Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Potato latke burger sliders for Hanukkah

  • Pin It

Move over, ramen burger. It's Hanukkah, and we're making potato latkes.

Let me introduce you to Potato Latke Burger Sliders.

Take one of those crispy, salty, delicious potato latkes (pan-fried shredded potato pancakes, the traditional Hanukkah dish). Top it with a big meatball or a small hamburger. Add a healthy dollop of your favorite applesauce. Lay a second potato latke on top.

And that's how we make the Potato Latke Burger Slider. Ramen burger, we'll eat you some other time.

Happy Hanukkah to those of you celebrating - may your week be full of light and latkes!



print recipe

Potato Latke Burger Sliders for Hanukkah
Move over, ramen burger. It's Hanukkah and we're surrounding our mini-burgers with crispy, salty potato latkes. The fried potato pancakes make an excellent wrapper for your favorite burger or meatball. A fun dish for any Hanukkah dinner.
Ingredients
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1 large Russet potato, peeled
  • 1/2 medium-sized yellow onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour or potato starch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup grapeseed or canola oil, for frying
  • applesauce, for serving (my favorite applesauce recipe)
Instructions
Make the sliders: Divide the ground beef into four small portions and shape into burgers. Pan-fry in a hot, heavy skillet until done. Put the sliders on a plate, cover with foil, and set aside.Make the potato latkes: Grate the potato and onion into a large bowl. (Many people eschew the food processor here, but I go back and forth between the food processor and a hand grater depending on my mood.) Gather the mixture into a ball in the bowl and put a few layers of paper towel on top of it. Squeeze and massage the potato mixture through the towel. When the towel is wet, discard it and use another. When the potato mixture is no longer giving off a lot of water, you have squeezed enough.Add the egg, flour, salt, and pepper to the potato mixture and blend thoroughly with a spoon.Heat the oil in another large, heavy skillet until shimmering. Add the potato mixture, using a very scant 1/4 cup for each latke. Press down the latke mixture in the pan so each latke is round (more or less) and thin. Fry on each side until golden brown, then drain on a sheet pan lined with paper towels or topped with a rack. This mixture should make 8 latkes total.Assemble the sliders just before serving: Place a latke on a plate, then top with a burger. Add a dollop of applesauce and lay another latke on top. Serve immediately (this is very important - the bottom latke will get soggy after just a few minutes.)
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 sliders

Friday, November 22, 2013

A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving: Pumpkin soup with dried blueberry "dust"

  • Pin It
Pulse freeze-dried blueberries in a food processor to make the blueberry "dust" that decorates this smooth, creamy pumpkin soup (photo: Karen Ard)

My mother told me the other day that she likes my recipes because they're always so simple.

I told her it's because I'm a lazy cook.

And it's true. I hate separating eggs. I rarely sift. I will never use two pots if one will do.

Part of the reason I write simple recipes is because I am often making large numbers of dishes for large numbers of people. That's exactly why this pumpkin soup led off A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving, the blueberry-themed Thanksgiving dinner I made for a couple dozen food bloggers a few weeks ago.

Nothing could be easier: Cook onions in olive oil, add canned pumpkin puree and chicken stock, a few seasonings, a little milk, and you're done. It's a great way to start a festive meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, especially when served in small glasses as a walking-around appetizer.

Because A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving was sponsored by the U.S. Blueberry Council, each of the 10 dishes I served included fresh, frozen, or dried blueberries. See the purple "dust" on the pumpkin soup shooters in the photo above?  Take freeze-dried blueberries and blitz them briefly in a food processor. The tartness of the blueberries combines beautifully with the fragrant pumpkin soup. And it looks gorgeous too, don't you think?

Note: Freeze-dried blueberries are hard and crunchy; don't use the dried blueberries that are chewy and have the consistency of raisins. The ones you're looking for shatter when you bite into them.



print recipe

Pumpkin soup shooters with dried blueberry "dust"
There's no better way to start a festive holiday meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner than with this smooth, creamy soup. Freeze-dried blueberries take a spin in the food processor to make the blueberry "dust" that decorates the top of the soup.
Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 29-ounce can pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup freeze-dried blueberries
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.Add the onion and saute about 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent.Add the pumpkin puree, chicken stock, and nutmeg. Stir the pumpkin mixture and bring to a boil.Turn down the heat and simmer the soup about 30 minutes, until the onions are very soft.Puree the soup in the pot with a hand-held immersion blender, or transfer the soup to a countertop blender and puree until very smooth.Add the lemon juice and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Stir in the milk.Put the freeze-dried blueberries into a food processor. Pulse in 2-second intervals until the blueberries look powdery.Ladle the hot soup into small juice glasses or demitasse cups. Sprinkle each serving with a large pinch of the ground dried blueberries. Serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 10 servings

Saturday, November 16, 2013

A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving: Pumpkin blueberry trifle

  • Pin It
Add this pumpkin blueberry trifle to your Thanksgiving dessert table (photo: Karen Ard

When I started planning the menu for A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving, the twist-on-tradition Thanksgiving dinner I hosted last weekend for Los Angeles food bloggers, I had no trouble pairing blueberries with pumpkin soup, turkey, roasted butternut squash salad, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts.

(Yep, that was the twist - every one of the 10 courses served included fresh, dried, or frozen blueberries.)

But I couldn't decide on dessert. I wanted to do something with pumpkin, but pumpkin pie with blueberry sauce felt underwhelming.

It was Julie Stas, the lovely woman who leads the public relations team for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (one of the event's sponsors), who suggested a trifle. I'd never made a trifle before, but it sounded like a good idea: cake or cookies, fruit, custard, whipped cream. Pumpkin blueberry trifle. Sure. Why not?

Give it up for Julie. She is a genius. This pumpkin blueberry trifle came together easily, looked absolutely stunning in the bowl, and tasted heavenly. The warm spices in the pumpkin bread played perfectly off the tangy blueberry sauce and the smooth, creamy vanilla pudding.

And while a decade ago this dessert would have been impossible to pull off at Thanksgiving because fresh blueberries were nowhere to be found, now we can get excellent fresh blueberries from Chile and other South American countries from October until March. The blueberries I bought at my local grocer to top this pumpkin blueberry trifle were plump, juicy, and sweet. Click here to learn more about winter blueberries.

Add this pumpkin blueberry trifle to your Thanksgiving dessert list - you'll be glad you did.

Note: I made my own pumpkin bread (recipe included below), but feel free to use a prepared loaf from your favorite bakery or grocery store.




print recipe

Pumpkin Blueberry Trifle
Spicy pumpkin bread and fresh blueberries make this traditional English trifle a delicious and impressive Thanksgiving dessert.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups pure pumpkin puree
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup grapeseed or canola oil
  • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 32-ounce bag frozen blueberries
  • 1 lemon, juice and zest
  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 4 cups vanilla pudding (buy prepared or try this recipe)
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
Instructions
Make the pumpkin bread: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, 2 cups sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Sprinkle the salt, flour, baking powder, and baking soda on top of the pumpkin mixture, then stir with a large spoon just until combined. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour in the batter. Bake about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, then crumble the pumpkin bread into large chunks with your fingers. (Alternatively, you can buy a large loaf of prepared pumpkin bread.)Make the blueberry sauce: Put the frozen blueberries, remaining ½ cup sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer about 1 hour, until the sauce is thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat and let cool.Just before assembling the trifle, whip the cream with an electric mixer (or by hand if you’re sturdy) until it is fluffy and glossy.Assemble the trifle: In a large glass bowl, put down a layer of pumpkin bread crumbs, a layer of pudding, and a layer of blueberry sauce. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of crumbs. Pile the whipped cream on top and scatter the fresh blueberries on the whipped cream. Let sit at least 2 hours before serving to give everything a chance to meld.Note: Trifle can also be made in small glasses for individual servings.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 12 servings

Friday, November 15, 2013

A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving: Blueberry butternut squash salad

  • Pin It
A colorful autumn salad for your Thanksgiving table (photo: Karen Ard)

Last weekend I hosted a group of food bloggers for A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving, a pre-holiday celebration sponsored by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and Wines from Rioja. I made a huge traditional Thanksgiving feast with one big twist: Every dish on this Thanksgiving menu included fresh, frozen, or dried blueberries.

If you've only thought about blueberries as dessert, it's time to consider their savory side. I particularly love the combination of blueberries with balsamic vinegar, as in this autumn salad. I layered roasted cubes of butternut squash, caramelized red onions, toasted pumpkin seeds, fresh blueberries, and crisp green lettuce in a large bowl, then poured over a thick vinaigrette made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and dried blueberries.

Turkey, schmurkey: Say it's because we're Californians, but this salad was one of the bloggers' favorite dishes at our Thanksgiving celebration.

Here's some good news: Fresh blueberries are getting easier to find in the fall and winter due to thousands of acres of cultivated blueberries recently planted in Chile, Argentina and Mexico. The blueberries we had at A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving were plump, juicy, and sweet. Look for fresh blueberries from the southern hemisphere to add to your Thanksgiving menu - you'll be glad you did.




print recipe

Blueberry Butternut Squash Salad
A layered green salad with roasted butternut squash, caramelized red onions, fresh blueberries, and toasted pumpkin seeds with a blueberry balsamic vinaigrette. Serve this colorful, healthy salad at Thanksgiving for a twist on tradition.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dried blueberries
  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/2 large butternut squash
  • 1 large red onion
  • 1 large head green leaf lettuce, washed, torn into small pieces
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
First, make the blueberry balsamic vinaigrette. (This step can be done several days ahead.) Put the dried blueberries and balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer about 30 minutes, until the vinegar is reduced by about a third and the blueberries are plump and rehydrated. Let the mixture cool a bit, then put it in a blender with 1 cup of olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend until very smooth. If working ahead, store in the refrigerator until you begin the rest of the steps below.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Peel the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler and cut the flesh into 1-inch chunks. Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Put the vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with the remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Roast in the oven until brown around the edges and very tender, 30-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to just warm.Make a bed of lettuce in a serving bowl or on a large serving platter. Mound the squash and onions in the middle. Sprinkle the blueberries and pumpkin seeds on top. Drizzle the entire salad generously with the blueberry balsamic vinaigrette in a zig-zag pattern. Serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 10-12 servings

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Two days in La Jolla: The perfect #GirlfriendGetaway

  • Pin It
My wonderful Girlfriend Getaway pals Patti Londre (Worth The Whisk) and Dorothy Reinhold (Shockingly Delicious) looking out over the Pacific in beautiful La Jolla, California

My house is full of MEN. One full-size. One almost full-size. And one well on his way to teenager status. They're all sweet and well behaved and don't smell too bad, but still, this girl lives with a lot of testosterone.

Which means that when I get the opportunity to leave the men at home and take off on a road trip with two excellent girlfriends, I am out the door so fast even my head spins.

A recent "Girlfriend Getaway" to La Jolla marks the third trip I've taken with fellow bloggers Patti Londre (Worth The Whisk) and Dorothy Reinhold (Shockingly Delicious). We travel well together - and what a blessing it is to find compatible travel companions! It actually helps, I think, that we haven't known each other that long. It's the way I imagine dating after divorce: We've all had very full lives, so our pasts are mostly conversational virgin territory. And we still laugh at each other's jokes.

I highly recommend La Jolla as a getaway destination for people who live in or are visiting Los Angeles. It's on the edge of San Diego, but it's nothing like San Diego. It's far enough to feel like another world, yet the drive is manageable (under two hours if you drive the way I drive) and there's no jet lag. You'll find lots to do, great food, and sea lions. Really, La Jolla is the perfect Girlfriend Getaway or romantic weekend destination.

Here's what made our Girlfriend Getaway perfect.

The lobby bar at La Jolla's historic La Valencia Hotel

La Valencia: A first-class hotel by the sea


We were lucky enough to be hosted by La Valencia Hotel, an historic property overlooking dramatic La Jolla Cove. Rambling, covered in pale pink stucco, and oozing Old California charm inside and out, La Valencia is one of those hotels that makes you wish you had a novel to finish (and an impatient editor to pay your bills). Painted beams on the ceiling, brightly colored tiles on the walls and floors, stunning ocean views in every direction.

The long entrance hallway is lined with potted palms and helpful valets

La Valencia's outdoor restaurant has the best view in town

Patti couldn't get enough of the view from the floor-to-ceiling picture windows in La Valencia's lobby

The best scenic breakfast in La Jolla: The corner table of La Valencia's outdoor dining room has an unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean

"The Pink Lady" tile portrait adorns the garden terrace, where weddings are performed every weekend

One of the many original hand-painted tiles on the walls of La Valencia 

We arrived mid-afternoon and our hosts at La Valencia showed us to our villas. Can you ever be too pampered on a Girlfriend Getaway? We don't think so. I stayed in Villa 2, with a lovely sitting room, a generous bedroom, and a huge bathroom. Villa 2 is bigger than my first apartment (by a lot) and looks out over the gorgeous La Valencia pool. It has a fireplace, a patio, a wet bar, and a bed that was so comfortable I could have slept for days.

Looking from the sitting room to the bedroom of Villa 2 - I'm still dreaming about that bed

The comfortable sitting room in Villa 2 - see me in the mirror?

Luxurious Frette cotton sheets with the La Valencia monogram - no wonder we slept so well!

We chatted up other La Valencia guests during our stay, and every single one was delighted to be there. La Valencia is definitely a place that makes people happy.

Great food makes a Girlfriend Getaway even greater


We are three food-loving women, so we plan our Girlfriend Getaway meals carefully. Our first night we were treated to dinner at The Med, La Valencia's elegant dining room. This is a special occasion spot, the kind of stately hotel restaurant where you know families have celebrated weddings, graduations, anniversaries, and promotions for several generations. Where you wouldn't be surprised to see heads of state tucked away in the corner outlining trade agreements over filet mignon. Where you look at the couple at the next table and wonder whether the nervous young man has a Tiffany box in his jacket pocket.

But for all that history and tradition, the food at The Med today is modern and breathtaking. Chef Daniel Barron joined La Valencia earlier this year and has taken the kitchen by storm. He is a chef in the truest sense of the word, obsessing over every ingredient, every supplier, every preparation.

Crispy Brussels sprouts with pancetta and parmesan cream at The Med

Food bloggers that we are, we tried to cajole him into sharing a recipe with us - those amazing crispy Brussels sprouts, we hoped. Chef Daniel smiled and politely refused. His food isn't meant to be made in a home kitchen by a home cook, he said. He hinted at molecular gastronomy and walk-ins full of curing meat. We stopped asking. The more we tasted, the more we understood that our job was to enjoy and savor, not to figure out how to recreate his dishes at home. Dinner at The Med is like staying at La Valencia: It's all about being taken care of.

We hit La Med right before some big changes in the menu and decor, so we're looking forward to going back when the renovations are done and the tasting menu is in place. If our meal at The Med was any indication, we're confident Chef Daniel's tasting menu will be one of the great meals in southern California. (The hotel is also putting in a French-style bistro for more casual dining.)

The Med dining room at La Valencia is about to undergo a big renovation - the tiles are staying but just about everything else will look different next time we go back

We found other great food in La Jolla, too. Breakfast at Cody's was the perfect way to start our second day. Cody's was exactly the opposite of The Med: quiet, light, spacious and beachy. I wouldn't have been surprised to feel sand under my feet. My omelet had mushrooms, spinach, and goat cheese, and the grits that came with must have been 50 percent cheese because they stretched when I lifted my spoon. We admired the vertical succulent frames and hanging herb pots on the front patio and, as always, spent a little too much time taking pictures of our food.

Dorothy photographing vegetable hash at Cody's

When our feet hurt later that day we had a quick lunch at Harry's Coffee Shop, a La Jolla institution. The food was only okay, but we love family-owned non-corporate restaurants where the owner's personality shines through. Harry's was the perfect spot for a little pick-me-up. Dorothy and I shared a turkey Ruben and discovered that turkey and sauerkraut are excellent mates.

Harry's Coffee Shop offered six weary feet a decent lunch with lots of atmosphere

On Chef Daniel's recommendation we had dinner at Whisknladle, a loud, buzzy, elbow-to-elbow spot just a block from La Valencia. Everything was divine, including the warm Brussels sprouts salad with snap peas, a local swordfish crudo (seriously right off the boat), and the lamb ragu with gnocchi, but the over-the-top winner was charred bone marrow. Have you ever eaten bone marrow? In this unusual version the bones were split vertically and toasted on the grill. The marrow tasted like the best steak you've ever had; you start to chew reflexively, and then the marrow melts on your tongue like pudding. It left us all speechless - which, for the three of us, is quite a feat.

Whisknladle, from left: Lamb ragu with gnocchi; butterscotch budino; grilled marrow bones


What do three girls do for fun in La Jolla? Play tourist and shop


Exploring La Jolla took us a full day plus an afternoon. The best thing about Girlfriend Getaways is that we have no schedule. No one has to be at football practice. No one has playdates or sleepovers or study groups. No lunches to pack. No laundry to fold. On our Girlfriend Getaways, we do pretty much whatever strikes our fancy.

In La Jolla, that included watching the sea lions flop and bark lazily on the beach at La Jolla Cove. Looking into clothing stores, hat shops, a used book store. Tasting flavored olive oils and vinegars. Listening to a sales pitch for a fancy espresso machine. Wandering through "starfish shops" wondering who actually buys the expensive beach decor chotchkes that crammed every shelf and took up all the floor space. We were tourists, we were on vacation, and we were happy.

A vase? A bowl? We weren't sure but we thought it was cool

Looking for treasures at D.G. Wills Books

Patti playing model at Chico's

A walk through Mary Star of the Sea Catholic church
Cookies for tourists

Descending the small, slippery staircase to the La Jolla Caves

A neglected property near the beach inspired a discussion of real estate prices and feuding families

Tasting olive oils and vinegars at We Olive

California sea lion

A shelf of random (but expensive) beach decor

Starfish for sale

In Sur La Table, we each searched for the cookie cutter that best represented us - this is mine

Preppy clothing

The caves at La Jolla Cove

The best part about exploring La Jolla: The car stayed in the parking garage. Two of us, at least, spend way too much time behind the wheel of a minivan, so a car-free break was most welcome. We hoofed it up and down those hills, earning the calories for our next meal. Exercise!

And then our Girlfriend Getaway tradition: Patti and I always make time for a soak in the hot tub. We still haven't gotten Dorothy into a bathing suit, and I'm starting to doubt we ever will, but she sat on a bench nearby drinking wine and watching our fingers prune up. Girlfriends have good chats in the hot tub. (Psst, husbands and kids - yep, we were talking about you.)

By the time we left La Jolla, each of us had started planning our next visit. Patti would bring Larry. Dorothy thought her husband and son would love a surfing weekend while she and her daughter wandered through the town. And I'd like to take my mom - it's just her kind of place.

Whether you're planning a Girlfriend Getaway, a romantic weekend with your love, or a family outing, put La Jolla on your list.

Disclosure: Many thanks to La Valencia Hotel for providing our hotel rooms and dinner at The Med so that we could experience La Jolla and report about it for our readers. 

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Pumpkin Dutchess Potatoes: A twist on traditional mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving

  • Pin It

Looking for a new twist on your traditional mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner? Try these Pumpkin Dutchess potatoes. They come out of the oven all crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, with a smoky overtone from the smoked paprika. And the beautiful orange color is pure autumn.

They look very fancy, but trust me - they're easy. Even for dopes like me who can't get the hang of the piping bag. Notice the variation in the swirls above. And then notice that even the imperfect ones look pretty darn good.

A side benefit: automatic portion control. Unless you're like me and you eat a half-dozen with your fingers before they make it to the serving platter. Then...not so much.

P.S. Yes, Mommy, I am planning to make these for our Thanksgiving dinner.

I developed this recipe for the Idaho® Potato Commission. Need other potato ideas? They've got a million and a half fantastic recipes. Click here to see their massive collection of potato recipes.



print recipe

Pumpkin Dutchess Potatoes
Beautiful swirls of mashed potato mixed with pumpkin puree, then bathed in butter and baked in the oven until crisp along the edges. A beautiful addition to your table for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any elegant dinner.
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds Idaho® Russet potatoes
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
  • 6 Tablespoons butter, melted, divided
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • freshly ground pepper
  • Equipment: potato ricer, piping bag with large star tip, pastry brush
Instructions
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, then spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 425° F.Wash and peel the Idaho® Russet potatoes, then cut into 2-inch chunks. Place the potato chunks into a medium-sized pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Add 1 teaspoon salt to the water.Bring the pot to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer 20-25 minutes, or until the potato chunks are tender when pierced with a small knife or the tines of a fork. Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander, then return them to the hot pot. Shake gently for a minute or two; you will see steam rising as the potatoes dry out.While the potatoes are cooking, into a large bowl add the pumpkin puree, 4 tablespoons of the melted butter, heavy cream, egg, egg yolks, and smoked paprika. Whisk thoroughly, until the mixture is slightly puffy and aerated.For the lightest texture, use a potato ricer. Hold the ricer over the bowl of pumpkin mixture and press the cooked potatoes into the bowl. This eliminates all lumps, making it easier to pipe the swirls onto the baking sheet. (Alternatively, mash the potatoes thoroughly in the pot with a potato masher, then add the mashed potatoes to the pumpkin mixture.) Blend thoroughly with a large spoon until the mixture is uniform. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.Spoon the potato-pumpkin mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe swirls of the potato-pumpkin mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. You can place them fairly close together, as they will not spread during baking. You should get about two dozen swirls.Using a pastry brush, gently dab the potato-pumpkin swirls with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Be careful not to flatten the piped ridges too much.Bake the potato-pumpkin swirls about 25 minutes, until they are hot and the ridges are starting to crisp. Serve immediately, allowing two swirls per person.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 12 servings