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 145 - Weigh In Day!!!

And If you are seeing this message, this one, right here, it means I have no internet and am unable to post due to Irene's crabby attitude. She stole our power and thus our internet. So instead of my Sunday waistline info, instead I will charm you with my culinary skills... And if I'm lucky, you may have to wipe a bit of drool from your chin when we're done : ) Either way, enjoy!

Friday night, while I should have been preparing for the storm, I was instead looking for ways to have acorn squash with my dinner. In a former life I would have roasted it on a sheet pan, then put a Tbsp or two of butter in the cup along with brown sugar (and perhaps maple or vanilla). Though that is one of the yummiest things to do to an acorn squash, it's an aggressive enemy attack against my midsection. So I searched around and found this instead... Give it a try!

Orange and Ginger Glazed Acorn Squash

• 3 acorn squash, halved length-wise and seeds removed
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2Tbsp. crystallized ginger, minced
• 2Tbsp. butter (unsalted is better)
• 1Tbsp. packed brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375F; line a baking tray with aluminum foil and lightly spray with vegetable spray
2. Place squash cut side down on the tray and spray back sides lightly with vegetable spray
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until tender
4. Approximately 10 minutes before they are done roasting, combine the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan and heat just to melt butter and dissolve sugar.
5. To serve: place 1 half acorn on a plate and spoon 3Tbsp. glaze into the center.
6. Eat before someone else does.

For Weight Watcher's: 2 points for one half with 3Tbsp of the glaze.

This is an amazing way to highlight the beautiful sweetness of the squash without masking it with flavorings. The ginger and citrus are surprisingly gently and compliment the squash deliciously.

Monday: Check back to see how I weathered Irene.