Back To The Future

The future of my cooking that is. Finally back to my usual cooking schedule after all the travel and other interruptions. Trying out two new recipes this week, the first one was made last night. I have had this on my menu once or twice in the past few weeks but it just hadn't happened for one reason or another. Last night my plans finally came to fruition. I really enjoyed this recipe, despite the fact that I was having a clumsy night in the kitchen. I think I'll definitely make some variation of this recipe again in the future.

Warm Spinach Salad with Fried Egg and Potatoes
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4












4 tablespoons olive oil
2 baking potatoes (about 1 lb. total), scrubbed and cut into 1/2" cubes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 shallot, minced
2 bunches flat-leaf spinach (about 2 pounds total), thick stems removed, leaves washed well and roughly torn
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler
4 large eggs

• In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until potatoes are tender and browned, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine remaining 2 tablespoons oil with vinegar, mustard, and shallot; season with salt and pepper, and whisk to combine. Add spinach and Parmesan (do not toss); set aside.
• When potatoes are done cooking, immediately transfer to bowl with spinach and dressing (reserve skillet). Toss salad until spinach is slightly wilted, and divide among four plates.
• Heat skillet over medium, and gently crack eggs into skillet without breaking yolks. season with slat and pepper. Cook until whites are almost set, about 1 minute. Cover, turn off heat, and let stand until whites are just set but yolks are still soft, about 2 minutes more. Top each salad with a fried egg and serve immediately.

My notes: I accidentally over-cooked the eggs. Well, I was busy rinsing dishes and just wasn't paying too close attention. Our yolks were still soft, but not very runny so they didn't really mingle with the dressing and salad like I believe they are supposed to. Anyway, the real star of this salad is the combination of flavors from the potatoes and dressing. That was a really fabulous flavor and scent for me. I think this salad, minus the egg, would be a really great accompaniment to the quick and easy crust-less quiches I like to prepare for dinner. Also, I halved the recipe for just the two of us, and since I was doing that I took the easy way out and bought a ready-to-eat bag of baby spinach