RECIPES | threewomeninthekitchen

deborahreinhardt

Nov 10, 20233 min read

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

A familiar side dish of spuds gets a spicy kick from prepared horseradish and sour cream.

mashed potatoes with horseradish sour cream and butter in white bowl sprinkled with parsley — Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

Forget politics. The American people have spoken on a topic of much greater: Thanksgiving side dishes. According to the good folks at Campbell’s, mashed potatoes have toppled stuffing/dressing as the No. 1 holiday side dish.

In its State of the Sides report, Campbell’s breaks down our preferences by state. Missouri, for example, is solidly macaroni and cheese for the best side dish, but our next-door neighbors in Illinois are a cross between mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving side dish? Leave a comment below.

Your favorite may soon be these Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, a recipe courtesy of Family Features. I’ve stirred sour cream into mashed taters but never thought of adding prepared horseradish. What a brilliant way to wake up a—dare I say old—holiday staple. These spicy spuds would work well alongside almost any main dish, including my Best Bottom Round Roast. Let’s get cooking.

To make Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, which yields 4 to 6 servings, you’ll need these ingredients:

2 quarts water
1¼ teaspoons salt, divided
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and halved
1 stick of unsalted butter, cut into 8 slices, divided
16 ounces sour cream
¼ cup prepared horseradish, squeezed of moisture
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped chives, plus additional for topping

Directions to make Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

In a 4-quart pot, bring water and 1 teaspoon salt to boil. Add potatoes and boil 15 to 20 minutes (until fork-tender). Reserve ½ cup liquid.

Drain potatoes and place in bowl. Add six slices of butter and mash potatoes to a chunky consistency.

In medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, horseradish, remaining salt, pepper, and chives. Add mixture to mashed potatoes. Add reserved water. Mash to combine.

Transfer to serving bowl and top with remaining butter pieces and additional chives.

Tips for perfect mashed potatoes

The key is to start with a starchy potato, such as Yukon Gold or russet. Avoid red-skinned potatoes as those are too waxy to mash.

Potatoes need salt at each stage. First, salt the water in which they will boil. Taste after initial mash and salt. I will taste the final product and add salt if necessary.

Don’t cut the potatoes too small prior to boiling as they will absorb too much water while cooking which changes the dish’s texture.

Mashed versus whipped is a common question. Mashed potatoes are chunkier, more rustic, when finished. Often made using a hand masher, you also can quickly mix mashed potatoes with a hand-mixer until they start to get smooth. Be careful not to overwork the potatoes’ starch; this causes a gummy texture.

Whipped potatoes are velvety smooth. This is achieved by running the cooked potatoes through a ricer to create fluffy potatoes and adding warm milk and room-temperature butter to the mixture before whipping with a hand mixer.

How to freeze leftover mashed potatoes

Be sure potatoes have cooled before adding to a freezer-safe container with an air-tight lid. They will stay in the freezer up to two months.

About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.

deborahreinhardt

Nov 2, 20233 min read

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Sweet autumn squash is the star to this creamy, dairy-free recipe.

creamy orange butternut squash soup in bowl on autumn table — Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

My Toast to Roasts closes out with an easy, inexpensive, and budget-friendly recipe. Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is everything you could want in a comforting bowl. It also would make a wonderful first course for your Thanksgiving feast.

I grew up with vegetables on my dinner plate. Mom and Grandma, who believed in the three square meals per day mantra, made certain dinner had a protein, starch, vegetable or a salad. However, the vegetables often were steamed, canned, or lost in a creamy casserole.

In addition to carrots, vegetables to roast include Brussel sprouts, beets, tomatoes (it makes the best pasta sauce), broccoli, cauliflower—well, you get the idea. And winter squash—although technically a fruit—was made for the oven; roasted butternut squash is divine. The squash’s sugars caramelize while roasting, which intensifies the flavor. Another plus to this recipe is there’s no need to break down the raw squash, which can be a real challenge if you’ve never done that.

The natural starches in butternut squash will create a beautiful, creamy consistency when blended right before serving. You’d swear there was milk or cream in this recipe, but there isn’t. It’s also a perfect vegan dish because the veggies simmer in vegetable broth. If you’re not vegan, you could use butter instead of olive oil when softening the soup’s mirepoix. Let’s get cooking!

To make my Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, which yields 8 servings, you’ll need these ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup yellow onion, diced
¼ cup celery, diced
¼ cup carrots, diced
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon yellow curry powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 cups vegetable stock
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

butternut squash on sheet tray lined with foil. cook uses sharp knife to make slits in squash — Before placing the squash into your oven, make several small slits all around to help it cook evenly.

Directions for making Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the whole, raw squash on a foil-lined baking sheet. Carefully prick squash several times all around with tip of sharp knife. This helps the squash to cook more evenly. Roast at least 45 minutes up to one hour (depending on size of squash). You’ll want a knife to easily slide into the squash when it’s finished.

When the squash is done, allow it to cool about 15 minutes so you can easily handle it. Cut the squash in half lengthwise down the middle. You’ll see the seeds and membranes need to be removed, which you can easily do with a spoon. Some folks like to wash, dry, and toast the seeds.

Then, using the same spoon, scoop the baked squash off the vegetable’s outer skin and put into a bowl. Set aside.

Bring a Dutch oven up to medium-high heat on our stovetop. Add olive oil, onion, celery, and carrots. Sprinkle with salt. Cook until onions are translucent; you’re now browning these vegetables, just softening them.

Turn heat to medium and stir in the curry powder and brown sugar until mixture is completely coated. Add vegetable stock. Stir to combine.

Add cooked squash and red chili flakes. Simmer 20 minutes and remove from heat to cool.

Using an immersion tool or a standing blender, puree the soup until creamy. Serve while warm.

Tips to safely blend hot liquid

When using a blender to puree soup, remember hot liquid will expand quickly, potentially spewing hot soup all over your kitchen! The trick is to only fill the blender no more than half full. Make sure the lid is securely on. Some folks like to take the insert of the rubber top out and put a thick towel over the lid.

Start on low and before turning up to pureeing speed. Transfer the blended soup to a clean bowl for serving. Repeat this process until all the soup has been beautifully blended into creamy, delicious bowls of love.

Make it pretty

Here are a few garnishing ideas for my Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Lightly toast pepitas in a skillet over low heat. Sprinkle with salt. Add a pinch of pepitas to the soup right before serving.
A light swirl of tangy plain yogurt or sour cream would balance the soup’s richness.
A simple sprig of fresh herbs (parsley, tarragon, thyme) is beautiful.
Squash and apples are best friends. A thin slice of your favorite apple would present well as a garnish.

About the blog

deborahreinhardt

Oct 23, 20234 min read

Best Bottom Round Roast

A funky rub made with dried mushrooms and other seasonings dresses up this budget-friendly cut for the Sunday family dinner table.

Bottom round roast, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, Canva photo — Bottom Round Roast

Our toast to roasts continues with my Best Bottom Round Roast recipe. Mom called this cut a “rump roast” and we often had it on our Sunday dinner table. I remember the carrots that were added near the end that caramelized in the beef juices—I’ve never been able to replicate what Grandma and Mom did there, but I’m still trying! Served with Grandma’s decadent whipped potatoes, memories of those Sunday dinners always bring a smile.

Let’s face it: proteins are expensive today, so if you splurge on a beef roast—even a more economical cut like this one—you want to get it right. First, look for a rump roast that still has a fat cap. While it’s a naturally leaner piece of meat because it comes from rump and hind leg of the animal, a fat cap will self-baste your roast in the oven. You’ll need a bit of time to tenderize the meat, so a bottom round (rump) roast is good for oven roasting or even in a braise.

I paid about $7 per pound (or about $17) for the rump roast. While that price surely would have caused my mother to spit out a few choice words, keep in mind that you’ll get 8 to 10 servings from the roast. After Sunday dinner, use the beef in sandwiches (grilled with Swiss is amazing) or in other recipes as I suggest below. For about $2.13 per serving, you’ve got an economical showstopper here.

Every home cook should know how to make roast beef, and although there are millions of recipes out there, I like this one. Beef and mushrooms are best buddies. You could simply season the meat with salt and pepper and then make a mushroom gravy, but I think the dry mushroom rub has concentrated flavor that really compliment the beef. Serve with a drizzle of the pan sauce, and holy cow (no pun intended) is this delicious. Well, my mouth is watering, so let’s get cooking!

To make my Best Bottom Round Roast, which yields 8 to 10 servings, you’ll need these ingredients:

1 beef bottom round roast (about 2½ pounds)
½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons cracked pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
Olive oil

The dried porcini mushrooms I bought came in a 1-ounce bag; I used half the bag. If you find a particularly tough stem (as I did) do not use it. You’re looking for pieces that can be easily broken up in your spice grinder.

beef roast on platter, rump roast — The dried mushroom rub creates a beautiful and tasty crust on the roast.

Directions for perfect roast beef

To make the beef rub, place mushrooms in a spice grinder to grind into powder. I broke this process down into two batches and it worked fine. If you don’t have a spice grinder, you can try pounding mushrooms placed in a zipper-top bag into a powder. Honestly, grinders are not expensive ($10 to $20) and are a useful tool to have.

Transfer mushroom powder to a small bowl and add salt, pepper, and onion powder.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Rub the beef roast with seasoned mushroom powder on all sides. An easy way to do this is to sprinkle the mixture on a board and roll meat until fully covered. Pat down and let the seasoned meat rest about 30 minutes to get to room temperature. This also allows some of the flavor to seep into the meat before roasting. If you have time, put the seasoned meat uncovered into the refrigerator for a couple hours.

Place meat on in a roasting pan with a rack with the fat cap facing up. You could also use a cooling rack and a casserole dish or a baking sheet with taller sides so the roasting juices do not spill if you don’t have the roasting pan. The idea is for air to circulate under the meat, too.

Start the roast at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Then drop the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and roast another hour or so until a probe thermometer reaches 125 degrees internal temperature for medium rare.

Remove roast from oven and let rest for 15 minutes in the pan. Carve and serve. Remember, this cut comes from the working part of the animal so look for muscle striation pattern and cut across the grain or against the striations.

How to make an easy sauce

I had a bit of fat and flavored drippings from the roast. Chefs call this “fond.” Don’t wash this down the sink! Deglaze on the stovetop with some red wine or beef stock. I did ½ cup each. As it starts to bubble, using a wooden spoon, scrape the fond from the pan. If you have a sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme, throw it in the pan for extra flavor and let the sauce reduce to a syrup consistency. Remove from heat the add a couple pats of butter. You also could cook the sauce with a bit of shallot or add briny capers at the end.

Leftover lovin’

My favorite for leftover beef roast is stovetop Beef Stroganoff. In a large skillet, add a pat of butter and about a teaspoon of olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add a small onion (yellow or white) that you’ve thinly sliced. To the skillet, add a cup of beef broth, a tablespoon of Worcestershire, a small can of cream of mushroom soup, and ½ up of plain Greek full-fat yogurt. Mix well. While that simmers, cut leftover roast into slices about ½-inch thick (remember, cut against the grain of meat) and then cut slices into strips. Warm the meat in this amazing sauce and serve over cooked egg noodles and serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.