Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day Smashed Potatoes

Happy Valentine's Day.

We usually don't go out to dinner on Valentine's Day. In New York City, Valentine's dinners are an expensive affair. Most restaurants offer a special prix fixe menu that is significantly more expensive than their regular menu, and reservations need to be made weeks in advance. We avoid all the hype by choosing to go out for a special breakfast instead and make a nice dinner at home.

We went out for our special Valentine's Day breakfast yesterday at Prime Meats. It's close to home and they use produce, meats and dairy from local farms, so it's a treat we can feel good about.

For dinner, we continued our efforts to clean out the freezer. We enjoyed some pork tenderloin encrusted with rosemary, garlic and kosher salt, caramelized onions, smashed potatoes and coleslaw. I liked the coleslaw so much last week. I just couldn't resist requesting another batch this week. Last week we used the food processor, and this week it was just roughly chopped up by hand - either way it is delicious. But I thought the real star of the meal were the smashed potatoes. See below for directions.



Smashed Potatoes
New Potatoes
Olive Oil
Coarse Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake the potatoes until softened (40-60 minutes). Place each potato on a cutting board or large plate and use a small plate to smash them flat. Place the smashed potatoes on lightly oiled baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until they are beginning to crisp around the edges (about 15 minutes per side).

The potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. They are delicious the next day too. Mmm, enjoy.

Plan for the week:
Monday - Leftovers and a special dessert
Tuesday - Liver and Onions
Wednesday - Salmon and Acorn Squash
Thursday - Out to eat
Friday - Homemade pizza

This post is part of Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist, Mouthwatering Mondays, Menu Plan Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday Twister, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday at For the Love of Blogs, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Delectable Tuesday, and Hearth and Soul Hop Recipe Exchange.

10 comments:

Rachel said...

I think eating at home is the way to go! smarter, less expensive and definitely nicer ;-)

great looking meal!

Wendy said...

Oh, how I love potatoes! Smashed potatoes sound pretty yummy! I'll be trying out this recipe soon!

Miz Helen said...

We just love potatoes prepared this way, they are so good. Thank you for sharing and you have a great day!

Christy said...

I thought this was going to be a recipe for Mashed Potatoes - because that's what we call them -Smashed Potatoes - LOL!! I have never seen potatoes made this way - I cannot wait to try them!! Thanks for linking this to the Hearth and Soul Hop!

Allison@Radishes and Rhubarb said...

Love smashed potatoes. I make a similar dish but I add fennel seed. It sounds odd but it is amazing. By the way, the pork tenderloin looks amazing too.

Jenn @leftoverqueen said...

Happy Happy Valentines day!

Julie said...

I love smashed potatoes! Dinner at home is the best way to celebrate Valentines Day!!!

annies home said...

cooking with love is what homemade cooking is to me

Unknown said...

ooh those potatoes sure do look good! i've always boiled then smashed...but i think i would prefer your approach of baking, then smashing. i will give that a try next time. thank you for sharing with tuesday night supper club!

a moderate life said...

Hi G! So great to see you posting and enjoying your food! I love your idea of smashed potatoes! Very cool. As for valentines day in new york--yep! LOL Big hugs and thanks for sharing on the hearth and soul hop! all the best! Alex

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