I sincerely hope that your mouth filled with saliva upon reading the title of this recipe post— it’s that good. Steak is already delicious on its own, but top it with onions cooked in beer and we’re in a whole new ballpark.  Ribeyes were on sale at Central Market this week, so that’s the cut I went with.  Season liberally with salt & pepper on both sides.  This is where I hand it off to the boy to handle the grilling.  I don’t know what he does out there, but whatever it is… it’s good! 

For the onions: Thinly slice up 2 onions (1 onion per steak).  Throw it in a hot skillet with 1 1/2 tbsp. of butter (melted).  Season with s&p.  Cook for about 15 minutes, until the onions are really soft and caramelized.  You really want there to be brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  So much good flavor.  Once your onions have started the get brown, add half a bottle of dark beer.  I went with Shiner’s new Double Wheat and oh my, was it delicious.  To that, add 1/2 cup beef stock and 1 overflowing tbsp. of Worcestershire.   Turn the heat down to medium low and continue cooking for about 10 minutes.  

Not that I ever get sick of my extreme garlic mashed potatoes, but sometimes it’s nice to try something new.  These dijon spinach mashed potatoes sounded perfect.  I like the flavor of yukon gold potatoes, so I went with those and quartered them before throwing them in salted, boiling water and cooking for 20 minutes.  After you drain your tots, add them to a bowl with some fresh spinach on the bottom.  Top the potatoes with s&p, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2-3 tbsp. of dijon mustard and some freshly grated nutmeg.  Add another heaping handful spinach and mash together.  

For the grand finale, take your perfectly cooked ribeye, top with it your drunken onions and serve along side your dijon mash.  Marvel at how easy it was to make one of the most delicious meals of your life.  Seriously.  I don’t know whether it was the quality of the meat, the combination of the onions & beer or the new twist on mashed potatoes, but this meal is one for the books.  

{Recipe via Rachael Ray}

It started with Parsnips.  Lately, it seems like every cooking show I watch, they’re doing something with parsnips.  I’d never even heard of parsnips before last month, and now they’re everywhere. I suppose that’s how it always goes.  So what is a parsnip? Parsnips are a root vegetable; they look like white carrots, only less sweet. So, I decided that for my first parsnip dish, I’d go with something I mastered long ago, to ensure that I didn’t screw it up:

Mashed potatoes.  Yes, that’s right.  I made parsnip mashed potatoes.  And they were delicious.  Who knew?  

To start the dish, simple peel and quarter your parsnips and potatoes (although I usually leave the peel on half of the potatoes— that’s where all the nutrients are!) Throw your vegetables into a big soup pot and cover with water.  Cover your pot, bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes.  

Meanwhile, I needed to come up with an entree.  I had chicken… I had no ideas.  What do I feel like, What do I feel like?  Ahh yes, how about extreme garlic, lemon chicken with a light breading?  Perfection!

Take some panko bread crumbs, add lot-o-chopped garlic, salt, pepper and some fresh thyme.  Mix in a small bowl.  In another bowl, beat 1 egg with a tbsp. of water. Grab your chicken breast.  Coat in flour, dip into egg wash, coat with garlicky bread crumb mixture.  Repeat for as many chicken breasts are you plan to cook.

Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a large skillet, add some olive oil and throw in another tbsp. of chopped garlic.  I told you this was going to be extreme.  Add your chicken breast to the pan and cook about 4 minutes on each side.

You want the outside to get nice and crispy.  When your chicken is done, squeeze half a lemon’s juice over the top.  

Your potatoes and parsnips should be just about ready now.  Drain them first, throw them in a big bowl and add:

butter, heavy cream (just a touch), milk, salt and pepper, and a little bit of freshly grated cheddar cheese.

Mash em’ all up.

And voila.  Extreme garlic chicken with mashed parsnip potatoes and balsamic spinach*. A simple dinner with extraordinary flavors!

*To make the balsamic spinach, heat oil in a large skillet, add some freshly minced garlic and spinach.  Season with salt and pepper and add a touch of balsamic vinegar.  

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