Potato Torte

This {Potato Torte} is a very special dish to me since I only eat it once a year, on Easter Sunday. This tradition started when I was going to college in Seattle and was always made by my dear friend Debbie. Now that I'm in SF, I've decided that it's time for me to find the recipe and start making it myself every year on Easter. 

This dish is quite delicious and VERY filling. I recommend this recipe for potlucks, dinner parties, or anything that requires feeding lots of people, and not just on Easter! Just note that it does take about 2 hours to cook, so plan accordingly. 

Once you've made this once, I'm willing to bet anything that your friends and family will BEG you to make it again!! 

{All ready to go in the oven for 2 hours}

{Looks yummy!!! Must wait till it cools down...}

{Ready for my first bite!}

** I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but it was scanned and sent to me. I also wish I could give credit to it's rightful owner but I don't know where my friend got it from either! But here is the exact recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes

1 pound Gruyere cheese 

1 pound baked ham 

l large sweet red pepper 

l egg plus 2 egg yolks 

4 cups heavy cream

l teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach 

1 medium onion, minced 

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes; slice thin and set aside in a large bowl of cool

water, Grate the Gruyere and set aside. Slice ham and red pepper 

into thin strips. 

2. Combine the whole egg, yolks, cream, and salt and pepper in a

large bowl, Drain the potatoes and add to the cream mixture. 

3. Thaw and drain spinach well. ln a small bowl, combine spinach

with onion and mustard.

4. Preheat oven to 325°. 

5. Place a thin layer of potatoes and cheese over the bottom of a 

buttered 9 X 13-inch casserole. Drizzle a small amount of the 

cream mixture over the potatoes and cheese. Top with ham 

strips. 

6. Make a second layer of potatoes, cheese and cream. Top this with 

the spinach mixture. 

7. Spread remaining potatoes, cheese and cream over spinach 

mixture. Top with strips of red pepper. 

8. Bake the torte in a 325° oven for Z hours. Do not cover. The top 

should be well browned.

Fan favorite

When I cook for someone new I tend to cook something from my "fan favorites" list. New recipes can be intimidating and these three recipes are fail proof and veggie haters even ask for seconds! For my special guest I knew it had to be my maple dill salmon with garlic herbed potatoes and sauteed brussels sprouts topped with bacon and walnuts.


Make sure to arrange the racks in the oven before hand, 1st rack 1/3 of the way to the top and the 2nd rack 1/3 from the bottom. I like to prep the potatoes first and get them in the oven before doing anything else as it takes almost a full hour to bake.  The potatoes will cook best on the bottom rack and the salmon will bake nicely on the top rack. 

Garlic herb roasted potatoes - approx 1.5 hour


- 2 lb of potatoes - you can go with one kind of potato or a medley (you can adjust if you don't need that much or if you need more)
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil 
- 3 minced or crushed cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 table of herbs de provence (or any medley of herbs that you like such as thyme and rosemary)


Directions:
1. Preheat oven at 400.
2. Cut up potatoes into bite sized pieces and put in a pot to boil until cooked part way through. 
3. Drain and put potatoes back into the pot. Add olive oil, seasonings, and garlic. Transfer to baking sheet and spread out into 1 layer. 
4. Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking. 


Maple-dill glazed salmon - approx time with prep - 30 minutes

-       1.5-2lbs of salmon or 4 salmon fillets, rinsed and patted dry

-       1.5 tablespoon Dijon mustard or whole grain dijon mustard

-       2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

-       ¼ cup of maple syrup

-       ½ teaspoon finely minced garlic

-       1 teaspoon dill weed

-       ½ teaspoon salt

-       2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Whisk together mustard, vinegar, syrup, dill weed, and salt in a small bowl. 

2. Place salmon on foil lined pan for oven or grill ( if you are using the oven, please cook at 400 degrees).

3. Pour mixture over salmon and let marinate for 1 hour (less is okay).

4. Cook for 12-15 minutes. Should be slightly firm when pressing down on salmon with index finger. If you are really unsure, take a knife and cut a small slit in the center to see if the salmon is still pink (no one will know that you've never down this before).

Sauteed brussel sprouts with bacon and walnuts - approx 25 minutes

- 4 slices of bacon, chopped

- 1 1/2 lbs of brussel sprouts (cut into halves before sauteing)

- 6 cloves of garlic thinly sliced or chopped

- 1/2 cup of chicken broth (you can add more if needed)

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

- 1/4 cup of walnuts

Directions:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high. Saute bacon for 5 minutes or until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to set bacon aside to drain. Discard excess drippings but leave about 1 tablespoon in pan for flavoring. 

2. Saute brussel sprouts for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for about 2 minutes until garlic is brown. Stir frequently so the garlic doesn't burn.

3. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the broth evaporates. Season with salt and pepper, add bacon and chopped walnuts.