Category: Recipes

recipes we’ve made

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Recipes

farro salad with asparagus, green beans, cucumber and parsley

If you’re feeling that particular need to eat something healthy and full of green stuff—as we often are after a good weekend—make this. It’s a riff on tabbouleh salad and you’ll feel better after eating it. Nothing like lots of veggies and whole grains to set you right. It also keeps well in the fridge so you can enjoy it for lunch the next day if you’re still feeling the need to detox.

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The key to avoiding a bland grain salad is lots and lots of lemon juice. Also be sure to season the water that you’re cooking the grains in – it should taste like sea water.  You could make this with any assortment of veggies you have on hand. It’s a very forgiving salad.

Farro Salad with Asparagus, Green Beans and Herbs
1 1/2 cups farro (we used Trader Joe’s 10 Minute Farro, which makes this a quick meal)
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 shallot, diced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 cucumber, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 cup asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces
1 cup green beans, cut into 1″ pieces
olive oil, salt and pepper
mixed greens
goat cheese, for serving

Cook the farro according to the package directions. In a large bowl, combine chopped parsley, shallot, lemon juice and zest and cucumber.

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Put a pot of salted water to boil. Blanche the asparagus and green beens for a few minutes, until just tender. Rinse with cold water to stop their cooking. Add them to the large bowl.

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Add the farro and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add more lemon juice if necessary. Make a bed of salad greens on a plate. Spoon some of farro salad on top of the greens. Top with a little goat cheese to serve. Enjoy!

farro-asparagus-beans-3-Emily

 

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Recipes

creamy pasta with dill and smoked salmon

I never used to eat fish. I basically avoided it, except for the very occasional piece of grilled salmon at a family party. Until I met Jordan. Jordan is a lover of fish. He was quick to introduce me to sushi, moules frites and smoked salmon. And, since I was very eager for him to like me, I ate them, lifelong avoidance set aside. Turns out he was right, all those fish, they deserve my love.

This particular pasta is a Jordan dish. He never failed to make it when he’d come to visit me at school or when I was home over the summer. It’s lovely all year round. One Valentine’s Day when Jordan was visiting me in D.C., we took the Metro to Eastern Market, wandered into a cooking store, splurged on our first All-Clad saute plan, and then went home to christen it with this dish. Really any pan that gets hot will do, and it’s pretty silly to buy All-Clad when you live in student housing, but that’s the story. Obviously, we still have the pan; those things are rock solid.

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Creamy Pasta with Dill and Smoked Salmon 
1 lb bow tie pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups cream
1/4 cup dill, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
6 oz smoked salmon, cut into 1″ pieces

Put a pot of salted water to boil. In a large saute pan over medium-low, heat the butter. Saute the shallot in butter for a few minutes, until softened but not brown. Deglaze with the wine. Let the wine reduce slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the cream and turn the heat to low. Let the sauce come to a boil and thicken, stirring often.

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Cook the pasta until al dente and drain. Turn the heat off on the sauce, add the dill and lemon juice. Toss the pasta with the sauce. Top with smoked salmon to serve.

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If you’re only cooking for two, you might want to cut this recipe in half. Sadly, this pasta does not reheat well. The cream gets absorbed by the pasta and the smoked salmon is overcooked by the time the pasta is heated through. Microwaved cream sauces really are a travesty.

-Emily

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Recipes

herb-crusted rack of lamb and potatoes anna

I made this dish for Jordan’s birthday, which was over two months ago (!!!) making this post terribly delayed and me a horrendous blogger. But, lamb is always good, so why not share. This lamb turns out beautifully. The crust is delicious and compliments the perfectly medium rare and oh so tender lamb. For us, this is a special occasion dish—rack of lamb is pricey. But when you love food like Jordan loves food, birthday splurges are in order.

Don’t be scared off by the anchovies in the recipe. They compliment the slight gaminess of lamb and don’t add a fishy taste.

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Herb-Crusted Lamb Chops, adapted from Ad Hoc at Home
1 frenched 8-bone rack of lamb
kosher salt and pepper
canola oil
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 cloves garlic confit
3 anchovy fillets (rinsed and patted dry)
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsely, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped

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Score the fat covering the lamb in a 1/2 inch crosshatch pattern with the tip of a sharp knife. Take care to not cut into the meat. Season the rack of lamb on all sides with salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and position one oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Line a roasting pan or baking sheet with foil and set a cooling rack in the center.  Heat some canola oil in a large pan over medium heat. Put the lamb fat side down and sear until golden brown. Transfer the lamb to the cooling rack fat side up.

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Combine mustard and honey in a small bowl; set aside. Combine butter, garlic and anchovies in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer the puree into a medium bowl and add the bread crumbs and herbs. Stir until just combined.

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Brush the fat side of the lamb with the mustard mixture. Spread the bread crumbs evenly over the lamb, pressing gently to adhere the crumbs.  Put the lamb in the oven with the meat side toward the back and cook for 25-35 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 128 degrees. Let the racks rest in a warm place for 15 – 20 minutes for medium rare lamb. Carve into two bone chops and serve.

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Potatoes Anna
1 pound yukon gold potatoes, peeled
4 tablespoons butter, cut into thin slivers
salt

I’m not really sure why these are called potatoes anna, but that is what Jordan calls them and so that is what we’ll call them here. They are his favorite way to eat potatoes and for good reason. Crispy and soft at the same time and oh so buttery—perfection in a side dish.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Peel and slice the potatoes unto 1/4-inch thick slices. I use a mandolin to make this faster and easier.  Arrange the potatoes in rows, slightly overlapping. Scatter thinly sliced pats of butter over the potatoes and season liberally with salt. Bake 35 – 45 minutes in a 425 degree oven, until parts of the potatoes are crispy and golden brown. Serve with roasted meats, sautéed fish, a fried egg, whatever protein you can get your hands on.

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-Emily

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Recipes

garlic confit, the key to sautéed greens

This right here is how to make any leafy green more palatable. Before garlic confit, I was a very reluctant eater of cooked leafy greens. I’d pretty much avoided them since childhood—terrifying brick of spinach microwaved directly from the freezer, anyone?—and only occasionally ate them as an adult because I know they’re good for me. But since our discovery of garlic confit, I’ll happily eat them alongside any main course.

Garlic confit has all the delicious flavor of garlic without the harsh bite. It’s ridiculously easy to make and delicious in pretty much anything – vegetables, pasta, mashed potatoes, spread on bread.  Do yourself a favor, make a big batch, keep it in your fridge and bust it out anytime you’ve got a bunch of kale, spinach, chard, or mustard greens languishing. Because of our CSA, we usually have several bunches of greens on hand and make this once or twice a week.

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Garlic Confit, from Ad Hoc at Home
2 heads of garlic, peeled
1 cup flavorless oil, like grapeseed or safflower

Peel the cloves of garlic and put them in a small saucepan. Cover completely with oil, about 1 cup. Turn the heat on to very low and let the garlic simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the cloves. When the cloves are soft, it’s done. Pour garlic and garlic oil into a glass jar and store in the fridge.

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Sauteed Greens with Garlic Confit
4 cups leafy greens and stems (this will cook down significantly)
several cloves of garlic confit and its oil
salt and pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced

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Put several cloves of garlic and some of the oil in a large saute pan. Turn the heat to medium. Add your greens and let the begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Once they’ve released some of their water and shrunken some, use tongs to stir them around. Cook another 2 minutes and turn the heat off. Season well with salt and pepper, finish with a squeeze of lemon.

-Emily

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Recipes

middle class brioche

At the end of the spectrum opposite spelt bread, there is brioche—lest you worry our dedication to butter had wavered. For Mardi Gras a few weeks ago, our friend Kelly made an amazing King Cake. Buttery, airy, just slightly sweet, it was perfection. I enjoyed it for dessert, and then again for breakfast the next day. It took a lot of self-control to not eat Jordan’s piece while he slept. Obviously, I asked for the recipe.

What I received in return was 6 pages of instructions with different classes of brioche, each with different amounts of butter and egg, and each with different baking techniques. The recipe titles were pretty great. Rich Man’s Brioche, featuring a whole pound of butter. Middle Class Brioche, a moderate 8 ounces or two sticks. And Poor Man’s Brioche, a modest 4 ounces of butter. Kelly recommended Middle Class and that is what I bring you today.

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This was my first time making brioche. Working with brioche dough is very different from most other bread doughs I’ve made. Because of all the butter, you shape it when it is very cold, which was much more similar to cookies than bread. The shaping was actually much easier for a first timer than a sourdough hearth bread or baguette. It gives me confidence for future croissants!

Middle Class Brioche Buns 

Sponge
1/2 cup (2.25 oz) unbleached bread flour
2 teaspoons (0.22 oz, 1 packet) instant yeast
1/2 cup (4 oz) whole milk, lukewarm (I used 2% without incident)

Dough
4 (8.25 oz) large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups (13.75 oz) unbleached bread flour
2 tablespoons (1 oz) granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons (0.35 oz) salt
1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg, whisked until frothy for egg wash

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Make the sponge. Stir together flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the milk and stir until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes in a warm place.

Make the dough. Add the eggs to the sponge and whisk or beat with the paddle attachment until smooth.  In a separate bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt. Add the flour mixture to the sponge mixture. Stir until all the ingredients are combined. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Add the butter, one quarter at a time, stirring the dough well after each addition. This should take a few minutes. Continue mixing for another six minutes on medium speed. You’ll have to scrape down the bowl from time to time. The dough should be smooth and soft.

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Refrigerate the dough. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Mist lightly with oil or coat lightly with oil using a brush or paper towel. Transfer the dough to the pan, spreading it into a rectangle about 6 inches by 8 inches. Coat the dough lightly with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or for at least four hours.

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Shape the dough. Line two baking sheets with parchment  Coat lightly with oil. Remove the dough from the fridge and immediately shape. I was making hamburger buns so I used a pizza cutter to divide the dough into 12 equal squares. I then used my hands to roll each square into a ball. I spaced the balls evenly on each sheet, six per baking sheet. They’ll about double in size so you’ll want to keep that in mind. Coat each ball lightly with oil and cover with plastic wrap.

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Proof the dough. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 2 hours. It will just about double in size. After about two hours, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Coat the dough balls throughly with the egg wash. This is what gives them their beautiful shine. Let them proof for another 15 – 20 minutes.

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Bake the buns for 15 – 20 minutes. They should be golden brown and 180 degrees internal temperature. Baking brioche with make your house smell like heaven. You’ll probably want to have the scent of baking brioche as a perfume and you’ll likely text that exact thing to several friends. Sit on your kitchen counter while your brioche bakes and savor it.

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Cool on a rack for 20 minutes before serving, or until cool before glazing. I turned half of the brioche into dessert brioche and left half plain for hamburger buns. The dessert brioche I glazed with a grapefruit glaze. I’d highly recommend it.

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GrapeFruit Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
grapefruit zest
2 tablespoons grapefruit juice

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Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add the grapefruit zest and juice. Whisk to combine. Once the brioche buns have cooled, spoon the glaze over them. Let the glaze set. If you have extra glaze, feel free to do a second coat.

-Emily

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Recipes

chicken pot pie

The chicken pot pie of my childhood was made by Marie Callender’s. It was a personal pot pie, and it baked in the oven for what seemed like an eternity. My favorite part was the crust coated in that creamy pot pie sauce. Well, this chicken pot pie a thousand times better, though it’s a time commitment. Between making the pie crust, roasting chicken, blanching vegetables, making a bechamel, you’re in it for the long haul. But it’s worth it.

I’d recommend making chicken pot pie when you have left over meat from roasting a chicken and chicken enchiladas or chicken soup don’t sound appealing. I’d also recommend it for a crowd – a single slice will fill you up. You could very easily make this ahead of time, freeze it and bake it straight from the freezer, adding 20 – 30 minutes of additional bake time.

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Chicken Pot Pie, adapted from Ad Hoc at Home
Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
about 5 tablespoons ice water

Filling
1 cup red skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
12 pearl onions, peeled
1 cup celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 bay leaves
3 thyme sprigs
1/2 tablespoon peppercorns
1/2 cup peas
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Bechamel
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
black pepper
1 tablespoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
pinch of cayenne

Make the pie crust the night before. In a food processor, combine flour and salt. Remove the butter from the fridge and cut into 1 inch cubes. Add them to the flour mixture. Process until the butter chunks are about the size of peas. Add the water and pulse a few times to combine. Divide into two equal balls, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

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Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it warm just slightly. Roll out the dough and place one piece in a 9 inch pie pan. Cut around the edges and put it back in the fridge. Roll out the second piece of dough into a 12 inch round. Place on a baking sheet and put it back in the fridge.

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Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the bay leaves, thyme and pepper corns. Salt the water until it tastes like sea water. Blanche the potatoes, carrots and onions for 8 minutes. Add the celery and cook for another two. Strain the vegetables from water, pour them onto a sheet pan and discard the spices.

In a medium pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is light brown. Whisk in the milk. Let the sauce come to a boil to thicken, stirring often. Remove from the heat. Add the salt, pepper, thyme, parsley and cayenne. Make sure you’re happy with the seasoning.

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Remove the bottom crust from the fridge. Scatter the blanched vegetables, frozen peas and chicken in the pie shell. Pour the bechamel over the pie. Beat an egg in a small bowl. Moisten the rim of the shell with some of the egg. Top it with the other crust. Pinch around the edges and cut off the excess. Brush the top with the egg. Cut a small vent in the top crust to allow steam to escape.

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Bake on the lower rack of 375 degree oven until the crust is golden brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the pie and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

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-Emily

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Recipes

spelt quick bread

This recipe is dedicated to my mother. This bread precisely is her type of bread. She’s never been a fan of fluffy white breads, at least not in my memory. As kids we’d plead for a sandwich loaf that didn’t look like a bird feeder. But, since we cannot help but turn into our parents, my recent love affair with seedy loaves probably shouldn’t come as a surprise.

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This bread is dense and nutty. Two slices of it and you’ll feel full until noon. I’ve been tweaking the recipe for a few weeks and now it comes close to a few really great spelt breads that you can find around San Francisco that kicked off my recent obsession.

This is a quick bread, which means you just mix and bake. With no waiting for dough to rise and loaves to proof, you can have a hot loaf of bread in about an hour and a half.

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Spelt Quick Bread
4 cups spelt flour
1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon molasses
3 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 egg
2 – 2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
butter for greasing the pans

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9 x 5 loaf pans. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sesame seeds, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together the molasses, honey, brown sugar, egg and milk. Combine the wet and dry ingredients in the larger bowl, stirring to combine. Spoon half of the batter into each loaf pan. Top generously with sesame seeds.

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Place both loaf pans side by side with some room between in the middle rack of the oven. Cover both with a baking sheet. This will help get a nice even brown crust on the top that doesn’t split open. Bake 40 minutes – 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

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We love this bread topped with goat cheese for lunch or dinner. It is also lovely for breakfast broiled with butter and cinnamon sugar.

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-Emily

Categories
Recipes San Francisco

consider the oyster

We’re fortunate enough to live very close to very delicious oysters. We’re also lucky enough to have friends to whom eating upwards of 25 oysters a person seems like the perfect way to spend an afternoon. If it’s a Saturday in San Francisco, it is easy (and surprisingly affordable) to secure a few bushels of oysters for your enjoyment at the Alemany Farmer’s Market from Point Reyes Oyster Company.

Throw your bushels of oysters in a cooler, pour a few bags of ice on top, and get ready to shuck. Though oysters are divine on their own, you’ll probably want some fixin’s to go with them. We’d recommend lemon wedges, mango shallot mignonette, hot sauce, and maybe some bread and cheese. Don’t forget a healthy supply of beer, wine and whisky. Pertinent recipes to follow.

The best way to shuck an oyster (and minimize the amount of shell shrapnel you ingest) is to insert the tip of the oyster knife in the hinge of the oyster, apply firm pressure downwards at a 45 degree angle until the knife goes into the oyster and the oyster releases. The two halves of its shell will loosen and you can more easily run your knife around the edges to free the oyster from the shell. Detach the oyster foot from the shell, apply your condiments and enjoy!

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Mango Shallot Mignonette
1/2 cup Ponzu marinade
5 tablespoons shallots, minced
1/4 cup mango, finely diced ripe
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and dilute with a little water if necessary. Refrigerate 1 – 2 hours, or overnight to allow the flavors to combine.

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Friendly Fire Hot Sauce
For those who can’t handle the heat.
10 poblano peppers
4 carrots
1 large yellow onion
3/4 head of garlic
3 roma tomatoes
450 ml white balsamic vinegar (find it at Trader Joe’s)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cumin

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees. Roast peppers, onion and garlic until brown and slightly charred, about 40 minutes.  Transfer peppers, onion and garlic to a saucepan. Add tomatoes, vinegar, lime and seasonings. Bring to a boil for a few minutes. Cool and blend.

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Satan’s Sister Hot Sauce
For those who like it hot.
23 habanero peppers
23 serrano peppers
1 passilla bajo pepper
1 large yellow onion
3 roma tomatoes
1/2 lime
250 ml white balsamic vinegar (Trader Joe’s has it)
200 ml balsamic vinegar
1 tsp paprika
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cumin
pinch of turmeric
salt, to taste

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees. Roast peppers, onion and garlic until brown and slightly charred, about 40 minutes.  Transfer peppers, onion and garlic to a saucepan. Add tomatoes, vinegar, lime and seasonings. Bring to a boil for a few minutes. Cool and blend.

Special thanks to our friends Sonny and Russell for sharing their recipes in this post.

-Emily

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Recipes

katie’s leek and butternut squash risotto

The thing that I love most about food is that certain dishes can be so tied to a place, to a moment, to a particular understanding of yourself, that when you taste those dishes again all of those memories come flooding back and you’re transported, regardless of how much or little time has passed. In my humble opinion, this is the one of the best reasons to record and share recipes.

Like my Nonnie’s pecan shortbread cookies, my mother’s red beans and rice, and Jordan’s steak au poivre, this risotto holds a special place in my heart. My friend Katie made it for my going away dinner before I left D.C. for Buenos Aires and again during our last year of college for an intimate dinner with a few friends. It is beautiful, seasonal and has just enough going on to keep your attention. Most of all, it is comforting and absolutely delicious. I’m thankful she gave me the recipe, along with several others from her repertoire.

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Leek and Butternut Squash Risotto, from Katie Norton
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
3 large leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced thinly, about 3 cups
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped finely
salt and pepper

One year ago: Braised Short Ribs
Two years ago: Alice’s Cauliflower Soup

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Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 40 minutes. You can roast the squash in advance, or do it while you’re babysitting the risotto.

Bring the stock to a simmer in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover and keep warm.

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In a large, heavy saucepan or dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and saute until soft, but not brown. Add the rice and stir until the outside of the kernels becomes translucent, but the inside is still white. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring constantly.

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Add the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until it is absorbed. Continue to add stock by the 1/2 cupful until the rice is tender and the mixture has thickened, stirring frequently with each addition. Once tender and creamy, add the squash, cream, parmesan and sage. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy warm!

-Emily

Categories
Recipes

pot roast for amanda

My grandmother, my Nonnie, makes a wonderful pot roast. So good is her pot roast that she clandestinely prepares it in her home kitchen and sneaks it into a bay area restaurant where it is then served to their very happy patrons. “Nonnie’s Pot Roast” it’s called on the menu and I’m proud to say that the “Nonnie” on the menu isn’t some imaginary Italian grandma, she is my Nonnie and she’s a damn good cook—though we’re not actually Italian.

When my friend Amanda needed a pick me up—and don’t we all know that sometimes the only think that can really pick you up is a good home-cooked meal—I decided to make my Nonnie’s pot roast. As it turns out, pot roast is one of Amanda’s favorite childhood meals, and I think she was smitten. Pot roast might not be the prettiest or the most elegant of dishes, but it will certainly warm your soul, and some days that counts for a lot.

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Nonnie’s Italian-Style Pot Roast
2 lbs chuck roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 – 8 oz can chopped tomatoes
3 – 4 large carrots, cut into chunks (or a handful of baby carrots)
1/2 cup red wine
2 – 3 cups beef broth (enough to nearly cover the meat)
salt and pepper

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
2 lbs yellow potatoes (I like Yukon Golds)
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 – 1/2 cup buttermilk
salt and pepper

One year ago: Pizza with Pancetta, Shallot and Mascarpone
Two years ago: Passionfruit Mousse

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees. Season the chuck roast liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large cast iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the meat. Sear both sides, until deep brown in color about 8 – 10 minutes per side. Remove the meat and set aside.

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Reduce the heat to medium-low. Saute the onions in the meat juices until translucent, 6 – 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute a two minutes more. Add the wine to deglaze, making sure to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the meat to the pan. Add the bay leaves, tomatoes, carrots and broth. Return to a boil.

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If you’re making the roast on a weeknight, you can make the pot roast up to this point and refrigerate it then finish it in the oven the next day. Or you can cook it for a few additional hours until you’re ready for bed and then finish it for another hour or so the next day. It will need about 3 hours braising time in a low oven to become perfectly tender, and will happily adjust to whatever schedule suits you.

Cover the pot with a lid and place in a 325 degree oven. Cook for 3 hours, until the meat is tender. When you have about 1 hour left on the cooking time, start the mashed potatoes.

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Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Put them in a large pot and cover with water. Season the water liberally. It should taste like sea water. Cover and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook potatoes 25 – 35 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain the water. Add the butter and beat the potatoes with a mixer or mash with a potato masher. Add the buttermilk and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Potatoes generally need a lot of salt to taste good – keep this in mind while seasoning your potatoes.

Remove the pot roast, carrots and bay leaves from the braising liquid and set aside. Use a blender or immersion blender to puree the braising liquid. It should turn into a thick tomatoey gravy. Season the gravy with salt and pepper, if needed. Slice the pot roast into thin slices.

Mound mashed potatoes on a plate. Top with slices of pot roast and carrots. Pour the gravy over the meat and potatoes. Bring some gravy to the table. Enjoy!

-Emily