Day 242 - Potato Mille Feuille

Mille Feuille - FRENCH for 'thousand leaves,' usually associated with a puff pastry dessert.

For our purposes we will use it to refer to an amazing potato dish I had while at The Herbfarm just outside of Seattle. I made mine slightly less refined, a technique we like to call 'rustic.' That mostly means that it isn't dressed up for the ball, it's going to line dancing instead.

This recipe and technique I will continue to fuss with to try to get it as close to what I remember as possible. So this is the current version. Let's call it Potato Mille-Feuille Version 1.o.

Potato Mille-Feuille (Version 1.o) 

The key to this dish is getting the potato slices exactly the same thickness throughout; this can be tough which is why I use a slicer.

•  4 medium Russet potatoes
• 3 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• non-stick spray

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Lightly coat a glass loaf pan (9" x 3" x 3") with non stick spray. Wash and peel potatoes.








2. Using a slicer (like in the picture), or using a sharp
knife painstakingly carefully, slice the potatoes to 1/8 inch thick.

3. Begin staggering and stacking the potato in the baking dish, leaving as few gaps as possible. Fill up the dish this way; it should get a little tight by the end.

4. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the potato slices, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.









5. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes. To check doneness, insert a fork at a 45 degree angle in the center of the dish; if it slides nicely in without resistance it's ready.

6. Enjoy! This would be good with the potatoes being seasoned before they are stacked with herbs to compliment the rest of the meal, or with a sauce or gravy. It can be dressed up (to go with filet mignon) or it can relax (with meatloaf and gravy). I'll let you know how it evolves for me : )

Yum.

Serves 5: 4 Points Plus for Weight Watcher's

Day 231 - I've Been In Denial--And Potato Pancakes : )

I haven't been in potato pancakes, like this post title suggests. No need to call in the troops for a recon mission. No worries. But...

Let's get the confession out of the way first.

I've been eating like crap since I returned from my trip. I begin each day with good motivation and intentions and on plan. Then by about 2pm I'm starting to spiral out of control, eating high-point, low nutrition, non-whole foods. And because they are not filling or satisfying at all, I then eat more, and it keeps going 'round and 'round and 'round. And for the first time while being on the Weight Watcher's program, my points are in the red for the week--which means I've eaten more than my allotted points. And I haven't tracked everything I ate yet... This stops today.

That's why I told all of you. My accountability has been key in my success, and denying to myself and you what I've been doing is only going to hurt my efforts. The scale will be honest with me tomorrow morning and I'm ready to accept responsibility for what I've done. Time to move forward!


And because of all of this, I woke up wanting left overs. But this doesn't mean I can't get creative and incorporate them in a healthful and reasonable way into my morning meal. So here's what I did. And it counts for 1 veggie serving and 2 heart healthy oils. Score!

Mashed 'Potato' Pancakes

• 1/2 cup leftover Mashed 'Potatoes' with Chives (from my Turkey Day menu, or your own mashers)
•  2 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 Tbsp.shredded Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

1.  In a small frying pan, heat 1 tsp. olive oil over medium heat.

2.Meanwhile, with a fork mix together the egg white and left over mashed potatoes until they are very well incorporated.

3. Add the Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

4. Tilt the frying pan from side to side to evenly coat it with olive oil. Scoop all of your potato and egg mixture into the pan and spread evenly so you have a nice round shape, not quite the full size of the pan. Allow to cook for at least 4 minutes before you try to check the underside for doneness. (keep an eye on the heat and if it seems to be scorching the pancake, every stove top's 'medium' heat is different--adjust as necessary)

5. Once you're able to insert a spatula under the pancake without it breaking, gently lift one side a pour the remainder of the olive oil, then flip it.

6. Continue cooking until the bottom has set as well. Then enjoy!

This is good as is, or with a dab of ketchup.

4 PP for Weight Watcher's as written with 1 veggie serving and 2 heart healthy oils.

nom nom nom!

Day 225 - Weigh In

: )

Even though I am not completely back in pre-trip form, I can still see that the way I eat works.

A loss of 1.8 pounds this week! That's right on track for my typical weight loss, and I have a few pounds to catch up on from the 3 weeks of gluttony. Now my next test... TURKEY DAY!!!

I'm excited to plan a menu and adjust some of my typical dishes to be more healthful while still being delicious. I have the talent and the know-how (I'm a student at The Culinary Institute of America for heavens sake!) so it's time to put that knowledge to my own personal use.

Some of my menu items (other than the bird) and how I used to prepare them:

• Mashed Potatoes: usually Russets; typically loaded (and I mean loaded) with butter, whole milk, sour cream; also with small dice green and red bell peppers, garlic, salt and pepper.
• Sweet Potato Cassarole: TONS of butter and brown sugar, and of course topped with toasty marshmallows (or smell-os as my boys would say)
• Gravy: It is what it is. Any suggestions? This may end up being my big indulgence.
• Biscuits and Rolls: I'm a baker. I love bread any way it comes. 
• Pumpkin Pie: A thick and flaky crust with a perfect egg based custard filling; whipped cream, lots of whipped cream.

I'm going to get creative. I'm also going to add other vegetable based dishes to my menu that are packed with flavor so I can fill up a bit, still have some of my indulgences, and get away from the table not feeling like I missed out on anything.

Stay tuned this week for ideas to make your Thanksgiving menu full of flavor and waistline friendly : )