chives

A Latke Party! / December 6, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

this post was created in partnership with bed bath & beyond.

i think we're all murmuring with slight anxiety/disbelief: it's december already, and feeling those go, go, go holiday vibrations. there's a very present buzz in the air this time of year, and i find myself taking those few extra deep breaths in a given moment to try to let it all go. i'm not a huge holiday shopper, the crowds and hubbub and music and lights can be overwhelming. so, when i do venture out, i have to make a concerted effort not to be overstimulated by everything that's surrounding me. and that means finding effective and efficient ways of going about shopping and preparing for holiday get togethers. like this latke party!

lists are my favorite way of getting organized. i usually start out with ideas on my notes app on my phone. from there, there's likely another rough draft, but written on paper. if i have the time, i'll go over my list again, and write a final copy. that might sound like a lot of time spent on lists, but it's done over a few days when i can squeak in a minute or 2 to jot an idea down. another thing that helps me streamline is going to one store for everything. and since the holidays are gearing up, i needed to add some dinnerware pieces to our very minimal assortment of all things entertaining.

but if you had told me i could find everything i needed for this latke party at one store (that i would have actually liked), i would have laughed at you. turns out that was totally a possibility. bed bath & beyond has a huge selection of items to choose from, but i found so many things that were totally my style and complimented other pieces i already had in my possession. i already owned some of their pieces from the Artisanal Kitchen Supply collection and love them. so, i decided to go with more of the same dinner and salad plates. because it was an easy-breezy latke party, i wanted the table to be minimal, but still really inviting, and candles usually set that tone without having to think much about a centerpiece. i went with these (baby-safe) electric wax candles that i never thought i would love, but totally do! and because much of the food was going to be brown (potatoes, on potatoes, on potatoes), i used light and airy colors to keep things glowing - whites, light grey, muted green, and these blushy pink napkins. everything came together so much more beautifully than i could have imagined. one stop shopping, truly at its finest :)

these latkes are a bit lacey and delicate, and super crunchy and craggy. they're my great-grandmother, nana helen's recipe that has taken on minor iterations throughout the years, but the core ingredients always stay the same. russet potatoes, onion, enough baking powder and cream of tartar to cover the tip of a butter knife (as per my great nana helen), some salt, and an egg. easy-peasy. a lot of times you'll find horseradish or herbed sour cream to serve with latkes, but i love how those light flavors pair right alongside the potatoes, so i added them to the mix and served them with traditional applesauce, and a (dairy-free) garlicky yogurt sauce, so good 👌🏼 so whether you're making your traditional latkes, my nana helen's latkes, or something else entirely, enjoy the sweet moments with the ones you love.

big huge hanukkah hugs! xo

horseradish, shallot & herb latkes | gf

if you don't like horseradish/or just want a more simple latke, omit the horseradish all together. i call for avocado oil and ghee for cooking the latkes, both have high smoke points so they're great for frying.

| serves 4-6 |

3 russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
4 large shallots
1 large pasture raised egg, whisked
3-4 tablespoons jarred horseradish, drained
3 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill, plus more to serve
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
pinch cream of tartar
avocado oil
ghee (optional)

to serve alongside:

unsweetened applesauce
garlicky yogurt sauce (i doubled the recipe)

latke pie

i used this recipe, swapping q potato out for 3 small (or 1 large) parsnip

method

using the course section of a box grater, carefully grate the potato and shallot. using a dishtowel (or cheesecloth) squeeze as much liquid as possible from the potato mixture. place the potato shreds in a large mixing bowl and mix in the egg. then add 3-4 tablespoons horseradish (depending on your preference), herbs, salt, baking powder, and cream of tartar and stir until combined.
heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. while it's heating, line a large plate or baking sheet with paper towels, rip a few extra paper towels and set aside to drain the oil from the latkes as you cook.
add 1/4-inch of oil to the hot skillet, add a little knob of ghee if desired (the ghee adds a bit of buttery flavor). once the oil is hot, use a spoon to drop heaping tablespoons of latke mix into the hot skillet, use the spoon to spread the mixture a bit. cook 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crisp. transfer to paper towels to drain, and repeat with the remaining mixture.
eat right away or keep warm in the oven. serve with more chopped dill (optional), and sour cream and/or applesauce.

this post was sponsored by bed bath & beyond

similar recipes:

baked purple kale, cilantro & spaghetti squash cakes

roasted sweet potato wedges w/ green yogurt sauce

Creamy Tahini & Lemon-Asparagus Soup / May 19, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Creamy Tahini & Lemon-Asparagus Soup | dolly and oatmeal #vegan

tending to my small backyard garden makes me super happy. it's a feeling i can't really explain. it challenges me, makes me think, forces me to get out of the apartment (especially on super busy days), and even in frustrating times i learn something. one of the first things i do in the morning is to check out what's growing, what critters are crawling around, if there are any birds in our new birdhouse - it's like a whole little ecosystem right outside our bedroom door. the same goes for my mom's garden which (before i moved out) i would help her tend to. when frank and i go up there on weekends, i bolt for the garden and peek at what's popping up. her rhubarb bushel and lemon verbena patches are getting so big, so we're planning to make a rhubarb pie for memorial day - but right now, when asparagus spears are shooting up, and chive, and other veg blossoms are blooming is my absolute favorite time. i will never ever tire of the various shades of spring green, or light purples, and vibrant yellows. every year they make my eyes totally sing.

this soup recipe was really created based on what's freshly available at the market, in my backyard, and (importantly) what this babe and i want to eat. this is a simple soup that really comes together quite fast. since there's no starchy potatoes involved the cook time is relatively fast - which is awesome! so what's the creamy base in this soup, you ask? TAHINI! when i was in LA the other week i saw a bottle of Soom tahini at my favorite little spot, Cookbook, and grabbed a bottle. since i came back i've been thinking up ways to use it aside from my weekly prep of tahini-yogurt sauce, or hummus. i really wanted the nutty flavor to shine. and shine it totally does. the soup is sturdy, light, and frothy, with just enough asparagus flavor, and hints of lemon-y tang. frank and i ate 2 mega servings the other night, and it's (for real) my new favorite soup. even the baby was moving around a whole lot, which i'm taking as an indicator that he's super into the soup as well! (also, in the notes below i have a mini list of my go-to tahini brands with links if you're interested.)

big spring hugs, all! xo

creamy tahini & lemon-asparagus soup | v

i use tahini pretty often in soup and i've found that the quality really matters both for the texture of the soup and the flavor. my favorite brand so far is Soom tahini which i found at a small shop, but is also sold here. some other brands i love are Roland, Al Wadi, and also 365 Whole Foods brand which is sold at Whole Foods but can also be found here. and i'm not sure about you, but i used to store my tahini in the fridge until i was told by a shop owner to store it at room temp and to just give it a good shake before using - i've never looked back.

| makes 2 large servings or 4 small |

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch spring onions, chopped (roughly 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 lb. asparagus, woody ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or filtered water)
1/4 cup fresh chives
2 2-inch pieces lemon peels
1/4 cup tahini paste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
sea salt & fresh pepper

garnishes:

asparagus ribbons
chive flowers
pea tendrils or baby greens
tahini paste

method

heat a large soup pot over medium heat. once hot, add the olive oil and onion, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft and translucent. add the garlic, stir and cook for 30 seconds. add the asparagus and cook for 1 minute, then add the broth (or water), chives, and lemon peels. bring soup to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer and cook until the asparagus is tender, about 10-15 minutes. remove soup from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
carefully transfer soup to an upright blender, add the tahini paste and lemon juice. blend on high for 1 minute, until smooth and creamy. taste and adjust salt and/or lemon juice.
return the soup back to the soup pot and bring to a simmer. garnish and serve hot.

enjoy!

more asparagus recipes:

asparagus, pea + broccoli rabe saute over chive-chickpea mash

balsamic roasted asparagus salad w/ fried capers + 7-minute eggs

cilantro black rice, w/ roasted asparagus + garlic scapes

warm fingerling potatoes w/ garlic-turmeric sauce / August 18, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

warm fingerling potatoes w/ garlic-turmeric sauce | dolly and oatmeal

raise your hand if there are certain food items that you don't gel with. for a long time i had a strong aversion to cilantro, which i partly blame on a bad guacamole experience when i was younger. however, fast forward a couple years when my husband and i went to costa rica for our honeymoon; we were served cilantro in just about everything, causing me a mild amount of anxiety about whether i wanted to eat most the food there. but after tasting various preparations using different spices and techniques, i was converted forever and now cilantro is one of my favorite herbs.

i mention this because i've had a random week of eating cabbage for almost every evening meal. this is random because i never ever eat cabbage, the taste and smell is something that's never been appealing to me, and many of the cabbage dishes i grew up with were covered in massive amounts of mayo. my distaste for it aside, i decided to pick up 2 baby cabbages at the market the other week, partly because i thought i would experiment with them, but mostly because they were super cute and tiny. they sat in my crisper for the better part of a week before we went out to eat at frank's fave restaurant, hometown, which virtually has zero vegetables on the menu. so naturally, i chose the cabbage slaw. turns out i loved its subtle cabbage-y flavor and the punchiness from what i can only imagine was vinegar. then we made sara's grilled halibut sandwich es and topped them with a good amount of her cabbage and jalepeno slaw, which was maybe the best thing i've eaten in a while!

with 2 very positive cabbage experiences i felt confident enough in my fondness for it. i began conceptualizing this potato dish and thought that their vibrant purple color would play beautifully off the muted fingerlings, plus i was thinking that this dish needed a subtle crunch that the cabbage could surely lend. and that it did. i would confidently say that this is one of my favorite combinations, along with the garlicky turmeric sauce which is punchy, and earthy, and perfectly creamy. i suppose the moral of the story is to never shelf a specific food item; that something can be prepared one way and totally not your thing, while if it's prepared a different way can yield a completely different experience.

happy mid-august, all! xo

warm fingerling potatoes w/ garlic-turmeric sauce (v + gf)

any small potato will work beautifully here, however be sure to adjust the cook time if the potatoes are smaller than your pinkie. the garlic-turmeric sauce gives the potatoes and cabbage a nice creaminess, kind of like a light potato salad. but if that's not your thing, i would suggest maybe using it for dipping.

| serves 4 as a side |

garlic-turmeric sauce

1/2 cup dairy-free cultured coconut yogurt (i use this one)
2 teaspoons tahini paste
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 large (or 2 small) garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh turmeric (or 1 teaspoon dried ground turmeric)
fine sea salt + freshly ground pepper

potatoes

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 pound fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise
large grain sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
1/4 cup chopped chives
a few pinches black or white sesame seeds

method

for the sauce

in a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, tahini, vinegar, garlic, and turmeric, season with salt and pepper. taste and adjust as necessary. place in a lidded jar and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

for the potatoes

preheat the oven to 400*F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. use a pastry brush to brush the paper liberally with olive oil, set aside.
in a bowl, toss together the potatoes and olive oil, sprinkle with large grain salt and fresh pepper. place the potatoes cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 20-22 minutes. use tongs to turn potatoes over and roast until potatoes are golden and tender, about 10 minutes. remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. then toss together with shredded cabbage and chives.
remove sauce from refrigerator and give it a good stir; drizzle potatoes with the sauce and toss together. serve potatoes warm with more turmeric sauce if desired.

enjoy!