It’s Christmas Eve morning, a next to impossible time to suddenly realize either or both the potato or veggie side dish for tonight’s or tomorrow night’s dinner somehow fell by the wayside while we were zinging around trying to get the rest of the meals nailed down.
Oh, bummer. But don’t panic yet, because the good folks at Darigold have two potentially save-our-lives recipes to handle this gap.
Both the roasted string beans and roasted potatoes make just four servings, so you may need to increase the pan sizes and double or triple the recipes.
Other than that, all you might need to do is jot down whatever ingredients you need, find a willing volunteer and send them off on a run to the grocery store.
There’s not a moment to lose, so here we go:
Lemon-butter roasted string beans
1 pound string beans, washed, drained well and trimmed
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together the beans, butter, lemon peel, salt and pepper. Roast until beans are browned and tender (about 15 minutes), turning beans once. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
Smokey butter-roasted potatoes
12-15 baby red or yellow potatoes, scrubbed
Cold water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife (about 10 minutes). Drain well.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the potatoes on the sheet. Combine the butter and paprika. Dip the bottom of a 2- to 3-inch drinking glass into the melted butter mixture and flatten 1 potato to about 1/2-inch thick; repeat to flatten all potatoes. Pour the remaining butter mixture over the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast until crisp and browned.
Makes 4 servings.
The Forum is always happy to receive your contributions and requests, so don’t hesitate to send them along to Judyrae Kruse at the Forum, c/o The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.
Please remember that all letters and e-mail must include a name, complete address with ZIP code and telephone number with area code. No exceptions and sorry, but no response to e-mail by return e-mail; send to kruse@heraldnet.com.
The next Forum will appear in Wednesday’s Good Life section. Meanwhile, have a truly wonderful Christmas!
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