Recipe: Turkey Pastrami and Root Vegetable Hash

I had a bunch of root vegetables in my fridge that just needed a good recipe to go with them.  I'm fond of "hashes" like corned beef hash & bubble and squeak and thought I'd give this a go.  I used turkey pastrami instead of corned beef or beef pastrami as I wanted a dish full of flavor, but not so full on the waistline.  The process is easy, it just takes some time to cook...

Ingredients:

3 large new or white potatoes, diced

5 large rutabagas, peeled and diced

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

4 large beets, peeled and diced

2 parsnips, peeled and diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped

2 red jalapenos, finely chopped

1 1/3 lbs turkey pastrami, diced

2 tbsp Herbs de Provence

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp sea salt

3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place all of the peeled root vegetables into a large casserole dish. Add the Herbs de Provence, minced garlic, cumin, brown sugar, sea salt, and all but 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil. Mix thoroughly with a large spoon. Place into the oven, covered, for 35 mins then remove the cover for 10 additional minutes to allow the vegetables to start browning.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the jalapenos, onion, and turkey pastrami. Cover, and cook until the onions start to become translucent. Remove cover and continue cooking until most of the remaining liquid has cooked out. Add the whole mixture to the large casserole with the root vegetables in the oven and mix thoroughly. Re-cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Serve immediately (preferably with a poached or soft-fried egg on top :)).

Makes 10 servings.

Recipe: Potato and Kale Hash

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale
4 medium red potatoes
1 large sweet potato
6 thick slices of applewood smoked bacon
2 tbsp. of minced garlic
3 medium jalapeno peppers
1 large Vidalia onion

Directions:

Peel the potatoes. Bring a large pot of water up to boil and place the potatoes in it. Blanch the potatoes for about 8 minutes to soften. Use a grater to shred the potatoes and set aside.

Chop off the stiff stems of the kale. Using your hands, tear the kale leaves and remaining stems into smaller pieces and place into a colander. Dampen three paper towels with cold water and place the damp paper towels over the greens in the colander. Microwave the greens for 3 1/2 minutes to wilt.

Lightly dice the onion and jalapeno peppers. Add to a food processor with the garlic. Pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and blended.

Dice bacon slices into small pieces. Cook in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat until browned. Add the shredded potatoes and continue cooking for approximately 10 - 12 minutes, turning frequently. Add the kale and the onion/jalapeno/garlic mixture and continue cooking for another 5 - 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Restaurant Review: Maverick

I have been going to Maverick for quite a long time (an eternity by San Francisco dining standards ;))... my first time was two months after it opened a little more than two years ago and at least once every 4 - 6 weeks since. I can’t help it... I absolutely love the place. It was started by two friends: one, a chef from Cincinnati named Scott Youkilis (yes, he’s the brother of that more famous “Youkilis”) and the other, a self-professed oenophile named Mike Pierce from New Jersey. How these two got to San Francisco I do not know, but I am very glad they did.

The cuisine can be described as “Kentucky meets California by way of the Wild West.” Obviously for a southern boy like me, any restaurant that ventures into the flavors I grew up with is going to at least get some props. But what Mr. Youkilis does with the traditional southern flavors is just consistently so good to me. The only thing that is always on the menu is his fried chicken which is honestly the only fried chicken I can admittedly say I love outside of a) my own and b) my mother’s. The fixin’s underneath it change often (cheesy white corn grits and collard greens are there for winter), but it is just always so good. Their mac ‘n cheese is also one of the best I’ve had and is also one of the menu stalwarts.

I admittedly have been twice over the past several weeks because I had friends visiting from out of town and I love to “show the place off” because everyone I’ve taken there has loved it. As a starter on the first occasion, I had the house-smoked trout salad. It reminded me of a dish I had when I was in Stockholm back in 2006 - slices of perfectly cured fish with fish eggs and creme fraiche over a bed of simple greens. Of course, in Stockholm, they used local salmon - but the preparation was virtually identical. For entree I had the rabbit “three ways” - braised rabbit loin, rabbit leg confit, and rabbit liver served with a sweet potato and turnip hash. I don’t get rabbit that often, but when I do, it’s a treat - and that sir was a treat. As a side I had Scott’s mustard greens. They were cooked very differently than what I grew up with - slightly sauteed in olive oil with cracked red pepper and garlic, but so good (I’m used to boiling the sh*t out of them in salt pork, garlic, and hot sauce... thems good too :)). I skipped dessert ‘cause I was too full!

My next visit was just last week. This time I had the Baltimore crab fluffs in a spicy remoulade sauce. “Why they gotta fly that crab all the way in from Baltimore when we’ve got amazing dungeness crab here” was my first thought. But, then I realized the dungeness would have been too sweet in this particular preparation - so then I got it. For a main course I had the braised short ribs over creamy grits - talk about 100% pure comfort. That was SOOOO good... and so filling I was surprised I had room for dessert! But the second our server said, “there’s a Meyer lemon pie for dessert that’s not on the menu,” I knew I was doomed. For those that know me, I have more of a tart/savory tooth than a sweet tooth and I love anything tart for dessert. Oh, and she had to mention that the pie was made with buttermilk... oy, totally doomed! My friend and I decided to share it. Perfectly creamy and tart, great crust (forgot what it was made out of)... oh, such a lovely end to the meal!

OK... so I think I’ve made it clear that I love this place. If you’re ever in San Francisco, just call me up and I will take you... I promise! Now, on to the wine selection. This wine selection was not made by Maverick, by the way, but is from my own collection here at home that I opened yesterday. I do almost all of my wine shopping by traveling up to Sonoma and Napa so that I can taste the wines. Not only does it allow me to “try before I buy,” I’m also able to get ahold of wines that never show up in the stores or restaurants from small, family-owned producers. I do apologize if you can’t find some of the wines I will talk about on my blog - it just unfortunately sucks that you don’t live here! ;)