Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Recipes by Lois Nettleton: Fried Potatoes; Mushroom Omelet; Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding




Lois Nettleton's Fried Potatoes

1 to 2 tbsps. minced onion
2 large leftover boiled potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch slices
2 tbsps. butter
Salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup cold buttermilk

Saute onion in butter until soft and golden; lift out. Fry potatoes in butter slowly until golden and crisp (about 10 minutes). Return onions to pan, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange potatoes in a serving bowl. Pour cold buttermilk over them and serve at once. Delicious with broiled chops and a green salad. Serves 2 or 3.

Lois Nettleton's Mushroom Omelet

1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsps. sweet butter
Dash of nutmeg
2 eggs
2 tbsps. water
Salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste
Minced fresh parsley

Saute mushrooms in 1 tbsp. butter until nicely browned. Season lightly with nutmeg; set aside and keep warm.

Break eggs into mixing bowl. Add water, seasonings to taste; beat until mixture is foamy and light. Heat remaining butter until sizzling in a 10-inch, sloping-sided skillet or omelet pan.

Pour egg mixture into hot pan. Mixture will bubble and begin to "set." With a spatula, lift up egg mixture from edge of pan while tilting pan so the uncooked egg flows onto the exposed portion of the pan.

Work quickly, tilting pan all around. When all of the egg is set (this should take no more than 40 seconds over high heat), place mushrooms on one half of the omelet.

Fold one side over mushrooms; turn omelet upside down on a heated serving plate. Garnish with minced parsley. Great with thick slices of beefsteak tomatoes and fried toast. Serves 1.

Thoughts: If you follow the directions exactly, you will soon become a champion omelet maker. A word of advice, however: if you want to make more than one omelet, you can double, triple or increase the recipe as many times as you want, but do not cook more than one omelet at a time. It's easy to measure. A standard kitchen ladle holds exactly the correct amount for a 2-egg, 1-serving omelet. Other fillings to use: grated cheese, fresh tomatoes mixed with herbs, leftover cooked chicken mixed with slivered almonds, sour cream flavored with a dash of curry. Let your imagination work for you.

Lois Nettleton's Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding

Rib roast, weighing 6 to 8 lbs.
1/3 cup drippings (or butter)
1 tbsp. dry mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup lightly-browned flour (stirred over low heat on top of stove or in
oven until lightly browned)
6 tbsps. dry red wine
Salt to taste

Spread roast with drippings (or butter); sprinkle with a mixture of dry mustard, pepper and lightly-browned flour. Cover with layer of suet; secure in place with string over the top. Place roast, fat side up, on rack in roasting pan. Brown in preheated 425 degrees F. oven for 20 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. and add wine to the pan. Continue roasting, basting frequently, allowing 15-18 minutes per pound for rare, 20 to 24 minutes per pound for medium and 25-30 minutes per pound for well-done. If preferred, use meat thermometer. Let beef stand 30 minutes in warm place before carving. Reserve pan drippings for Yorkshire pudding and gravy.

For the Yorkshire pudding:

1/3 cup roast beef drippings
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup ail-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder

A half hour before the roast is done, prepare batter. Pour drippings into a 9x9-inch baking pan and place in a preheated 450 degrees F. oven. Beat eggs and milk together in a mixing bowl. Add flour, salt and baking powder; continue to beat until smooth. Pour batter into baking pan; bake 25 minutes (or until the Yorkshire pudding is well-browned).

Cut in squares to serve with each slice of roast beef. Serve with pan gravy (delicious made with pan drippings in bottom of roasting pan, crusty bits of suet, a little dry red wine or water, a knob or two of butter, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste. Boil a few minutes before serving to thicken and flavor. Strain before serving piping hot over beef and Yorkshire pudding). Serves 8-10.

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