Pimiento Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Folks have their ways of cooking things, and there are often dishes they dare not vary. From cornbread recipes and secret formulas for comeback sauce, change can be difficult for the home cook.

The husband and I decided to join one of those meal kit delivery services. After the introductory price wears off, the sticker shock can become daunting, but there were many great positives about the experience.

Really, having a batch of ingredients, some out of the ordinary, or not what is typically available to us in a rural Mississippi town, was a pleasant experience, but the best thing was stepping away from my ordinary Southern fare and learning to make some simple sauces.

It made me a better cook.

So, when we got the ingredients and the recipe for pimiento mashed potatoes, I had a “duh” moment of “why have I never thought of that before?”

Two favorite dishes begging for a fusion.

When it comes to mashed potatoes, I did learn long ago not to overdo the dairy – whether butter, milk, cream, cheese, or sour cream. There can be too much of a good thing. Adding too much dairy fat to all that boiled starch makes the dish seize up, become less appealing texturally, and drowns out the natural, earthy taste of the potatoes.

The cure? Save at least a cup of the salted potato water, and you can mash and thin the potatoes into a beautiful, silky texture, or with some remaining lumps, but easily to your exact liking.

Trust me. This dish doesn’t even need butter. The flavors are that great.

A note about pimientos – if they do not sell them wherever you live (and they can be hell to find in Wally World), you may substitute jarred, roasted red bell peppers. They aren’t exactly the same thing as pimientos, but they are close enough in flavor and texture to be interchangeable.

And grate your cheese, please! It makes all the difference in the world. As Maggie has pointed out on this blog, whatever they use to keep shredded cheese shredded is kind of creepy and also keeps it from being less melty.

Enjoy …

Pimiento Cheese Mashed Potatoes

1 1/2 lbs. small golden potatoes, medium dice
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Olive oil, drizzle
4 oz. jar pimientos or roasted red bell peppers, drained and diced
1/2 tsp onion powder
4 oz. white cheddar cheese (grated from an 8 oz. block)
4 scallions, sliced, green parts only (optional for garnish)
Butter (optional topping)

Directions

1. Salt enough water to cover the potatoes in a deep pot. Add smashed garlic. Boil for 16-18 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

2. Reserve 1 cup of the potato water then drain potatoes and return to the pot. Drizzle with olive oil.

3. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add the pimentos, onion powder, and a half cup of the reserved water. Stir well.

4. Add the cheese and stir to incorporate. Add additional reserved water, as needed, and stir to your desired texture. 

5. Salt and pepper to taste. Top potatoes with scallions and/or butter, though the potatoes are fine without either.

It’s Corn!

🎶🎵 It’s the most wonderful time of the year! 🎶🎵 That’s right, it’s not Christmas; it’s corn season! I do realize that most Americans are something like 70% corn at this point since we turn field corn into Frankenstein-ed powders, sugars and gels to use for thickeners and candy and sports drinks. But I am talking about sweet corn. Beautiful, seasonal sweet corn piled high in markets and groceries—it’s just waiting to be shucked and cooked and turned into your favorite corn creation, or just slathered with butter, sprinkled with salt and eaten straight off the cob.

After trying every possible method of shucking corn, I have decided grilling in the husk is the best technique. It’s easy, slightly smoky and delicious. After you grill the corn, the silk comes off cleanly and effortlessly. I thought I’d do a fun riff on elote, swapping in some favorite southern ingredients for their classic Mexican counterparts, but feel free to just add butter and salt and enjoy how easy it was to shuck that corn after cooking it!

Southern-Style Elote

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
4 ears of corn, husks on
2 TB mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup barbecue sauce, if desired
2 TB minced green onions
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to high (400 to 450°F). Combine smoked paprika and cayenne in a small bowl.

Grill corn, turning occasionally, until cooked through and charred on all sides, about 20 minutes. Remove from grill. Reduce heat to medium (325 to 375°F).

Wearing gloves, shuck the hot corn and break off the husk, or leave husk attached as a handle if desired. Using heatproof brush, brush each cob on all sides with mayonnaise. Place on a small grill-safe pan (I used a quarter sheet pan) and sprinkle tops with cheese and paprika mixture.

Place the pan on the grill and close the lid for 2 to 3 minutes, checking often, just long enough to melt the cheese.

Drizzle with barbecue sauce, if using, sprinkle with green onions and serve with lemon wedges.

Defy Your Kin: Spoonbread, Not Dressing

Spoonbread commands a spotlight and defies its kin – cornbread, dressing, cheese grits, corn pudding – in categorization.

Is it a bread? A casserole? Labels, schmabels. It is a lovely, fluffy, and creamy side dish, yet it’s hard not to view it as the star in any meal in which it’s served.

If you are planning on having turkey for Thanksgiving, do you really need a big pan of dressing, too? Not necessarily. Substitute spoonbread for the dressing, especially if you are pressed for time.

Though your mother-in-law may get miffed, tell her you are going to start a new tradition. Pour a strong one then sit back and wait for the fireworks.

Spoonbread is easier to make than cornbread dressing. It takes much less time to prepare, as dressing requires more time to make a bold and savory chicken broth. Simply, spoonbread is a big bang for the bite, easy to stir up and bake for a Sunday dinner or a special occasion.

You could argue that spoonbread is more closely related to cheese grits, but it is bready like cornbread and so moist that it requires a spoon to eat, thus, its name, though the origin of the name has been the subject of at least one debate.

While many point to the need to eat spoonbread with a spoon as giving rise to its name, according to Kelly Brant, writing in the Arkansas Gazette, Native Americans prepared a dish called “supawn” or “suppone,” a porridge made with ground corn, which could be the genesis of the dish and its name. Kelly gives a great all-around history and some recipes. Check her article out, if you have time. 

https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2014/oct/22/spoonbread-splendid-20141022/

The main note I would give about spoonbread is to keep it simple. I found many great variations, and I got lost in recipes that add heavy ingredients that make it weighty with flavor distractions. It’s much better appreciated for its airy texture, and often onions, peppers, and garlic frame the standard Southern flavor profile just right.

If you are willing to sacrifice a little fluffiness for extra flavor, bacon, chives, and shoepeg corn could be great additions. One version I tried included chorizo, and it came out flat. So, be careful if adding meat and watch the total amount of fat going into the recipe. You don’t want the leavening agents to fight too hard for lift.

I used baking powder even though I was also using self-rising cornmeal. It worked out just fine. If you want some extra fluffiness, you can separate the egg whites from the yolks. Whip the whites until they peak then fold them last into the batter. Also, you can use either whole milk or buttermilk, the latter adding a layer of background flavor that many will find appealing, but buttermilk does have less fat, so that substitution can impact the texture. 

The recipe that I tried that had a great balance of flavor and the perfect texture is one I found in Texas Monthly Magazine.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/jalapeno-jack-spoon-bread/

So, when you are planning out your Thanksgiving menu, embrace change! Be brave! Defy your kin …

Jalapeño Jack Spoonbread

4 TB butter, divided
1 large onion, diced
2 medium or 1 large shallot, diced
2 fresh medium jalapeños, diced (seeds and ribs removed if desired)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cups whole milk
1 cup self-rising cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
4 oz. pepper Jack cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

In large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add onions, shallots, and jalapeños and cook, stirring often, 7 to 9 minutes, or until soft. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute longer, until softened. Remove from heat.

In a heavy saucepan, slowly bring milk to a boil over medium heat stirring often to avoid curdling. Slowly stir in cornmeal until mixture is the consistency of a heavy paste. If it’s too thick to stir, add a splash of milk and continue stirring. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Stir butter and baking powder into cornmeal mixture. Add eggs 1 at a time to cornmeal mixture and stir until completely mixed. Fold onion mixture into cornmeal mixture, along with cheese and salt.

Pour into greased 2-quart baking or casserole dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until firm and golden.

The Small, But Mighty, Peach

The last thirty years of my life have been devoted to my passion for food. I have been on a culinary journey to discover, learn, and create all things beautiful within the realm of food. Whether it be family, friends or community, food is one of the things that brings us together in spirit and space. 

Throughout my journey one of the things that I have discovered is that the simplest foods are, more often than not, the best foods. 

Pure ingredients showcased with seasonal, fresh, and regional items are the items that sing on their own and speak to us to create something beautiful and delicious. 

Mississippi is in full-blown Spring at the moment, and nothing speaks to me in Spring more than fresh peaches.

We show up and show out at our local farmers markets. Sun-ripened field grown tomatoes, okra, yellow squash, cucumbers, watermelons, sugar sweet corn, peas, beans, watermelons, cantaloupes, and peaches. Simply put, there is no other region in America that can rival the produce we grow in the South.

The first peaches are just beginning to come into season and, while they are small, they pack a punch. The smell of a perfectly ripe peach is intoxicating and tends to work us Southerners into a frenzy. The anticipation builds for that first bite of the first peach of the season.  You don't care that sticky peach juice will cover your face, arms and probably ruin a perfectly good shirt.  

When word hits the street that the peaches are in, you run – don’t walk! - to the local market to beat our beloved grandmas to the prize. There’s nothing like getting snaked on by a sweet little grandma for that last basket of peaches. She will knock you down without a second thought.

When picking out the perfect peaches the first thing you should ask yourself: “Does it smell like a peach?” You should be able to smell the sweet aroma of ripe peaches as you near the produce bin. No smell? Then, folks, just keep moving, as these are suspect, and you will experience feelings and emotions of great loss and disappointment if you bite into a mealy and tasteless peach. Go toward the light, or the smell, in this case.  

We are very fortunate in North Mississippi to have Cherry Creek Orchards out of Pontotoc, and you should have no trouble finding these delectable little fruits at the farmers’ markets, produce stands, or directly from the source.  

I would be remiss in my duty as a peach lover and a Southern chef if I did not also mention Chilton County, Alabama peaches, which are always good, but are exceptional this year, and again, you should have zero trouble laying hands on them during peach season. 

One of my favorite things about peaches is the versatility they offer the home cook. Of course, they are great for desserts - seriously, who does not like peach cobbler? 

But you can also make bruschetta with goat cheese, a peach gazpacho, a Havarti and prosciutto grilled cheese with fresh peaches, or an endless array of peach salads. 

Peach and halloumi salad is the recipe I am going to share with you. Halloumi is a semi-hard cheese made from a mix of sheep and cow’s milk. It has a chewy texture and a natural saltiness. It is readily available in bigger grocery stores. You will love this salad: it's simple, quick, and delicious.

Peach and Halloumi Salad

Ingredients

6 Genoa salami slices
1 package Halloumi cheese, about 8 oz., sliced in ½ inch slices
3 peaches, peeled and sliced
6 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
½ small red onion, sliced paper thin
6-8 sugar snap peas, sliced in half
1/2 small Fresno chili, diced extra small
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
4 TB aged balsamic vinegar
Fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 charred lemon (see Notes)

Instructions

1. Crisp Genoa salami slices in small skillet like you would bacon. Crumble the crisped slices.

2. Take a large sauté pan and heat on medium high heat. Place Halloumi slices in a dry pan and cook until golden on one side. There will be a little moisture; don't panic. Flip over and do the same for the other side. 

3. Take Halloumi slices out of the pan and place directly on a nice serving platter. Line them down the center of the platter or any way you like, as long as the cheese is the first item on the platter. 

4. Next, place the sliced peaches along the sides of Halloumi, and sprinkle with olives, onion, peas, Fresno chili, and the crumbled, crispy Genoa. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle cracked black pepper over the dish. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top and place charred lemon on the side. 

NOTES: 

For charred lemon, simply slice a lemon in half and place sliced side down in a hot skillet until lemon develops a lovely caramelization. Doing this with the lemon wakes up the flavor and brings all the juice out of the lemon.

Make this platter literally right before you sit down to eat. Be sure to have all ingredients completely prepped and ready to go before cooking the Halloumi cheese, as you will assemble the salad on the serving platter immediately after you heat the cheese.

The Peaches used in this photo are Chilton County Peaches.

Kalamata Olives were used for this dish, but a pitted Cerignola green olive would make a great substitution if you prefer a less salty olive.

Leave the Salami off and you have a beautiful vegetarian side.

Do not use any salt in this dish.

Encourage your guests to use a squeeze of the lemon as it will not only wake up the dish but their palates as well.

The Cure for Boring Potato Salad

In the South, we have the distinction of having some of the best food anywhere on the planet, whether served commercially or on most Southern home tables.

We have the advantage of the melding of so many different, flavorful cuisines by the region’s early settlers. Any subtlety the French, British and Scottish influences may have had were overshadowed when they blended with African, American Indian, and Spanish influences that were bursting with flavor - thank the Lord, the lard, and Epicurious for that. 

We like our food to jump up off the plate and smack you right in the mouth, sometimes just a tap, sometimes like Mohammed Ali, often with a left-hook or a late hit, but always a direct, intentional swing at the tastebuds, every plate having a star as well as a delicious supporting cast.

We like it fresh and bold. Southern food, music, and hospitality are legend, points of pride for us, and the things visitors to the region most always mention when they talk about their visits here.  

Growing up the child of a German mother, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, (Whew! That’s a whole ‘nother story!), I thought that German potato salad WAS potato salad. The sweet, the sour, the eggs. THE BACON.

Heavenly. Honestly, there’s German food I can easily live without, but the potato salad is not one of them.

I distinctly remember, as a small, aspiring food snob, attending different, otherwise quite satisfactory, church and neighborhood gatherings that most always included a meal. Vicksburg had some wonderful cooks back in the day, and I was lucky enough to have slung up at the tables of some of the best of them. I can still taste the fried chicken, and Oh my God, the homemade ravioli (a recipe I never got and would kill for). And the homemade rolls, candies, and desserts, the reason stretch pants were invented.

Oh, My Groceries!

Then there was the potato salad. Sigh. It was bland, it was drippy, often yellow, and, THERE WAS NO BACON. To my mind, a waste of good potatoes. Of all the incredible dishes, it was so… blah.  I didn’t understand. I recall getting the don’t-you-say-a-word look from my Mother when the potato salad was passed. I finally got used to regular, non-German potato salad, but even now it seems to be a missed opportunity.

Many years later, Lord knows where I ran across a potato salad recipe I knew even as I read it would be killer. Sure enough, I’ve made it dozens of times. It is different, delicious, and worth every stinkin’ carb. It is a great accompaniment for just about any casual meal or stuffed in new potatoes as an hors d’oeuvre. And it is German Mother Approved - she loved it!

With the addition of a spicy vinaigrette and pork, it’s almost an homage to her German potato salad.

I am happy to share this and hope that it will save you from having to disappoint any finicky urchins, or other guests, with sad, unremarkable potato salad. And for all else, Lord, I apologize.

Ham & Swiss Potato Salad

3 lb. bag red potatoes
2-3 bunches green onions
1/3 – 1/2 lb. Swiss Cheese (good quality, like Sargento or better)
1/3 – ½ lb. ham (good quality, thinly sliced)
1 cup or so olive oil or garlic oil
1/3 cup or so red wine vinegar
4-8 oz. whole-grain mustard
Salt & freshly ground Pepper, to taste

Directions

Make this dish an hour or so ahead of time and let sit at room temp until service. It can be made a day or so ahead, just cover and store in the fridge.

Cut potatoes in half leaving the skin on and put in a pot with salted, boiling water. This recipe works best when the potatoes are hot, so prep all the other ingredients as the potatoes are boiling.

Chop the green onions. The Swiss cheese can be cut into thin strips or grated. It sounds a little counterintuitive, but you needn’t break the bank on the ham. Good quality, thinly sliced, pre-packaged deli ham works best, sliced into thin strips.

In a container large enough to hold the whole thing, whisk the olive oil and red wine vinegar. A good ratio is about 3:1 oil to vinegar. Whisk in the whole grain mustard; use about half to start. Peel the ham and Swiss slices apart and set them aside.

When the potatoes are done, drain and dump them on a cutting board, and chop them like you’re Lizzie Borden having a really, really bad day. Maybe not the entire forty whacks, but the potatoes should be roughly chopped and not particularly uniform. This dish works best when the potatoes are hot and cut after they’re cooked.

Dump the hot chopped potatoes into the vinaigrette and mix well. Add the ham strips, the chopped green onions, and toss. Lastly, add the Swiss strips after the mixture has cooled for just a minute - we’re not tryin to make fondue.

Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings; mix well. More mustard can be added now or later if needed, and more vinegar, too. There really is no way to predict how much the potatoes will absorb or how bold and spicy your mustard is.

Garnish with more chopped green onion, fried green onion, and/or fresh chopped parsley.

Directions For Hors D’Oeuvres

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 3-5 lbs. washed new potatoes on a cookie sheet, spray with Pam and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until soft.

Make vinaigrette as above. Chop ham, green onions, a little smaller this time. Cheese can be chopped smaller or grated.

When the potatoes are done but still warm, carefully core the potatoes with a knife and throw the scooped portion into the vinaigrette, along with the ham, Swiss, and green onions. Mix well, adjust seasonings, taste.

Spoon mixture into cored new potatoes. Place on cookie sheets, cover, and refrigerate. Heat in a 300-degree oven for 10 minutes, enough to knock the chill off. Garnish with a few extra chopped green onions, fried chopped green onions, and/or fresh parsley.

Hot Stuff: Pepper Cheese Squares

I found this great recipe called “Hot Stuff” in the “Vintage Vicksburg” cookbook, sourced to Kathleen Hand Carter of Rolling Fork, Mississippi.

It has 10 eggs but is not eggy and a half cup of flour but not bready. With loads of cheese and your personal degree of heat, this is a pretty light dish that is perfect as party food, a side, or a breakfast delight.

Let’s talk about the heat: the original recipe only uses a 4 oz. can of green chiles, and any heat those chiles may provide kind of gets lost. If you want to start kicking it up, use a 4 oz. can of diced jalapenos instead; add 1-3 TB of your favorite hot sauce; and dot the top with pickled jalapenos.

And about that cheese: it calls for 16 oz. shredded pepper Jack. I recommend that you buy the block and shred it yourself. This makes it a little more time-consuming but bagged shredded cheese may include potato starch or other ingredients to keep the shreds separated, which can, in turn, make it less melty when added to a dish.

Enjoy …

Pepper Cheese Squares

1 stick butter or margarine
10 eggs
½ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 4 oz. can diced chiles or jalapenos
1 – 3 TB of your favorite hot sauce (optional)
1 pint small curd cottage cheese
1 pound pepper Jack cheese, shredded
15 – 20 sliced, pickled jalapenos (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the stick of butter in a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish and put in the oven to let the butter melt.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the eggs. Don’t worry – you will get some clumps, but they will disappear when you add the butter.

Add the can of peppers and the hot sauce, if using, to the egg mixture and stir.

Remove the casserole dish from the oven, swirl the butter across the bottom of the dish, then pour remaining butter into a measuring cup or small bowl. Then, pour butter into the egg mixture while stirring. I’ve been worried about curdling the egg with the hot butter at this stage, but it hasn’t happened so far.

Add cottage cheese and shredded pepper jack cheese while stirring.

Pour the mixture into casserole dish. If you are going to add jalapeno slices, place them in rows across the top. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake from 30 – 40 minutes until top is golden brown.

Allow to cool then slice and serve! These reheat beautifully the next day.