Good things happen In the kitchen when you consider flavor “affinities" or ”foods that compliment each other in a recipe". Common affinities are lime, cilantro and chili; tomato, basil, and vinegar. Perhaps the most famous affinity is from Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel: “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.” One of our Patreon "Hungry Mob", wrote in with a question this week that made me think of another affinity--potato, lemon and bok choy. So here is my newest recipe. It's simple, delicious, and full of delicious, multi-colored vegetables. And when you cook this up, be sure to let us know at connect@smallkitchenBIGTASTE.com
1½lbsYukon Gold Potatoes, ½ inch dice (15 mm), about 4 potatoes
½tspsalt, to taste
¼tsppepper, to taste
1¼cupvegetable stock
Add color
½cupspinach, chiffonade
½cupbaby bok choy, chiffonade
½cupradicchio, sliced thinly
2ealemons, zest and juice, divided
Add slurry to thicken
1TBSPcornstarch
¼cupcold water
Plate, Season and Garnish
½cupdiced red pepper
tamari, sub soy sauce or coconut aminos
2TBSPparsley, minced
garam masala, sprinkle on top, to taste
lemon zest curls, sprinkle on top
Instructions
Zest the lemons, and set the zest aside. Juice the lemons as set aside. You will use these later in the recipe.
Heat a large deep skillet over high heat. Add avocado oil, and then sauté the onion, carrot and celery until they are caramelized. About 5 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and sauté another 30 seconds.
Add the potatoes, salt and pepper, and sauté until the potatoes begin to brown slightly. Add the stock and let the potatoes steam until they are almost cooked through. About 8 minutes total.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and mix until it is smooth. This is your "slurry".
Add the spinach, bok choy, and radicchio and stir it in, letting it wilt slightly.
Stir in the lemon juice then add the slurry. Stir to combine. Continue cooking on high heat until the cornstarch taste has cooked out and the sauce is smooth and silky. Add the red pepper and warm slightly. (If you cook them too long they will loose both their flavor and their crunch.)
Plate the dinner. Add a side of beets or broccoli. Then garnish with (in order:) a drizzle of tamari, parsley confetti, and garam masala (to taste). Top with lemon zest curls. Serve hot.
FOR A DIFFERENT PRESENTATION: do not add the spinach, bok choy, and radicchio to the starry. Instead, toss the three greens together. Put the greens in the middle of the plate, like a salad. Spoon the stir fry over the "salad" and garnish as indicated.
Notes
Mirepoix: a mix of aromatic vegetables that forms the base layer of flavors in a particular cuisine.Sauté: cooking on high heat to seal in the flavors of the vegetables and to caramelize (develop the natural sugars) of various vegetables.Sweat: similar to sauté, except at a lower temperature. Here you are trying to draw out the flavors with low heat.Fond: the crusty bits at the bottom of the pan when you are finished sautéing. The brown bits are the sugars that have caramelized while sautéing. This is the good stuff with depth of flavor.Deglaze: is to dislodge, dissolve, and lift the fond off the bottom of the sauté pan. It is often done with red or white wine, vegetable stock, or even plain water. If the bottom of the pan is very hot, the liquid will sizzle and the fond will come up easily.Chiffonade: a slicing technique for leafy vegetables. The leaves are stacked flat, then rolled up like a cigar. Then by cutting perpendicular to the roll you have thin slices of greens that are much easier to navigate in the finished dish. This is especially popular with basil leaves.Slurry: one of several ways to thicken a sauce. A slurry is cornstarch (or some other starch) mixed with cold water. Stirring it one last time before putting it in the sauce will help keep the sauce lump free. Be sure you bring the sauce up to temperature so the starch looses it's "flour" after taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Mouth-Watering Lemon Potato Stir Fry
Serving Size
4 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
211.65
% Daily Value*
Fat
3.87
g
6
%
Saturated Fat
0.5
g
3
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.62
g
Monounsaturated Fat
2.49
g
Sodium
643.74
mg
28
%
Potassium
953.43
mg
27
%
Carbohydrates
40.95
g
14
%
Fiber
6.05
g
25
%
Sugar
5.74
g
6
%
Protein
4.95
g
10
%
Vitamin A
5311.84
IU
106
%
Vitamin C
79.8
mg
97
%
Calcium
85.26
mg
9
%
Iron
2.08
mg
12
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.