White Pizza with Arugula

We lean toward pizza in our lists of favorite foods, but because of the incredible variety of possible flavors I really don’t mind.  This recipe, from Ina Garten of the Food Network, is a case in point.  The photos were terrific, but I don’t think they adequately prepared us for the different levels of flavor we experienced. 

This wasn’t, of course, the powerful blast of flavor we expect from a more Italian pizza.  In this case, it was layers of summery treats like lemon and fontina, along with the sharp bite of a bitter arugula.  The goat cheese provided a rich mouthfeel, which was contrasted expertly by the garlic and red pepper flakes.  We enjoyed this as a knife and fork pizza, and we were only sorry when it was finally ended.  I’m a Food Network fan, and The Barefoot Contessa is probably my favorite chef.  A meal like this will tell you why.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110) water
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Good olive oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
• Kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the topping:

• 3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (8 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese (7 ounces)
• 11 ounces creamy goat cheese, such as montrachet, crumbled

For the vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces baby arugula
• 1 lemon, sliced

Preparation:

Mix the dough.

Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.

Knead by hand.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.

Let it rise.

Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Make garlic oil.

Place 1/2 cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is clean!)

Portion the dough.

Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place the doughs on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Stretch the dough.

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (If you’ve chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)

Top the dough.

Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Make the vinaigrette.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Add the greens.

When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and a slice of lemon and serve immediately.

Grilled Pork with Arugula and Grape Salad

You’ve gotta try this when you want to serve a play on the traditional ham dinner.  Admittedly it’s not ham at all, but pork chops were close enough for us, and the results were fantastic!

Our family was on its own for Easter this year, as various outside events caused our usual larger family gathering to be cancelled.  No problem, but we still needed to do something a little special to commemorate the day.  We didn’t have any great urge to do the traditional ham, but I spied this alternative in the Nov/Dec issue of Food Network Magazine.  Wow!  The pork chops themselves were juicy as could be, and the bed of arugula, vinaigrette, gorgonzola and red grapes provided a contrasting taste counterpoint that was a huge hit with the entire family.  We paired it with a loaf of homemade peasant bread and a bottle of syrah, and it made for a wonderful meal.  We’ve agreed, it receives four stars!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 5-ounce boneless pork chops
• 3/4 cup red seedless grapes, halved
• 4 heaping cups baby arugula
• 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola

Preparation:

1.  Combine the shallot, vinegar, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a medium bowl.  Gradually whisk in the oil, starting with a few drops and adding the rest in a steady stream.

2.  Place the pork chops in a shallow dish and season all over with salt.  Add the remaining 1 tsp thyme and 3 tbsp of the dressing.  Coat the pork and set aside to marinate for five minutes.

3.  Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.  Grill the pork until cooked through but still moist, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

4.  Add the grapes and arugula to the remaining dressing and toss to coat.  Transfer the pork chops to a serving platter or individual plates; top with the salad and sprinkle with the gorgonzola.

Grilled Corned Beef and Fontina Sandwich

Talk about your savory dishes!  This is our favorite variation on the classic Reuben sandwich, and it was brought to us by our friends at Bon Appetit Magazine.  We’ve enjoyed this amazingly tasty sandwich for St. Patrick’s Day several years in a row, and it is holding on as one of our favorites.  We’ve tried packaged corned beef, but this year Cath stopped at the deli counter and had them shave it very thin.  We piled it high and topped with the fontina cheese, which became a soft, gooey delight.  The layer of onions on this creation adds a delicious snap, and the dijon mustard is a welcome change from the usual russian or thousand island dressing with which we grew up.  The ultimate compliment for this meal was provided by our Irish daughters, Megan and Kelly, who both raved at the amazing flavor.  As I said good night to them they even recounted to me the textures and flavors they enjoyed so much.  It was that good!

Ingredients:

• 8 slices Jewish-style rye bread
• Dijon mustard
• 1 pound thinly sliced corned beef
• 8 ounces thinly sliced Fontina cheese
• 1/2 sweet onion (such as Maui or Vidalia), thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided

Preparation:

Place 4 bread slices on work surface. Spread mustard on 1 side of each. Divide corned beef among bread slices. Top with cheese and onion. Cover with remaining 4 bread slices, pressing slightly to adhere.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in each of 2 large nonstick skillets over medium heat. Place 2 sandwiches in each skillet and cook until golden brown on bottom, pressing occasionally with spatula, about 3 minutes. Turn sandwiches over and cook until golden on bottom and cheese melts, about 3 minutes. Transfer sandwiches to plates, cut in half, and serve.

Irish Bread Pudding with Caramel Whiskey Sauce

Do you stay true to your holiday traditions?  In our house, our St. Patrick’s Day tradition is Irish Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce.  We might play with the menu somewhat, a new variation on a corned beef reuben, perhaps an alternative like salmon.  But never the dessert.  For years now, I’m thinking seven, we’ve made this recipe to celebrate St. Pat’s.  We may have even made it one time on another occasion, but after that we decided that if it were to be special we could only do it on a special day.  And thus, our tradition was born.

Another tradition was that I’d need to attempt to make the sauce at least twice before I’d get it to work.  The recipe is fairly straightforward , as you’ll see below.  And yet, every year I’d make one wrong step and end up with a pan of solid, crystallized sugar.  And part of my tradition was to get red in the face and loudly utter a string of words to embarrass any Irishman within earshot.  But for whatever reason, this year I got it right.  I took it slow, and I was relaxed, and in a single try I made the best batch of sauce that I ever have.  It was a delight, and everyone in the house raved at how wonderful it was.  St. Pat’s only comes once a year, and with it comes this fantastic bread pudding.  Give it a try!

Ingredients:

Bread Pudding

• 1/4  cup  light butter, melted
• 1  (10-ounce) French bread baguette, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
• 1/2  cup  raisins
• 1/4  cup  Irish whiskey (Note: Substitute 1/4 cup apple juice for the Irish whiskey, if desired.)
• 1 3/4  cups  1% low-fat milk
• 1  cup  sugar
• 1  tablespoon  vanilla extract
• 1  (12-ounce) can evaporated skim milk
• 2  large eggs, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1  tablespoon  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon

Caramel Whiskey Sauce

• 1 1/2  cups  sugar
• 2/3  cup  water
• 1/4  cup  light butter
• 2  ounces  1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel) (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4  cup  Irish whiskey (Note: Substitute 1 tablespoon imitation rum extract and 3 tablespoons water for the Irish whiskey, if desired.)
• 1/4  cup  1% low-fat milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Brush melted butter on one side of French bread slices, and place bread, buttered sides up, on a baking sheet. Bake bread at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes, and set aside.

Combine raisins and whiskey in a small bowl; cover and let stand 10 minutes or until soft (do not drain).

Combine 1% milk and next 4 ingredients (1% milk through eggs) in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add bread cubes and raisin mixture, pressing gently to moisten; let stand 15 minutes. Spoon bread mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over pudding. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until set.

For sauce, combine sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Cook an additional 15 minutes or until golden (do not stir). Remove from heat. Carefully add butter and cream cheese, stirring constantly with a whisk (mixture will be hot and bubble vigorously). Cool slightly, and stir in whiskey and milk.

 Serve bread pudding warm with Caramel-Whiskey Sauce.

Toscano Salame and Red Onion Pizza

This pizza is one of our all-time favorites, with a thin layer of mouth-watering toscano salame whose pungent flavor is sharpened to a fine point when roasted in a 425 degree oven.  We first experimented with this meat on our pizzas shortly after an impromptu stop at one of our favorite Italian markets, Buon Giorno Market in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.  It was there that we sampled this particular hard salame among a host of others.  We’ve tried it since with a number of complementary toppings, but the red onion has always seemed to be just the right match.  Between the sharp salame and the almost buttery flavor of the extra virgin olive oil, this is an incredibly savory treat.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 Thin Pizza Crust
• 1/4 lb thinly sliced toscano salame
• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup asiago cheese, shredded
• extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Place baking stone on middle shelf in oven  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F., and allow to heat for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out pizza dough with rolling pin to form crust approximately 15 inches in diameter, and about 1/8 inch thick.  Use pizza peel or equivalent to slide crust onto baking stone in heated oven.  Bake for 12 minutes, until crust begins to brown on top.

When crust has finished baking and is lightly browned remove from oven.  Flip over, and continue preparation.

Pour extra virgin olive oil on crust, and brush until the entire surface is covered with oil.  This will tend to bring out the golden brown colors of the baked crust.  Sprinkle salt and freshly cracked pepper over the entire surface.  This adds a wonderful flavor, so be generous with the oil, salt and pepper.

Arrange the slices of toscano salame over the surface of the crust, covering completely.  Arrange the slices of onion over the salame, spreading evenly.  Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the surface of the crust.  Finish by sprinkling the shredded asiago cheese evenly over the top.

Bake on pizza stone for an additional 10-12 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned.

Remove from oven, and let pizza sit for five minutes, allowing the cheese and toppings to settle.  Slice, and serve.

Tuscan Pork Stew with Polenta

This was an incredible dish from an article about Sting and his Italian estate in Food & Wine Magazine.  Apparently they have wild boar running about on the property, so every now and then they’ll hunt one, and the chef serves it up in this delicious dish.  Now that’s the life I’m hoping to lead!  At the moment, our English Pointer Jazz roams the grounds here in Burnsville, so we don’t have a lot of wild boar on hand for dinners.  Not to worry, we substituted the boneless pork shoulder as the recipe recommended, and the result was fantastic.   There are obviously a good number of ingredients, but the preparation itself was not that difficult.  In the end, the meat was tender as could be imagined, and the richness of the sauce was a fantastic counterpoint to the simple polenta over which it was served.  We enjoyed it with a fresh loaf of rustic peasant bread, and it was a stunner!

Ingredients

pork marinade

• 1 bottle dry red wine
• 4 rosemary sprigs
• 4 sage sprigs
• 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 celery rib, coarsely chopped
• 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon juniper berries
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes

stew and polenta

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon very finely chopped sage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons very finely chopped rosemary
• Salt
• Crushed red pepper
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2 whole cloves, 8 juniper berries, 2 bay leaves and 4 peppercorns, tied in cheesecloth
• 8 cups water
• 2 cups polenta (not instant)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

Marinate the Pork:  In a large, resealable plastic bag, combine the wine, rosemary, sage, red onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, peppercorns, juniper berries and cloves. Add the pork and seal the bag, pressing out the air. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Make the Stew and Polenta:  Rinse off the pork and discard the marinade. In a medium enameled cast-iron casserole, cover the pork cubes with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then drain. Pat the pork dry.

Wipe out the casserole, add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the pork cubes, celery, carrot, red onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat and vegetables are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the sage and rosemary, season with salt and a pinch of crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer over moderate heat until it’s nearly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the chicken stock and spice bundle and bring to a boil.

Partially cover the casserole and cook the stew over very low heat until the meat is very tender and the liquid has reduced by half, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the 8 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Whisk in the polenta in a thin stream. Cook the polenta over low heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the polenta is very thick and no longer gritty, about 30 minutes. Stir in the butter and season the polenta with salt.

Skim the fat from the stew and discard the spice bundle. Stir in the parsley and season with salt. Spoon the polenta into 6 shallow bowls, spoon the pork stew on top and serve piping hot.

Rustic Peasant Bread

The main course for our dinner was to be a Tuscan Pork Stew with Polenta, with an Italian Panzanella, or bread salad, for an opening course.  For that, of course, we were going to need bread!  The solution?  This meal cried out for a rustic peasant bread, and we found the perfect recipe on a blog called Pete Bakes!  Pete took this from a book called “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day“, and it was good enough that I’ve since purchased the book as well.  I have to laugh at the irony:  I went to a blog written by a fellow in Washington D.C. to find a recipe from a book written by two authors in Minneapolis.  It’s so often true that we have to travel the world over to find something that’s right in our own back yard!  I’m glad I did, though.  Pete has a nice blog, and it was a fun read.  As for the bread, it’s easy to prepare, and the results were just terrific.  Now that I have the book you can expect a number of bread-related postings.  For tonight, enjoy a crusty, brown loaf of rustic peasant bread!

Makes 4 1-lb. loaves (so this recipe can be easily halved).

Ingredients:

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp instant yeast
• 1 1/2 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 cup rye flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 5 1/2 cups flour

Preparation:

Mix the salt and yeast with the water in a large bowl.  Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading.  The dough will be very wet.  Cover with a towel and allow to rest at room temperature for about 2 hours.

At this point you can use the dough or refrigerate (it will keep for about 2 weeks).  If you are going to make the bread right away, it’s still a good idea to refrigerate the dough for an hour or two so it is easier to handle.

Cut off a section of the dough (1/4 if you make enough for 4 loaves), and dust it with flour.  Quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.  Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered baking sheet.  While the dough is rising, heat the oven to 450 F and place an empty broiler tray on the lowest rack in the oven.  If you are baking on a baking stone, place it in the oven to heat up with the oven.

When the oven is ready and the dough has risen, sprinkle the loaf liberally with flour and make a few 1/4 inch deep slashes on the top using a serrated bread knife (a cross or tic-tac-toe pattern both work).  Leave the flour on top of the loaf during baking.

Place the baking sheet into the oven (or slide the dough onto your baking stone).  Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, quickly close the oven and bake for about 35 minutes.  The top should get a good hard crust and will be deeply browned.  Allow to cool on a cooling rack and brush off excess flour from the top of the loaf before slicing.

Tyler’s Ultimate Beef Stew

There are few meals so satisfying as a steaming hot bowl of beef stew on a dark winter’s evening.  The aroma of carrots and mushrooms and new potatoes fill your mind with visions of warmth and comfort as they simmer in their broth of beef stock and red wine.  Tender chunks of beef, braised to fall-apart tenderness, wait to be savored.

We’ve had success with several of Tyler Florence’s “Ultimate” recipes, and this was no exception.  This meal simmered on our stovetop for approximately three hours on a Sunday afternoon in January, and with our every move through the house we could smell the scents and flavors developing.  I hestitated for a moment when Cath told me that the recipe called for a bottle – an entire bottle! – of wine, but in the end we knew it had to be done.  You can’t have an “Ultimate” anything if you’re not willing to commit.  I’m glad we did.  (And I’m sure our wine merchant is glad as well.)  It’s a great recipe, and I recommend you give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for frying, plus more to drizzle
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 to 3 pounds beef chuck shoulder roast, cut into 2-inch pieces (this cut is also called chuck shoulder pot roast and chuck roast boneless)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bottle good quality dry red wine (recommended: Burgundy)
• 8 fresh thyme sprigs
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 orange, zest removed in 3 (1-inch) strips
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 cups beef stock
• 9 small new potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut in 1/2
• 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups frozen pearl onions, a large handful
• 1 pound white mushrooms, cut in 1/2
• 1/2 pound garden peas frozen or fresh
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
• Horseradish Sour Cream, recipe follows, for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the oil and butter.

While the pan is heating, arrange the flour on a large dish. Season the cubed beef with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and then toss in the flour to coat. Shake off the excess flour and add the beef chunks in a single layer to the hot pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan, you might have to work in batches. Thoroughly brown all of the cubes on all sides. Once all the meat has been browned remove it to a plate and reserve.

Add the wine to the pan and bring up to a simmer while you scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon being sure to loosen up all those tasty bits. Once the wine has gotten hot add the browned meat, thyme, smashed garlic, orange zest strip, ground cloves, freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the liquids start to thicken, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 1/2 hours.

After 2 hours add halved potatoes, sliced carrots, pearl onions and mushrooms, along with a pinch of sugar to balance out the acid from the red wine. Turn the heat up slightly and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, until the vegetables and meat are tender. Add the frozen peas during the last minute of cooking. Season with salt and pepper and remove the thyme sprigs.

To serve, place the stew in a soup bowl, garnish with parsley, drizzle with olive oil and add a dollop of Horseradish Sour Cream.

Horseradish Sour Cream:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Chives, finely chopped, as garnish

Combine sour cream, prepared horseradish and a drizzle of olive oil in a small bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add a dollop of the mixture on top of the stew and garnish with chopped chives.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Zucchini and Goat Cheese

The late summer feel of zucchini combined with the rich flavor of goat cheese were a great match for a bone-in breast of chicken and a coating of Herbs de Provence. This recipe was another winner from “A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash” by Lou Seibert Pappas. We paired this chicken with an easy rice pilaf and a delicious Hogue Riesling, and we likened it to an upscale bit of comfort food on a cold, January evening here in Minnesota.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb zucchini
• Kosher salt
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 oz goat cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp minced, flat-leaf  (Italian) parsley
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 12 oz each)
• Herbes de Provence for sprinkling

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Shred the zucchini, sprinkle with salt, wrap in paper towels, and let stand for 15 minutes.  Squeeze the zucchini dry.  In a  large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil, add the onion, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes; remove from the heat and let cool.

In a small bowl, beat together the goat cheese and butter until blended.  Add the egg and beat until smooth.  Mix in the zucchini, onion, parsley and cheese.

Using your fingers, loosen the skin from the chicken breasts, leaving one side attached, and force the zucchini stuffing underneath the skin of each breast.  Brush each stuffed breast with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with the herbes de Provence.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Serve at once.

NOTE:  The recipe in the book also offers a griling option, but at the moment we have a sheet of ice on the grill, so we’re in no hurry to get it going.  Roasting in the oven worked very well.  We made sure not to call it finished until the skin had turned crispy, with a golden brown color.  The meat was tender and juicy, while the skin was crispy and the stuffing delicious.

Ultimate Oven Fries

“The savings in calories and fat are no reason to eat an oven fry – it has to taste good.”

This is the quote from Cook’s Illustrated Magazine, and I agree completely.  If you’re a food aficianado and not a regular reading of Cook’s Illustrated, it really would be worth your while to buy an issue and read it through.  I’m constantly amazed by the writing, and I’ve never seen anything like it.  They won’t just give you a recipe, they’ll tell you exactly how they tested the recipe, and what factors needed to be in place to really make it work.  It’s an invaluable magazine for the day when you truly want to understand what’s happening in the kitchen, and why your food works.  Or, perhaps, why it doesn’t.

Like most people, we enjoy comfort foods.  Oven-fries are a great option to accompany burgers and chicken, and this recipe delivers a crunchy crust with a creamy smooth interior, the sort of fries that melt in your mouth and make you smile.  Even my daughters decided they tasted pretty good, which means I’m going to have to begin buying more potatoes.  That’s the kind of problem I like to have.

The content below is as it appears in the magazine.  Give this one a try, and enjoy!

Take care to cut the potatoes into evenly sized wedges so that all of the pieces will cook at about the same rate.  Although it isn’t required, a non-stick baking sheet works particularly well for this recipe.  It not only keeps the fries from sticking to the pan, but, because of its dark color, encourages deep and even browning.  Whether you choose a nonstick baking sheet or a regular baking sheet, make sure that it is heavy duty.  The intense heat of the over may cause lighter pans to warp.

Ingredients:

• 3 russet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), peeled, each potato cut lengthwise into 10 to 12 evenly sized wedges
• 5 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 475 degrees F.  Place potatoes in large bowl and cover with very hot tap water; soak 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, coat 18 x 12-inch heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with 4 tablespoons oil, and sprinkle evenly with the 3/4 teaspoon salt and and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Set aside.

Drain potatoes.  Spread potatoes out on triple layer of paper towels and thoroughly pat dry with additional paper towels.  Rinse and wipe out now-empty bowl; return potatoes to bowl and toss with remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.  Arrange potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet; cover tightly with foil and bake 5 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking until bottoms of potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes.  Using metal spatula and tongs, scrape to loosen potatoes from pan, then flip each wedge, keeping potatoes in a single layer.  Continue baking until fries are golden and crisp, 5 to 15 minutes longer, rotating pan as needed if fries are browning unevenly.

Transfer fries to second baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if necessary, and serve.