Wednesday, November 11, 2009

A Technicolor Dinner to Cure the Blues: Smashed Purple Potatoes & Cheddar Sage Biscuits

You may have noticed that a number of my posts lately have centered around chasing away the impending fall/winter blues. I've sought solace in  soup, bread, cake, and of course, liquour.  These things all worked just fine - for a time.  But when I got a big bag of purple potatoes from my CSA last week, I thought: Maybe color is the cure. I mean, who says the autumn palette has to be muted?

My first attempt at creating a Dr. Seuss style meal fell depressingly short, however. I sauteed the potatoes with peppers and onion and all the color drained out. Not fun! Undaunted, I did some research and discovered that I should have cooked the potatoes whole, with their skins on, and then hit them with a dose of acid - lemon juice or vinegar - to retain and boost their cartoonish color.

I found a simple recipe with shallots, parsley, and olive oil on New York magazine's Web site that looked perfect, which I've adapted here.  (I figure if it's good enough for Smitten Kitchen, it's good enough for me!) And, in a happy accident, while perusing all things purple potato, I found a recipe for cheddar and sage biscuits that turned out to be the perfect companion for the potatoes. 

It was just what the doctor ordered: salty purple potato and parsley with fruity olive oil and lemon; earthy sage and sharp bright cheddar enveloped by warm doughy biscuit.  The flavors and colors of comfort!

Smashed Purple Potatoes
About 1 pound of purple potatoes, skin on, washed
2 large shallots, minced
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
4-6 good "glugs" of extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste (the original recipe calls for fleur de sel, but kosher salt would work. I recently splurged on some Himalayan pink salt and that's what I used.)
white pepper, to taste
3 tbsp parsely, chopped

Boil the potatoes in well salted  boiling water until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Peel them while still warm. In a large bowl, smash them with a fork or potato masher, leaving chunks. Gently fold in the shallots, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Adjust for seasoning and finish with the parsley.

Cheddar and Sage Biscuits
2/3 cup cold buttermilk
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
3 tsp baking powder
10-15 sage leaves, chopped
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping
1 egg, beaten for egg wash

In a bowl, combine everything except the cheese.  Add the cheese and gently knead on a floured surface. Roll the dough into a tube, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for about an hour. Next, cut into 2 inch pieces and place on cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper. Brush each biscuit with egg wash and sprinkle some cheese on top. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.

I served my potatoes and biscuits with Field Roast vegetarian roast. I don't care if you are the craziest carnivore that ever chewed on a bone, you really should try this stuff. It's made from beautifully seasoned artisinal grains, not some pale chewy imitation of meat. (And no, they don't give me free stuff or pay me, though I wish they would!)







29 comments:

  1. Out of this world! Your photo of the smashed purple potatoes is incredibly appetizing! Will head to the farmers market this weekend and see about getting some purple potatoes! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. beautiful photos, great sounding recipes, like the addition of lemon juice - would go nicely with Mardi Gras foods, which I started sharing today...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh yum. Those purple potatoes are just one of my favorites. They have a beautiful color too. I don't mind being a vegetarian for awhile. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. How did you know? Purple is the new black (I should know - I work in the beauty industry ;) )

    Thanks for paving the path with your tip on how to keep the color. I would've totally done the same thing you did! Also love love love the biscuits. Will you ship some to me?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love all the color, your pictures are wonderful. Can't wait to try the biscuits and will keep my eye out for the purple potatoes

    ReplyDelete
  6. So pretty and colourful! The potatoes look fantastic :D And I'm craving the cheese and sage biscuits now!

    ReplyDelete
  7. such a pretty and colorful meal, I'm loving those sage and cheese biscuits!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love purple food, and your potatoes are gorgeous! The biscuits, carb heaven.

    ReplyDelete
  9. yum! i love me some purple potatoes - plus it's fun freaking people out when they don't know what they're eating, hehehe.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Delicious and soooo purdy! I've rarely seen purple potatoes look so vivid, and they contrast so nicely with the biscuits.

    Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Trix,
    I love purple little potatoes. I can tally see how making just roasted potatoes with sage would be great. Nice. I like simple things in life :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I wish I could get my hands on some purple potatoes some day... I've never seen them around here.

    ReplyDelete
  13. So pretty! And I'd totally dig those biscuits. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  14. wow I have never seen purple potatoes!! these are gorgeous, I love these pictures and the recipes....what a beautiful presentation, I want some of those... I am going to look for the field roast, we tried some bocca burgers and they tasted like cardboard that looks really good. I love the biscuits all looks terrific!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Never tried vegetarian roast...I will serve it for Thanksgiving to the French guys see what they say :o) - Nice plate combo madame Tracey!

    ReplyDelete
  16. How beautiful are these??? What a breathtaking combo! I love!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I do love the colours of those potatoes. And what is vegetarian roast! I do not think I can find it here.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great tip about the purple potatoes - what great color! Those biscuits have me salivating.

    ReplyDelete
  19. The colour of that sweet potatoes just stunning! Love the cheesy biscuit recipe as well. What a nice plate of meal! Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow, what a gorgeous and delicious looking plate!

    ReplyDelete
  21. That is really, really beautiful. Hope it worked and chased the seasonal blues away!

    ReplyDelete
  22. You know your purple, green and golden plate is quite the "Mardi Gras" colors. A few rabid LSU fans would be thrilled to see this one too! 8-)

    Regards,
    CCR =8~)

    ReplyDelete
  23. @miriam, pegasuslegend - They don't look purple when you see them in their uncooked state - they look more like really dark brown/black. So maybe you have seen them and didn't know it?
    @jeroxie - this company's vegetarian products are all made from grains and nuts and other healthy things. they make a vegetarian sausage, meatloaf and other stuff. it's really delicious, not at all like some of the over processed cardboard veggie burgers @pegasuslegend mentions
    @cajun chef ryan - what can i say? Louisiana is always on my mind, I guess!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love,love, love the color of your smashed purple potatoes! Thanks for sharing how to get them to stay purple!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Fun - purple...my favorite color. But I hadn't thought to purple mashed potatoes. Very pretty against the green parsley.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thanks for the recipe. I like that you smashed the purple potatoes, they sound tasty.

    Whats your favorite booze to chase away the blues?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Both recipes look delicious! I love the color of purple potates. It brings joy to a dish :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. @Brad: Well, for my first drink I really love a Sazerac or anything with Hendrick's gin (my new fave) ... after that, well ... I can't remember!

    ReplyDelete