Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [129]
½ pound kielbasa or other smoked sausage, cut into ½-inch dice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon celery seeds
½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
combine the potatoes, onion, celery, and sausage in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, oil, sugar, and mustard seeds and celery seeds in a mixing bowl.
pour over the potatoes and toss to combine. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
remove the cover and sprinkle with the parsley. Reduce the temperature to warm and serve directly from the cooker.
serves 8
Ultimate Mashed Potatoes
I teach this dish to students across the country in my Do-Ahead Thanksgiving classes. Although the entire casserole is prepared outside the slow cooker, you can place it in a slow-cooker liner and refrigerate or freeze it before Thanksgiving Day, then simply pull it out of the fridge or defrost it and add it to the slow cooker when you are ready. The potatoes are whipped into an ethereal mound and garnished with grated Parmesan cheese and butter—heaven on a plate! You’ll be so smug at holiday time when you are able to keep the mashed potatoes warm and delicious for your family and friends.
8 large russet baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or line it with a slow-cooker liner according to the manufacturer’s directions.
cook the potatoes in salted water to cover until they are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
drain the potatoes thoroughly and put them in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, the cream cheese, and sour cream and beat until fluffy and light. Stir in the chives (if using). Season with salt and pepper.
transfer the potato mixture to the slow-cooker insert and top with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and ¼ cup Parmesan. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, until the butter is melted and the potatoes are heated through.
serve the potatoes from the cooker set on warm.
serves 8
VARIATIONS
omit the Parmesan and add 1½ cups crumbled blue cheese to the potatoes when beating the potatoes with cream cheese.
cook 6 to 8 strips bacon until crisp, then drain and crumble. Add the bacon when beating the potatoes.
substitute finely shredded white Cheddar cheese for the Parmesan (also great with bacon).
add ½ to ¾ cup caramelized sliced onions while beating the potatoes.
substitute 8 ounces herbed goat cheese for the cream cheese.
substitute one 2-ounce package Boursin cheese for the cream cheese.
Mom’s Buttered and Parsleyed Potatoes
Multicolor fingerling potatoes take a bath in butter and seasonings, then receive a dusting of fresh parsley and grated Parmesan. Serve this side dish with roasted meats or poultry. If fingerlings aren’t available, small (about 1 inch in diameter) red potatoes, Yukon golds, or white creamers work well here.
2½ pounds fingerling potatoes (about twenty-four 2½-inch potatoes), scrubbed and cut in half
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup olive oil
6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnishing
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnishing
put the potatoes in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the butter, oil, sage, salt, and pepper and stir to distribute the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
combine the parsley and cheese in a small bowl and sprinkle over the top of the potatoes.
serve the potatoes immediately.
serves 6
Potatoes Boulangerie
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