomatoes, crushed
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh basil, chiffonade
Grated parmesan, for serving
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Coat bottom of large dutch oven with olive oil. Heat on medium high. When hot, add beef and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove beef from dutch oven and set aside. Add onion and carrot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until soft and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for 2 more minutes. Deglaze pan with red wine, scraping up brown bits. Add beef back into dutch oven and stir to combine. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, bay leaves, and oregano. Stir to combine well. Bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Carefully remove bay leaves before serving.

While sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions for al dente. Drain pasta and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.

Serve spaghetti with sauce, basil, and parmesan.