New Years' Eve Menu

MTH and I are thinking of making our own fancy dinner.  I cheated and looked at epicurious menus instead of trying to figure out a menu on my own.  I want to make items like we would order at a nice restaurant.

Proposed Menu:
Salmon Rilletes on Toast
Three French Cheeses with Apple, Fennel and Walnut Salad (will substitute pecans for the walnuts)
Main Meat Dish - here's where you come in - please give ideas!!  MTH vetoed the veal rib chops with caramelized fennel and figs
Potatoes Simmered in Saffron
Veggie Side Dish - if you have any ideas for a tasty veggie side dish, I would love to hear them!

Drinks:
Sparkling Wine
Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc (present from a dear friend!)
Other wines I find at the store

We'll let you know how the meal goes!

Grilled Potato Salad

If you've discussed grilling with me, then you know I've made grilled potato salad in the past. Well, I've found a better way. Slice the potatoes instead of chunks.

Ingredients:
Potatoes
Mustard
Olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes
White wine vinegar

Directions:
Peel or wash the potatoes well. Slice as consistently as possible (about 1/4 inch). Parboil for about 5 minutes. Dry the potatoes thoroughly. In a bowl big enough to hold the potatoes, mix the last 5 ingredients to make a sauce (use the amounts that will coat the number of potatoes you have). On a preheated grill, grill the potatoes until they are browned on both sides. Return them to the bowl with the sauce and mix with the remains. Enjoy!

Yankee Pot Roast (About 2 1/2 hours)

Last weekend, the grocery store had chuck roasts half off. So, I decided to buy one along with some parsnips, carrots and potatoes. I knew the basic idea of how to make a pot roast and what I would need to do it but I still had to look up a recipe for some added instructions. Here's what I did.

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, October 2007

1 teaspoon canola oil
2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled parsnip (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups (1-inch-thick) slices carrot (about 8 ounces)
2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled baking potato (about 1 pound)

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef to pan, browning on all sides (about 8 minutes). Remove from pan. Add a little more oil. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until beginning to brown. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; add spices through bay leaves. Return roast to pan; bring to a simmer.

Cover and bake at 300° for 1 1/2 hours. Stir in parsnips and carrots. Bake, covered, 1 hour. Stir in potato; cover and bake 30 minutes or until roast and vegetables are very tender. Discard bay leaves.

Surf and Turf, MTH Style

MTH decided he wanted to eat in last night so he stopped at Whole Foods on his way home. At first, he wanted some grilled fish. Then, he remembered that we'd had sushi on Friday so he changed his mind. Then, he chose a ribeye and some shrimp. He also picked up some cheese, bread, potatoes, broccolini and green peppers. I had some dry rub that we'd made a while back for some other recipe. It had some cinnamon, chile pepper and other flavors I don't remember. We decided it would probably be good on steak. We also added some fresh cracked pepper and roasted red pepper flakes. While he was making the steak, I steamed the broccolini and then sauteed it in olive oil with garlic. The potatoes were from the freezer. They were flavored with rosemary, sea salt and olive oil. We only needed to pop them in the oven for a little while. MTH roasted the green pepper to go with the steak. So, finally our meal was grilled steak with grilled shrimp and blackened pepper, rosemary, sea salt and olive oil potatoes and garlic infused broccolini.