Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Gorgonzola Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes

My apologies for my lack of blogging, the past two weeks have been very busy, but I promise I have a few entries up my sleeve!

This is a really great month for Gourmet magazine. Not only did they have the delicious Gorgonzola Chicken that I made last night, but there's a Pumpkin Cheese "Fondue" that I'll be trying for the next installment of pumpkin month. I had some green beans and potatoes around, so I decided to jazz up some standard sides, which paired well with the gorgonzola.


Gorgonzola Chicken Breasts

4 chicken breast halves with skin and bones (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
1/4 pound chilled Gorgonzola dolce, sliced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup water

2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar


Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

Pat chicken dry, then cut a deep 3-inch-long pocket horizontally in long curved side of each chicken breast half. Fill each pocket with one quarter of cheese. Season chicken all over with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Place chicken, skin side down, in skillet and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn breasts over, then place skillet in oven and bake until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter.

Return skillet to burner (handle will be very hot) and add water and vinegar. Boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits and melted cheese, until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring cup, then skim off excess fat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with sauce.

Green Beans with Red Onion and Bacon
4 st
rips bacon
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 pound green beans, washed and trimmed

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating a large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and cook in skillet for about 5 minutes. Add red onion and cook additional 3-4 minutes. While the mixture simmers, cook green beans. Mine happened to be in a microwavable bag, so I cooked them at full power for 3 minutes. Add green beans to skillet and toss with bacon and onions. Season with salt and pepper and serve.


Garlic Mashed Potatoes

3 pounds potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons salted butter

3 tablespoons milk, warmed

Salt and pepper to taste


Peel potatoes and cut into 1 inch pieces. Place in boiling water and cook until soft. While potatoes are cooking, heat a small skillet over medium heat and warm olive oil. Smash garlic cloves and mince and simmer in oil for 3 to 5 minutes.

Drain potatoes well and return to warm pot. Mash and add butter and milk and combine. Add garlic and salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Enjoy!



Question: What's your favorite thing to add to mashed potatoes?

3 comments:

Jack said...

My favorite thing to add to mashed potatoes is cream cheese! Yummy! Every recipe from this posting looks dee-lish. I will definitely be trying these items out. ;)

Sandy Smith said...

This sounds like a really wonderful meal - a great balance of flavors, colors, and textures! Yum!

My favorite things to add to mashed potatoes . . . it's a toss-up! If I'm "smashing" new potatoes, then it's extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, coarse black pepper, blue cheese, and chives. If I'm mashing russets, it's sour cream and horseradish.

Anonymous said...

This sounds delicious!! Give me gorgonzola with anything and I'm sold. Oh - and I have a weakness for potatoes. ;)