BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Sweet Potato Skins with Andouille Sausage

  • Prep Time 0:15
  • Cook Time 1:05
  • Estimated Cost $12
  • 40 Comments

These are a wonderful answer to the pub classic, bacon-y, cheesy potato skins. This version features caramelized edges and spicy, complex flavors where regular potato skins are usually greasy and starchy. They’re just as good with beer or cocktails, though you could also get away with serving them for dinner if you include a nice salad and maybe a glass of wine.

Ingredients

  • 6 smallish garnet yams (sweet potatoes) $4
  • extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • 4 oz. jack or cheddar cheese, grated $3.50 for 8 oz.
  • 1 medium onion, chopped $0.50
  • 2 Andouille sausages, diced (I used a chicken Andouiile, but pork be fine) $3 for 4 sausages
  • fresh black pepper *Pantry*
  • snipped green onions or chives, for garnish $1 for a bunch

Recipe Serves 6

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Rub the sweet potatoes all over with olive oil, then arrange on a baking sheet and bake until tender, 40-45 minutes (you can also roast them in the microwave by microwaving the oil-rubbed sweet potatoes on high for 5-6 minutes, turning half-way through cooking). Remove the cooked sweet potatoes from the oven and let them cool slightly. Turn the oven up to 425.
  3. Carefully slice each sweet potato in half, lengthwise (you may need to hold it in a clean dish towel if it's very hot). Use a spoon to gently scoop out most the flesh, leaving about 1/4 along the skin. Save the cooked sweet potato flesh "for another use":http://brokeassgourmet.com/articles/mashed-sweet-potatoes-with-goat-cheese-rosemary-and-olive-oil.
  4. Drizzle the sweet potato skins with more olive oil and use your hands to rub it all over the insides and outsides of the skins. Arrange them on the baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes on each side, until the edges begin to crisp.
  5. While the skins crisp, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium frying pan. Cook the onion for 3-4 minutes, until it begins to soften. Add the chopped sausage and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the onion is brown and the sausage is heated through.
  6. Remove the skins from the oven and turn them all skin-side-down. Top each skin with the shredded cheese, a generous spoonful of the onion-sausage mixture and a pinch of pepper.
  7. Turn the broiler on to high, and broil the skins for about 2 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the skins are nicely browned.
  8. Serve immediately.

Category: Meals

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Sweet Potato Home Fries, Wally-Style

  • Prep Time 0:10
  • Cook Time 0:20
  • Estimated Cost $5.50
  • 16 Comments

When I was growing up, I thought our across-the-street neighbors, Wally and Leslie, were the most exciting, exotic people ever. They introduced me to the joys of tiny sausages tucked into crescent hot crescent rolls, the pleasure of sipping a frosty full-sugar soda while sitting in a hot tub and elaborate weekend morning breakfasts.

We had great breakfasts at my house too (matzo brei and waffles with ice cream were—and still are—my dad’s specialties), but classic American breakfasts were a totally foreign concept to me, until one morning when I was maybe 7 or 8 years old, and I found myself sitting at Wally and Leslie’s kitchen table, watching Wally make fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon and a big frying pan full of diced potatoes, onions and sweet red peppers. He loaded up a plate for me, poured me a glass of fresh orange juice, and watched as I smiled with amazement.

I realized, then and there, why they call it the most important meal of the day.

Note: This version is made with sweet potatoes, which I like better than starchy potatoes, but feel free to go with Russets or Yukon Golds if you prefer.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • 2 large (or 3 medium) red garnet yams, scrubbed and cut into 1" pieces (leave the skin on) $2.50
  • 1 red onion, finely diced $0.50
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored and finely diced $1.50
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro, parsley or basil leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 3-4

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the yams and cook, stirring occasionally until just tender, about 12 minutes.
  2. Stir in the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown.
  3. Remove from heat, toss with the chopped herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Category: Meals

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Caprese Turkey Burgers

  • Prep Time 0:10
  • Cook Time 0:08
  • Estimated Cost $13.50
  • 19 Comments

The classic, ever-popular Italian Caprese, a simple, yet exquisite combination of fresh tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic vinegar gives a fresh look boring (but admittedly healthy) turkey burgers. Serve these over mixed greens, on burger buns or bistro-style, on grilled ciabatta rolls, perhaps with a smear of pesto aioli.

Ingredients

  •  1 lb lean ground turkey $4
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten $1.50 for 6
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced Pantry
  • 3/4 tsp each salt and freshly cracked black pepper Pantry
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan Pantry
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Pantry
  • 1 small handful fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced $1 for a bunch
  • about 15 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved $3.50 for 12 oz.
  • 3 oz. mozzarella cheese (or use mozzarella di bufala), cut into 1/2" cubes $3.50 for 8 oz.

Recipe Serves 4

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, egg, garlic, salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix until thoroughly combined.
  2. Stir in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, tomatoes and cheese. Mix gently until ingredients are well-distributed.
  3. Use your hands to form the mixture into 4 even patties, and set them on a clean plate.
  4. Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Cook the burgers for about 4 minutes on each side, or until lightly charred on the outside and cooked all the way through.
  5. Serve immediately, on buns, over mixed greens or plain. Top burgers with more mozzarella, tomato and/or basil, if desired.

Category: Meals

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Pasta with Brown Butter, Green Beans and Egg

  • Prep Time 0:05
  • Cook Time 0:25
  • Estimated Cost $6
  • 15 Comments

This pasta dish is simplicity at its most delicious. Or, in my case, the results of a near-empty fridge combined with a total lack of interest in grocery shopping. Chewy cellentani and tender-crisp haricots verts, and a silky are topped with an oozing poached egg, the yolk of which transforms into a gorgeous sauce when it meets the pasta’s nutty brown butter. A sprinkle of pepper is all it needs as a finish, but a shaving of Parmesan or even a crumble of goat cheese or feta would work nicely.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. cellentani (or another dense, small cut of pasta, such as penne or rotelli) $1.50 for 16 oz.
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter $1 for a stick
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 6 oz. haricots verts or green beans, trimmed and cut into 3" pieces $1.50
  • 4 eggs $1.50 for 6
  • 3 tbsp white vinegar $2 for 12 oz
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 4

Directions

  1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, according to directions.
  2. While pasta cooks, heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, just until it begins to brown.
  3. Ad the garlic and haricots verts or green beans and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Once the pasta has finished cooking, use a slotted spoon or pasta spoon to remove from the hot water (leave the heat on). 
  5. Transfer the cooked pasta to the pan and toss gently with the brown butter and haricot verts or green beans. Keep warm over low heat.
  6. Reduce the pasta water's medium-high, so you have a very light boil. Stir the vinegar into the water and use a wooden spoon or spatula to gently create a whirlpool in the water. Crack an into a ramekin and then gently slide it into the center of the whirlpool (the whirlpool will help keep most of the whites intact while the egg poaches). 
  7. Cook the egg for about 4 minutes, then gently remove with a slotted spoon and let rest gently on a plate. 
  8. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
  9. Season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste, then divide between 4 bowls/plates. Since the poached eggs will have been cooling down for a few minutes, gently slide them (at the same time is fine) into the hot water for about 20 seconds, to warm them up. 
  10. Remove with a slotted spoon, then quickly slide onto the hot pasta mixture. Use a knife to gently open each egg to release the yolk, top with more pepper, then serve immediately.

Category: Meals

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Bacon-Spinach Soup with Parmesan

  • Prep Time 0:10
  • Cook Time 0:25
  • Estimated Cost $10.50
  • 14 Comments

This smoky, creamy, green soup is much more than the sum of its parts. Just a few strips of flavorful bacon transform a whopping 2 lbs of spinach into a decadent, addictive soup. Nutty Parmesan pulls it all together beautifully. Serve this with a salad and some crusty bread as an easy (but special) dinner.

Ingredients

  • 4 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into 2" strips $2
  • 1 medium onion, diced $0.50
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 2 lbs fresh spinach, chopped $1.50
  • 1 16-oz. can chicken broth $1.50
  • 2/3 cup half-and-half *$1.50 for a pint
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided $3.50 for 10 oz.
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 4

Directions

  1. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon slices and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until brown. 
  2. Remove 2 of the 2" strips and set aside (leave the rest in the pot). 
  3. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant. 
  4. Add the spinach and cook, stirring continuously, for 4-5 minutes, until it begins to wilt.
  5. Add the chicken broth, stir well and cover pot. 
  6. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes, until the spinach has broken down.
  7. Puree mixture, using a blender, food processor until completely smooth and return to the pot (this can also be done directly in the pot, using an immersion blender). 
  8. Stir in the half-and-half and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very creamy and thickened. 
  9. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and stir well. 
  10. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  11. Crumble the reserved bacon pieces and set aside.
  12. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a few pinches of the reserved Parmesan and a sprinkle of the crumbled bacon. Serve immediately.

Category: Meals

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