Round this time final yr, I contributed a collection of recipes to Yahoo! Meals, and it was a whole lot of enjoyable. As a part of some firm restructures, nevertheless, the web site shut down in February. One in all my favourite recipes from my quick time there was this New Brunswick-Fashion Potato Stuffing, so I’m sharing it with you people this week, simply in time to nudge it into your Thanksgiving meal planning. Right here’s what I wrote about it final yr:
People who comply with the Paleo weight loss program generally get the quick stick. For instance: croissants. Whereas options like “meatzas” (a pizza with a meat crust) may work in some contexts, there simply isn’t a great way to create a flaky, lightly-textured pastry utilizing nut flours, or heaven forbid, meat. Equally, a standard Thanksgiving stuffing (or “dressing” – extra on that in a bit) is troublesome to duplicate. Typical Paleo reinterpretations function (yep, you guessed it) meat, and generally nuts and dried fruit. All these issues sound simply effective, thanks very a lot, however not very paying homage to stuffing.
Stuffing, as we generally consider it, is a wierd combine between crispy and fluffy, and is commonly overwhelmingly savory; this style sensation expertly enhances tart cranberry sauce, creamy mashed potatoes, wealthy gravy, and (hopefully) juicy turkey. So when conceiving a grain-free, Paleo-friendly stuffing, my thoughts saved returning to fried potatoes – crisp on the skin, fluffy on the within. I virtually ran to my native library to perform a little research, however then I remembered about Google, and found that there already exists a potato-based stuffing, simply in a seldom-visited cranny of the world (New Brunswick, Canada).
New Brunswick-style potato stuffing is characterised by two ideas: potatoes, and using savory (also called “summer season savory”). Savory is a defining seasoning in Atlantic Canada, and is utilized in most poultry seasonings in the identical approach that we Yanks use sage. We’re going to make use of a mixture of each savory and sage, to make everybody completely happy. New Brunswick-style stuffing additionally sometimes makes use of bread slices along with the potatoes, however we’ll go forward and ignore that truth since it is a Paleo recipe.
To get the proper potato texture, we’re going to par-boil the potatoes to take away a few of their starch and to melt them up; that approach we will simply blast the potatoes over a comparatively excessive warmth to crisp them up with out worrying about whether or not they’re finished on the within. We’ll be frying them in duck fats, as a result of it’s scrumptious, however lard, coconut oil, or another high-heat oil will work simply effective. In a separate pan, we’ll put together the remainder of the dish, then mix the 2 simply earlier than serving (in any other case, the potatoes would get mushy).
One final notice: there really is a distinction between stuffing and dressing, though the excellence is generally ignored. Stuffing is, by definition, a dressing that’s positioned within a turkey, whereas dressing isn’t. Personally, I grew up calling it “stuffing”, no matter its location in relation to a chook, so we’ll keep on with that for this recipe.
New Brunswick-Fashion Potato Stuffing (Gluten-free, Primal, Paleo, Excellent Well being Food regimen, Whole30-adaptable)
Seasoning:
1 tsp floor sage
1 tsp savory
1 tsp salt, extra to style
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp black pepper, extra to style
3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup duck fats, lard, or coconut oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 med yellow onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
8 celery stalks, chopped (about 2 cups)
1/2 bunch contemporary Italian parsley, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1. Mix the seasonings and put aside. Add the peeled and cubed potatoes to a stockpot, then rinse totally. Fill the pot with sufficient water to cowl the potatoes by 1″; deliver to a boil over excessive warmth, then cut back warmth to medium and simmer for two minutes. Drain and rinse in chilly water till cool sufficient to deal with; put aside to empty for five minutes, jostling the strainer a bit once in a while because the potatoes dry.
2. In a cast-iron skillet, warmth 2 tbsp of the duck fats over medium-high warmth till shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and toss till coated; let sit for 4 minutes with out turning, then toss and permit to brown for 4 extra minutes. Toss once more and add the remaining duck fats and permit to pan-fry till crispy on the edges and golden brown, one other 5-10 minutes, gently tossing often.
3. Because the potatoes end, prep the remaining substances. In a separate skillet, warmth the butter and olive oil over medium warmth till shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook dinner till barely softened, about 3 minutes; add the celery and saute till softening on the edges, one other 3 minutes. Add the seasonings and toss till mixed, then take away from warmth till the potatoes are completed.
4. As soon as the potatoes are crispy, stir within the celery combination and the contemporary chopped parsley. Style and add salt and pepper as wanted, then serve.
