NYT Cooking: Roasted Sheet Pan Potato Salad

And another easy sheet-pan dinner recipe from the Times.  I picked it because it looked easy, we all like roasted potatoes, and at a very cold time of the year, the thought of using mint seemed, um, refreshing.

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Salad

• 1½pounds baby potatoes, halved if large [I used 2 pounds of Russet potatoes]
• 3tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper 
• 1bunch thick asparagus (about 1 pound), ends trimmed, stalks cut crosswise in thirds 
• 1large leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise then cut into ½-inch-thick half-moons 
• 1teaspoon sweet paprika 
• 4hard-boiled eggs (optional), quartered

For the Shallot Dressing

• ⅓cup olive oil 
• 2tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1tablespoon Dijon mustard 
• 1teaspoon honey 
• 2tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves (from about ⅓ bunch)

• Preparation

  1. Step 1

     Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the potatoes on a large sheet pan, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat, then spread in an even layer and roast for 15 minutes. [I roasted them for 20 minutes.]

  2. 
     
     

     
     

  3. Step 2

     In a medium bowl, toss asparagus and leek slices with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the paprika. Take the potatoes out of the oven and give them a stir. Spread the vegetables evenly on top of the potatoes. Cook until the vegetables are tender and browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. [15 minutes wasn't long enough, and I had to add another 10 minutes.]

  4. Step 3

     While the vegetables are roasting, make the dressing: Combine the olive oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard, honey and mint in a bowl, then whisk to combine. 

  5. 
     
     
     

     
     

  6. 
     
     
     Step 4

  7. When the vegetables are done, spoon the dressing over everything and let sit for about 5 minutes. Serve with hard-boiled eggs, if desired, and sprinkle with mint. [I wish I had had more of the dressing and would make twice the amount next time. Well, perhaps not with twice the amount of oil.]

  8. 

  9. 

  10. In principle, we all liked this, and the kitchen smelled very good, but some of the asparagus wasn't super tender, and I wish there had been more of the -- very tasty -- dressing. Next time, I might just put a fried egg on top. It's not really a salad, anyway. 7/10

NYT Cooking: Sheetpan Coconut Curry with Tofu

And another supremely simple NYT Cooking one-pot -- or rather one-pan -- recipe!

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

• 2pounds thin-skinned winter squash, such as red kuri, kabocha, delicata or butternut, seeds removed and squash cut into 1-inch wedges [I used delicata]
• 2tablespoons vegetable oil or other neutral oil 
• Salt and pepper 
• 1(14-ounce) can coconut milk, well shaken [I used like coconut milk -- regular coconut milk would have made for a richer sauce, but the amount of saturated fat is just too scary]
• 2 to 3tablespoons store-bought red or green Thai curry paste [I used yellow curry paste, which is less spicy]
• 4ounces leafy greens, such as chard or kale leaves, stemmed and roughly chopped (4 cups, from about ½ bunch) [I used 3oz of spinach]
• 1(14- to 16-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Cooked rice, for serving
• Chopped cilantro, for serving [I had -- and therefore used --parsley]
• Step 1

  Heat oven to 425 degrees.

• 
  

• Step 2

  Place the squash onto a rimmed baking sheet. [Well, first of all, cut them in half and get rid of the seeds.]Drizzle over the oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and then lay the squash wedges flat on one cut side. Place into the oven and roast for 20 minutes.

• 
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  
• Step 3

  While the squash roasts, in a large jug or medium bowl, add the coconut milk and curry paste (use according to your spice level preference) and season generously with salt and pepper.




• 
  
• Step 4

  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and tuck the leafy greens and tofu around the squash. Pour the spiced coconut milk over everything. Return to the oven and cook until the squash is completely tender and the greens are wilted, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.

• 
  

• Left picture: before sauce, right picture: with sauce








1. Step 5

   Spoon the squash, tofu, greens and sauce over rice.











• This was easy to make, and the kitchen smelled very good. A lot depends on the type of curry paste you use. 7/10. Some improvements: I wish there had been more sauce. Perhaps next time I would crisp the tofu cubes separately in an air fryer. Overall, a satisfying dish for a winter night. 

• 
  

 

NYT Cooking: Spanakorizo with Jammy Eggs (NYT Cooking)

Another great one-pot dish.

Yield:4 servings

• 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving 
• [1bunch scallions (6 to 9 stems), trimmed and thinly sliced -- I didn't have any and used chives, but put them in later]
• 1pound baby spinach (or 1 pound mature spinach, trimmed and roughly chopped) - I only had frozen
• 2garlic cloves, finely chopped --I used one frozen cube of crushed garlic
• Salt and pepper
• 1cup basmati rice -- we didn't have any, so I used a cup of orzo pasta
• 1½cups vegetable stock  -- I needed a lot more, at least 3 cups
• 4large eggs
• 1lemon, juiced (3 to 4 tablespoons)
• 1cup roughly chopped parsley
• 1(6-ounce) block Greek feta, crumbled (about 1⅓ cups)

1. 
   

   Heat a large, wide Dutch oven or deep skillet on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the spinach (depending upon the size of your pot, you may need to add it gradually, throwing in more as it cooks down), garlic and about 1 teaspoon salt; toss until wilted, about 2 minutes.

2. Stir in the rice (or orzo), then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil and then cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed and rice is cooked, 15 to 20 minutes. Add liquid as necessary.

3. 

   
   

   Meanwhile, boil the eggs for 10 minutes. I always use a microwave egg boiler. 

4. When the rice/orzo is ready, turn off the heat. Uncover and add the lemon juice and half of the herbs and gently toss them through the rice. Taste to check seasonings, adding salt if needed. Cut feta and crumble it into the rice/spinach mix so that it softens and warms a bit.

5. 

6. Divide the spinach rice among bowls. Halve the eggs and place the halves on top of the rice; top each with a little feta and chives.

7. 
   
   8/10, really depends on the jamminess of the eggs.  Worth reheating, worth repeating.

Mushroom Stroganoff

I gave this recipe from the NYT a try today (with some variations) and it turned out great. It fed three slightly hangry people on a rainy December day.

NYT Cooking: Mushroom Stroganoff

• Ingredients:
• 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• Salt
• 1½pounds mixed mushrooms (I used cremini), stemmed and sliced into ¼-inch pieces
• 1 frozen cube of crushed garlic
• ½cup red wine (recipe asked for white, we only had red, and I think it works better)
• 1cup vegetable stock
• 2tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (recipe asked for soy sauce, but this is what we had)
• 1½teaspoons Dijon mustard
• ½cup sour cream
• Black pepper
• Handful of chopped chives, for serving (recipe asked for parsley)
• served with wide egg noodles 
• Step 1

  Place a large (12-inch) skillet on medium-high heat. Add olive oil and onion, season with salt, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and stir to combine. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, leaving it undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes at a time before stirring, to allow the mushrooms to caramelize.

• 
  

• Step 2

  Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom, then cook for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable stock and W. sauce, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the liquid has reduced and is slightly thickened.

• 
  

• Step 3

  Take the pan off the heat, and stir in the mustard and crème fraîche. Taste, and season with salt and black pepper. Scatter with chives and serve with wide egg noodles.

• 
  

• 
  
  
  
  9/10. Double the sauce next time.

• 
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

NYT Cooking: Crispy Halloumi with Tomatoes and Beans

 

See the recipe here. 

• Olive oil, as needed
• 1pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more for serving  
• 1 teaspoon honey, plus more for serving
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans
• 1(8-ounce) block halloumi, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices (available at Trader Joe's)

1. Step 1

   Set broiler to high heat, with a rack positioned in the upper third of the oven, 3 to 4 inches from the heat source.

2. Step 2

   In a large, ovenproof pan (I used a Le Creuset pot) over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil with the tomatoes, garlic, parsley (which I left out), honey and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes soften and release their juices, about 10 minutes.

3. Step 3

4. Stir in the beans and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat.

5. 

6. Step 4

   Arrange the halloumi slices on top of the tomato-bean mixture in the pan. Transfer the pan to the oven. Broil until the halloumi is golden and crispy on top, about 5 minutes, depending on the oven’s broiler strength. (Broiling is essential. Without it, the hallomi will just be brick-like.)

7. 

8. I served this on top of left-over white rice. Quick, sort-of-healthy May dinner.

9. 8/10

10. 
    

One-pot pasta with mushrooms and leeks

Another NYT recipe, another one-pot recipe

Time saver: I saw that Trader Joe's has now sells peeled garlic cloves, so I got those.

The lemon juice did what it was supposed to do (deglaze the pan, or rather Dutch oven), but it also added a sour note I could have done without.

4 cups of liquid was just enough to cook the pasta. 

Here's the finished dish, it looked pretty, and the ricotta made it creamy and less sour.

Alas, for once, this was a recipe that looked better than it tasted. Perhaps it was the broth I used, perhaps it was the lemon juice, but I'm not sure I tasted 'umami,' rather, it tasted a little sour (but the ricotta, once mixed with the pasta, balanced it out nicely). 

7/10

Sheetpan feta with chickpeas, tomatoes, and mushrooms (NYT Cooking)

 Time for another sheetpan recipe. I picked one from the NYT again. I did my shopping at Trader Joe's. Simple ingredients, simple preparation. It all came together quickly.

In a spread of Greek appetizers, or meze, there’s often a warm feta dish like bouyiourdi (baked feta with tomato and hot peppers) or a saganaki (fried cheese). This recipe combines elements of these two classic appetizers into a sheet-pan meal. Softened feta provides a salty, creamy counterpoint to sweet, juicy tomatoes and chickpeas that are sticky from honey and spicy from dried chile. Try this version, then riff wildly: Switch out tomatoes for mini peppers, olives, dates or cauliflower. Swap the hot honey for anchovies, harissa, smoked paprika or turmeric. Eat with pita, grains, salad greens, hummus or yogurt.

 

First, the chickpeas. Roasting them made them less mealy, though not quite crispy. 

As for cheese, though the recipe advises against using feta made from cows' milk, that's what I did. I'm not a big fain of sheep feta. The cows' milk feta (from Trader Joe's) worked just fine. 

 Here's what I put into the oven. I added mushrooms in addition to the tomatoes and left out the tomatoes in one corner of the sheet (my daughter doesn't like tomatoes). It worked just fine. Here's the dish after the bake.

And everything arranged on a plate with some  yogurt and pita chips. It made for a lovely low-effort summer dinner. 8/10.