Grilled Potato Salad

I saw this on a cooking show by Michael Chiarello (sp?) and just HAD to try it! Suprisingly, I hardly make any changes to the original recipe at like (like I usually do...). The smoky grilled flavor of the potatoes and the bacon, the bright green onions, and the sharp mustard flavor are the most unbelievable flavor combination! Try it!

Grilled Potato and Green Onion Salad

• 1/2 pound bacon, optional
• 8 russet potatoes
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• (veg or canola oil ok too!)
• 2 bunches green onions, white & green parts
• Dressing:
• 1/3 cup Champagne vinegar – or white wine vinegar
• 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon or spicy brown (deli) mustard
• 2 shallots, minced (see note*)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (or use half bacon fat)
• Bacon fat, optional

Prepare a grill to medium-high heat.

• If using bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and render in a skillet over low heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from pan, and reserve the bacon fat for the dressing.

• Cut green onions into 1/2-inch pieces.

• Wash potatoes and slice into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Cover with cold water and about 2 tablespoons of salt in a medium saucepan and bring to boil. Partially cook until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the potatoes, put in bowl, and toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and black pepper, to taste.

• 

• Grill the potatoes until golden brown and tender. If the potatoes are still firm but already brown, finish cooking in a 375 degrees F oven. Let the potatoes cool to room temperature. Slice the potatoes into 1/2-inch chunks and put in a large bowl. This step can be done the day before you want to serve it, if you want to save time.
• 
• Make the dressing: combine Champagne vinegar, Dijon, shallot, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly drizzle in extra-virgin olive oil, whisking constantly, until emulsified. (You may add in some of the optional strained bacon fat for taste at this stage.) Check seasoning.
• To serve, pour dressing over potatoes, green onions, and bacon, if using, and toss.
• Note: I have substituted ½ of a large onion & a few garlic cloves for the shallots

Mustard Beef Roast

This recipe started as a variation from a friend. Her father used to cook it all the time when she was growing up. Originally, she said to use a big 7 bone steak/roast (the kind that are like 3-4" thick), slather it in mustard, and cook it on the grill. Well, I don't grill THICK meat well - always turns out under-done or too tough. So I thought it would work great as a crockpot meal. The recipe couldn't be simpler!

Mustard Roast

Beef Roast (any cut will do - best if it's got some good fat in it)
Spicy Brown/Deli Mustard
Salt & Pepper
Optional: fresh minced garlic & Montreal Steak Seasoning

Slather the mustard all over the roast (see the pic for how thick). If you want it, add the garlic and rub it in. Put it in the crockpot and sprinkle with salt & pepper and steak seasoning. *You do not need to add any water. The roast will cook in it's own juices! I will usually put this in an hour or two before church and it's done when we get home. (Cook on high for 4 hours or low for maybe 6-8)

The BEST part of the roast is the sauce! Take some of the juices (depending on size of your roast and family - I usually only do about 1/4 - 1/2 cup) and put in a bowl. Then whisk in some mustard (a little less mustard than a 1:1 ratio) The fat in the juices and the mustard will emulsify and make the yummiest sauce to drizzle over your meat! *I like to use my immersion/stick blender to mix it - always works great!

TENDER Oven Roasted Ribs

When I got my BIG Pampered Chef stoneware baker lid, I wanted to figure out what else I could use if for. I found a great idea for doing ribs and roasts in it. As usual, I combined a few recipes before I came up with what I thought turned out best...


BBQ Ribs (works with a roast too)
Rub meat with a mixture of spices (garlic salt, seasoned salt, montreal steak seasoning, chipotle chili powder, pepper, etc – whatever you like! *Red Robin's fries seasoned salt is awesome too!) Put in a stoneware covered baker (I’m sure a domed cast iron skillet or dutch oven would work too) Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, then turn heat down to 250. Bake for another 1 ½ - 2 hours. If the meat is almost falling off the bones - you did it right!
*If you’re doing ribs on the bones, you may want to bake a little shorter time, grill them to help with that great smoky flavor, then baste with your favorite bbq sauce. ( our favorite is Tony Roma's Carolina Honeys)
*If you’re making BBQ sandwiches, (it may also need to cook a bit longer) let the meat cool a bit and then shred with a fork. Serve plain with sauce on the side or pour on whatever sauce you want.
*Works great with country style pork strips, baby back ribs, beef short ribs, pork picnic roast, etc…