Roasted Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes with Rosemary & Parmesan

The Hubby makes a mean Roasted Garlic Mashed Red Potato dish - this year for Thanksgiving was no different.  We decided to add rosemary and Parmesan this time around - everyone was very pleased with the result!

This is easy to make ahead - there is always so much chaos in the kitchen right before it is time to eat, having one less person in there helps me keep my sanity a little bit! 

We made these the day before Thanksgiving and warmed them up in the crockpot a few hours before eating.  They were deliciously perfect!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes with Rosemary & Parmesan
Serves 10-12

6 heads of garlic, roasted
5 pounds red potatoes, cleaned, cut into chunks
2-3 sprigs rosemary
3 cups butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt & pepper to taste

He roasted 6 heads of garlic earlier in the week and stored in a zip top bag in the refrigerator until it was time to use them.  We sprinkle a little olive oil, salt, and pepper on the garlic heads before roasting. 

Add the cut red potatoes to a large pan and fill with water until covered.  Remove the rosemary from the stems and add to the water.  Boil until fork tender.

While they are boiling, remove the garlic cloves from the heads, cut, and mash into a paste.  You can do this with the back of a knife or a mortar and pestle. 

Once the potatoes are done, drain and put back into the pan.  He mashes them as he mixes in the other ingredients using a wooden spoon.  Add the smashed garlic cloves, the butter, the Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper to taste.  The hubby definitely tastes along the way - add more or less ingredients to suit your tastes!

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Not too long ago I purchased a de Buyer Kobra Adjustable Slicer .......a.k.a a mandoline.....a.k.a. a tool that slices stuff super thin for you from Williams Sonoma.  I decided to try it out on sweet potatoes and make baked sweet potato chips.  A mandoline is not required for this recipe, you can always use a knife, just watch those fingers!

The slicer was very easy to use and most important for me, a no brainer to clean.  This is an easy and tasty way to enjoy a nutritious snack.  Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin C, calcium, folate, potassium, and beta-carotene.  Making them into a baked chip by only adding a little bit of olive oil and salt is perfect.

 

 

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Serves 4

2 large sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Slice potatoes very thinly using a mandoline or a knife.  In a large bowl, toss the potatoes in olive oil, making sure to separate them getting olive oil on each and every slice. 

On large baking sheets (you may have to do a couple of batches), lay out potatoes in a single layer. 

 

Bake, turning occasionally until curled, dried, and done.  This will take about 30-35 minutes.  The thicker your potato slices, the longer it will take. 

 

As soon as you remove them from the oven, season them with salt.   

Lemon Garlic Grilled Shrimp with Fingerling Potatoes

My family has been antsy about more steak and shrimp for dinners and less chicken.  I tend to lean towards chicken because it is "easy" - but really, it is "easy" to prepare steak and shrimp dishes too!  My boys LOVE the steak bites the hubby prepares - seriously, I told him the last time he needs to start buying more filet to prepare those because I swear I only get like 4 bites!

Tonight I decided to make one sauce and toss both my grilled shrimp and boiled fingerling potatoes in that sauce.  Seemed to work out pretty well for me.  For the four of us, I made too many potatoes and not enough shrimp - would definitely balance it out better next time!  We also served steamed carrots with this - my boys are suckers for carrots so they are on the dinner table frequently.

I also included some very yummy Guava Garlic Salt to the sauce that we purchased during our recent visit to Kauai from Salty Wahine Gourmet.  Certainly regular garlic salt is fine here, but the guava adds a little bit of sweetness to the salt!

The other bonus about tonight's dinner?  It was our first night since summer ended that we dined al fresco - this is a favorite for my family!  I paired my meal with a Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc - it was convenient as I also used it in my butter/garlic sauce.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Oh - and one more thing....today's my dad's 70th birthday!  Happy Birthday Dad!  Hope you enjoyed YOUR steak dinner tonight!

Lemon Garlic Grilled Shrimp with Fingerling Potatoes
Serves 4

2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and sliced in half lengthwise
1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra to brush the shrimp before grilling
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 lemon, cut in half
1 teaspoon Guava Garlic Salt (or regular garlic salt)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional - I opted not since my boys were eating it)
1/4 cup white wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup kosher salt
Skewers (1 for every 4 pieces of shrimp - if using bamboo, soak in water for about 30 minutes before adding shrimp)
2 -3 tablespoons chives, for garnish

Start by filling a 6 qt pot full of water and add the kosher salt.  Bring to a boil and once the salt has dissolved, add the fingerling potatoes.  Cook over a gentle boil for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Once you have added the potatoes, start your grill over high heat.  While the grill is heating, skewer your shrimp - tail to body, make a "C" on the skewer with the shrimp.  Put about 4 shrimp on each skewer ensuring there is space between each one.  Once skewered, head back out to the grill and make sure the grates are clean.  Before adding your shrimp to the grill, brush each side of the shrimp with some olive oil to prevent sticking. 

While the shrimp and potatoes are cooking, it's time to start your lemon, garlic, butter sauce (ahh..heaven!).  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add your 1/3 cup olive oil and garlic.  Cook garlic for a few minutes then squeeze 1/4 of the lemon into your sauce.  Add salt/pepper to taste as well as the crushed red pepper.  Cook for 1-2 minutes then add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.

Don't forget about your shrimp.  Once they have been on the grill for about 5-6 minutes, flip them over.  The larger your shrimp, the longer they will take to cook. 

Once the 2 tablespoons of butter have melted in your sauce, add the garlic salt and 1/4 cup white wine.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Then add your final 2 tablespoons of butter.  Simmer until butter is melted, turn off heat.

When your potatoes are fork-tender, drain them and place them back into the pot.  Spoon some of the butter sauce over them and toss, plate them, and garnish with chives.

Remove your shrimp from the grill once cooked, spoon some of the butter sauce over them and toss, plate them, and garnish with chives.

I didn't add all of the sauce - I served the remaining on the side.