Saturday, February 24, 2007

Quiet Night



A still time after a couple of busy weeks. Made a quiet dinner, caught up with friends and plan to continue bringing down the Jiffy pop pile of books and magazines that have piled up over the last month.

I made a recipe from the April issue of Eating Well and served it with a side of grilled asparagus, simple yet filling. Here's the recipe:

Ham and Swiss Rosti

1 large egg
1 cup of diced ham (about 5 ozs)
1 cup shredded part-skim Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese, divided
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1. Beat egg in a large bowl. Sir in ham, 1/2 cup cheese, shallot, rosemary, pepper and salt. Add frozen potatoes and stir to combine.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pat the potato mixture into an even round in the pan. Cover and cook until browned and crispy on the bottom, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Place a rimless baking sheet on top. Wearing oven mitts, grasp the pan and baking sheet together and carefully invert, unmolding the rosti onto the baking sheet. Wipe out any browned bits from the pan. Return it to the heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Slide the rosti back into the pan. Top with the remaining cheese, cover and cook the second side until crispy and browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Slide onto a platter, cut into wedges and serve.

A chilled Rose goes very well with this. We toasted the coming spring (trees are budding and blooming here in California already) and success with changes we are incorporating.

Tonight's picture was one of the last in Arizona I took when we made a stop before heading into the airport.

The video echoes the quiet evening theme and is from Ewan McGregor, "The Sweetest Gift":

No comments:

Who I'm Becoming

  "Inspiration is the greatest gift that an artist bequeaths to future artists, igniting the desire to produce their own work" -Pa...