Now that the colder weather is steadily becoming more frequent, I start whipping out Sunday dinner type meals more often. When it's in the 30s outside with the sun 'taking a nap' as my daughter likes to put it, there is nothing more comforting than having a pork roast slowly roasting in the oven, with a couple of pots on the stove top simmering away.
The main reason I had to come up with a good old fashioned family dinner was because I had a yen for dauphinoise potatoes. Not a dish that cozies up quite the same to a ham sandwich (well, maybe when eaten cold the following day- very good, by the way) or a bowl of chili. I love chicken with this, but wanted to use a pork roast so I could have plenty of left overs to go with some super yummy ramen broth I'd been saving in the freezer. Which is why I kept the seasoning of the roast itself pretty simple, and chose the 'wow' factor to come from the groan inducing sherry cream sauce. This sauce is so good, if I could get away with it I'd make extra and serve it in little demitasse cups along the side. Good gravies and sauces are so well loved on my side of the family, that we don't think it is wrong in any way to straight up imbibe them.
All of these recipes are very simple and can be made with complete ease as long as you have enough time. That is the beauty of a good Sunday dinner - a tiny bit of prep, and then relax on the couch while you enjoy all the luxuriant smells coming out of the kitchen. And, the leftovers. So good, and so many things you can do with them. For example, eating the dauphinoise potatoes cold, straight from the fridge.
There are lots of dauphinoise potato recipes out there, but my favorite is Jacque Pépin's simple tried and true version. No cheese here folks, and you will not miss it. Not even a little. The aromas that flood your home as these bake in the oven are divine, and my daughter who is a devout potato hater, (even french fries sometimes) gobbled these up without a trace of encouragement.
INGREDIENTS
for the brined pork roast and sherry cream sauce
1 2 - 3 lb boneless pork loin roast, any silver skin removed
2 quarts cold water
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
12 - 15 pepper corns
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup table salt or ~1/2 cup kosher, depending on brand
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/2 cup heavy cream + 1/4 cup whole milk, or 3/4 cup half and half
1 - 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients except the pork roast in a large pot with a lid. Mix well with a wooden spoon till all the sugar and salt is dissolved. Add the roast, cover, and place in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of your roast.
Preheat oven to 375*. Remove roast from the brine and thoroughly dry it off with paper towel. Add the canola oil to an oven safe pan and place over medium high heat. Sear all sides of the roast to golden brown. Place in the oven and roast till internal temp reaches 135*, about 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on size of roast.
Remove from oven and let rest on a cutting board for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Meanwhile, place the pan that the pork cooked in back over medium low heat. Add a touch of canola oil and the shallot. Saute for a couple minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. De-glaze the pan with the sherry, scraping up all the brown bits and let reduce by nearly half. Add the cream and milk and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 3 - 5 minutes to let it thicken, stirring often. Stir in the apple cider vinegar, then taste for seasoning. Add any pork juices that have accumulated on the cutting board and stir them in. Since the roast is brined, the pan juices will be quite salty, so it's best to wait till the end to season the sauce if needed.
Slice into half inch thick pieces and adorn with copious amounts of sherry cream sauce.
for the dauphinoise potatoes
1 3/4 lb potatoes, peeled (I used red bliss, but
Jacques recommends yukon gold)
2 1/2 cups whole milk
3 garlic cloves, minced
scant tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Preheat oven to 375*. Combine the milk, garlic, salt, nutmeg and pepper in a large sauce pan. Slice the potatoes 1/8 inch thick and add them to the pan as you go to ensure they don't get discolored.
Butter a large (at least 6 quart) baking dish with the softened Tbsp of butter.
Turn the heat on to medium high and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring often to prevent the slices of potato from sticking to one another.
Once it reaches a boil, add the ingredients to the buttered dish and spread them out evenly. Add the heavy cream. Bake on a baking sheet (just to be on the safe side) for up to one hour, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the potatoes are easily pierced with a knife. Let the dish stand, covered, for 20 - 30 minutes before serving to allow it to completely set.
I was in the mood for petit pois with pearl onions swimming in butter for this meal, but endive with mushrooms and peas would probably go even better.
The French Le Puy lentil is my favorite variety of lentils I've tried. They are more petite and firmer than the others I've had, mainly in Middle Eastern cooking. They hold their shape wonderfully, and cook up pretty quickly, with hardly any prepping. Yet it is always important to pick over any type of lentil you're using to ensure there are no rocks or unfavorable bits before adding them to a pot. That is the only slightly laborious part of this recipe.
I've adapted this from Ina Garten's recipe, and definitely took a bit of caution when preparing it for the first time since her original instructions call for an abhorrent amount of salt. Other than adjusting the mustardy dressing for the lentils as well as the cooking time for the carrots and leeks, that was about as far as the tweaking went. The simple brilliance of this dish is the cooking of the lentils. Some of the ingredients I was a bit hesitant on using together, actually combine so amicably with each other. An onion studded with cloves? Turnip? Definitely. They cannot be omitted or substituted - they are the key to this dish's unique and subtle flavors.
While draining the lentils, you will be comfortably swathed in the warm spicy steam that is gently scented with clove and onion. The turnip is removed after cooking as well, and is one of those ingredients that I don't think I can truly identify in this dish, yet would certainly know if it was missing. The dijon laden dressing works so well with the lentils - its really kind of extraordinary. I've never actually served this as a side dish, even though I realize they are intended to be. They've never made it that far. I usually share half the batch with my daughter on the first day, and finish it off the next. When I develop a taste for this dish, I can't be satisfied with any thing else, so why try? Yet I suspect it would be amazing with a simple roast chicken, or firm fish. Or just with some crusty bread.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Le Puy lentils, picked over
1 leek, cleaned well with dark green bit removed.
1/4 inch slices
1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled. Quarter then cut
into 1/4 inch slices
1 small to medium onion, kept whole and peeled,
and stuck with 5 whole cloves
1 small to medium turnip, peeled and halved
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced fine
1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter (optional)
~1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus a good glug
for the pan
~1 generous Tbsp good dijon mustard
~2 healthy pinches salt
several turns of the pepper mill
2 - 5 tsp red wine vinegar (or 1 to 3 good splashes)
the measurements for the dressing are just a guideline - you may prefer more or less of any of the ingredients. I've never made it the same way twice, since tastes occasionally vary.
Place the lentils, clove studded onion, and turnip into a medium sauce pan. Cover with cold water (the amount varies as does the size of pans - roughly 4 cups should usually do it).
Place over medium high heat and bring to a strong simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. It doesn't hurt to check your lentils a bit before the suggested time, since the cooking time for them is always slightly different. They should be tender, yet firm.
Meanwhile, add a glug of oil to a medium skillet and saute the leek and carrot over medium heat till softened, about 15 - 18 minutes. About a minute before shutting off the heat, add the minced garlic and ensure it is thoroughly combined with the vegetables.
Place the dollop of dijon in the bowl you plan on serving the lentils. Add the salt, pepper, and vinegar. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking vigorously. Adjust ingredients to taste if needed.
Once the lentils are done, remove the onion and turnip. Drain well. Add the lentils, carrots and leek to the bowl, along with the pat of butter if you like a little extra richness. Stir till all ingredients are well combined. This dish is best served immediately, or warm.
recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa's How Easy is That? 2010
This is such a refreshingly simple dish, and the vegetables play against each other very well. Endive that is slightly bitter, sweet petit pois, and the earthiness of the mushrooms really harmonize. This is the first time I've attempted at combining endive with other vegetables into a single dish - I usually cook them slowly in a bit of oil, butter, sugar and salt till they get utterly caramelized and are nearly falling apart. My father in-law always requests endive prepared in this fashion when he comes over for dinner. Every dinner. They really are that good.
I think he would adore this dish as well. It is enough for 4 as an accompaniment in an elegant meal for guests, or can be an entire meal for 2. I inhaled this for dinner the other night, and ended up pilfering some of my husband's since I immediately wished I had relished mine a bit slower. Oh well. It is almost the end of Belgian endive season, so I definitely plan on making this again sooner than later.
INGREDIENTS
4 medium to large unblemished Belgian endive,
roots attached and quartered (ensure that the
root ends are white, not turning red which is a
sign of spoiling)
1 10 oz package button mushrooms, cleaned well
and quartered
1 1/2 cup frozen french peas (petit pois)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
salt and pepper
scant 1 tsp + healthy pinch sugar
1 Tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley (optional)
Place a large saute pan that has a tight fitting lid over medium heat. Add the oil and butter to the pan and once the butter is nearly melted, add the endive. Add a good pinch of salt, a couple turns from your pepper grinder (white or black, whichever you prefer), and the scant tsp of sugar. Cover and cook for 4-6 minutes while prepping the mushrooms.
Add the mushrooms along with another pinch of salt and pepper, and cover. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Once the mushrooms have released all their liquid, remove the lid and cook uncovered till nearly all the liquid has evaporated.
Add the frozen peas with a pinch of sugar and give a thorough stir before covering to cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Remove lid and add parsley if desired. Technically this should be served immediately, but is still quite good slightly warm.
