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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, July 11, 2007

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Try new potatoes in lasagna

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Columnist

 •  Demand puts acai out of reach for those closest to it

Fourth of July week, my brother invited us out to a barbecue. I thought I'd make a potato salad and bought a bunch of red-skinned new potatoes.

But when I called Brother to say I was making potato salad, he said he'd already boiled potatoes and was making his own potato salad. Darnit!

The next day, Italy still on my mind (I just got back from a trip there), I decided to try and use up the potatoes in a dinner dish — lasagna made with thin-sliced potatoes instead of pasta. Here's what I made.

It was delicious and you might like to try it. Warning: It makes enough for a crowd. Feel free to use more or fewer seasonings.

LASAGNA BATATA

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 bunch kale or collard greens, washed, trimmed

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 small onion, diced

  • 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, minced

  • 1 pound 80-percent-fat ground beef

  • 1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste

  • 6 red new potatoes, washed, unpeeled

  • 1 (14-ounce) carton ricotta cheese

  • Olive oil or cooking spray

  • 1/2 cup shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 2 tablespoons flour

  • 1 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half

  • Salt and pepper

    In wok or frying pan, heat olive oil and stir-fry greens, garlic, onion and parsley, just until collards are bright green and onion is translucent. Set aside.

    In wok or frying pan, brown together ground beef and tomato paste. Set aside.

    Slice potatoes very thinly. Oil or spray a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Layer potatoes, greens, onion and flavorings, ground beef, ricotta and repeat. Top with Parmesan.

    In a saute pan or sauce-pan, melt butter and whisk in flour and cook 10 minutes. Add milk or half-and-half to make a white sauce. Flavor with salt and pepper. Top casserole evenly with white sauce.

    Bake at 325 degrees for 60 to 90 minutes until potatoes are tender.

    Makes 12 servings.

  • Per serving: 320 calories, 18 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 17 g protein

    Send recipes and queries to Wanda A. Adams, Food Editor, Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.

    For more information about our 150th anniversary cookbook, call 535-8189 (message phone; your call will be returned). You can order the cookbook online.