- The Net's Online Gourmet Magazine 

     If you are tired of boiled, fried or baked potatoes, try this recipe. It is easy to prepare, nourishing and great for a winter evening. Serve with your favorite meat such as roast chicken, lamb, pork or beef.

Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes. In a medium-sized saucepan, sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic in the olive oil. Add the potatoes and the tin of chopped tomatoes, bouillon, sprig of thyme and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper, cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Place in buttered casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350 °F (175 °C). Add 8-10 black, pitted olives (whole or in quarters), thicken the sauce with a little cornstarch mixed with water (if desired). Serve with your favorite meats.

Note: If you want to make this a one-dish meal, add some left-over meat in cubes such as lamb, beef or pork (ca. 1-2 Cups/ 2-4 dl). 

(Serves 4)

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ kg (1 lb) potatoes
1, 8 oz (250 g) tin chopped tomatoes 
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper

     Make sauce first and set aside to develop the flavors before you pour it over everything
Chop basil and finely mince the garlic.  Fold in the mayonnaise and sour cream; season with cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper.

     Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  In a skillet, add the olive oil and cook the chicken breasts until tender - about 10-15 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

     Shred the lettuce and place in a large bowl or four individual bowls.  Slice the chicken julienne and place the chicken in either the large bowl or individual bowls on the lettuce together with the watercress and grated parmesan. Spoon the sauce over everything as shown.

     Serve with Italian or French bread.

(Serves 4)

3 chicken breasts, skinned and boned
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil

Sauce

     Trim and rinse green beans, and cook in salted water (or steam) 4-5 minutes. Rinse with cold water to preserve color. Trim and thinly slice spring onions. Cut potatoes once or twice. Rinse lettuce and chop. Rinse cherry tomatoes and cut in halves. 

     Bake chicken fillets in oven for 8 minutes at 225° C. Cool and cut into small pieces. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix mustard and oil until it resembles a thick mayonnaise consistency. Add apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. (Add a little water if dressing is too thick.)  Pour over dressing ; decorate with hard-boiled eggs and chopped herbs.

(4 servings)

2 herb marinated chicken fillets
250g green beans
1 bunch spring onions
800 g small, new, boiled potatoes
1 package rucola (or iceberg)
1 pkg. cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp. capers
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 Tbsp. chopped herbs such as parsley or dill.

Mustard dressing
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

     Peal and chop onions; sauté them in a little butter in a good-sized saucepan. Add the clear bouillon.  Shred the two lettuce heads. Add the lettuce and peas to the onions; season with salt, pepper and a little sugar (about 1/4 tsp). Let the vegetables simmer gently for 3-4 minutes or until the lettuce is wilted.  Serve immediately.

Jakob Kristensen, Farabol, Sweden

10 shallots or
 2 medium-sized onions
30 g (1 oz) butter
1/2 dl (1/4 Cup) clear bouillon
(chicken bouillon/stock)
250 g (ca. 8 oz) green peas
1 soft head of lettuce
 (not iceberg lettuce)
1 small iceberg lettuce
Salt, pepper, little sugar

    Shred beef, slicing very, very thin across grain. Soak mushrooms in warm water until soft, then drain. Slice carrot, onion and mushrooms. Blanch spinach, rinse and drain. Cut in halves. Heat pan and add oil. Stir-fry carrot., onion, and mushrooms, add dash of salt, pepper and MSG, Place noodles in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Rinse & drain. In a big bowl, mix all ingredients (noodles, beef and vegetables.) Add soy sauce, sugar, sesame seeds and oil. 

Helen Vinckier

(serves 4)

4 black mushrooms 
30 grams carrots 
50 grams onion 

Monosodium Glutamate to taste
100 grams spinach 

1 tsp sugar
150 grams beef flank steak 

1/2 tsp sesame seed(roasted)
2 Tbsp chopped green onion 

1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp chopped garlic 

100 grams bean noodles
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Salt to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper

     Cut carrots and celery julienne in equal lengths. In a large wok place the butter, water and honey along with the carrots and cook carrots covered  3-4 minutes. Add the celery and cook 3-4 minutes covered. Season with salt and pepper, garnish  with freshly chopped parsley and serve.

(Serves 4)

Equal parts carrots and celery julienne
Little butter
Little water
1 tsp honey

     Peel potatoes and cut them in small cubes.  Wash celery and cut thinly cross-wise. Place potatoes and celery in a large bowl. Mix together the finely minced garlic, chopped herbs  and olive oil. Pour the herb mixture over the potatoes and gently mix.

     Butter an oven-proof casserole dish and place the potato mixture into the dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 250 C (475 F) for about one hour. Check if potatoes are done. When potatoes are cooked, remove the foil, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the  casserole and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes more or until cheese is golden brown.

     To cut down on the baking time, you may cook the potato cubes first until cooked ca, 5 minutes, and then continue with the above directions.

(Serves 4-6)

2 kg potatoes
1 -2 stalks of celery
1 to 1-1/2 dl (3/4 Cup) olive oil (less if you wish)
4 large cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp freshly chopped basil
3 tsp freshly chopped rosemary (optional)
3 tsp freshly chopped marjoram
(Can use up to 1 Tbsp each dried herbs)
Salt and pepper to taste
ca. 200 g grated mozzarella cheese

     Scrub and peel 1 kilogram potatoes. Boil them in water until just cooked (about 20 minutes). Drain and leave  them to cool and dry off uncovered.

     When ready to use, grate enough of the  potatoes to fill a good-sized heavy skillet.  Place a small amount of oil in the skillet and press the grated potatoes into the  pan. Cook over moderate heat until the  potatoes are golden brown. Turn the  pancake by placing a large plate over  the skillet and flipping the pan to remove  the pancake unto the plate. 

     Melt a little butter or use oil in the pan  and slide the uncooked side of the pancake  back into the pan. Again, cook until the  pancake is golden brown. 

     Slide the pancake out of the pan and serve  it cut into wedges. This is a good potato  dish to any type grilled meat or fish.