Bistro Sunday Brunch: Tarragon and Chive Roasted Potatoes and Garden Scrambled Eggs with Crema con Queso

Welcome Spring and all things light, lovely and green.

Good-bye mittens, blankets, soups and casseroles, thanks for keeping me warm and cozy. 

I'll see you next Winter it's been grand.

The End.

In all fairness and honesty, I should mention that I live in Glendale, Az. The valley of the Sun so we don't have a true Winter to speak of. I did have to use my 'tushy' warmer in my car a couple of times and it was cold enough to make soup once or twice. Hey we're talking in the 30's people! That's freezing to us native desert rat's! 

Really, I do sometimes wish for truer seasons. To experience big Autumn trees and snow on Christmas. But then I get over it and throw on my shorts and flip flops and head out to my backyard and pick some veggies in the warm, early March weather. What can I say? I love this place. Until June when it will be 120+ degrees  in the shade and life will suck big time and you can stop being jealous of us desert dwellers.

Right now however it is absolutely perfect outdoors and we are just soaking up every minute here in the valley. Windows open, cool breezes, baseball games, patio lunches and flip flops. My favorite thing about the coming of Spring is the lighter, fresher meals. More veggies, more salads, lemon aide and no-cook dinners.

Here is a wonderful Spring brunch to start of the season.

Add some lightly grilled asparagus and have this beautiful dish for Easter Day brunch.

Tarragon and Chive Roasted Potatoes and Garden Scrambled Eggs

with Crema con Queso

You know why. Just do it.



TIME  20 MINUTES      SERVES  4
Ingredients:

6-8 Free Range, Organic eggs
1 tablespoon half and half
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon French Grey Sea salt
2 medium russet potatoes, cubed
1 cup chopped broccoli florets
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dried Tarragon, divided
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
Queso Cojita {Mexican crumbly cheese}
Mexicana Crema (can also use creme fraiche)
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced

To Make:

Pre heat oven to 400F. Line a roasting pan with foil.

In a large bowl toss cubed potatoes with olive oil (just a teensie bit will do!) Spread Potatoes onto pan and sprinkle with salt and 1-2 teaspoons of the tarragon. Bake at 400F for 15-18 minutes till golden brown and fork tender.

In a medium saucepan over high heat bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add chopped broccoli. Cook just 2 minutes, no more. Drain, set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add small bit of butter. In a large mixing bowl whisk eggs and half and half. The half and half makes them oh-so-fluffy. Add a pinch of salt, pour into skillet. Using a rubber spatula, fold eggs over and over again till just set, about 3 minutes. Add broccoli, toss to combine.

Immediately remove from heat and serve with potatoes while still piping hot. Sprinkle with a bit more tarragon, the fresh chives, French Grey Sea Salt and freshly cracked pepper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon per serving of Crema Mexican over top of eggs. Crumble Queso Cojita over top of eggs. Serve peppers on the side.

French Grey Sea Salt.

Besides the amazing taste that you'll notice,

it's loaded with super minerals.

I save this for sprinkling on at the end so the minerals aren't destroyed during baking and to retain the flavour.

Garlic Rubbed Potato Skins with Lox and Chives

This recipe was born when a rep brought fresh Salmon Lox with the usual cream cheese and bagels to an inservice at the hospital last week. I literally squealed in delight! Not only fresh Lox but capers as well! If you have to be to work by 6:30 in the morning, this is the way to celebrate! I was surprised that not everyone shared my love of lox. Not only that, but I was given the wrinkled nose and upturned lips in distaste from my fellow professionals as I piled high my lovely lox and cute little capers upon my bagel. So sad. In all seriousness, in times like these when I ask people if they've ever actually tried shunned food in question, the answer is almost always, "ummm, well no, but....."

So I took the leftover Lox home with me. It's happy here where it's loved and appreciated. And, the bonus is, that I get to share this yummy recipe that I came up with in order to eat up all the lox.

Potato skins have a totally bad rap, nutritionally speaking. Potatoes and are actually super good for you! The skins especially are full of vitamins! Potatoes are low in fat, rich in several micronutrients, especially vitamin C - when eaten with its skin. Potatoes are a moderate source of iron, and its high vitamin C content promotes iron absorption. It is a good source of vitamins B1, B3 and B6 and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, and contains folate, pantothenic acid and riboflavin. Potatoes also contain dietary antioxidants, which may play a part in preventing diseases related to ageing, and dietary fibre, which benefits health.
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To keep them on the healthy side, skip the butter, bacon bits and cheese, you won't miss them! To doll up your potato skins, you can use any number of herbs or spices. Try fresh basil, chives, dill, garlic, cayenne pepper, caraway seed, ground peppercorns, tarragon or thyme... did I mention garlic? ;-)

TIME active 30 minutes, cooking 90 minutes

SERVES 4- 6

You will need:

4 russet potatoes

salmon lox

* 1-2 heads garlic, roasted

1 cup mushrooms, diced

1/4 cup chives, chopped

2 tabelspoons fresh parsley, chopped

low-fat sour cream

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

EVOO

Pierce 4 large russet potatoes with a fork.
* To roast garlic, remove skins, cut top off so that a bit of the flesh is exposed. Drizzle with a little EVOO. Cover loosely in foil. Bake potatoes and garlic directly on the oven rack at 350 degrees until tender. Remove garlic after about 20 minutes and potatoes about 1 hour.
Let cool, then cut potatoes in half, lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Brush both sides with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Turn oven up to 450F.

In a small bowl, smash the roasted cloves of garlic with a teaspoon of EVOO. Using a spoon, spread garlic inside potatoes.
Fill potatoes with mushrooms, lox chives and parsley. Bake at 450F for 10 minutes. ( If you prefer, leave the lox chilled until after potato skins are baked, then top them on potatoes.)

lemony peas recipe to follow

Roasted Baby Red Potatoes with Cracked Pepper and Garlic and Garlicky Sour Cream and Chives

Roasted Garlic is DELICIOUS! It has a much milder taste than raw garlic. So good for you too. We put it in so many things!

You will Need:

6-8 baby red potatoes

1 head of Garlic

1 TBSP EVOO

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1 TBSP dried Garlic flakes

1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped

1 cup light Sour Cream

Putting it all together:

Pre-heat oven to 450 F.  Slice off the top of the head  garlic. Place garlic an a small square of foil, drizzle with a bit of EVOO. Roast in oven (no need for a pan) for about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Pre-heat oven to 450 F. Wash potatoes with a veggie scrubber. Cut potatoes into 1/4 pieces. On a broiler pan, drizzle potatoes with EVOO and toss to coat. Coat generously with freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle garlic flakes over potatoes.  Bake for 20-25 minutes untlil fork goes in easily.

In a small bowl, pop the cloves of garlic out of the skins using your fingers. Using a fork, smash the garlic cloves a bit.  Mix sour cream, garlic cloves and chopped chives with a fork.