Let's be clear, I'm not referring to friends who smoke. Rather, being friends with a couple who have their very own outdoor bbq smoker! To a culinary school kid with tools of a commercial kitchen no longer at my disposal, this news was like a dream come true. Two of of my boyfriend's closest friends, Brian and Rebecca (aka The Nunos) are many things: variety beer lovers, friendly cooks and an open house type of couple. They enjoy cooking, especially large pieces of meat they couldn't possibly eat alone. So, they also engage heavily in sharing with others. Enter the boyfriend and I...out for a little drink and music last Friday night (thanks to another friend, Chris H's guitar & singing skills for the entertainment) we started talking about food and that turned into a dinner invite. Sunday evening, smoked turkey and beef brisket. The Nuno's said they would have more than they could eat and wanted to share. Yes, please!?!
With a few bottles of beer as our gift in return, we showed up and ate up. The star food: a nearly 20 pound turkey brined the night before, then in the smoker at 8 am and came out around 5 pm. It was juicy, tender & so very flavorful, everything you hope turkey to be but so often is not. Also on the smoker, a 7lb beef brisket in Brian's own dry bbq rub was equally smokily delicious. To boot they had all the fixings for a serious family feast and nearly all made from scratch: stuffing, mashed potatoes, fresh baked bread, sweet potatoes (oh good midwest sweet potatoes, how delicious you are) and gravy. It was amazing. I am beginning to think of Rebecca as some super-woman. She bakes bread, keeps a beautiful home, works out at 5 am (yeah, I know!) and still manages to have regular girl nights, support her Spartan's team and learn to quilt. Yes, quilt. She just finished her biggest project to-date and I was amazed, a beautiful pink bed spread for her niece. To say I've been inspired would be quite accurate...I love people like that!
OK, I'll stop droning on and on about them and the amazing food! My place currently smells of sweet, slow cooked onions. I've been attempting to caramelize them based on a few recipes I read, but without use of butter, which most call for. We shall see how it goes. Until then, check out the tasty potato casserole I made from a recipe off Smitten Kitchen (thanks for reminding me of this great site Karen :). I didn't use butter like she does, substituting Earth Balance instead but it still received rave reviews from the boy, served with none-other than a real classic: meatloaf (with extra veggies of course!). Enjoy -l.v.
Crispy Potato Casserole, my version below or check out the one I copied from on Smitten Kitchen
**Warning, this takes like...over 2 hours (seriously!) but largely unattended. So plan accordingly :)
3 tbl EarthBalance, melted
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
course salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 or 5 potatoes
3 or 4 shallots
5-6 springs fresh thyme
Garnish: pancetta or bacon (mine has neither, would have been amazing)
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Peel the potatoes and slice them as thin as you can (knife or a mandoline). Do the same with the shallots.
3. Combine the melted earth balance with olive oil and pour a little less than half in the bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkle with about half of the salt, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic powder.
4. Arrange the potatoes in the dish, like the picture shows, so the rows are standing up. Then slide the shallots in between the potato slices.
5. Brush the tops with the rest of the earthbalance/oil mix and sprinkle generously with salt and a bit more of the crushed red pepper and garlic powder.
6. Bake for 1 1/4 hrs, then top with the thyme and cook another 35 minutes or until cooked through and crispy.
With a few bottles of beer as our gift in return, we showed up and ate up. The star food: a nearly 20 pound turkey brined the night before, then in the smoker at 8 am and came out around 5 pm. It was juicy, tender & so very flavorful, everything you hope turkey to be but so often is not. Also on the smoker, a 7lb beef brisket in Brian's own dry bbq rub was equally smokily delicious. To boot they had all the fixings for a serious family feast and nearly all made from scratch: stuffing, mashed potatoes, fresh baked bread, sweet potatoes (oh good midwest sweet potatoes, how delicious you are) and gravy. It was amazing. I am beginning to think of Rebecca as some super-woman. She bakes bread, keeps a beautiful home, works out at 5 am (yeah, I know!) and still manages to have regular girl nights, support her Spartan's team and learn to quilt. Yes, quilt. She just finished her biggest project to-date and I was amazed, a beautiful pink bed spread for her niece. To say I've been inspired would be quite accurate...I love people like that!
OK, I'll stop droning on and on about them and the amazing food! My place currently smells of sweet, slow cooked onions. I've been attempting to caramelize them based on a few recipes I read, but without use of butter, which most call for. We shall see how it goes. Until then, check out the tasty potato casserole I made from a recipe off Smitten Kitchen (thanks for reminding me of this great site Karen :). I didn't use butter like she does, substituting Earth Balance instead but it still received rave reviews from the boy, served with none-other than a real classic: meatloaf (with extra veggies of course!). Enjoy -l.v.
Crispy Potato Casserole, my version below or check out the one I copied from on Smitten Kitchen
**Warning, this takes like...over 2 hours (seriously!) but largely unattended. So plan accordingly :)
3 tbl EarthBalance, melted
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
course salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 or 5 potatoes
3 or 4 shallots
5-6 springs fresh thyme
Garnish: pancetta or bacon (mine has neither, would have been amazing)
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Peel the potatoes and slice them as thin as you can (knife or a mandoline). Do the same with the shallots.
3. Combine the melted earth balance with olive oil and pour a little less than half in the bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkle with about half of the salt, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic powder.
4. Arrange the potatoes in the dish, like the picture shows, so the rows are standing up. Then slide the shallots in between the potato slices.
5. Brush the tops with the rest of the earthbalance/oil mix and sprinkle generously with salt and a bit more of the crushed red pepper and garlic powder.
6. Bake for 1 1/4 hrs, then top with the thyme and cook another 35 minutes or until cooked through and crispy.
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