2 Recipes Today for your Easter Table

Head of Romaine w/Creamy Herby Dressing and Insane Potatoes al Forno

These are both easy dishes that will not only look gorgeous on your family Easter table but will have your friends and family gushing. They are low effort but big on flavor and we love that when cooking for a large group.

While I created these for Easter, they are great all year round. Some dishes feel like special occasion dishes as they combine looks and flavor but I would serve these to a small dinner party as easily as I would have these on a holiday table.

The days are starting to grow longer and with that often comes with a new energy. The darker days of Winter are firmly behind us and for me, Spring always brings a pep to my step. I feel less tired, more motivated and it also sparks a creativity that I am not sure I have felt since before I shot the book. Someone asked me the other day how I stay creatively motivated when I cook so much and make so much content. The honest answer is, I don’t. I have creative lulls like anyone. I have days when I don’t want to do anything. Days when cooking feels more like work than the creative outlet it’s always been. I still show up and push through, but it’s hard. But there is something about the changing of the seasons, that renews that creative spark. I am excited about what I am going to cook next and the new ingredients that are showing up at the farmer’s markets every week. Not sure I have a point here aside from that everything is cyclical. If you feel a little down, know that everything swings on a pendulum and you will go back up again.

Romaine in an Herby Dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, microplane grated

2 anchovy fillets

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

7-8 large fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons flavorful olive oil

2/3 teaspoon Maldon salt or a very large pinch

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey

4 teaspoons finely chopped chives to finish - 1 for each head of romaine

3 radishes, cut into thin matchsticks to finish

Fleur de sel to finish

4 heads of romaine, one per person, any blemished outer leaves removed

Method

Place the dressing ingredients in your blender. That would be the garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, basil leaves, olive oil, salt, pepper, heavy whipping cream, and maple syrup. Blend for about 30 seconds, or until very smooth. A strong blender is needed or else you will have a separated dressing from the cream and lemon. Pour the dressing into a shallow large bowl.

Now take each head of romaine and swirl it in slow motion through the dressing. Work it to get dressing into and between all of the leaves. Place each romaine on a dinner plate and finish with finely chopped chives, radish matchsticks, and a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Provide each guest with a fork and sharp serrated knife and let the fun begin.

*I used prewashed romaine. If you don’t have that, then soak the heads of romaine in a large bowl or sink to clean them. Then hand dry them after.

Recipe #2

Creamy Potatoes al Forno

Serves 4-6

16 small to medium waxy potatoes - peeled and quartered

1 teaspoon duck fat, butter or oil

1 teaspoon Maldon salt

1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

1/2 small yellow onion - finely sliced

3 cloves garlic - finely sliced

3 anchovies - chopped

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 fresh bay leaves

1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream - this amount depends on the size of your baking dish - cream should come up to just under the potatoes by about 1/2’’

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley to finish

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Oil or butter your lidded baking dish. Then add in the potatoes, rosemary, onions, garlic, salt and anchovies. Give it a good mix with your hands. Tuck in the bay leaves and then top with the heavy whipping cream. You want the cream to come up to just under the potatoes, about 1/2’’ under. Use a spoon and spoon over the cream mixture on to the top of the potatoes. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Now uncover and give it all a good mix with a spoon and then dot with the butter and cook uncovered for a further 25 minutes. At this point the potatoes will be golden and bubbling on top. Sprinkle with the parsley and then let sit for 5 minutes to allow any excess cream to soak into the potatoes. Remove the bay leaves and serve.

This is sooo good and so easy and so little prep. It is a crowd favorite.

Enjoy!

xx Corre