Creamy Lettuce Soup

Delightful springtime flavor in a quick and easy soup

Springtime means lettuce at its freshest. Hence this soup.

The name says “creamy,” but that doesn’t mean heavy. We add just a touch of cream (which you can omit if you want). So this is almost a diet dish!

Because if it’s spring, swimsuit season is just around the corner. Enough said.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

This easy, vegetable-rich dish is made from pantry staples

Clam chowder is a double classic, featuring both a creamy New England style and a brothy Manhattan version.

We love all that cream in the New England version, but its rich heartiness makes it a winter dish for us. Come spring, we like lighter, healthier Manhattan Clam Chowder. Plus, it’s a great way to load up on vegetables.

Serve this for dinner and you’ll know where the saying “happy as a clam” comes from.

Potato and Sausage Salad

Garlicky mustard vinaigrette adds moxie to this side (or main) dish

Cookouts are around the corner. That means potato salad on the picnic table.

But we like it even better on our dining room table. Add in some sausage, and it can even serve as a main course. Bonus: It’s quick and easy enough to make for a weeknight meal.

Tot another one up for taters.

Bacon-Braised Potatoes

This easy recipe from French chef Paul Bocuse is the perfect sidekick for roast meat or poultry

Meat and potatoes: A classic combo (and all in one dish, in this case).

These Bacon-Braised Potatoes make a great side for any hunk of roast meat or poultry. Though with these on the table, you may ignore the main event and instead zero in on the spuds. They’re that good.

Because bacon.

Southwest-Style Chicken (or Turkey) Chowder

A quick and delicious way to use leftover cooked poultry

Have leftover cooked chicken or turkey? Need a warming, comforting dish to chase away the chill? Try this chowder. It’s a spicy mix of ingredients that you may already have on hand. Perfect pantry cooking!

Best thing about this dish is it’s ready in under an hour, start to finish. And you can freeze leftovers, so you’ll have another meal ready to go in minutes.

Winter never tasted so good.

Guinness Beef Stew

Meaty goodness with an Irish twist

On St. Patrick’s Day we’re all Irish – and we want to celebrate. So how about some hearty Guinness Beef Stew?

It’s a great dish for entertaining. Because you braise the beef slowly, most of the prep work will be done hours before you need to serve. You can even make this dish a day ahead, then reheat it – the flavor will only get better.

In fact, it will have more flavor than you can shake a shillelagh at.

Lamb, Lentil, and Green Chile Chili

Not the usual chili

Cold and snowy? That means it’s time for chili! Spicy and hearty = warm.

But why go for the same old same old? Today we’re using lamb and lentils – two ingredients that pair extremely well. You don’t often see them in chili, but why not? Both play beautifully with spice.

This chili would make a terrific main dish for your Super Bowl party. It’s something most people won’t expect, so it can be your own personal trick play. Sounds like a touchdown in our book.

Potato and Green Bean Salad

Vinaigrette dressing makes this perfect for picnics

Potato salad is the ultimate summer side dish. It never misses a cookout, barbecue, or picnic.

Green beans make this potato salad lighter and more colorful – not to mention tastier. And this salad features vinaigrette dressing instead of mayo, so you can serve it at room temperature.

That’s great for cookouts. You can leave this salad on the picnic table while you’re cavorting in the summer sunshine. Because after all that outdoor activity, you’ll want to go back for seconds.

Corned Beef, Cabbage, and Potato Gratin

This easy casserole makes a one-dish St. Patrick’s Day meal

Ready for St. Pat’s Day? Craving some corned beef and cabbage, but don’t have the time to make it? We’ve got the solution.

This dish combines the three most popular elements of a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner – corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes – into one scrumptious dish. And you can use deli corned beef rather than cooking your own – a real time saver.

So you’ll have more time to celebrate. You lucky leprechaun, you.

Cauliflower, Potato, and Pea Curry

This vegan delight is a great way to eat your veggies

India knows how to cook vegetables. And one favorite flavor combo is cauliflower and potatoes. These two can be paired in hundreds of dishes. They blend particularly well with curry ingredients.

For this dish, we’ve added some green peas to the mix – making the combo even more healthy and colorful. This makes a great side for a vegetarian or vegan meal. But it’s equally at home with roast or grilled fowl or meat.

This is quick to make, too, so it’s perfect for weeknights. And no one will complain about having to finish their veggies.

Crispy Shredded Hash Brown Potaotes

This easy homemade dish beats your local diner’s version

We love breakfast potatoes. And we can eat them any style. But given our druthers, we’ll go for hash browns every time.

We particularly crave the kind of hash browns you can find at any diner. It’s hard to beat those thin, crispy cakes of shredded potatoes. Especially when they’re cooked until both sides are crusty brown.

So serve up these hash browns on Thanksgiving morning (or the day after). And bask in the happy smiles of your guests.

Green Chile Stew with Pork

Meat and potatoes, New Mexico style

Green Chile Stew with Pork (aka Chile Verde) is one of the best-known dishes in New Mexico. And while it’s a meat-heavy dish, the flavor is all about the chilies.

Which makes sense, because green chilies—New Mexico’s largest agricultural crop—feature superb quality and flavor.

More about chilies later. Right now, all you really need to know is this: When the weather turns cold, nothing heats you up better than a steaming bowl of Green Chile Stew with Pork.

Celery Root (Celeriac) and Potato Gratin

Scalloped potatoes with ‘tude

Easter arrives in a few days, so menu planning is ramping up. Having a big roast? Or maybe baked ham or a leg of lamb? If you’re serving any of the above, you’ll probably want a rich, starchy side dish to go with it.

Scalloped potatoes are a popular choice, of course—and this dish takes them as a starting point. But then we add celery root (celeriac) to dial the flavor up a notch. We also add some sharp Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and just a touch of zippy Dijon mustard.

The result is irresistibly good. But fair warning: If you’re feeding a holiday crowd, you may want to double this recipe. Otherwise, the serving dish might not make it all the way around the table.

Meat and Potatoes Chili

Winter comfort food 

Need some down-home cooking to combat the cold weather we’re having throughout much of the US? Well, there’s nothing better than good old meat and potatoes.

We could just fill our plates with a slab of beef and a mound of spuds. But why not go for something with more flavor? Like this chunky Meat and Potatoes Chili. It has all the savor of traditional meat and potatoes, with the zing of chili. Win win.

And speaking of winning, if you haven’t already planned your eats for the Super Bowl festivities, this would be a great dish to prepare. You can cook it a day ahead, then reheat it—so you won’t miss a minute of the game. That’s a touchdown in my book.

Horseradish Potato Salad

This tangy, dill-accented side dish is perfect for summer cookouts

Looking for a new take on an old summer favorite (namely, potato salad)?  Well, you’ve come to the right post!  A touch of horseradish can add ping — without overwhelming anyone’s tastebuds (or nasal passages). 

Admittedly, some horseradish sauces can be so strong they bring tears to your eyes.  But you don’t need to use those! The versions you’re likely to find in your local grocery store are far milder.  Perfect, in fact, for adding interest to potato salad.  Include some fresh dill as a flavor note, and sour cream as a base, and you can whip up a dish that will intrigue adults, but won’t be too overpowering for kids.

This dish makes a terrific sidekick for the wild salmon that’s now fresh in US markets.  But it also pairs well with hot dogs, hamburgers, and grilled or barbecued chicken, pork, and beef.  With July 4th coming up soon, it would make an outstanding addition to your cookout repertoire.

If you’ve had Horseradish Potato Salad before, you know how intoxicatingly good it is.  If this dish is new to you, you’re in for a treat.

Colcannon

Mashed Potatoes and Kale Flavor this Traditional Irish Dish

When the topic is Irish food, what do you think of first?  If you live in the US, the answer is likely Corned Beef. With cabbage, of course. Second? Probably potatoes (who hasn’t heard of the Irish Potato Famine?).

Potatoes have been an important food in Ireland since the late 17th century, and historically formed the foundation for many a meal. Equally important historically are cabbage and kale (kale is actually a form of cabbage). These two foods would appear on most tables many times each week. So of course someone eventually decided to combine them — in a dish that became known as Colcannon.

Colcannon mixes mashed potatoes with kale (or cabbage). For extra flavor, many cooks add onions, leeks, or scallions. It’s a hearty dish that’s almost a meal in itself (and at times it no doubt was). Today most of us would probably serve it as a side dish. It pairs well with almost any meat, but particularly shines with ham, sausages, or corned beef.

Almost everyone will love this dish! After all, mashed potatoes are a near universal favorite, and the addition of kale adds terrific healthy flavor. Best of all, this is a pretty simple recipe to make.

So with St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner (a week from today), maybe it’s time to try Colcannon. Once you taste it, you may contemplate moving to Ireland. I may join you.

Roast Potatoes

So Good You’ll Wish They Were the Main Course

Roasting is one of my favorite ways to prepare vegetables.  The hot oven evaporates moisture, making the vegetables tender and caramelizing their natural sugars.  Roasted veggies are great on their own, and they’re a natural alongside a dish like chicken or pork roast.

Here at Kitchen Riffs, we’re no stranger to their deliciousness. In recent months we’ve made Roast Sweet Potatoes, Roast Cauliflower, Roast Belgian Endive, Roast Asparagus, and Roast Eggplant. Heck, we’ve even done a Roast Strawberry Salad.

But nothing is better than Roast Potatoes. And with the cooler weather we’ve been having, we’re now enjoying the kind of hearty meals at which roast potatoes are particularly welcome. So it’s time to discuss how easy, fast, and off-the-charts-flavorful this dish can be.

Leek and Potato Soup

This Classic Is Wonderful as a First Course, Hearty Enough for a Main

Leek and Potato Soup is flavorful and easy to make, and everyone who tastes it enjoys it.  It’s also versatile.  You can prepare a simple vegan version, or fancy it up with cream or stock for vegetarian and carnivorous variations.

So why has it been so long since you’ve made it? 

It’s probably that leek thing.  Leeks often carry some dirt, so they take a few minutes to clean.  Although every supermarket stocks them, they’re usually expensive compared to onions.  And onions are almost the same thing, right?

Well, no.  Similar, but leeks have more depth of flavor, and are a bit less in-your-face than onions.  As you’ll discover when you taste this soup.  Once you do, you’ll be wondering where leeks have been all your life.

Spicy Potatoes with Ginger and Garlic

The Deep Flavor of this Vegan Indian Dish Will Make Your Tongue Smile

Of all the world’s cuisines, India’s may have the most numerous and flavorful recipes for potatoes.  Today’s dish is a good example:  It’s rich with ginger, garlic, and spices. 

Although these potatoes go well in a traditional Indian meal, they are equally at home when nestled up to a roast.  They have just enough spice and flavor to make you sit up and take notice, but not so much that they’ll dominate the entire meal.

They may dominate the dinnertime conversation, though, as your guests exclaim over their terrific flavor.

Mustard Potato Salad

This Southern-Style Recipe Is Perfect for Cookouts and Barbecues

With summer here, it’s cookout time.  In fact, next week brings one of the biggest and best barbecue opportunities of the year:  Fourth of July.

And what would a cookout be without potato salad?  One of the tastiest — certainly the tangiest — is Mustard Potato Salad.  It goes particularly well with long-cooked barbecue or meat that has been grilled over hot coals or an open fire (hamburgers, anyone?). 

Mustard Potato Salad is no more difficult to make than Mayonnaise Potato Salad. And you know how easy that is.