Here we go again … it’s Secret Recipe Club time!
Faithful readers of Rhubarb and Honey know that I’ve been participating in The Secret Recipe Club for awhile now. The idea of The Secret Recipe Club is similar to other blog exchanges in that each participating blogger is assigned another participating blog to make a recipe from, but the twist with The Secret Recipe Club is that you can’t tell anyone whose blog you have—shhhh, it’s a secret!—until you finally post about the blog you were assigned and the recipe you chose.
So, what fabulous food blog did I get to visit and cook from this month? In a funny turn of events, I was assigned Cairns Manor, a blog written by the lovely Joanna, a Certified Nurse Midwife with a passion for cooking, gardening, and painting, decorating, and “HGTVing” her house. What’s the funny part? Joanna was assigned my blog for last month’s Secret Recipe Club!
I spent awhile perusing Joanna’s blog after reading her take on my “pork and beans” recipe, so when I was assigned her blog, I already had an idea of what I might make. So, what did I choose? Joanna has a number of great recipes on her site, but there were two, Crash Hot Potatoes and Danish Red Cabbage, that really jumped out at me so The Chef and I decided the make a meal out of them.
In reading Joanna’s post, I learned that “crash hot potatoes” are pretty popular, but I have to confess … I’d never heard of them. Does that make me a bad food blogger? Well, if so, I hope my version redeems me a little. Simmered gently with aromatic herbs and then sauteed in bacon grease, these potatoes were delicious … crispy on the outside, creamy and fluffy on the inside. These will definitely be making an appearance at our dinner table again.
Also making another appearance will be the Danish red cabbage as well. This recipe was adapted pretty heavily by The Chef, who taught me how to make it the way he always has. The addition of onion, apple, and cinnamon was a delicious twist, and the bright, vibrant color made it one of the prettiest side dishes we’ve made in awhile … maybe ever!
Served with a thick, juicy, pan-seared pork chop and a light, yet still rich-tasting sauce made with cream and both Dijon and stone-ground mustard, these new dishes rounded out a fabulous meal, and they have won their place in the Rhubarb and Honey recipe repetoire. I hope you enjoy them as much as The Chef and I did!
Crash Hot Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 12 whole new potatoes
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 to 3 bunches fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsely, etc)
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil (or bacon grease for additional flavor)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.
2. Add garlic, herbs, and 1/2 cup salt; stir to dissolve salt.
3. Heat water until barely simmering; cook at this heat until potatoes are fork tender, approximately 20 minutes. (Potatoes can be simmered or boiled, but take care not to allow potatoes to burst.)
4. When potatoes are tender, remove pot from heat. Allow potatoes to cool in salted water.
5. When potatoes are cool, place one potato on a cutting board. Place a small saucer (a dessert plate is perfect) on top and gently push down to flatten potato; repeat with remaining potatoes. All of the potatoes should be about the same thickness.
6. Heat olive oil or bacon grease over medium-high heat; saute potatoes until golden brown.
7. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste; serve.
Note: The Chef and I make it a habit to save the grease from any bacon we cook; it stores easily in a Mason jar in the fridge and can really amp up the flavor of almost anything sauteed in them.
Danish Red Cabbage
Ingredients:
- 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small red cabbage (about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds), cored and thinly sliced
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon pickling spice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 2 small Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large saute pan, saute onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add cabbage; stir and cover. Turn heat to low.
2. In a separate pan, combine apple cider, red wine, pickling spice, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Add sugar; bring to boil to dissolve.
3. When sugar is dissolved, strain mixture into cabbage. Discard spice mix, but add cinnamon stock to cabbage.
4. Simmer cabbage mixture until almost dry; add 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, then add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add apples; stir to combine. Remove cinnamon stick; serve.
P.S. To learn more you about The Secret Recipe Club or to join in (you do have to have a blog with a decent number of recipes for others to choose from), click here to read about it and sign up!
