Rock salt roasted potatoes

The first time I had a salt-roasted something was New Year's Eve. In Vegas. I was five weeks pregnant. If you ever find yourself five weeks pregnant and your head is constantly pounding and you never, not even for a minute, not feel like puking, I have some advice for you. Don't go to Vegas. And especially don't go there on the most raucous, outrageous, revelry-filled night of the year. You will want to punch all the yard-slamming, 'wooooo-hooooooing' guidos, tricked out hos, and chain-smoking, chain-wearing ballers you encounter. And that will be 99% of the people you encounter. I don't hate. I've definitely been there.

NYE 2009. That's me on the right. Sober and extremely annoyed.

Since I wasn't about to spend a small fortune at da club, I decided I could justify spending a small fortune at dinner. So my precious sister, her good bud and I got all dressed up and took ourselves out to B&B Ristorante. We had had one of the best meals of our lives at Babbo in NYC a few months prior and were hoping for a repeat performance. And we got it (minus the part where I could see aforementioned guidos stumble by just a few yards from our table). There were a few standouts during this meal: 1) Karen rushing off to buy me regular strength Tylenol mid-appetizer, 2) not really minding that I couldn't drink champagne (me!? what!??), and 3) the beet salad that I stole a few bites of from Karen's sweet friend. I like beets. They're pretty great. But ohmygoodness these beets were insane. I asked the server about them and expected to hear the usual reasons (butter, lots of olive oil, crack), but I was blown away when she said they were salt roasted. I'd never heard of this method of prep before, and I was determined to repeat it immediately.

Fast forward a year and a half. I had forgotten about my salty beet resolution until dinner the other night when I found myself with a bag of tiny red potatoes and a big 'ol box of rock salt. This rock salt was used once to make the biggest homemade ice cream disaster. I had the highest of hopes for homemade ice cream, and I hope to revisit this at some point. Since I'm still traumatized from the sticky mess cleanup, the rock salt must find another purpose.

I haven't researched why salt works magic on veggies. And I'm guessing that any vegetable with a skin would work well with this. My guess is that the salt pulls moisture from the skin, but that the skin insulates and protects the tender flesh of the vegetable. Do you know? Have you tried this with other things? Leave me a comment, if so! These potatoes were miraculously light and fluffy, but perfectly crisp and immaculately salty on the outside. I loved this, and I can't wait to try it out on more stuff.


Rock salt roasted potatoes
Small potatoes (red, fingerling, etc.)
Olive oil
Rock salt or any other coarse salt

Rub the outside of potatoes with a little olive oil and place in a baking dish. Pour salt around the potatoes so that just a bit of the skin pokes out. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes to an hour, or until a knife inserted into the potatoes meets little resistance. Remove from the oven, and brush the salt off. I halved mine and dabbed a bit of butter on top. Enjoy!

Pork, pasilla and sour cream enchies

Crap. I totally meant to take a picture of the finished product. But they came out of the oven and Bubba was hollering about something and then I was starving and Chad was starving and we ate massive amounts of them and the next day we shoved some more into our hungry little gullets and now there's none left. Enjoy a pic of my precious child instead. Then let's focus on what's really important. These. were. to die for.

Most expats, whether they love or hate the Lone Star State, have one or two things they really really miss about it. HEB, Big Red, floating the Frio...

Anyone who has had more than four conversations with me knows that I'm obsessed with Sonic drinks with lots of crunchy ice. Four Sonics in Washington = massive cravings for these at all times. Running a really close second to syrupy sweet goodness is a platter of sour cream chicken enchiladas.
Platter, of course, includes a triangle of refried beans; buttery, tomato-y rice dotted with peas and carrots, and a heaping portion of white enchiladas with a sprinkle of cheddar over the top. Rolled tortillas peek out the side, chunks of chicken spilling out. Juicy meat is spiced with tangy green chiles and cumin. It's the perfect comfort food. And as simple as it seems, I have yet to find anything resembling it in Warshington. I've made a pretty mean version on my own for years now, the recipe taken from Lone Star Legacy. I subbed pork for this attempt. Simmering bone-in chops with dried pasilla peppers in chicken broth, onions, cilantro and garlic resulted in a much tastier filling and subsequent sauce. Really powerful extra sharp Tillamook cheddar and hefty smears of sour cream don't hurt, either. You can get big 'ol bags of dried pasilla peppers in the Mexican food section of the grocery store.

Pork, pasilla and sour cream enchiladas
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 (approximate) cups chicken broth
3 bone-in pork chops
2 dried pasilla peppers, stems and seeds removed and cut into big chunks
2 cups sour cream, divided
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheddar - the sharper the better
10 corn tortillas
oil for frying

In large saucepan with lid, saute onions on high in a small glug of olive oil. Cook until onions are soft, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook a minute more. Toss in the peppers and cilantro and add about a cup of broth. Nestle the pork chops into this, and add more broth until the chops are almost submerged. Reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour or so. Turn the pork once to ensure that the meat is cooked through. Remove the pork chops and let rest on a plate. Remove peppers and discard. Turn the heat on the liquid to high and boil for about 20 minutes, or until liquid is reduced to half. Stir in one cup of sour cream, cumin and chili powder. Taste for salt and pepper.
While liquid is boiling, carefully cut the meat from the bones and coarsely chop. Put pork in a small bowl with a cup of the sauce. Stir to combine and set aside.
Heat oil in a wide pan on high. Fry tortillas (two or three at a time) for 30 seconds on each side. All you're doing here is softening the tortillas so they don't break during assembly. Don't cook until crispy. Let drain on paper towels.
Spread half a cup of sour cream on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon a tablespoon of the pork filling onto the center of the tortilla and sprinkle with a tablespoon of cheese. Roll the sides in and place seam-side down in the baking dish. You should be able to cram 2 rows of four, plus two enchiladas on the end. Pour remaining sauce over the top, then spread the remaining half-cup of sour cream over all of this, ensuring that no tortillas are exposed. Sprinkle remaining cheddar evenly over the top.

Bake at 350 for 20 or 30 minutes, or until cheese has browned a bit on top and the enchiladas are bubbling. Serve with fresh lime wedges, fresh cilantro and a Sonic drink!