Old fashioned comfort food
>> Monday, September 14, 2009
After missing lunch due to an untimely conference call, this rainy Monday called for some good old fashioned comfort food. Starving when I arrived home from the office, I immediately headed to the kitchen and threw on my apron.
The menu took shape with a delicious beef tenderloin, yukon gold potatoes which would soon turn into the most delectible mashed potatoes, sweet yellow onions and fresh snapped green beans.
First things first, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees to get started on the beef tenderloin. This is the easy part. In a small baking dish, pour a little extra virgin olive oil in the bottom (just enough to coat your beef) and roll the beef tenderloin in oil until evenly coated. Coat the top of the tenderloin with fresh cracked pepper and gound sea salt. Put in the oven for 25 minutes.
Next, the potatoes. In a medium pot, bring just enough water to cover your potatoes to a boil. Cut your potatoes into large pieces and add to the boiling water. Boil for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and tender. You want to make sure the centers are soft.
While your meat and potatoes are cooking, slice up one yellow onion into strings, cut one bunch of green onions (scallions) into small pieces and grab your green beans, cutting or snapping the ends.
In a small skillet, saute your sweet yellow onions in a dab of butter and toss in a little sugar (because why not). You never knew onions could be so delicious! As these simmer and cook down to a rich golden color, add your green beans to the mix to cook together.
Checking in on your potatoes, pull out a medium sized mixing bowl, heavy cream or whole milk and butter. As soon as your potatoes are ready, pull from the boiling water and toss in the bowl. Add in butter (about 2 tablespoons) and milk or cream (about 1/4 cup to start). With blender, mix the potatoes until creamy, adding in milk or cream as needed. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper and a handful of green onions. Blend together and set aside.
Remove the beef from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before you cut into the tenderloin.
Plate your food and enjoy!
Posts
1 comments:
I really like your blog, Emily! I have a recipe I'd like to share -- it easily can be scaled down for the solo diner. Got it from my college roommate, who got it from a guy she works with. He calls it simply "Balls." These are meatballs, but not the kind that call for red sauce and sit atop a pile of pasta. They are delectable just on their own.
Recipe makes about 6 billiard-sized balls.
1 1/2 lbs ground chicken (ground turkey is OK, but chicken is even better)
Diced red pepper
Chopped pitted kalamata olives
Chopped fresh parsley
Chopped garlic
Chopped onion
Crumbled feta
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten
Italian-style bread crumbs
Lemon
Mix first 7 ingredients together and form into billiard-sized balls. Note that there are no specific amounts (other than the chicken)-- the other ingredients can be adjusted to your taste, but know that the olives and the feta are KEY! Dip balls into beaten egg and roll in bread crumbs. Heat 1/4" olive oil in a large skillet and brown, no more than 20 minutes. Drain balls on paper towel, then transfer to a plate and and squeeze lemon juice over them. No sauce needed. Just serve with sides like veggies, potato, salad.
Post a Comment