Week 11: Potato and Green Bean Bake

This week's recipe is another from the Hamlyn collection's 200 Italian favorites cookbook. I guess things just worked out that way. The dish doesn't need a whole lot of introduction other than that I thought it would be a nice, easy meal, something not too similar to what I did last week.

So, without further ado, I give you the convenient potato and green bean bake, found on pages 200-201 of the cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 pound of floury potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks (I used eight Russet potatoes, but I would suggest maybe six next time; I cut them in half and then quartered each of the halves, but it's really up to you what "large chunks" means)
10 ounces of green beans, trimmed and halved (basically just pop the ends off and snap what remains of the bean in half to get pieces that are roughly one inch long)
Two large garlic gloves, finely chopped (I would recommend mincing next time)
Handful of torn basil leaves
Three eggs, beaten with a whisk
About one cup of grated Parmesan cheese
7 ounces of ricotta cheese (about half of a 15-ounce container)
A little less than a cup of breadcrumbs (I used regular, but Panko might be an interesting change for next time)
Two tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil water and add salt. Pour in the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the beans, and cook for an extra 3-4 minutes. Drain the water from the pan, return the vegetables to it, and mash to achieve a lumpy texture.

 2. Add the eggs, garlic, basil, and both cheeses. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Spray a baking dish (I used a 9 x 13 inch dish) with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle a thin layer of breadcrumbs on the oiled surface. Pile in the mash, sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs, and drizzle with the olive oil.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the topping is crisp and golden.

Note: You might choose instead to cook the potatoes and green beans separately, adding butter and cream to the potatoes before combining them with the green beans. This might make for a slightly more cohesive dish with a more moist, satisfying texture. Also, I would recommend chopping your vegetables while the water boils and then waiting until the dish is in the oven to cook or assemble any accompanying dishes (for instance, I also made basil chicken to go along with the potato and green bean bake; see my recipe for oregano chicken, if you haven't already. I did basically the same thing this time, only I swapped in basil for the oregano).

This is the first dish in a long time where I felt I really needed some improvements. The flavors were all there, but I still felt I was missing a special something. Luckily, my family was only too happy to let me know what I could do next time to ensure better success.

First of all, I think I used too many breadcrumbs because the resulting dish was a little dry. I also think there was too much potato to go around, which meant there wasn't enough egg to bind the dish together. So, you could either add another couple of eggs or reduce the number of potatoes (see the ingredient list above).

I thought a great change would be to use Yukon Gold potatoes instead of russets. If you didn't already know, I absolutely adore Yukon Gold potatoes. I mean, the name even tells you how good they are! Who would eat Yukon Silver or Yukon Bronze potatoes? Honestly...Anyway, I think they have the slightest hint of sweetness, and they are always so tender. I can't believe I didn't try it the first time around!

Another thing I might do differently next time is to sprinkle extra Parmesan cheese on the top of the dish after the breadcrumbs have been added. As far as the breadcrumbs go, I might mix the oil with them next time, too. That might prevent the dryness I got this time (this tip comes from Mom). Mom also suggested adding cauliflower to the mix next time for some added variety and crunch. In addition, she told me I could boil the chopped or minced garlic with the potatoes to get a more infused garlic taste throughout the dish. I wonder how garlic powder would taste mixed into the mash.

That said, we enjoyed the flavor of the dish (Dad ate without talking and hummed while he was eating, so I think that's a good sign), and it was very manageable to make in the kitchen, as you can see by the short lists of steps and ingredients, and to buy the ingredients, since they are pretty much kitchen staples (maybe not the ricotta so much, but you have to indulge a tiny bit now and then, don't you?).

Overall, you can see that this dish was pretty tasty, but I also have a lot of room to build on the current recipe for next time. I would be interested to try a variety of spice and seasoning combinations to make the dish taste different, but for now, I think I will stick with the seasonings here and mainly work on texture. Mom says that I am improving rapidly, so I know that these culinary exercises are worth something. Thanks again for taking the time to read my adventures, and I apologize for the lack of wit today. Some days the jokes come, and sometimes they don't. Whaddya do?

Until next time, happy eating!

As you can see, we also sliced up some tomatoes to serve with the dish, which may seem excessive, what with the plethora of green beans, but I am a non-recovering vegetable junkie, so I have a valid excuse. Photo enhanced with Instagram filtering.