Sweet baked Potatoes & Orange Puree with Watercress Salad

I thought I could post something quick to serve on Thanksgiving table. A combination of an appetizer-salad or combined side. I reviewed quite a few recipes of potato purees I can try this one because it's quick and simple and can be pretty much used with fish or meat. I really liked the flavor of the sweet potatoes baked for few minutes inside the orange shells. Hope you like it too.

For the Potato Puree: (4 servings)
2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cooked in boiled water until soft and ready
2 oranges cut in half and emptied (I juiced them, then scraped off the rest
2 tablespoon of orange juice (from those oranges I suggest)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Some chopped chives
Few drops of hot sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil or 1 tablespoon of butter
Some salt, black pepper, garlic powder

For the salad:
Fresh watercress, some chopped onions, some tomato slices or wedges, some toasted pine nuts. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the dressing.

After the potatoes are cooked, drain the water and mash them. Add butter or olive oil, the spices, garlic powder, orange juice, hot sauce. Mix them all together then fill the orange halves with the puree and bake for about 12 minutes in a 375 oven. I baked them in the muffin tin because it hold the oranges pretty well. Put the salad together. Now serve the baked orange potato puree by sprinkling the chopped chives on top and some black pepper. Serve it on the side of the salad or in the middle.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Salads

3

Potato Stew over Rice - يخنة البطاطا مع الارز

Serves 4-5
5 potatoes peeled and medium cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 small chopped bell pepper
1 clove of garlic chopped
3 cups of chopped tomatoes (or can cubed tomatoes)
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of flour
1 tablespoon of sweet paprika
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of allspice or 7 spices
2 cups of fresh chopped cilantro
1 cup of lean minced meat (or 1/2 pound cubed stew meat)
An optional dash of red pepper flakes (or more depending on how spicy you want it)
Few cups of water
Salt & pepper to taste

For the plain white Rice:
The recipe is in most of my previous recipes of rice or stews

In the cooking pot, add the butter, chopped onions and garlic, minced meat and olive oil, let it cook on medium heat. Add salt & pepper to taste and red pepper flakes. Once the meat browns and cooks, add the tomatoes, let the ingredients cook for a couple of minutes then add the potatoes and let them all cook for few minutes. Add the flour to coat the ingredients. Now, add water enough to cover the stew, then add the tomato paste and stir a bit to dissolve it. Add the paprika, allspice and cilantro. Cook until the potatoes are done. Serve with the rice.

I chose minced meat this time, just for a change. Normally I use beef stew meat, or sometimes I make this without meat if I want it a vegetarian dish.

rice

11

Veggie Burger with Marinated Potato Wedges

I love homemade burgers! They're easy and tasty and you can adjust the flavors however you like them!

Makes about 4 patties:
1 cup of cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup small chopped carrots
1/2 cup small chopped bell pepper
1 mashed clove of garlic
1/2 chopped parsley
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg (optional)
1/2 tbsp of cumin
1 teaspoon of mustard
Salt & pepper to taste

In a food processor, add all the above ingredients except the egg and breadcrumbs, pulse few times until all the ingredients are incorporated together, the transfer into a bowl and add the breadcrumbs and the egg and fold all ingredients together. I like to refrigerate them for a bit, then form patties. In a non-stick skillet add about a teaspoon of canola oil (or any vegetable oil) or just enough to coat the skillet and cook the patties, few minutes on each side until done.

For the potatoes: (as much potatoes as you want)
Cut potatoes into wedges without peeling them (after cleaning them well). Marinate in olive oil, fresh thyme or rosemary or both, some garlic powder and some pepper. Let them sit for half an hour in a bowl or in a Ziploc bag. Then empty them on a baking rack and bake them in a 375F oven until golden brown.

To serve:
Cut a Hamburger bun in half and slightly toast it, then add on the bottom side, ketchup, then a lettuce leaf, add the veggie patty, then top with sliced onion and tomato and cover with upper part of the bun. Serve the potatoes on the side. I like it with mango salsa. It is a ready salsa that I buy, made of grilled bell peppers, mangoes, tomatoes and a lot of spices.
Hamburgers can be served in so many creative ways, this was a simple version. Caramelized onions are really good too instead of raw onions etc, etc...

Vegetarian

13

Baked Chicken with Potatoes - دجاج مع البطاطا بالصينية

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (or any parts of the chicken you want), cleaned, washed and cut
2 lemons
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and medium sliced
1 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of Herbes De Provence (or Italian herbs)
5 big cloves of garlic, mashed
Salt & pepper to taste

In a container, place the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and spices. Add the chicken to marinade. You can marinade for an hour, or you can do it overnight. Now, in a separate bowl and same marinade ingredients I marinated the potatoes. You can half-way fry the potatoes and let them drain on a paper towel or just marinate, for less calories.
In a baking dish enough to fit the chicken and the potatoes, add the chicken then add and distribute the potatoes too. Bake in a 375F oven, until the chicken is fully cooked and the potatoes too. It's better to cover the baking dish with aluminum foil for the first 20 minutes or so. Then remove the foil and let it bake and gold-brown. This way the chicken won't dry and will cook faster.
- However, some people prefer to sautee in a skillet with some vegetable oil, the chicken for few minutes on both sides, then transfer it to the baking dish and add the marinade and bake along with the potatoes. Both ways work.

I served it along with saffron-rice and a green salad, simple bed of lettuce, with a herb vinaigrette dressing.

My vinaigrette dressing consisted of some Herbes De Provence, olive oil, a little bit of mustard and balsamic vinegar. For the saffron-rice, very simple too, added a pinch of saffron while the rice was cooking.

Potatoes

9

Lebanese Potato Salad - سلطة البطاطا

Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes (any kind except sweet)
1/2 red onion
1 green onion
2 medium tomatoes
Half a bell pepper (if it's big otherwise 1 small)
1 crushed clove of garlic
1/2 cup of fresh mint
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons of fresh thyme
Juice of a lemon
1/2 cup of olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
A dash of cayenne paper (optional)

Peel the potatoes and cut in medium cubes. In a pan, bring water to a boil with 1 teaspoon of salt, add the potatoes and cook for 12 minutes or until cooked but you don't wanted them to fall apart. Drain and let cool. In the meantime, slice the onions and add to a bowl. Add the medium cut tomatoes, diced bell pepper, garlic, parsley, mint, thyme. Now add the potatoes, lemon juice, olive oil and all the spices and mix the salad and serve with a dash of cayenne pepper.

PS: You can skip the fresh mint and substitute the fresh thyme with dry thyme if not available during the season.

Vegetarian

9

Potato Soufflet (Sayniyyet Batata) - البطاطا بالصينية

This recipe is served with
a mixed green salad in the photo,
but any salad goes with it.

Ingredients: (4-5 servings)
6 medium to big potatoes
1 onion
1 cup of bulgur wheat
1 pound (or half a kilo) of minced meat
1/2 cup of pine nuts
1 egg
Butter or vegetable oil
Grated cheese of your choice (parmesan, mixed cheese etc...)

- Peel the potatoes, then boil them with some salt
Meanwhile prepare the filling:
Chop the onion, put in pan and sautee with some butter or oil, after 1 minute add the pine nuts, after another minute add the minced meat until it lightly browns, remove to cool.
- After the potatoes are cooked all the way, drain and then put them in a bowl and mash them. Add the egg (after they cool down a bit, you don't want the egg to cook) mix well, then add the cup of washed burgul, add salt and pepper and mix well. Divide the potato mix into equal halves. Coat a baking pan with butter or oil and spread the first half of the potato, top it with the meat mixture, then add the last layer of the rest of the potatoes.

Top with grated cheese and bake for 25 minutes or until done. (Oven-350)

Potatoes

0