Portabella Pot Roast

For the last couple weeks, I was on the lookout for something special to make for our Valentine’s dinner and kept coming back to a recipe called portabella pot roast. The picture accompanying the recipe was just so pretty! There were aspects of the recipe I liked, but it didn’t seem like the dish would have a whole lot of flavor. After looking at several other recipes with similar names, I took some flavor bits from a couple and applied them to that recipe with the pretty picture.

It turned out to be absolutely delicious! Layers of complex flavors and the comfort a meaty dish with hearty vegetables brings. A crisp green salad and homemade bread rounded out the meal. A very special meal! And as a bonus, being quick and easy, this doesn’t need to be relegated to “special” times—it would even work on a weeknight. Enjoy!

• Servings: 4-6
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Adapted from this Better Homes and Gardens recipe

8 four-inch portabella mushroom caps (about 12 ounces), stemmed and gills removed

12 oz. baby gold potatoes (or a mix of gold and red), halved if large

12 oz carrots with an inch of tops

1 large sweet onion, cut into 8 wedges

3 cloves garlic, sliced

3 or 4 sprigs of thyme

1 cup vegetable stock or broth (I used Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base)

1/3 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (Annie’s and Whole Foods 365 brands are vegetarian)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¾ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated horseradish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large Dutch oven or 13×9 baking dish, layer mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, and thyme. Mix together stock, wine, and Worcestershire. Pour over vegetables. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cover with lid or foil and bake for 45-60 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Remove pan from oven and, using a tongs or slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a serving platter. Pour cooking liquid from pan into a small saucepan and, over medium heat, bring to a boil. Boil gently, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes until reduced by about half. Spoon over vegetables. Sprinkle with freshly grated horseradish. Makes 4-6 servings.

Red Flannel Hash

We grew beets in our garden this summer for the first time in several years. Then the green beans and zucchini overtook the beets and we kind of forgot about them—out of sight, out of mind. Last weekend we decided to wade through the overgrowth and see if there were actually beets underneath. There were! Nice, medium sized beets. The greens had seen better days and were unusable, but the beets were beautiful.

Wanting to make something a little different, I started digging around online and red flannel hash came up. I’ve heard of it, but never had it. Turns out the traditional version, which originated in New England, has beets, red potatoes, and corned beef, but the few vegetarian recipes I found didn’t really change much other than to leave out the corned beef. I pulled aspects of a number of different recipes to come up with this delightful dish.

We topped our crispy red flannel hash with poached eggs and had toast on the side. It was delicious! A very pretty change from typical breakfast potatoes and the beets, Worcestershire, and horseradish gave it oomph and a unique quality that we loved. Enjoy!

• Servings: 4
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A little advanced prep is needed to cook the beets and potatoes, but if you do that a day or two before, the hash comes together very quickly.

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 ½ cups cubed cooked and peeled beets

2 cups cubed, cooked, skin on, red potatoes

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (the Annie’s brand is vegetarian)

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat butter and olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When hot, add onions and a sprinkling of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the beets and potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. When warmed through, add the Worcestershire and horseradish. Stir and then press the mixture down in the pan with a large spatula, which will help it brown on the bottom. Let it cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes, then turn it by sections and press down again, and cook another 4 or 5 minutes to crisp the other side.

For breakfast/brunch, serve with poached or fried eggs. Or serve as a side dish with lunch or dinner. Makes about 4 servings.

 

Beet Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette

Last night was a fun girls’ night patio party at my house. My two besties, Lori and Dawn, came for dinner and wine on the patio. Pete was gone to the cabin for the weekend, so what better time for an evening with my two dearest friends?

Our main course was the paella that I blogged about a while back, and while it was on the stove, we munched on little eggplant rounds baked with a panko-parmesan coating that we topped with pumpkin seed pesto and marinara. Our dessert was a simple blueberry puff pastry galette drizzled with white chocolate ganache.

It was a truly delicious meal, but the prettiest dish was the beet salad with horseradish vinaigrette. I’d had a hankering for horseradish vinaigrette where you could actually taste the horseradish. While out for dinner recently, I had a green salad, supposedly with horseradish vinaigrette, but I couldn’t taste the horseradish at all. It was good, but lacked that zesty horseradish bite. While googling, I came across a Mario Batali beet recipe with horseradish vinaigrette and adapted it to my liking. The use of both golden and red beets makes this salad really beautiful! And delicious! Even Lori, a non-beet lover (or so she thought!), deemed it wonderful.

The arugula, with its rich, peppery taste, was the perfect green to support the mellow roasted beets and the assertive dressing. Enjoy!

Beet Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette
adapted from a Mario Batali recipe  

½ pound golden beets, washed and stems trimmed off

½ pound red beets, washed and stems trimmed off

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Dressing:
1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 ½ tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 green onions, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
4 loosely packed cups arugula

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place beets in a medium bowl, and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish and cover with foil. Roast for 1 hour or until beets are easily pierced with a knife. When beets are cooled, rub beets to remove skin. Cut beets into bite-sized pieces.

To make dressing, mix vinegar, mustard, horseradish, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in olive oil while whisking and continue to whisk until olive oil is fully incorporated.

To serve, place arugula on a platter and mound beets in the center. Sprinkle with celery and green onions. Drizzle with dressing. Best served at room temperature. Serves 4.