The Perfect Hash Brown

There's been an ongoing debate between a group of us. A line has been drawn, and each involved has chosen a side where they have remained headstrong and steadfast in their convictions. The debate is of course whether bacon is better crunchy or soft. Ali and I maintain that crispy bacon is the only way to go. I don't want a flaccid, chewy fat piece of bacon on my plate or in my mouth. Our two good friends both maintain that crispy bacon dries out all the flavor and desired texture. Obviously you can go to the extreme on either side - bacon can be too underdone and too overcooked. We've realized neither of us will ever win, its a matter of preference and hopefully you can reach a happy medium. But what can I say, I'm a peace-keeper. Eat your soggy bacon, but I will silently judge you.

There is another brunch favorite that I've never heard anyone argue the texture of however - and that is hash browns. Hash browns are supposed to showcase a layer of crisp matchsticks browned in butter and then give in to a fluffy core. I don't care if you like breakfast potatoes, shredded or scalloped - a crisp outer layer should always give way to fluffy goodness. The problem is, potatoes can be hard to finagle. Sometimes they refuse to brown and crisp up - leaving you with steamed potato mash. Or worse, they do brown but then the brown goodness sticks to the pan and never reaches your plate. Sometimes the potatoes wind up absorbing the oil or butter and all you taste is mushy grease - mmmm no. So I've studied up on how to achieve the best hash browns that will give you the desired crunch and hopefully avoid the mess of spilled oil and wayward flung potatoes.

The keys: a cold water bath, bacon grease and an uncrowded pan on high heat.

 

Perfect Hash Browns:

1/2 - 1 lb Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes (will serve 2-4 people)

1/3 C Onion, diced

1/4 C Red or Yellow Pepper, diced

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1-2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Pepper to taste 

3 Tbs Bacon Grease and/or Butter

Whether you're grating your own potatoes, finely slicing them into matchsticks (painstaking but great) or pulling them from a freezer bag you must submerge in cold water for 5-10 minutes. This releases extra starch in the potatoes that prevents them from browning nicely. Continue to change water every 3-5 minutes until water remains clear rather than cloudy. Place a few layers of paper towels on top of a clean dish rag. Strain potatoes and place on top of towels, wrapping them tightly up into a bundle. Squeeze as much excess water out of potatoes as possible and pat dry. The dryer you get your potatoes the crispier they will be in the pan.

Bacon grease adds a ton of flavor, so I suggest cooking your bacon first and saving the grease in a measuring cup. No bacon (blasphemy)? Just use melted butter instead. Place dry potatoes into a bowl and toss with onion, peppers, cayenne and S&P. Now you get to choose your own adventure in hash brown making...

Oven Hash Browns - Set oven to 450 degrees. Pour bacon grease or melted butter onto hash browns and toss to coat. You want the hash browns to be coated but not sopping with grease. So if you need to add more or less just keep a watchful eye. Spread hash browns evenly onto baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring and shaking up the pan ever so often. For extra crispness, turn oven to broil after 20 minutes and allow hash browns to continue cooking on the middle rack for up to 5 minutes. This cooking method will yield more loose and overall crisp hash browns. 

Pan or Griddle Hash Browns - Set heat on high and add bacon grease or butter to pan. Allow to simmer for a minute and add your hash browns in an even layer. Try not to crowd the pan. Allow to cook on one side for 5-7 minutes, don't fuss with the hash browns except to check on the browning with a spatula. When browned on one side divide browns into manageable halves or fourths so you can scoop and flip without losing too many potatoes to the stove top or floor. Don't be a hero and try to flip the hash browns with a flick of your wrist. It sounds fun and impressive but more likely than not you will lose half the batch and maybe wind up with a hash brown burn on your forearm. Maaaybe that's happened to me, whatever. Save yourself and your hash browns and use the spatula.

Pork Shoulder & Crock Pot: A 9 Hour Love Story

I haven't had a long lazy weekend day at home in a long while. Every weekend in February I was off in a new place - doing research in Salt Lake City and Portland, visiting friends in San Francisco and celebrating the 1 year anniversary with my boyfriend on Whidbey Island. I've had a lot of amazing food (epic 7 course meal at The Inn at Langley (I should really post about that)). I've had some delicious but not-so-good-for-me food like the A Bomb of a sandwich from Giordano's, whose french fry and cured meat fillings soaked up every ounce of my hangover. Furthermore, I've had some afterthought food - the fill that keeps you moving as your go from hotel to meeting or keeps your fingers typing on the keyboard as you finish up a deadline. 

I've been craving conscious eating cooked by my own hand. It's therapeutic and gratifying to make, dish up and savor the goofy satisfied grin from your companion as he takes a bite and you dig in as well. So before boy and I headed to Pike Place for a rare sunny Sunday, I made a dry rub for a pork shoulder, seared it in a cast iron skillet and put it to work in a crock pot with onions, broth, mustard seeds and apple juice. As the day went on, I lost my fleet in a game of battle ship that accompanied a Northwest wine tasting flight. We looked for the honey lady we know but found graffiti art around the market when couldn't find her. And I spent much too long  oggling pickled vegetables to serve with dinner at DeLaurenti's, landing on pickled watermelon rind, apricots, cornichons and cipolline.

 

By the time we got home the hallways of my apartment building were fragrant with simmering meat. The pork shoulder easily shredded with a fork into luscious ribbons that I drowned with barbecue sauce. We served our lot with corn bread and pan fried broccoli. Each of the pickles I brought home added a different sweetness or vinegary acid that cut the richness of the pork. Pickled watermelon bites like a firm gelatin and tastes like candy. The apricots were speckled with peppercorns and made each fork-full of meat more tangy and sweet. It was a perfect way to cap a long few weeks in the shortest month of the year.

Pork Shoulder Rub:
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
3 Tbs Cumin
1 tsp. Cayenne
2 Tbs Garlic Salt
3 tsp Black pepper
1 Tbs Oregano

Bathtub:
1 C Beef Broth
2 Tbs Mustard Seeds
1/3 C Apple Juice
1/2 Onion, sliced

4-5 lb. Pork Shoulder

Take a 4-5 lb. natural Pork Shoulder and trim excess caps of fat. Massage in dry rub with unabashed amounts of the mix. Get it dirty. Pour 2 Tbs of olive oil in a caste iron or heavy based skillet and sear meat on all sides in the screaming hot pan. Place meat in crock pot and add the bathtub ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, shred meat and serve by itself or with your favorite barbecue sauce... you should probably have some hot sauce on hand too, but that's a given.

Thanksgiving Recap

Still getting rid of the Thanksgiving weekend hangover. My family not only celebrated the most epic day of feasting all year this past weekend, but my Mom's 60th Birthday as well... which called for another feast in itself. When Underhill's celebrate we head to my parents' place in on Camano Island. It calls for game time, punctual 5:00 cocktail hour with Dad's Manhattans, and ridiculous "snack" spreads that start at 3:00 and wind down with enough food at dinner to last us through the week. Its also the one time of year I'll let myself cheat on being gluten free to stuff myself full of stuffing. Has to be Marie Callendar's cornbread stuffing. Has to be the same way we've made it since I can remember - celery, onion, walnuts and mushrooms. No more. Everyone has a favorite Thanksgiving food that they've deemed untouchable. Sometimes less fuss makes it better. Thanksgiving is an interesting combination of lavish dishes paired with simple favorites you've loved since you can remember Thanksgivings. Mine is the stuffing, so don't mess. Rather than recap recipes, I captured the wine, indulgence and smiles of my family. Happy post Thanksgiving, I'm prepping to detox just in time to redo it all at Christmas time :).

Giving in to Autumn with Brussels Sprouts

I just got back from a vacation to Mexico with my boyfriend, best friend and her man, and their two amazing friends whom I'd never met until we landed in Puerto Vallarta. The couples retreat was timed just right, I had my fill of drinking homemade pina coladas from a canteen, cooking or ordering tacos every night - made simply and un-fussed with like they should be. We soaked up as much sun as we did tequila and at the end of the trip I came home to discover that the bone-chilling cold of late Fall had finally set in while we were away.

Even though it's always a sad day when you pull out the winter coats and put away your flip flops, I don't mind too terribly. It's the turning point where massive maple leaves burst from green, to red, to yellow and orange - always most vibrant before they die. I like the crisp, cold walks in the sun on weekends with a scarf and hat and my hand shoved in my boyfriend's coat pocket. And I really like the Autumn vegetables that have started to wander into my CSA box and onto my plate. Tonight I made a healthy dinner that feels hearty but gave me a break from the beef stews and and potatoes that can prepare you for winter. Raw Brussels Sprout salad with pomegranate seeds and roasted root vegetables on the side. Favorite things about this food - you can easily find new ways to adjust the recipe with what you have on hand, and it tastes just as good an hour later as it does when served immediately.

Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate Seeds
1/2 lb. Brussels Sprouts, shredded
1/2 C Tofu, cubed
1/4 Yellow Onion, finely sliced
1/3 C Pomegranate Seeds
1/4 C Toasted Almond Slivers
Handful of shaved Parmesan

Vinaigrette
1/4 C Olive Oil
1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbs Dijon Mustard
2 tsp Honey
Salt and Pepper

 Dice tofu into cubes and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper and brown in a saute pan and set aside. Peel off outer leaves of Brussels sprouts and shred. Slice onion and place in a bowl of cold water - this will take away some of the bite! Whisk vinaigrette in a separate bowl and combine with all ingredients. Serve and top with Parmesan cheese.

Last of the Summer: Arepas & Sangria

Summer in Seattle never really began this year, so it's slightly odd to say it's ending. But as the sunset creeps earlier in the day and the air feels crisper - I know I'm headed down a path of pulling out the sweaters from the back of my closet and turning on the furnace for the first time in months.

I looked through the refrigerator at the last of the fresh white corn from my CSA box, the plums and blackberries that were beginning to over ripen and soften. I had to accept the inevitable, that I probably am not going to see these fruits and veggies at their prime for much longer. So I had to make the most of this last haul I had on hand. This recipe for sangria is amazing because it relies more on the natural sweetness of the fruit rather than a sugary juice that left us all with the crazy hangovers of college parties past. You can use a simple red table wine, any fresh citrus and fruit you have on hand, it only gets better as the fruit marinates in the drink.

Arepas are made with a fine corn flour called Masa Harina. Traditionally used in Mexico to make tortillas and tamales, it's easy to find at any grocery store. You have the freedom to use it as a canvas for any toppings you wish - just like pizza. The texture is dense yet soft and tastes like a thick, doughy corn tortilla. Mixing in mozzarella to the dough before grilling in a cast iron skillet lends more flavor and richness to the mix. Enjoy your food with friends, sip sangria with the last of a summer sunset, and make sure you soak up the last of the season.

Sangria:
2 bottles Red Table Wine
1 bottle natural fruit juice blend - I love Trader Joe's Mango Passion fruit Juice Blend
A splash of Orange Liquor
Sliced or chopped fruit - orange, lime, apple, stone fruit and berries

There's no right or wrong fruit you can use, but I like to have a mix which includes some citrus and variation in texture. Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher or mason jar and allow the sangria to chill in the refrigerator for an hour so fruit can soak up the flavors of the liquid.

Vegetarian Arepas:
Makes 2 servings

1 Cup Masa Harina
1 Cup warm Water
6 oz fresh mozzarella, chopped
1 can black beans
1 ear of corn, kernels
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
4 asparagus stalks, chopped
2 small yellow zucchini squash, sliced
1 Tbs Cumin
1 Tbs dry Oregano
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

To make Arepa dough combine Masa Harina, Water, chopped mozzarella and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl and mix with wooden spoon. Form into a ball and leave to rest for a few minutes. Divide dough into two balls and flatten into an 1/8th inch thick disk using your hands. Add 1 Tbs vegetable oil to a cast iron skillet and heat on high. Add Arepas to pan and lower heat to medium. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side.

While Arepas are cooking, combine all vegetables in a large bowl and lightly coat with vegetable oil. Mix seasoning blend together and sprinkle over vegetables, mixing to coat well. Saute vegetables in a separate pan on medium-high heat until roasted and tender. Drain and rinse black beans and place in a small sauce pan on a third stove burner. Add a dash of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cover and cook through for 5 minutes.

Remove Arepas from pan and place on a plate. Lay down a layer of black beans and top with sauteed vegetables. Add hot sauce or salsa if you like.

The Cold Coast

Having lived near the beach in LA for 4 years, I'm accustomed to ocean waters bordering on warm temperatures, or at least tolerably cold. I've never been to the coast of Washington, beyond the Puget Sound channels of water where Seattle rests. So when a friend recommended we head to Westport - 2 1/2 hours West - where he could teach me to surf the Northwest Pacific waves, I was all kinds of about it.

What we did not anticipate was that surf shops close early and even in August, the ocean water this far North along the West Coast is absolutely frigid. I felt the chill all the way in my hips after standing in the small wake for :30 seconds. I will save learning to surf for a tropical location where sharks are more of a concern than hypothermia. But this left us a long afternoon to explore Westport, which happens to be the cutest damn beach town I've been to. Its a place where restaurants need names like "The One-Eyed Crab" or "Granny Hazel's Candy & Gifts."  The boardwalk wreaks of saltwater spray and oyster shells discarded by seagulls. You have multiple opportunities to purchase a windsock or a handmade lawn ornament. And you can see the mountains from the beach made of pulverized gray stones and white clam shells. It was a whole part of Washington I haven't seen before, and is a nod to part of our maritime culture that seeps Eastward into the city. There isn't much to do in this fisherman's town beyond listen to boat ropes creak and sea lions complain, fly a kite and watch the local color. But spending the day here had a funny way of putting a smile on my face that I didn't even know was there.

Brilliant

And she didn't even know she was a billboard.