Potato Soup

This is by far one of my favorite comfort foods in the entire world. Except for Macaroni and Cheese which can never ever be replaced. Ever. I can't even talk about it... I'm getting all verklempt.

But this ranks in a close second. It's one of those recipes my Mom used to make on cold rainy days for dinner and it always warmed me up.

My Mom grew up in a really (really really really) small town. We're talking small here. Small as in there aren't any stop lights in the entire town. Small as in they recently got a 3 way stop at the busiest intersection and it was kind of a big deal. Small. This is one of the recipes from the local Catholic church's collection of recipes. These small town cookbooks are treasure troves of delicious home-style recipes. You won't find gourmet truffle risotto in there, but you'll find some of the best casserole and soup recipes ever.

Potato Soup

5 large potatoes, diced (peeled or unpeeled, I do it both ways depending on my motivation level)
3 large onions, diced
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp celery seed
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream

In a large pot, cook onions, potatoes, celery salt and celery seed in just enough water to cover them. Boil for about 20 minutes, or until fork tender. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk together to make the roux. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, being careful not to burn. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking milk mixture over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add sour cream and cheese, stir until combined and cheese is melted. Pour the cheese sauce into the pot of boiling vegetables (do not drain the vegetables). Stir until completely combined and cook for a few minutes. If the soup is too thick, add a little water. If the soup is too thin, cook longer until it reaches the desired consistency.

Serve with crusty bread and a small side salad.

Enjoy!

Nifflies

Nifflies, otherwise known Spaetzle, are German-style egg noodle dumplings. And they're awesome. If you're not into the whole pork-roast-sauerkraut thing, these are delicious with a pat of butter on top.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the nifflies, because frankly, they're not that photogenic. Especially when most of your serving ware is white. And also when you have a husband who you have to hold back from this meal using forks so that you can take a few pictures. If you look really closely, under the mound of sauerkraut John spooned onto his plate, you can see the delicious nifflies sticking out. 

Nifflies
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
small amount of water

In a medium bowl, mix together flour and salt. Add in the eggs and combine. Add the water, 1 tbsp at a time, until a wet, sticky dough forms. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. One the water is boiling, start cutting the dough in. Using a small spoon, scrape a small amount of the dough (about 1/2 tbsp) from the bowl into the boiling water. To make it easy for the dough to fall off the spoon, quickly dip the spoon with the dough into the water. Repeat until the bottom of the pot is roughly dotted with nifflies. Using a slotted spoon, carefully stir the nifflies off the bottom of the pot, just to get them off the pan. Wait until they float to the top, and then let them cook for a few more minutes (2-3). Use the slotted spoon and remove them from the water. Place into a large serving dish. Cover while you cook the rest. Continue cooking until the dough is gone (I usually have to do about 4 batches). Serve hot with pork roast and sauerkraut.

Enjoy!

Pork Roast and Sauerkraut

This is hands down John's favorite meal. I make this for him every year for his birthday and he eats more than any human person should consume in the span of 30 minutes. We had this for dinner last week on his birthday and he was in German-style dinner heaven. So, for all the German pork roast lovers out there, this one's for you!

Pork Roast and Sauerkraut

As you can see, the ingredient list for this dinner is pretty small, which is awesome. It also means that the type of sauerkraut and quality of pork you use has a dramatic impact on this meal. This time I used Vlasic Classic sauerkraut and good quality pork tenderloin from a local butcher. John said it was the best one I've made!

1 28-32oz jar sauerkraut
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb)
olive oil
salt pepper

Preheat oven to 350º. Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a medium sized oven-proof dish. Spoon sauerkraut into dish. Place pork roast in the middle of the sauerkraut. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for about 1-1½ hours, or until a meat thermometer in the pork registers 160º. Remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil. Let rest for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Psst! You should serve pork roast and sauerkraut with Spaetzle (or as we call them Nifflies). Coming on Wednesday!