potatoes Archives - Cruisin with the Colemans

Recipe of the Week – Grilled Sausages with Potatoes, Shallot, and Spinach

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Cruisin Brian

Sometimes after a big day out exploring we just don’t feel like spending a lot of time cooking. That was the case after our day exploring Cape Coral. After visiting the fantastic Cape Coral Farmer’s Market, we did an eight-mile walk around town and found a great little Italian place for lunch that served gluten-free pizza. A visit to Wicked Dolphin Distillery and pool time back at the campground with some newly invented cocktails finished up our day.

By the time we got back to CC we were exhausted and starving. Here’s a quick dinner that you can throw together in no time at all with things that you might even have on hand.

Start out with a variety of potatoes: red, russet, and Yukon gold are my favorites. Dice them up into bite-sized pieces along with a couple of shallots and put into a microwave safe bowl.

Add about a tablespoon of olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Cook in the microwave for five minutes or so until the potatoes are mostly cooked but still firm.

While the potatoes are cooking, get the grill heated up and add Italian sausages.

When the sausages almost done, add the potatoes and shallot mixture to the grill. BE CAREFUL to not pour the collected oil and water in the bottom of the bowl onto the grill or you will have some major flareup!

Cook the potatoes and sausage until they are nicely charred. Once they’re done, add a few handfuls of spinach and allow it to wilt for a second before removing everything from the grill and dividing between plates. Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese.

I would highly recommend making sure that you have plenty light on the grill. We had to keep the lights off because of the no-see-ums and I might have burned things a bit! Also, you might notice that I didn’t use spinach… we couldn’t find any at the farmers market that morning so we just went without.

Grilled Sausages with Potatoes, Shallot, and Spinach

1-2 Italian sausages per person
1 lb of assorted potatoes, such as russet, red, and Yukon gold\
2 shallots
1 T olive oil
1/2 t each salt, garlic powder, and pepper
1 cup spinach leaves
1-2 T parmesan cheese

Cut potatoes and shallots into bite-sized pieces and place into a microwave safe bowl. Top with oil and seasonings and stir to mix. Cook for 4-5 minutes in microwave until almost cooked.

Heat grill and add sausages. Cook for 6-8 minutes and turn. Add the potato-shallot mixture and continue to cook until charred to your liking, another 5-10 minutes, making sure that the sausages are cooked through. Add spinach on top and let wilt then remove to plates.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Recipe of the Week – Potato Fennel Hash

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

While we were in Michigan this summer we took a fishing charter on Lake Superior and came home with a mess of fish. You’ll hear about our fishing adventure on Wednesday’s post but today you will see the fruits of our labor. We love to serve fish with Potato Fennel Hash but it actually goes well with any meat.
Fennel, also sometimes called Anise (ah-nees), is a bulb vegetable similar to celery but with a mild licorice flavor. The fronds have a stronger flavor can be dried or used fresh anywhere you would use dill. The stalks can be diced and added to salad for a spicy crunch. The bulb adds a nice flavor to potatoes and bulks the dish up with half the calories and carbs.
Begin by heating the oven to 450º. Place a heavy pan in the oven with a little oil to preheat with the oven. Trim the stalks and fronds and save for another use. Slice the bulb in half and remove the core. Slice the bulb finely to match size of the shredded potatoes. The slicing side of a box grater works well.

Slice a sweet onion into thin slices also.

Add about a pound of grated potatoes and mix all together so that they are well combined. The onions and fennel should be roughly the same texture as the potatoes. We often use bagged grated potatoes for convenience.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add about one tablespoon of canola oil. Add about half of the potato mixture to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Don’t overcrowd the pan, you want the moisture to evaporate away while the potatoes get brown and crunchy.

After a couple of minutes, stir the mixture to allow the potatoes to cook evenly.

Once they are mostly cooked through, put the mixture into the pan from the oven. The hash should sizzle when it hits the pan. Place the pan back in the oven and repeat the process with the rest of the potato mixture.

Once all of the potatoes are in the oven, allow to brown and continue cooking while you prepare the meat, stirring occasionally.

I pan-fried our fish this night. It’s lake trout in a buttermilk cornmeal breading with cajun seasoning. The tartar sauce is homemade too! What do you love to serve with your fish fry? Post ideas in the comments below!

Potato Fennel Hash

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 medium-sized russet potatoes, grated, with or without the peels
2 1/2 T canola oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 450º with a heavy pan with 1/2 T oil in the oven.
Thinly slice the fennel and onion and mix with the grated potatoes. All three ingredients should be roughly the same sized shred.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 T of oil and once hot, add half of potato mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until most of the moisture has evaporated and the fennel and onion are cooked through.
Transfer the hash to the hot pan in the oven and repeat the process with the remaining potato mixture.
Allow the hash to brown in the oven, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rest of dinner.

Recipe of the Week – Creamy Cheese Soup

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

We love soup and we also try to eat healthy meals as often as possible. Any opportunity to lighten up a favorite meal and still feel like we’re having a “cheat” meal is appreciated. This potato soup is bulked up with some flavorful vegetables and lightened up by using mostly broth instead of cream. Use good quality cheese to get the most flavor. Mild and sharp cheddar both have roughly the same calories but because sharp has a stronger flavor, you can use less and get maximum flavor for fewer calories. The same goes for using pecorino instead of parmesan. Also, I prefer to NOT use low-fat cheese in recipes. It doesn’t melt well, and the little bit of fat that is lost in reduced fat cheeses means that the cheese has less mouth feel which not only affects the overall taste, but will make the food less satisfying. You might be more likely to eat more food, meaning more calories! That said, for all the tricks that this soup uses, everyone will love it and no one will feel like they’re missing out.
Begin by dicing four ounces of Canadian bacon and cook in a large pot with one tablespoon of oil until the meat begins to get crispy.

Meanwhile finely dice a large red onion, three pealed carrots, and 3 stalks of celery.

Add the vegetables to the pot and cook until soft and lightly browned. Add one teaspoon each of dry mustard (Colman brand, of course) and garlic powder and half a teaspoon of smoked paprika. Cook for an additional minute.
Add three cups of chicken broth, one and a half pounds of diced Yukon gold potatoes (about 3 medium-sized), half a teaspoon of salt, and Cayenne pepper to taste (maybe a 1/4 teaspoon or so). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

Remove the pot from heat. Using a spoon or wooden spatula mash about half of the vegetables and potatoes against the side of the pot to smash them and thicken the soup. Stir in 1 cup of half and half, 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and a quarter cup of pecorino Romano cheese. Pecorino is a sheep’s milk cheese that has a sharper flavor than parmesan. Stir until well combined and the cheeses are melted. Top the soup with some diced scallion as a garnish and enjoy! If this soup sounds good, click like and we’ll post more of our favorite soup recipes and don’t forget to sign up to get email notifications of all of our new posts.

Creamy Cheese Soup

1 T olive oil
4 oz Canadian bacon, diced
1 large red onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 t dry mustard powder
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t smoked paprika
3 c chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, diced
1/2 t salt
1/4 t Cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
1 c half and half
1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 c pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 c scallion, diced

Heat oil in a large soup pot and cook bacon until the edges start to get crispy. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until the vegetables are soft and begin to brown.
Add spices and cook 1 additional minute.
Add broth, potatoes, salt, and Cayenne to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
Remove the pot from the heat. Smash about half of the vegetables and potatoes against the side of the pot with a fork or spatula to slightly thicken the soup. Add half and half and cheeses. Stir until combined and cheese is melted. Divide into bowls and garnish with diced scallion.

Recipe of the Week – Easy Chicken and Potato "Kabobs"

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

I love to cook, that is not a surprise to anyone who knows me (Brian). I don’t love to spend a lot of time cooking usually (though I do believe that making a wonderful, intricate recipe can also be very cathartic in the right time and place). This recipe from the Baking Beauties at Faithfully Gluten Free is simply my all time favorite marinade. I call it dump marinade because it has a little bit of everything in, you can dump in any protein you want, and it will come out amazing. Kabobs are a challenge to me. It is difficult to get everything done together without burning the more delicate items, hence the second dump of this recipe, where I just throw it all on the grill and forget the skewer!
First the marinade: Put into a gallon resealable bag put 1/4 t dried rosemary (I didn’t carry rosemary in the RV this time so substituted dried oregano and it worked just fine), 1/2 t each of dried parsley, garlic powder, and black pepper, 1 t stone ground mustard, 1 T each balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and 2 T olive oil. WOW that’s a lot of ingredients! Now throw in about a pound of your favorite protein. We love this with chicken thighs (in the pictures) but beef works well too (or country style pork ribs, chops, or an old tire, seriously this marinade tastes that good!). A note on gluten free: soy sauce is one of those items with hidden gluten in it, always make sure to check labels of sauces and condiments to ensure they are safe if you or someone you are cooking for can’t have gluten.
Let the meat marinade for at least two hours. I put the meat in the marinade the night before but we ended up eating out the next day so I just threw the whole thing in the freezer. A week later, I took the bag out one evening and cooked it up the next day, it was still perfect!
Even the smallest potatoes take forever to cook on a grill. Here’s a great tip stolen from the Baking Beauties: cook them in the microwave first! I put them in and hit the potato button, they always come out a little under done, but then the time on the grill with the other raw veggies, and they are perfect! (Too many explantation points in this post, but I really love this recipe!)
We always add onions and mushrooms at minimum when we cook this meal but bell pepper, asparagus, zucchini, and summer squash are also great additions. Cut your veggies into largish bite sized pieces. The less dense the vegetables are, the bigger the pieces should be so they hold up. Here’s another tip for the mushrooms: if you cut it in half and find lots of dark fins (especially common in portobello), scoop them out with a spoon or knife because they are bitter and turn mushy when cooked.

If you are assembling kabobs, layer meat, potatoes, and veggies (obviously not the asparagus, but if you get one on a skewer, please put a picture in the comments, haha) onto a wooden or metal skewers. Don’t forget that wooden skewers should always be soaked in water for 30 minutes first to keep them from catching on fire. I like the metal ones because they help to cook the food from the inside a little too.
I don’t like to take the time to thread skewers most of the time, so I toss all the veggies together, drizzle with some oil and salt and pepper and toss ’em on the grill.

If you use foil, poke a few holes so the juices run out – you want crispy browned edges, not a soggy mess.

Once the veggies get going, put the meat on the grill and cook to your desired degree of doneness.

YUM!! BTW, thats a little bit of ranch dip on the side. It’s amazing on the potatoes!

Easy Chicken (or Steak) “Kabobs”

For the marinade:

1/4 t dried rosemary (or other dried herb such as oregano or basil)
1/2 t dried parsley
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t ground pepper
1 t stone ground or dijon mustard
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T olive oil

For the grill:

1 lb chicken thighs or marinating beef
1 lb of small potatoes (red or Yukon)
Optional bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, etc.

Mix all of the marinade ingredients into a resealable plastic bag and smoosh them around to make sure everything is mixed. Add the meat and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Soak wooden skewers in water to keep them from catching on fire.
Cook the potatoes in the microwave until almost completely done. Cut other veggies into similar sized pieces.
Thread all of the ingredients onto skewers and discard used marinade or…
Place veggies in a bowl and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. DO NOT put used marinade onto the veggies, as tempting as they may be. No one wants a side of salmonella with their dinner!
Place kabobs onto a medium high grill and turn every few minutes until done or…
Place veggies on grill and toss occasionally to keep searing fresh sides without burning. Place meat along side and turn after about 3-5 minutes.
Serve immediately with a cold beer and enjoy!