Roasted Beets & Goat Cheese

Being just back from an incredible trip in France for the last two weeks with my husband, I’m loving anything French.  It’s funny, French food to me seems to always be one of two things… incredibly easy with few ingredients and super fresh or fussy, but worth-the-arduous-labor fancy.  These toasts are great because you can prepare the goat cheese spread and roast the beets ahead of time and then just throw the toasts together right before guests arrive!  This recipe comes from one of our good friends, who always make great food!

Recipe after the jump…

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Low and Slow in the Kitchen

With the sweltering heat that DC’s been melting under, there isn’t much incentive to turning on the oven, but I promise, this recipe will make it worth it!  And you can cook a whole large fillet at a time and have plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.  Add a farro, wheat berry or similar salad as a side, top with tzatziki sauce got a light and protein-filled dinner without too much effort!

Slow Roasted Salmon with Tomatoes and Herbs

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 bunch dill fronds
• 1/2 bunch thyme sprigs
• 1 3-pound piece center-cut skin-on salmon or steelhead trout fillet, pin bones removed
• Sea salt
• 8 ounces small cherry tomatoes on the vine

Preheat oven to 325°. Pour 4 Tbsp. oil in a roasting pan just large enough to fit the salmon. Make a bed of herbs in bottom of pan; top with salmon, skin side down. Drizzle salmon with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil and season with salt. Top with tomatoes, if using. Bake until salmon is just cooked through in the center (a small knife will slide easily through flesh), 25–30 minutes.  Use a large spoon or fork to serve salmon, leaving skin in pan. Serve with yogurt sauce and couscous.

The original recipe, with sauce and salad can be found on Bon Appetit here.

D.C. American Lamb Pro-Am!

Hi All 🙂  Thanks for coming on over to check out this recipe I put together for the very first D.C. American Lamb Pro-Am Challenge!   I have a little experience with this lean, mean grazing machine from a ways back, but love trying new techniques!  I was thrilled when I opened my refrigerated bag to find a hunk of a piece (boneless leg) of lamb from Border Springs Farm down in Southwest Virginia.  I knew I just had to try baking it in a salt crust – one of the oldest methods for cooking fish that always keeps the flesh perfectly moist and tender!  And if that seems odd that fish and lamb can be cooked the same way, give it a whirl, your taste buds will be pleasantly surprised!

Salt Baked Boneless Leg of Lamb

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• One 6-7 pound boneless leg of lamb
• Fresh pepper for seasoning
• One 48 oz. box of Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup Herbs de Provence
• 8 large egg whites
• Thyme Sprigs for garnishing, if desired

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit
• Remove the lamb from packaging and season with the freshly ground pepper
• In a large frying pan that is safe to go in the oven, heat the olive oil until hot.  Add the lamb and let cook on each “side” on medium high heat until browned – about 7-10 minutes.
• While the lamb is browning, make the salt crust mixture by placing the egg whites in a mixer and beating just until frothy.  Add the Kosher salt and Herbs de Provence and mix until combined.
• When the lamb is finished browning, remove the pan from the heat and pack the salt mixture all around the lamb, leaving no open spaces (you don’t want the steam/moisture to to escape when baking).
• Place the lamb in the oven and roast until the meat registers 120° Fahrenheit for medium-rare.  This should take 40-60 minutes, so check early to be sure to not over cook the meat!
• Remove the roast from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes for the salt crust to set.  Then, crack off the crust to reveal the meat.  Discard the salt and droppings in the pan.
• Place the lamb on a serving platter and let set for another 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

White Bean & Garlic Smash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes (the perfect accompaniment for this lamb!)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cans of cannellini beans
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 15-20 garlic cloves, pealed
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes

Instructions:

• Start by roasting the garlic in the olive oil in a small dish (I put this in with the lamb).
• Once the garlic is softened and gently toasted (about 20 minutes), remove from the oven and add the salt, beans and sun-dried tomatoes.
• Place the dish back in the oven so the flavors can roast and meld together while the lamb is still cooking.
• Remove from the oven once golden brown on top and serve along side the lamb.  Enjoy!

 

Homemade Honey Roasted Peanuts

I was craving something sweet and salty last night and decided to tackle making homemade honey roasted peanuts (without the high fructose corn syrup in every brand in the store) and here’s what I came up with.  I’m going to try another batch tonight with cashews… I can’t wait to try those!

Ingredients:
2 cups raw peanuts
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp peanut oil
1/4 cup sugar (plus extra for dusting)
1/2 tsp salt