I made this meal in preparation for christmas dinner. I wasn't too crazy about the stuffed pork tenderloin, only because the flavor of the filling I used was too strong. Because of this reason, I won't be giving a recipe for it. The mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts, however, were delicious. That being said, they are both somewhat notorious, especially the brussels sprouts, for being difficult to cook well, but I know the secrets to making them perfectly every single time.
brussels sprouts: - these little green nuggets get a really bad wrap. They often come out chewy, bitter, and dry. They seem to be VERY sensitive to temperature, time, and cooking method, but cooked properly, however, they are naturally sweet, nutty, and tender.
there are 4 basic downfalls when making brusells sprouts: 1. Improperly trimming them down. The outer green leaves are bitter, AS IS the white root at the base. Both these should be removed to reduce bitterness. 2. Cooking them for too short a time. Many times you will see people take them out prematurely because they think they are done. This results in brussels sprouts that are tough and chewy. Make sure to cook them until tender. 3. Not steaming them long enough. Believe it or not, the steaming process is essential to fully cook the brussels sprouts through while also retaining its moisture. If you were to just dry roast these, they would end up dry and retain their bitterness. 4. Roasting them at too high of a temperature. The recipe I followed instructed to roast them at 500 degrees, which caused some problems. First off, the outside would burn before the inside had time to fully cook. Secondly, the high temperature itself was just so hot that the brussel sprouts dried out and could never retain enough moisture to remain tender.
ingredients:
1. Brussels Sprouts
2. Extra virgin olive oil
3. Salt
4. pepper
5. Aluminum foil
6. Baking tray lined with parchment
recipe:
1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
note: - since the steaming process is essential, make sure to fully pre-heat the oven in this step. I once steamed these, starting at a 225 degree temp warming to 375, and even though I added a few minutes to the cooking time, the brussels sprouts never fully steamed properly and remained bitter and dry.
note: - do not attempt to cook several items at once in the oven during the roasting of the brussels sprouts. It throws off the cooking time and temperature and the brussels sprouts will not cook properly.
2. Cut off the white root of the brussel sprout. You don't have to completely remove it, as that would basically be cutting off half the brussel sprout, but remove a good portion of it.
3. Remove any loose outer leaves. Even if they are semi-loose, remove them.
4. Cut medium-large brussel sprouts in half. For smaller pieces, just cut off a small slice to create a flat side for it to rest on. You are trying to make all the pieces the same size, so cut accordingly.
5. Wash the brussels sprouts and allow any loose outer leaves to fall off.
6. Completely dry them, transfer to a bowl, then toss them with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil. LIGHTLY sprinkle with salt and pepper. Save the bowl without washing it.
note: - be very generous with the oil. there should be some slight pooling of the oil at the bottom of the bowl. This ensures the brussel sprout won't burn and will stay moist.
7. Transfer brussels sprouts to parchment lined baking tray, flat side down. Cover completely with 2 or more sheets of aluminum foil. We are looking to steam them initially.
8. Slide tray onto upper middle rack of the oven for 11 minutes.
9. Take off the foil, rotate the baking tray, and cook, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.
10. Taste one, WARNING, they will be hot. If it is sufficiently tender, take them out, if not, bake them for another 2-3 minutes.
11. Transfer brussel sprouts to the bowl you used previously. Drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste. Many people, including myself, like to be liberal with the salt them and treat them almost as if they were french fries.
note: - they are very sensitive to pepper, so I never add more at this stage.
12. Plate and serve.
mashed potatoes: - These are also pretty tough to get perfect. Often, you will have mashed potatoes that are dry, cakey, and grainy as opposed to smooth and creamy. There are only 2 real keys to getting it right. 1. Boil the potatoes until they begin to fall apart. Grainy mashed potatoes are the result of undercooked potatoes. It is far better to slightly overcook them as opposed to undercooked. 2. Add MILK. It's really that simple. If it is not smooth or creamy enough, add more milk. I tried one recipe that only used olive oil and it just couldn't achieve a creamy texture.
note: - many recipes advise to be wary of overcooking them, as that will cause graininess. While I believe this happens, I have yet to overcook them to that stage, even when I boiled them to the point that most of the potatoes started to completely fall apart in the water. BUT, I have at many times undercooked them which caused them to be very grainy and unappetizing. Error on the side of overcooked.
ingredients:
serves 4
1. 2 lbs of russet potatoes
2. 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
3. 1 cup whole milk warmed
4. salt
5. black pepper
6. potato ricer (optional)
note: - I have made this with a few TBL of extra virgin olive oil and soy milk and it tasted amazing. There was no difference between soy milk and whole milk, so if you want to make this dairy free, evoo and soy milk works.
note: - Even perfectly cooked, creamy mashed potatoes will turn into a dry block of cold starch if left out at room temperature for 30 minutes. The key to keeping them creamy for a long period of time is to keep the potatoes in a bowl over a small pot with simmering water on the lowest heat. Then cover the bowl with a tight fitting plate, lid, or cover. This will keep the potatoes creamy for a long time.
recipe:
1. Wash the outside skin of the potatoes then cut them into 1" chunks.
2. Drop them into a pot and cover with cold water until 1" above the the potaotes.
3. Lightly salt the water then place over high heat, covered.
4. Bring to a boil and cook until very tender. 20-40 minutes.
note: - A fork stuck into one of the potatoes, WITHOUT twisting it, should cause the potato to shatter and completely break apart. An easier way to tell if they are done is to just boil them until you see a few pieces start to break down and fall apart in the water.
5. Drain water and allow potatoes to cool for 15 minutes. Place pot back onto stove, unwashed.
6. Put pot over lowest heat, then take off the skin of potatoes and add a few pieces at a time to the ricer and rice back into the pot. If you don't have a ricer, use a potato masher and mash until smooth.
7. Add 8 TBL butter and 1 cup of milk to a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
8. Add all the butter and 3/4th of the milk to the potatoes and mix until incorporated.
9. Taste and add a generous amount of pepper. Add salt if needed. Depending on how much salt you used to boil the potatoes you may end up adding very little or A LOT of salt.
10. If the potatoes are not smooth and creamy enough, add more milk until you achieve your desired consistency. I like mine pretty wet and very creamy.
11. Serve with gravy.
12. If not serving immediately, set up a double broiler. Transfer mashed potatoes to a bowl then place that bowl over a small pot of simmering water on the lowest heat. Cover the bowl with a tight fitting plate, cover, or lid. The potatoes will remain smooth and creamy for a long time with this technique.
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