Dijon Red-Skinned Potato Salad

Dijon Red-Skinned Potato Salad

Dijon Mustard transforms classic potato salad into an out-of-the-ordinary side dish.

3 pounds small red potatoes, cubed
Kosher salt
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons French’s Dijon mustard
½ cup thinly sliced celery
½ cup finely diced red onion
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large stockpot place the potatoes, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, French’s Dijon mustard, celery, red onion, and dill. Toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled.

Serves 6.

Variation: If you prefer, feel free to peel the potatoes before cooking.

Photo by Justin Fox Burks

Chicken with Creamy Dijon Herb Sauce

I am always looking for recipes that are easy to prepare and are dishes that my whole family will love.  This recipe that I found at www.Frenchs.com fits that bill.  And as an added bonus, all the ingredients are ones that I always have in my pantry!

Enjoy!

Chicken with Creamy Dijon Herb Sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth
6 tablespoons French’s® Dijon Mustard
1/3 cup cream cheese spread, softened
1 tablespoon minced herbs (parsley, basil, or chives)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (6 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon minced garlic

In a small bowl mix the broth, mustard, cream cheese, and herbs until well blended; set aside.

Cook the chicken in hot oil in nonstick skillet until browned on both sides, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the mustard sauce and garlic. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce thickens slightly and flavors are blended, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Serves 4.

Cooking Tip: Substitute 2 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce for the herbs.

Oven Bake: Mix the sauce ingredients. Pour over chicken in greased baking dish. Bake at 375 °F for 30 min. until cooked through.

Egg Salad

Egg salad sandwiches are some of the easiest sandwiches in the world to make, especially if you have some hard boiled eggs sitting around in the fridge. Dijon mustard is my secret ingredient. I like to use French’s because it has Chardonnay wine in it.

Enjoy!

Egg Salad 

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon French’s Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced yellow onion
¼ teaspoon Frank’s RedHot
Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the chopped eggs in a medium mixing bowl. Using a fork, mash up the eggs a little. Add the French’s Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, onion, and Frank’s RedHot.  Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

Cooking Tip: When mashing the eggs, don’t overdo it. You want the egg mixture to have some texture.

Variation: Add fresh dill or chives for an Herbed Egg Salad or chopped olives for a classic Egg & Olive rendition.

Asparagus, Roasted Red Pepper, and Arugula Salad

Asparagus, Roasted Red Pepper, and Arugula Salad
From Simply Salads by Jennifer Chandler

This tasty salad makes an elegant presentation for a dinner party first course.  Arrange on a platter for a wonderful buffet offering.

For the White Balsamic Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For salad:

1 bunch (about 1 pound) asparagus, tough woody ends snapped off and discarded
1 package (5 ounces) Baby Arugula salad blend
1 roasted red bell pepper, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

For the White Balsamic and Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette:

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar and mustard.  Slowly add the oil in a steady stream, whisking to emulsify.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the salad:

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until vibrant green and crisp tender, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Drain the asparagus and immerse in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain again and set aside

On each plate, place a bed of arugula. Layer the asparagus on top.  Arrange the peppers on top of the asparagus. Generously drizzle with the vinaigrette to taste.  Garnish with the olives and red onion.

Makes 4 appetizer salads

 

 

 

Potatoes Au Gratin

This dish looks so elegant on the table that no one will believe how easy it was to make. I often serve it at dinner parties with steaks or roasts.

Potatoes Au Gratin
Adapted from Simply Suppers by Jennifer Chandler

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the baking dish and the foil
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 medium baking potatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon French’s Dijon or Spicy Brown Mustard
1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with butter and set aside.

In a large saucepot combine the milk, cream, butter, garlic, and nutmeg. Peel the potatoes and cut into slices about 1/8-inch thick. Add the potato slices to the milk mixture to prevent discoloration.

Over medium-high heat, bring the milk mixture to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are slightly tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking dish, arranging the top layer of the potatoes in an overlapping pattern, if desired. Add the Dijon and mustard and stir to combine. Pour the milk mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese evenly over the top. Cover the dish with a buttered piece of aluminum foil, buttered side down.

Bake until the potatoes are fork tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the potatoes are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8.

Cooking Tip: The difference between freshly grated nutmeg and commercially ground is night and day. To grate whole nutmeg, use a special nutmeg grater or scrape the seed over the finest rasps of your box grater. I buy my whole nutmeg at the grocery in a specially designed jar with a grinder built into the lid.

Apricot-Dijon Glazed Ham

I have to admit. For years, I would buy a pre-cooked Honey-Baked Ham.  I assumed that baking my own ham would be too much work.

Then last Easter, I decided to give it a try.  And I was pleasantly surprised to find it was so easy!

The simple but tasty glaze uses two ingredients I always have on hand – Dijon mustard and Apricot Preserves.

My family loved it so much, I now make it year round!

Couple of tricks to success:

• Don’t be tempted to buy an already cut (spiral cut) ham. They may be convenient for cutting, but dry out really easily when heated.
• Remove the ham from the refrigerator (still wrapped) a couple of hours before you intend to cook it so that it can get closer to room temperature before re-heating.
• Do not score the meat itself, just the fat and any skin. When basting, be sure to try to get some glaze in the scores.
• The rule of thumb is to bake the ham for 20 minutes per pound.

Enjoy!

Apricot-Dijon Glazed Ham

1 (5 to 6 lb.) cooked bone-in ham (shank or rump portion)
1/3 cup French’s® Dijon Mustard
3/4 cup apricot preserves

Score the ham and place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Bake at 325°F for 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 hours or until internal temperature of 140°F.

Combine the mustard and apricot preserves in small saucepan. Stir and warm over medium heat until melted and smooth.

Transfer 1/2 cup of the mixture to a small bowl to glaze ham. Set aside the saucepan with the remaining mixture.

Baste the glaze often on the ham during the last 30 minutes of baking. Serve additional glaze on the side.

Serves 12.

Tomato Tart

This quick and easy Tomato Tart is one of my favorite summer-time treats.  It is so easy to make and so tasty.

I like to mix it up and use both red and yellow tomatoes as well as cherry tomatoes.

Enjoy!

Tomato Tart

1 9-inch tart pan lined with pie crust (store-bought is a great shortcut)
3 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2 -inch thick slices
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bake until the crust is light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

While the crust is baking, sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and drain in a colander for 10 to 15 minutes.

Spread the mustard over the bottom of the pie crust and sprinkle the cheese over it. Arrange the tomatoes over the cheese in 1 overlapping layer. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the tomatoes are very soft, 35 to 40 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the basil, garlic and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the pie with this mixture while hot and spread out gently with the back of a spoon. Serve the pie hot or at room temperature.

Serves 6 to 8.

Cooking Tip: Sharp white cheddar is an acceptable substitute for the Gruyere cheese.

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Candied Walnuts & Citrus Vinaigrette

Beets are one of those things that I used to always turn my nose up at.  Well…to be honest…that’s putting it mildly.  I’d say for the first thirty-something years of my life, they would have been listed at the top of my “Yuck!” list.  “Why would anyone want to eat those slimy canned red things that seemed to just languish on the salad bar?” was my sentiment.

Then one day…it all changed.

I was at my favorite NYC restaurant (Balthazar) and when my salad arrived, there were beets!  How I missed that on the description I have no idea.  I would have never ordered anything with beets!   

My friend laughed at me as I forked through the lettuce leaves like a picky toddler.  She dared me to eat a beet and, never one to turn down a food challenge, I took a bite. 

I am sure there was a look of shock on my face.  What I tasted was nothing like the beets I had eaten so long ago in my high school cafeteria.  These little red slices were sweet, earthy, and … surprisingly delicious. 

Since that fateful day, I have become a huge fan of fresh roasted beets.  (I still won’t touch the canned variety!) The simple process of roasting these little orbs brings out their almost candy-like sweetness.  Just wrap them in foil, pop them in the oven, and 45 minutes to an hour later…you have a delicious treat.

Give beets a try in this Roasted Beet Salad from my cookbook Simply Salads.  The orangey citrus vinaigrette complements the beet’s sweetness and the tangy goat cheese adds a nice contrast.

Enjoy!

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Candied Walnuts, and Citrus Vinaigrette

Makes 4 dinner salads or 6 appetizer salads   

Roasting beets brings out their natural sweet and earthy flavor. They will taste nothing like the canned beets that you find in the self serve salad bar.

For the Citrus Vinaigrette:

1/2 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salad:

1/2 pound small to medium beets, stems trimmed and scrubbed
1 bag (5 ounces) Sweet Baby Greens salad blend
1 log (4 ounces) fresh goat cheese
1/2 cup candied walnuts 

For the Citrus Vinaigrette:

In small bowl whisk together the shallots, lemon juice, orange juice, orange zest, Dijon mustard, and oil until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the salad:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the beets in aluminum foil. Place the foil packet on a baking sheet and bake until the tip of a sharp knife easily slides through the beets, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool. Once cool enough to handle, use paper towels to peel the beets. Cut into quarters.

Divide the salad blend equally among the plates.  Top with the beets and then drizzle with the vinaigrette to taste.  Crumble the goat cheese on top and garnish with candied walnuts.

Tomato Tart

Serves 6 to 8

1 9-inch tart pan lined with pie crust (store-bought is a great shortcut)
3 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2 -inch thick slices
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is set, 8 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake until golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and drain in a colander for 10 to 15 minutes.

Turn up the oven to 400°F.

Spread the mustard over the bottom of the pie crust and sprinkle the cheese over it. Arrange the tomatoes over the cheese in 1 overlapping layer. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the tomatoes are very soft, 25 to 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the basil, garlic and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the pie with this mixture while hot and spread out gently with the back of a spoon. Serve the pie hot or at room temperature.

Deviled Eggs with Chives and Caviar

Serves 20

24 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved length-wise
2/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup + 2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 one-ounce jar caviar

Carefully scoop yolks from the egg halves into a large bowl.  Set egg white halves aside.  Add sour cream, mayonnaise, ¼ cup chives, mustard and lemon juice to the yolks.  Mash with a fork until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon filling into each egg white half.  Arrange on a platter.  Garnish each egg with 1/8 tsp. of caviar and chopped chives.  Serve immediately. 

Cooking Tip: Can be prepared 2 hours in advance up before garnishing with roe and chives.   Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.