cooking |

Hello Dear Friends,

Today I wanted to talk about potatoes. I am sure everyone has their favorite recipe and the way of making them. I love them really in any way, shape or form and these have always worked the best for me when it comes to taste and texture – soft inside and crispy on the outside. They are super easy to make and I hope they will soon make an appearance at your table too! Have a wonderful week! 🙂

Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes

{Printable recipe}

Ingredients:

2.5 – 3 lb (1.1 – 1.4 kg) Russet potatoes
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary or a few twigs fresh rosemary
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Peel potatoes, wash them well.
Slice each potato once through starting at the narrower part, to get two halves
Slice each half into 3 wedges.

4. Place the wedges into a pot and cook them for just about 5 minutes. They are to remain firm.
5. Strain and arrange them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
6. Spice the wedges with salt, black pepper and rosemary.
7. Brush with olive oil and toss it all together so the spices and oil can spread evenly over potatoes.

8. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese (if desired) and stir once again.
9. Bake at 400 F (200 C) until bottom of the potatoes start getting a nice golden-brown color.
10. Now turn on the broiler for 5 minutes on low and then a few minutes on high.
11. Cool for a few minutes and serve as a side dish or just by itself.
YUM! ENJOY! :)

This is a stew the way my grandma made it; very simple, no fancy ingredients here. It just takes time and Love to make it perfect. My grandma usually made the stew with potatoes and sometimes also with rutabaga which is in my language called “repa”. She would also shred rutabaga and pickle it, or just peel it, cut into thin slices and give it to grandchildren to eat it fresh because it’s healthy.

You will notice this not being a conventional way of preparing a stew (no meat searing); still it works wonderfully and the end result is an amazing combination of tender beef, delicious vegetable and hearty soup.

Beef Stew with Rutabaga

[Printable recipe]

Ingredients:

2 TBSP cooking oil (I use sunflower)
1 small onion (finely chopped)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 medium carrot (chopped)
1 medium parsnip (chopped)
2 lb (1 kg) stew beef (cut into large cubes)
1 tsp Vegeta spice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 cups (1 l) water (+ a few cups more while cooking)
1 lb (500 g) rutabaga (peeled and cubed)
Fresh flat leaf parsley

Preparation:

In a heavy bottom cooking pot sauté onions, garlic, carrots and parsnips for about 4-5 minutes.
Place cubed beef on the vegetable bed and let it brown well on all sides.
Slightly cover pan and keep sautéing beef and vegetables together for 20-30 minutes. Beef will release juices, so just let everything slowly simmer until all liquid evaporates.
Soon you will hear a frying sound. Make sure you stir well so beef or vegetables don’t burn.
Now is the time to add spices: vegeta, salt, paprika and pepper. Stir once again and make sure meat is well coated with spices.
Add water, bring it to boil and then turn down to medium cover and let is simmer for 2 – 2.5 hours. Some of the water will evaporate, so make sure to check the pot every 20-30 minutes to see if you need to add any water. Meat needs to be covered with water at all times while simmering.
The last 45 minutes of cooking add peeled and cubed rutabaga; adjust spices if needed. Serve warm , garnished with fresh parsley.

♥