My idea of the 80’s Calgon bubble bath is cooking something fancy, by myself, when there are no time constraints to worry about, or questions to answer.. Especially when I’m just throwing something together, and I don’t have to read, measure, or time things.
I generally head directly to the meat department when I’m trying to come up with something for dinner, then plan my sides accordingly. This time, as I was passing the produce, I noticed my absolute favorite potatoes on the planet. They. Looked. Phenomenal.
All round, and perfect, and tiny, and cute, and Ahhhhhhh! They are so soft, and creamy, and buttery, too.
I just love them.
Marble New Potatoes.
I really just like them boiled with parsley, garlic, butter, and salt.. But I decided to try something a little different this time around.
I diced a few large white button mushrooms and browned them in unsalted butter as a kind of flavor addition?
The pieces were so tiny, and the potatoes were so round (and small and cute and ahhhhhh!) that they kind of just got left on the plate. This seemed to me like a whole wasted prepstep. (it’s my new word.)
Next time I would just get similarly sized mushrooms, brown them, and toss them with the potatoes.
Here’s what I was working with.
I purchased some good looking shrimp, as I wasn’t in the mood for beef. As an afterthought, I should have gotten some pork tenderloin. It would have worked just as well with the same recipe. Just broiled..
I also spotted some pretty, fresh cherries, and thought about the spinach I had left in my fridge. I decided to do a variation of a strawberry spinach salad.
I marinated the shrimp in the lemongrass, garlic, Sriracha, and a bit of olive oil(something that should be left out next time). I fried them at a high heat with enough olive oil to coat the pan. They only need about a minute and a half on each side. I would have preferred them grilled, as well, but my laziness took precedence. The flavor was wonderful.. Not too much heat, but enough to notice the lingering on your tongue.
I browned the mushrooms, set them aside, then tossed them with the potatoes after they had been boiled and were fork tender. I added butter, garlic, and chopped parsley.
For the salad, I just tossed the spinach, pitted and diced cherries, goat cheese, and purple onions with a raspberry walnut vinaigrette. I should have added something for crunch.. Nuts, or cinnamon sugar baked pita chips.. Something.
All of this was delicious. Each part was pretty darn good.
Here’s my gripe.
As a cohesive meal, this didn’t particularly work.
Each element seemed to be coated in a fat. That was the first issue.
The second issue were the potatoes. (nothing personal, potatoes. you know i luh you.) They were too heavy and rich for the shrimp. If I had made a fun spring cous cous instead, and only used a sprinkling of some infused vinegar on the salad, it would have worked beautifully.
Dinner for two.
Shrimp:
.5lb 16/20 shrimp
1tbsp lemongrass
1tbsp garlic
1tbsp serrano chili, minced
EVOO for the pan
.
Potatoes:
1lb new, fingerling, or small red potatoes
.5lb mushrooms
.5cup parsley, chopped (flat or curly.. curly seems to have more flavor.. but flat is prettier? maybe?)(DO WHAT YOU WANT)
1tbsp unsalted butter
1tbsp garlic, minced
salt
Salad:
2cups baby spinach
20 cherries, pitted and chopped
2oz goat cheese
1/4cup red onion, thinly sliced
Dressing of choice (preferably a vinaigrette, or vinegar)
