Knottie Recipes

latkes

Adapted from Bette Hagman's The Gluten-Free Gourmet

• 3 fist-sized potatoes
• 1 onion about 2.5" round
• 2 eggs
• 2 T. rice flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper

Peel and quarter the potatoes and place in a bowl of water until ready to process. In the blender, pulse the onion until finely chopped. Remove to a mixing bowl, then pulse the potatoes in several batches until finely chopped. Beat the eggs. Add them with the flour and seasonings to the potatoes an donions. Mix well.

Fry the pancakes in a lightly greased nonstick pan until golden, about 3-4 minutes per side. Serve hot.

give thanks gluten-free gravy

Adapted from Jax Peters Lowell's The Gluten-Free Bible

• 4 T. hot turkey drippings
• 4 T. cornstarch
• 2 c. gluten-free turkey or chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Whisk together drippings and cornstarch. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly over medium-high heat until smooth and simmering.

2. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in gravy boat.

classic gluten-free bread stuffing with crisp sage dressing

Adapted from Jax Peters Lowell's The Gluten-Free Bible

• 4 c. gluten-free bread, cut into little cubes and lightly toasted
• 4 + 2 T. unsalted butter or margarine, divided
• 1 c. 1/4" diced onion
• 1 c. 1/4" diced celery
• 1/3 c. 1/4" diced carrot
• 16 large fresh sage leaves
• 1/8 t. fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 pinch dried thyme leaves
• 1/2-3/4 t. coarse salt
• 24 grinds fresh black pepper
• 3/4-1 c. gluten-free vegetable or chicken broth

1. Put the bread cubes into a mixing bowl. Melt 4 T. butter in a small skillet. Saute the onion, celery, and carrot until tender. Then lightly mix in the vegetables with the bread.

2. Using the same skillet, melt the remaining 2 T. butter. Toss in the sage leaves. Over medium heat, brown the butter. The butter will be ready when it has a nutty smell and the sage leaes begin to crisp and brown. Remove the sage leaves and place them on a paper towel to drain.

3. Pour the brown butter over the bread mixture. Chop the sage leaves and lightly mix in with the bread and vegetables. Season with nutmeg, thyme, salt, and pepper. Use just enough broth to moisten the stuffing.

4. Transfer stuffing to an ovenproof casserole and bake at 350 degrees until browned on top.

chess pie

I grew up eating chess pies like this one. This is an authentic James Beard 1963 recipe from House and Garden magazine, republished on Epicurious. Yum.

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
3 egg yolks
1 t. grated lemon rind
1 t. grated orange rind
1/4 t. salt
2 T. lemon juice
9" pastry shell, uncooked, or 6 individual tart shells, uncooked

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream the butter and sugar and add the egg yolks one at a time. Beat thoroughly after each addition. Blend in the grated lemon rinds, the salt, and the lemon juice. Fill the pie or tart shells and bake for 25-30 minutes.

45-minute roast turkey

This was a huge hit for Christmas 2003 and is the fastest turkey recipe I've ever seen. No one could believe how little time it took yet how delicious it was. I think it was something I saw on the Food Network. Makes at least 10 servings.

8-12-lb. turkey
10 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed, more to taste (yes, I keep a jar of garlic cloves in my fridge)
1 branch fresh tarragon or thyme separated into sprigs, or 1/2 t. dried tarragon or thyme
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil or butter
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Put turkey on a stable cutting board, breast side down, and cut out backbone. Turn turkey over and press on it to flatten. Put it breast side up in a roasting pan. Wings should partly cover breasts and legs should protrude a bit.
Tuck garlic and tarragon under the bird and in the nooks of the wings and legs. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 minutes, undisturbed. Turkey should be browning. Remove from oven, baste with pan juices, and return to oven. Reduce heat to 400 degrees (if turkey browns too quickly, reduce temperature to 350 degrees).
Begin to check turkey's temperature about 15 minutes later (10 minutes if bird is on the small side). It is done when thigh meat registers 165 degrees on an instant-read meat thermometer. Check it in a couple of places. (Or just put in one of those probe thermometers that beeps at you when it's done.)
Let turkey rest for a few minutes before carving, then serve with garlic cloves and pan juices.

beef tenderloin in herbed salted crust

This was such a hit at our engagement party that I didn't get any! :)

1.5-lb. beef tenderloin roast (3.5” diameter)
1.5 T. olive oil
2 c. kosher salt
1 T. dried rosemary, crumbled
2 t. black pepper
1/2 c. water

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Pat beef dry. Heat oil in a 12” heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown beef (excluding ends), turning occasionally, ~6 minutes total. Transfer beef to a shallow roasting pan, reserving pan drippings in skillet.
Stir together salt, rosemary, pepper, and water until mixture resembles wet sand. Pat salt mixture onto top and sides of meat to coat evenly and roast in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally 2” into meat registers 130°F for medium-rare, 25-30 minutes. (Or get a probe thermometer that beeps when the meat is ready--love mine!)
Let meat stand in roasting pan 5 minutes. Remove salt crust and transfer meat to a cutting board. Cut into 1/2”-thick slices and spoon meat juices from skillet over slices. The presentation is very dramatic and people love this. They'll talk about it for years :)

Roast Turkey

I made this Jamie Oliver recipe for Thanksgiving 2004. The pancetta part wasn't as wow as I thought it would be, but the orange inside was definitely a hit. I do chicken this way with a lemon inside and love it, so this was what attracted me to the recipe in the first place.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rub a 9-10-lb. organic free-range turkey with salt inside and out 12-24 hours before cooking.
Store the salted turkey in a plastic bag and refreigerate.
Rinse or wipe off excess salt.
Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and place on a board.
Make a bed of four roughly chopped shallots, six unpeeled garlic cloves, and two carrots in the roasting pan to act as a rack.
Weigh the pan and vegetables.
Slice six strips of pancetta in half and slice two peeled garlic cloves into thin slivers.
Place a rosemary sprig and a garlic sliver on one end of a strip of pancetta and roll it up tightly.
Repeat with more pancetta until you have 12 little rolls.
Stab the thighs and drumsticks of the turkey in six places on each side.
Push your finger into each slit to create a gap.
Place each pancetta roll into the holes until each just peeps out. (Note: I was frustrated at my lack of success at this and I think ended up sort of randomly stuffing pancetta and garlic into the holes but not as prettily as Jamie had done on TV.)
Find the edge of the skin at the turkey neck and, with a rubber spatula or large spoon, separate the skin from breast meat so that you can put the stuffing under the skin of the turkey breast.
From the neck end of the turkey, spoon the stuffing up between the skin and the breast, tucking the flap of skin underneath to stop any leaking out during cooking.
Microwave an orange for 30-60 seconds to get it nice and hot.
Poke a hole in the hot orange and stuff it into the turkey cavity.
You can also add some rosemary to the cavity.
Place the bird in the roasting pan filled with the vegetables, season well with salt and pepper, and rub olive oil all over it.
Weigh the stuffed bird and cover with foil.
Roast for 18 minutes per pound, or until the juices run clear from the thigh if pierced with a knife or skewer. (I have one of those probe thermometers that beeps when the meat is finished. Couldn't cook without it!)
Remove foil for the last 45 minutes to brown the bird.
Remove the turkey and rest on a board for 20 minutes.
Remove most of the fat from the roasting pan.
Mash the roast vegetables right in the pan with a potato masher.
Add 1 t. flour, a little white wine or sherry, and 1 qt. vegetable stock and bring to a boil on a high heat.
When the gravy thickens, strain into a bowl.
Serve the turkey with the gravy.

Thanksgiving Stuffing

I made this Jamie Oliver stuffing for Thanksgiving 2004.

Finely chop two celery sticks, four shallots, a small handful of sage, and six strips of pancetta.
Add the celery, shallots, sage, and pancetta with two oz. butter to a hot frying or saute pan.
Fry gently on medium heat until everything is lightly golden brown.
Take off the heat.
To prepare the fresh breadcrumbs, take a loaf of day-old bread, remove the crust, and place the chunks of bread in a food processor until the bread is coarsely chopped.
Add the bread crumbs and a handful of coarsely chopped apricots and five or six roasted or jarred coarsely chopped chestnuts to the celery, shallots, sage, pancetta, and butter mixture.
Season well to taste with salt and pepper.
Mix well and chill.
When the stuffing is cold, add 3/4 lb. freshly ground pork, a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg, and an egg.
Refrigerate until ready to use.