I was just in the U.K. for a fabulous family holiday, and it was one of the most relaxing and peaceful vacations I’d taken in a long time! I suffer from a bit of FOMO, and on vacations tend to want to see, do, eat, play, touch, and experience everything. I sometimes forget that it’s also really nice to just while away the hours reading a book in the unseasonably warm fall sunshine and take leisurely walks to the pub down the road. And on this vacation, that was exactly what we did! We were in Devon, in the beautiful English countryside, staying in cabins in Dartmoor National Park. If you, like me, got confused and realized that you didn’t actually know what a moor is, I got you – it’s an expanse of open uncultivated land or rolling infertile land, characterized by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. The Merriam-Webster dictionary notes that the term “moor” is “chiefly British.” Anyway, what it looks like is soft, undulating hills dotted with shrubs, heather, cows, horses, and sheep. The whole family had a taxing daily schedule of pool time in the morning, tennis before lunch, and an afternoon excursion either to the pub or one of the nearby towns, all the while stopping to say hello to the animals along the way. What an idyll!

Anyway. Back to food. If there’s one thing I love about the U.K., it’s the potatoes. I am a big potato fan. Roasted, mashed, boiled, au gratin-ed, chipped, cheese-and-onion crisped. All of it. The first time I went to the U.K. with James, I went a little overboard and actually got sick of potatoes. I know, rookie mistake. Not this time, though. And so, in honor, I bring  you a recipe for herby, brothy, buttery roasted potatoes. These potatoes roast in ungodly amounts of butter, then simmer in a fragrant herb broth. They come out crisp and browned on the outside, but beautifully soft, pillowy, and – yes – melty on the inside. They are a must for every potato aficionado.

Now, these potatoes are not exactly a fast weeknight side, as they take about 45 minutes total to roast, and you have to flip and fuss with them not once, but twice over that time. They definitely aren’t a I’m-starving-and-I’m-lazy-and-I-want-to-eat-dinner-NOW kind of potato, but they are a ooh-I’m-liking-these-so-much-I’ve-almost-forgotten-how-much-time-I’ve-spent-on-them kind of potato. Besides, potatoes do take notoriously long to roast, so don’t think that you can get those delicious crispy outsides and soft, fluffy insides in 10 minutes! If you’re cooking some easy seared steak and steamed vegetables, perhaps, or if you’re looking for an alternative to french fries for a juicy burger, spend a little extra time on these potatoes – you won’t regret it! 

Notes:

• Yes, 500 degrees Fahrenheit! Yes, this is crazy hot. The basic gist of the process goes: roast 15 minutes, flip and roast 15 minutes, add broth and roast 15 minutes. I’ve made this keeping the temperature at 500°F for all three of the fifteen minute intervals. I’ve also turned down the heat to 450°F in the middle of the second interval, because I wanted to roast some other veggies in the oven at the same time (weeknight dinner = compromises, y’all). I didn’t notice any discernible difference after turning the heat down, so I suspect that keeping the temperature anywhere between 450 and 500°F will work. Deb also concurs.
• The potatoes can roast very deeply brown, but the addition of the broth will mellow the browning and the potatoes will not taste burnt. I did have some problems with the broth evaporating too quickly, however, leaving me with no tasty juices at the end. If you’d like some more broth at the end, using a smaller pan that just fits the potatoes in one layer will help cut down on the evaporation.

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Melting Potatoes

Source: Smitten Kitchen, where it was adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons (or more, to taste) chopped fresh thyme or rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds Yukon gold or Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock or low-sodium broth
• 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed, and chopped coarsely

Instructions

• Heat oven to 500°F. See note above regarding oven temps.
• Melt butter in a small bowl. Stir in herbs, salt, and pepper. Pile the potatoes in a 9×13 (quarter-sheet) metal baking pan (a glass baking dish shouldn’t be used at this high of a temperature). Drizzle the butter mixture over the potatoes and mix with your hands to coat the potatoes evenly. If your potatoes, like mine, came straight from the fridge, the cool temperature will re-solidify the butter. Don’t worry – the butter will still be spreadable, so just smear it all around until the potatoes are coated, like in my pictures.
• Roast potatoes for 15 minutes. Use a thin spatula to loosen potatoes and turn them over. Roast for another 15 minutes. Then, carefully pour stock or broth into pan and add the garlic. Roast for 15 minutes more, until potatoes are fully tender.

I went to the Chinese supermarket last weekend, so fair warning – what follows is going to be an absolute slew of Chinese recipes. Whhheeeee!!!

I love Chinese food. Being Chinese myself, this is hardly surprising, but I can’t go probably more than two weeks without eating a bowl of rice. When I was 18, my family and I went on a cruise to Alaska. I was absolutely bedazzled by the immense supply and quantity of food on board the boat, but, cruise cuisine probably not being that international back in 2001, I remember eating a lot of meat, potatoes, and cake. Don’t get me wrong – I loved every minute of it, especially the endless dessert platters (a bit of foreshadowing of my college life as well…), but as the ship put-put-putted back to port in Vancouver, I had the most intense craving for soy-sauce licked meats, soft, fluffy mounds of short-grain rice, and crisp, sweet, crunchy pea shoots laced with garlic.

If you’ve never had pea shoots before, please please please try some. They are light and sweet, what happens when the springy flavor of peas marries the crunch of romaine lettuce – a “more interesting spinach,” as James says! Sadly, I’m a little late to the game, as pea shoot season is coming to an end. You might still be able to find some, though, and restaurants will probably still have it on their menu.

Not surprisingly, pea shoots are the very young, tender vines of the pea plant. Each shoot is about a few inches long, and consists of a stem, leaves branching from that stem, and little tendrils curling from the leaves. As I mentioned, they’re fairly seasonal, and are freshest and most abundant in the spring or early summer, when the pea plants are just starting to mature. When they’re available, they’re omnipresent in Chinese restaurants and Asian supermarkets. That’s where I buy them, although farmers markets are a good bet too.

You’ll want to look for pea shoots that are fresh, bright, green, and free from bruised or wilted leaves. They could also be labeled as pea tendrils, pea greens, or pea tips. The central stem should look crisp and tender. Older shoots will have a thicker stem, which tends to start look a bit leathery – avoid these if possible, as the shoots will be tougher and chewier to eat. Pea shoots are a rather delicate vegetable, and should be used within a few days of purchase. If you see the leaves wilting or the shoots turning mushy or discolored, you’ll want to use them immediately!

Pea shoots are very versatile, but I like them best sautéed with lots and lots of fresh garlic. Here’s a picture of them with beef chow fun for a surprisingly easy and delicious dinner!

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Sautéed Pea Shoots with Garlic

Ingredients

• Pea shoots, about 1 pound for four side servings
• Canola, vegetable, grapeseed, or other neutral oil
• 4 (or more) cloves garlic, minced
• Salt

Instructions

• Wash the pea shoots in cold, running water. I usually just swish the pea shoots around in a large bowl of water, rubbing the leaves periodically to loosen any dirt. Drain the water (the easiest way is to dump the pea shoots into a colander), and repeat a couple of times. Don't bother drying off the pea shoots after the final rinse.
• You can trim off any particularly tough or thick stems, if you desire. I don't usually do this, but if you do, you'll ensure that the greens will be as tender as possible. 
• Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
• Add the pea shoots and season with a few dashes of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pea shoots are tender and softened, and have darkened in color to a deep green, about 3-5 minutes. 

  Some Notes:

  If your pot is too small, like mine, I cover it after adding the pea shoots to ensure a more even cooking process. Just stir occasionally if you cover the pot.

  Also if your pot is too small, just add as many pea shoots as you can at first. Once the pea shoots have cooked down a bit, add the remaining shoots and keep stirring to cook and combine.

  If the pot looks dry, add a splash of water to help steam-sauté the shoots.
  

Ever since I learned about roasting vegetables maybe 8 years ago (it’s impossible to think that I never roasted a vegetable before then!), I’ve been roasting all the vegetables. I’m obsessed with eating my veggies, and this is such an easy, quick, brainless way to get a side of vegetables in. Besides, what’s not to love about little caramelized vegetable bits coated in olive oil, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper? James and I probably roast some vegetables with our dinner 70% of the time. They take absolutely minimal prep, and then you just stick them in the oven, set a timer, and forget about them. Plus roasting has introduced me to completely new vegetables, and reinvented boring old ones – roasted carrots are heaven on earth. All of our roasted vegetables follow a basic process described here.

Some tips that I have learned:

1. For best results, pat the vegetables dry with paper towels and do not crowd them – make sure air can circulate around each piece. The drier the vegetable, the better it’ll crisp up and form a nice char from the roasting pan. I usually prep the vegetables as the first or second thing I do during cooking, then just let the vegetables air dry a bit while I’m prepping other things. If the vegetables are wet, they’ll steam instead of roast. Similarly, if they’re too crowded, they’ll also steam from the moisture evaporating from neighboring vegetable pieces. Steaming means you’ll end up with softer, mushier vegetables. Crowding the vegetables are often something I am guilty of, because I am lazy and I want to cook a whole bunch of vegetables but wash only one baking sheet. Life is choices.
2. To turn or not to turn? Turning vegetables about halfway throughout the roasting process ensures that vegetables brown evenly on all sides. I, however, have begun more and more to skip this step as I am lazy (this seems to be a recurring theme…) and often otherwise occupied. So, my vegetables tend to be extra caramelized and brown on one side, but still bright and green or orange on the other. I like this contrast, and don’t think it deters from the texture or taste. If you are after more even browning, give the vegetables a toss or a turn about halfway through the cooking time.
3. Temperature. I fudge this a lot. Usually I roast everything at 400°F with good results, but if my oven has to do double duty, I usually defer to the temperature of whatever else I’m cooking, as vegetables are less fussy. So I’ve roasted vegetables pretty much anywhere between 350°F and adding more roasting time (vegetables not as crisp, slightly mushier) to 450°F and subtracting roasting time (danger of burning / cooking unevenly). Just keep an eye on the veggies, taste regularly for doneness, and they’ll be okay.
4. I usually just eyeball the amount of oil, salt, and pepper. You’ll want to drizzle the oil over all of the vegetables after spreading them out on the baking sheet. Salt liberally – I sprinkle salt all over the vegetables, making sure I’ve hit every piece. After you’ve mixed everything together, oil should be coating every vegetable piece in an even layer. More delicate vegetables like asparagus or zucchini require less oil, but hardier vegetables with florets like broccoli or cauliflower have more surface area, and thus require more oil. It should sort of feel like you’re rubbing massage oil onto the vegetables – an even coating is good, but too much is not necessary!
5. Bored with salt and pepper? Some other seasonings I love: crushed red pepper, cumin, crushed Szechuan peppercorns.

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Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients

• Vegetables (Favorites: brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini)
• Good quality olive oil
• Good quality sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

• Heat oven to 400°F. See note about temperature above.
• Wash vegetables and trim any tough ends, stems, or stalks away. Cut into bite size pieces. For asparagus, I usually halve them. For brussels sprouts, keep those leaves that fall off when you trim the sprouts! They roast up into the crispiest, most wonderful little chips.
• Spread vegetables out on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables, and sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper. Good quality olive oil, salt, and pepper matter here, as they are often the only seasonings I use. Mix with your hands and ensure that all pieces are coated with olive oil and seasonings.
• Roast for 10-25 minutes. Time will depend on the kind of vegetable and size of the vegetable piece. Here are some recommended times for my favorite vegetables:

  Asparagus: 10-12 minutes

  Zucchini: 15-18 minutes

  Brussels sprouts: 15-20 minutes, depending on size

  Broccoli: 20-25 minutes

  Cauliflower: 20-25 minutes

  Carrots: 20-25 minutes