Have you Hurd... Alfredo - It Isn't Just for Pasta Anymore...

I know I am not a fan of two part episodes usually either.  Who really likes the suspense anyway?  Thankfully, living in the era of the DVR I can wait and watch both parts back to back and avoid the suspense.  It may be one instance where technology does make life easier.  Only complaint is that they don’t always warn you about two part episodes in the description.  I suppose it is better to be frustrated 10 percent of the time than all of the time, like back in the day…  The time we had to wait a whole week to find out if Fonzie really jumped the shark or crashed to his certain doom. That was serious business.  It is SHOCKING that our childhood angst has now been reduced to a glib pop-culture reference for unnecessarily overwrought televised drama.  –chuckle-

I will close out Volume 2 with the remaining two recipes from my weekend kitchen cruise.  Although this recipe starts with boxed potatoes, if you have a good recipe for basic scalloped potatoes, I suspect you could add the Italian cheeses to your recipe too and it would yield much the same result.  You might have to tinker with it a bit to get the quantities just right, but if you are cooking them from scratch, you won’t have any trouble ironing that out.  –smile-

Alfredo Potatoes - For this project, I tripled the recipe for 15 servings

1 Box Scalloped Potatoes (4-5 servings)

Modifications to Package Directions:

Reduce water by 1/3 cup, increase milk by 1/3 cup

Add 6 ounces of Grated Italian Cheese(s)

Layer 6 – 8 slices of provolone (smoked or unsmoked) over the top

(just prior to removing potatoes from the oven)

Since I don’t have what anyone would call a chef’s kitchen, doing large quantities (100 – 200 servings) of potatoes from scratch can be a challenge.  Even in the Manna Café kitchen it can seem like a bridge too far.  One of the tricks I learned from the Manna Café pros (John and Sharon Davis) is how to use boxed potatoes and enhance them so they don’t taste like boxed potatoes when they are finished.  It makes life easier in a number of ways, potatoes are already peeled and sliced, the servings per package are determined, and cooking time is too.  These are all key success factors for the Shade Tree Chef.  –smile-  Once I found that it works well, I steer that way even with much smaller quantities (10 – 30 servings).  

<<Did I mention John was a chemist by trade and also a fellow Boilermaker?  BOILER UP!!!>>

A little bit on where this recipe originated…  On a work trip to Minneapolis, I visited a restaurant called Axel's River Grille (in Mendota - http://axelsrestaurants.com/locations/mendota/) with two associates.  It was an old school steakhouse, with black and white pictures on the walls, dark wood throughout, Sinatra music in the background, expert wait staff, and the aroma of USDA prime seeping from the walls.  Axel's had one of the best signature potato dishes I have ever tried.  They called it The Alfredo Potato.  It was a baked Idaho russet scored both ways and then finished in the oven with an Alfredo sauce-like combination of butter, cream, and Italian cheeses across the top.  I can still taste it.  Mmmmmmm… 

I thought that approach could work with scalloped potatoes too.  I sort of transform them into “Alfredo-style” Au Gratin potatoes.  I favor a good mixture of Asiago, Pecorino, and Parmesan cheeses. You can use any combination of these or just one.  Whatever you prefer or would happen to have on hand will do just fine.  Put the slices of provolone on right at the end for 5 minutes or so to melt and give a nice bubbly golden brown presentation.  Your dinner guests will definitely feel the cheesy love with these potatoes.  You will want to make a few extra servings as folks typically go back for seconds. 

If you ever find yourself in Minneapolis, I encourage you to go to Axel's River Grille. I recommend the surf and turf (their walleye is killer). They let you pair the walleye with any steak on the menu.  I wish I could tell you about their great key lime pie too, but I skipped it.  I was the only one in my party that evening that was interested in dessert.  I suppose that is the downside of travelling with a couple of caloric girly-men.  I should note that I found their company to be thoroughly enjoyable in every other possible way.    

The waitress could tell I was truly agonizing over the decision.  Moments after leaving the table, she emerged from the kitchen with a monster slice of key lime pie that she was delivering to guests at another table.  My eyes immediately locked onto it.  Noticing my forlorn gaze, she was careful to tilt the plate to give me a good view of that magnificent creation and continuously turned her body toward me so as not to break my eye contact.  She was so intent, in fact, that she failed to notice a wrinkle in the carpeting, stumbled forward and nearly tossed the pie into the lap of the guest who had ordered it.  –chuckle-  Fortunately, she recovered somewhat gracefully and laughed as she explained to all concerned what led to the near disaster.  I should have taken a piece of that key lime pie to go.  We would have both felt better about it.  To this day, it is one of my life’s great regrets.  For several weeks after, the key lime pie gods took vengeance on me.  Every place I visited that had it featured on the menu would be ‘all out’ by the time I placed my order.  I was denied so many times, one waitress who had just broken the news thought the look on my face meant I lost my favorite puppy.  If I ever get back to Minneapolis, I will certainly return to Axel's River Grille and pay homage to the key lime pie.  I may even go so far as to eat dessert first.  If it should no longer be on the menu, I will go straight back to the airport and head for home, never to return again.      

Country Style Green Beans - For this project I doubled the recipe for 10 servings

16 Ounces Cut Italian Green Beans (Frozen)

¼ Cup Diced Sweet Onion

¼ Cup Crumbled Cooked Bacon

½ TBSP Butter

½ Cup Water

½ Tsp Ham Base / Condensed Ham Stock

I have a number of different recipes for green beans and this is a favorite, mostly for ease of preparation.  I start with the water, ham base, butter, and diced onions in a 3 quart sauce pan on the stove over medium heat.  Once it comes to a boil, I will add the beans.  If the beans were fresh, I would cover them to ensure even cooking, but with frozen I cook them uncovered and stir occasionally.  Timing varies widely depending on the overall quantity, but I would say 10 – 12 minutes is a good estimate for one pound.  Cook until they are just tender and add the crumbled bacon.  You can serve immediately or leave them on the stove-top (very low or no heat) covered. They will hold easily for 30 minutes while you get the rest of your meal ready to serve.  It isn't absolutely necessary to use Italian green beans for this recipe, but that is what I prefer.  Ordinary cut green beans will work in a pinch too.  I have noticed that Italian cut green beans are getting harder to find in the grocery store these days.  One of the reasons I grow my own in the summertime.  I use ham stock, because I like the smoky and salty character it adds.  You could easily switch it up and use chicken stock if you have a preference for that.  Or skip the stock and just season more generously with salt.  I season only a shake of salt (if any) and a healthy dash of ground pepper.  As I have someone in my household who is sensitive to that, I am careful. If I am uncertain of the crowd, I go easy.  I am sure you will know your crowd and can season accordingly. 

The Shade Tree Chef will be back in the kitchen this weekend cooking round two of our “meals on wheels” project.  Menu will feature deep-fried turkey breast, crunchy mashed potatoes, maple glazed baby carrots, and a dark chocolate torte (courtesy of Deb of the legendary Marshmallow Twins Bakery).  Her dark chocolate ganache makes grown men cry and women swoon. The recipe is one of the most closely guarded secrets this side of King Tut's tomb and won't ever be divulged in these lowly pages.  I trust you will keep reading anyway.

Your Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd, aka Big Mike