Holiday Mashed Potatoes

Next time you’re invited to pot luck (or if you are in the mood for some at home), try my Holiday Mashed Potatoes jazzed up with a few surprises inside – sweet Chinese sausage bits, mild chive bits, and sweet-tangy cranberries.

You can either use real potatoes, an instant mashed potato mix, or a combination of both.

I won’t really get into recommending one or the other, since everybody’s tastes vary. But I will say that I’ve had good success no matter what method I used. The last time I made my Holiday Mashed Potatoes, I did a combination.

Lup cheong sausage can be found in the Asian foods section of your supermarket. If you can’t find lup cheong, use any sausage you want. I use cream, but you can substitute milk (skim, 1%, 2% … your preference). Here’s the way I make it:

Ingredients

• POTATOES, 1 large Russet, plus instant from a package.
• HALF-AND-HALF CREAM, 1 pint
• BUTTER, 1 stick
• GARLIC, 1 bulb, roasted
• LUP CHEONG SAUSAGE, 2, chopped small
• CHIVES, ½ cup
• DRIED CRANBERRIES, ¼ cup
• PARMESIANO REGGIANO, 1/2 cup, grated
• GARLIC SALT and PEPPER, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Rehydrate the cranberries by soaking in water for 15 minutes, drain, and set aside.
3. Cut about a half-inch off the top of the garlic bulb. Place on aluminum foil, drizzle on olive oil, wrap it up in the foil, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. Take it out, unwrap it and allow to cool slightly. Squeeze the garlic into a small bowl and mash it up.
5. While the garlic is roasting, rehydrate the cranberries by soaking in water for 15 minutes, then drain and set aside.
6. Slice two sweet Chinese lup cheong sausages in half lengthwise, then in half lengthwise again. Mince the sausage and sauté lightly in an unoiled pan. Remove and blot off the oil. Put aside.
7. Chop the chives, grate the cheese separately and put aside.
8. Peel and chunk the potato into 8 equal-sized pieces. Boil it until fork tender, remove from water and place into a large mixing bowl.
9. Mash the potato along with ¼-cup of cream and ¼ of the butter stick until smooth and creamy.
10. Prepare the mashed potatoes according to package directions, using the remaining butter in the measured  cooking water. Instead of milk, add an equivalent amount of cream.
11. When the instant potatoes are done, add to the previously mashed russet potato and combine.
12. Stir the garlic and cranberries into the potatoes. Reserve some of the sausage and chives for garnish. Stir the rest into the potatoes.
13. Salt and pepper to taste.
14. Transfer the potatoes into a serving bowl or casserole, garnish with the reserved sausage bits and chives.

Hamburger Scramble

Here’s another quick and easy (and tasty too, of course) breakfast that you can rustle up with leftovers.

If you’ve made hamburger patties for dinner the night before (or perhaps even the night before the night before), use the leftovers to make an egg scramble in the morning.

If you have a tomato and a sweet onion, it’s even better!

Ingredients

• HAMBURGER PATTY, 2, leftovers
• TOMATO, 1, chopped into large chunks (seeded and/or skinned if you are so inclined)
• SWEET ONION, 1 small, chopped into large pieces
• EGGS, 3, scrambled
• BUTTER, 2 pats
• HOT SAUCE, to taste

Directions

1. Break up the leftover pre-cooked patties and microwave for a minute or so until hot. Set aside.
2. Sauté the onions until only slightly crunchy, then set aside.
3. Butter your non-stick sauté pan and scramble your eggs.
4. When the eggs are half-way set in the pan, toss in the chunks of filling – hamburger, tomatoes and onions.
5. Continue scrambling until almost set, and then remove from heat.
6. Serve and eat immediately, squirting on as much hot sauce (I use Tabasco) on the dish as you like.

Sweet Takuan

Takuan is the yellow pickled (salty-sweet) daikon you see in jars in the Asian section of the supermarket. This is a recipe I have adapted from others, over the years.

Ingredients

• JAPANESE DAIKON, 2 large
• SUGAR, 1-1/4 cups
• WATER, 1 cup
• VINEGAR, 3/8 cup
• SALT, ¼ cup for brine, then 2 tablespoons
• AJINOMOTO (MSG), 1 teaspoon
• YELLOW FOOD COLORING, 1/4 teaspoon
• CHILI PEPPER (Optional), 1 small

Directions

1. Cut daikon into round pieces and soak in 1/4-cup salt overnight.
2. Drain water and squeeze the daikon hard.
3. Put the daikon into jars.
4. Meanwhile, boil all the other ingredients (sugar, water, vinegar, 2 tablespoons salt, Ajinomoto, food coloring and (optional) chili pepper) until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid bubbles.
5. Pour it over the daikon. Screw on the jar covers.
6. Let it cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 days.

Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches

One day, while waiting in the supermarket check-out line, my eyes fell upon a little recipe book in the “impulse” rack next to the tabloids. I gave in to the impulse and bought it.

I don’t remember what other recipes were in the book, just this one.

Although the recipe calls for poaching fresh chicken, you can use any chicken you have on hand. It’s a good way to use up leftover chicken. I have to say, however, that poaching it with the onions and tarragon does give the chicken extra flavor.

Ingredients

• CHICKEN BREASTS, 3 halves on bone
• ONION, 1 medium, cut into chunks
• CELERY, 1 cup thinly slices
• SEEDLESS RED GRAPES, 1½  cups, cut into halves
• RAISINS, ¾ cup
• NONFAT YOGURT, ½ cup
• MAYONNAISE, ¼ CUP
• SHALLOTS, 2, finely chopped
• TARRAGON LEAVES, 2 tablespoons, freshly minced
• SALT, ½ tablespoon
• WHITE PEPPER, 1/8 teaspoon, freshly ground
• LETTUCE
• SESAME KAISER ROLLS, 8
• BUTTER

Directions

1. Poach chicken in 1 cup water, along with the onion and any tarragon leaves and stems left after saving the 2 tablespoons called for later.
2. Poach at medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center.
3. When chicken is done, remove from pan and discard the onion and tarragon pieces.
4. Save the broth for another use.
5. Refrigerate chicken until cold, then de-bone and cut into small chunks.
6. Combine chicken, celery, grapes and raisins in large bowl.
7. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, shallots, tarragon, salt and pepper in small bowl.
8. Spoon over chicken mixture and toss lightly.
9. Cut Kaiser rolls in half, making buns. Butter cut sides, then place on cooking sheet, buttered sides up. Place under broiler until the buns are toasty and slightly crunchy.
10. Place lettuce on bun bottom. Spoon the chicken salad onto the lettuce, then cover with the bun top.

Quickie Jambalaya

You know how it goes. Sometimes you just have a hankering for some jambalaya but don’t have the time or patience to go through your spice cupboard and find out you’re missing an essential bottle of spice or two.

But you do have some stuff in the freezer that’s been sitting there for ages. So … thank heavens for prepared mixes and canned goods!

Ingredients

• ZATARAIN’S DIRTY RICE MIX, 1 box
• ZATARAIN’S RED BEANS & RICE MIX, 1 box
• WATER, 5 cups
• DICED TOMATOES, 2 cans
• ONION, 1 large, diced
• GREEN PEPPER, 1 large, diced
• GARLIC, 1 minced clove (or 1 teaspoon of the jarred minced kind)
• THYME, 1 teaspoon
• BAY LEAF, 1
• HILLSHIRE FARMS POLISH KIELBASA SAUSAGE, 1, cut into wheels
• HAM STEAK, 1 big, diced
• SKINLESS CHICKEN THIGHS, 6 deboned, cut into small chunks
• SHRIMP, 1 pound, peeled, deveined, cut into chunks
• (Any other kind of sausage you want, cut into wheels, andouille if you can find it)

Directions

1. Following directions on the boxes, get the rice mixes and water boiling, then cover the pot and reduce to a simmer.
2. Sauté the meat stuffs (except the shrimp) and add to the rice.
3. Add in the herbs, garlic, chopped onion and green pepper.
4. Bring back to a boil, cover the pot, and reduce back to a hard simmer.
5. Stir every now and then. About 25 minutes later, when rice is nice and tender, turn off the heat and add the shrimp.
6. Cover and let stand for about 10 minutes, then eat.

Sweet & Spicy Soy Beans

Here’s a quick snack that’s good for you and will warm the top of your head on a cold winter day.

Your local supermarket should have frozen bags of boiled soy beans (edamame) in the pod. They’re usually in the vegetable or Asian foods section of the freezer.

While you’re there, head over to the Asian food aisle and grab a bottle of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. I use the Mae Ploy brand that’s made with sugar, chili pepper, vinegar and garlic. It’s sweet and it’s got a nice little kick.

To prepare, reheat the soy beans as directed on the package. When they’re done, drain off most of the water, leaving a few tablespoons in the pot. Pour in a half-cup or so of the sweet chili sauce, mix it all up, then continue on low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Start eating. Take a pod into your mouth and with your teeth, pop the beans out of the pod, Discard the pod, which has surrendered its entire flavor to you, and reach for another.

It’s addictive.