Tag Archives: Best Comfort Foods

Crispiest Ever Roasted Smashed Potatoes

on blue serving platterComfort comes in many forms. When you’re little, nothing soothes like a thumb or a well worn stuffed friend. MousieWhen you get older, solace for some can be found in a box of Milk Duds mixed with popcorn at the movies. Oh, perhaps that’s just me.

I think we can all agree that roasted potatoes top the list of comfort foods. The ultimate roast potato is a study in contrasts: the outside should be shatteringly crisp, crunchy and salty, while the inside is tender and fluffy.

Start with mini potatoes. Multi-coloured ones are pretty. Rosemary, garlic, olive oil and plenty of salt are part of the plan.ready to rollBegin by giving the potatoes a head start in a pot of boiling salted water. About 10-15 minutes should suffice. We just want the skin of the potato to be tender.boiled potatoesThen the fun begins! Drain potatoes and spread them out on a baking sheet. Use a potato masher or fork to gently break the surface of the potatoes. I love my spring loaded masher. Be gentle here. You are not looking to make mashed potatoes. You just want to break the surface of the skins and allow the flesh to to be exposed. You are essentially creating more surface area, more little nooks and crannies to be crisped up in the oven. gently smash potatoes

Click here to print recipe for Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes.

I like to think of them as the adult version of thumb sucking! Share if you must, it’s the grown up thing to do. potatoes for one

Killer Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

ready 625 sqSome days, it seems like the world is covered in jagged, sharp edges. Nothing goes smoothly and everything irritates you. When you wake up on the dark side of the mattress, plan on having this grilled cheese sandwich for dinner.

Gooey, crispy, salty and buttery, it comforts like nothing else can.

This sandwich is based on the “Grilled Cheese with a Twist” I ate at Milk Truck’s Smorgasburg location a few years ago. Crafted from aged Wisconsin gruyere, champagne vinegar pickled onions and  whole grain Dijon mustard on Blue Ribbon Bakery Jewish Rye, it was a revelation for me. I have put caramelized onions in my grilled cheese before, but never pickled onions. The sharp tang of the vinegar cut right through the rich fatty cheese and created such flavour balance.

I substituted shallots for onions, because they are sweeter and milder. pickled shallots For my version, I decided upon a combo of cheeses. I used mild, buttery Fontina because It melts like a dream and gives you a really ooey gooey center. Gruyere adds really earthy, nutty flavours to the sandwich. And, rounding out my cheese trifecta was classic mild cheddar. Don’t be tempted to use “old” or “sharp” cheddar for this. It is too dry and crumbly to melt properly.making sandwiches 2A smear of Dijon mustard adds an unexpected tang. I also added a layer of thinly sliced Honeycrisp apple. It added a welcome crunch and tart-sweet component. If you are lucky enough to live in Ottawa, please, please, please, use Rideau Bakery rye bread!

You get much more even browning when you butter the bread, rather than melting the butter into the pan. A very light sprinkling of salt on the buttered bread, before cooking, adds a bonus oomph! But feel free to leave it out if that’s how you roll. I promise not to judge. The key is to cook it low and slow, so that you get it brown and toasty on the outside and completely melted in the center. A lid on the pan will help with thoroughly melting the cheese.cooking

 

sliced closeup

Click here to print recipe for Killer Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

on black platter