Baked Potato Scones

Can carbs inspire carbs? The answer is definitively yes! I was looking for a way to work through my chive plant in the back garden. Naturally I thought of cheesey baked potatoes, loaded with sour cream and those tiny green flecks. But ya know, I'm not quite that cold yet (rest assured... it'll happen). Then I thought, self... what if you turned all that baked potato goodness into a carb that is socially acceptable to eat at both breakfast and dinner? That's it...scones!

Scones are the triangular cousin of biscuits. Equally butter-y and flakey, but with an inexplicable fancy flair. And let me tell you... homemade and warm are the only way to enjoy them. Walk away from that dried out hockey puck in the Starbuck's pastry case.

As a lover of cheese, I actually prefer a savory scone to a sweet one and man, oh, man do these deliver. With a food processor the dough is a breeze, after just a bit in the oven you'll have warm savory, potato-y goodness.

Enjoy with dinner and put a fried egg on it for breakfast. I die. So good.

Baked Potato Scones

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut in cubes

1 egg beaten

3 tablespoons ice water

3/4 cup sour cream

2/3 cup chopped chives

1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

salt, pepper and paprika, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment or silpat. 

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in bowl of food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add butter and pulse 10-15 times until butter is cut into peas size pieces. Dump flour and butter into a large bowl. 

In a separate bowl, combine egg, water and sour cream. Add liquids to the butter mixture and mix with a fork. Add chives and cheeses and knead dough together on a floured board. The dough will be dry and shaggy, but will come together in a few kneads. Stop kneading as soon as it is combined. Form into a 1-1 1/2 inch thick disc. Cut into 8 triangles and carefully place on baking sheet. 

Brush with the lightly beaten egg and sprinkle on kosher salt, pepper and paprika. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden and fluffy. Serve warm and enjoy. 

Recipe inspired by Joy the Baker. 

Bleu Cheese Asparagus Orzotto

I'm just going to answer the question now... orzotto is not a word. Mark Bittman made it up and I thought it was clever. One of the great things about cooking is that you can mess around in the kitchen and no one can tell you you're doing it wrong. You're your toughest critic really. And how refreshing in a world of client critique and performance reviews. I'll take it.

...and back to the subject. The mind wanders. What I mean about this recipe is that it's treating one ingredient different than the package calls for, but yields great results. In this case, I treated Orzo pasta just like risotto. It goes against all the rules of pasta, because you don't boil it and it goes against all the rules of risotto because it isn't arborio rice. But you know what? It totally works. Look at you, such a rebel!

The key takeaway here is the technique, which creates a flavor packed pasta dish in 15 minutes. Way more tasty than ordinary noodles. I've put it together with some springy favorites, but the flavor combinations are near endless. 

Bleu Cheese Asparagus Orzotto

4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bunch chives, minced

1lb orzo pasta

1 bunch asparagus, cut in 1-inch pieces

1/2lb shrimp, deveined and tails removed

4oz bleu cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

Start by bringing chicken stock to a simmer in a saucepan. In a separate heavy bottomed pot, melt butter and olive oil together. Once foamy, add chives and cook for 1-2 minutes until softened. Add orzo to buttery pot and stir until toasted, about a minute. Add a ladle of warm chicken stock and stir until orzo soaks up liquid. Continue adding chicken stock one ladleful at time until orzo absorbs all liquid and is tender. 

While the orzo cooks, blanche asparagus in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and shock in an ice bath. 

When the pasta is nearly cooked, add shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes or until pink. At the last minute, stir in bleu cheese and asparagus. Top with chopped walnuts and a few fresh chives. Enjoy!

Balsamic and Bleu Beef Sandwiches

You know those recipes that linger on your Pinterest boards? I hope a few of mine are on yours -- shameless plug to follow me. But it's always kind of a bummer when you find an amazing recipe in July that is so clearly something for winter. Now that we're in October, I finally feel like I can bust out those recipes I found this summer.

I'd been dying to try Add A Pinch's Balsamic Roast Beef and it did NOT disappoint! I had a guest the other night who doesn't eat or drink alcohol, so this was a great alternative to my red wine-loaded braised beef. Balsamic vinegar is often a great substitute for red wine in recipes, but you'll always need to adjust the proportions to be sure it's not too bitter.

I thought this soft, fork-tender beef would be great with crusty french bread and for additional punch, none other than bleu cheese.

Yeah... still figuring out this lighting sitch. Better, but still not there. 

One thing I love about the slow cooker is that you always seem to have TONS of food afterward. Hello delicious leftovers. 

Patience is always a challenge when caramelizing onions. It'll all be worth it, if you take it slow.

Balsamic and Bleu Cheese Beef Sandwiches
3-4lb beef chuck roast
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon red pepper flake
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 onions, thinly sliced
1 loaf french bread, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles

Place beef in the bottom of a slow cooker. Combine beef broth, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, honey, red pepper flack and garlic in a medium bowl. Pour over beef and cover. Set slow cooker to high for 4 hours.

When 30 minutes remain on the beef, heat olive oil over low heat in a large pan. Add sliced onions and stir every few minutes. Onions will slowly caramelize, but keep an eye on them to be sure they don't burn.

Heat broiler. Spread butter on one half of french bread and bleu cheese on the other half. Broil for 3-5 minutes until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.

When slow cooker is finished, remove beef to a sheet pan with tongs. Use two forks to shred beef. Skim the fat off of the remaining liquid in a slow cooker and discard fat. Pour remaining liquid into a pot and bring to a boil on the stove. Reduce to simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until liquid reduces by half. Pour gravy over shredded beef.

Assemble sandwiches with beef and top with caramelized onions. This is great with an arugula salad. Enjoy!