Recipe(tried): Rib Eye Roast Menu Suggestions - Roasted Baby Root Vegetables, Creamy Spinach with Smoked Gouda Gratin, More

Smashed Potatoes with Garlic and Herb Cheese, and Chives, and Spinach Salad with Apples, Gorgonzola and Pecans - Four side dish ideas for Pam, WA

Hi Pam:-) I have tried all of these recipes and they are all very good. I hope others will also post some ideas for you to choose from too. For this first recipe, If you don't like turnips, eliminate them. Baby vegetables can get quite expensive so you can use regular beets and carrots. Just cut them into pieces that are all about the same size - about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. The colors of beets, carrots, and potatoes, (or just carrots and beets) together is dazzling. Roasting them, brings out the natural sugar in them. They taste amazing! I would, after the many times I have made this, recommend that you roast the vegetables at a temperature no higher than 450 degrees F, and maybe even lower the temperature to 425 degrees F so they don't get too brown, or watch them, closely, at 475 degrees F. You may not want to roast them the full 30 minutes at 475 degrees.

BABY ROOT VEGETABLES:
Emeril Lagassee

1/4 pound baby turnips, peeled and stem ends trimmed
1/4 pound baby red carrots, peeled and stem ends trimmed
1/4 pound orange carrots, peeled and stem ends trimmed
1/4 pound baby golden beets, peeled and stem ends trimmed
1/4 pound baby beets, peeled and stem ends trimmed
1/4 pound fingerling potatoes, halved
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl, and season with the salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and place in a roasting pan or on a sheet pan.

Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, turning once midway during cooking to ensure even browning. Serve with the herb roasted chicken.


CREAMY SPINACH WITH SMOKED GOUDA GRATIN
Source: Food and Wine
Servings: 6

"To make sure this gratin is rich and luscious, be sure to squeeze all the excess liquid from the spinach before adding the b chamel."

Water
1 1/2 pounds baby spinach
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
Smoked Gouda B chamel (recipe below)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons coarsely shredded smoked Gouda cheese

Preheat the broiler and position a rack 10 inches from the heat. In a large soup pot, bring 1/4 inch of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook over high heat, tossing with long tongs, until completely wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a colander and drain, pressing out as much liquid as possible.

In a medium, ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over high heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wilted spinach and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the Smoked Gouda Bechamel and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until bubbling, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the spinach with the bread crumbs and shredded Gouda and broil for 2 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Serve hot.

SMOKED GOUDA B CHAMEL
Makes 1 1/2 cups

"B chamel is a classic French white sauce made by stirring milk into a cooked mixture of flour and butter. Adding smoked Gouda makes it thick, creamy, cheesy and irresistible."

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 pound smoked Gouda cheese, coarsely shredded
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk over moderately high heat for 30 seconds. Add the milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cream, smoked Gouda, paprika and nutmeg and whisk just until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Use right away or cover directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Smashed Potatoes with Garlic and Herb Cheese, and Chives
From Rachael Ray
Yield: 4 portions

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and chunked, 3 large potatoes
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup half-and-half or cream, eyeball it
4 ounces, 1/2 cup garlic and herb cheese (recommended: Boursin)
3 tablespoons chopped chives or, 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Place potatoes in a pot, covered with cold water. Cover pot with lid and bring water to a boil. Salt boiling water and potatoes. Leave lid off pot and simmer at rolling boil until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to hot pot. Smash potatoes with a little half-and- half or cream and garlic and herb cheese. Smash and incorporate chives. Add salt and pepper, to your
taste.

The only change that I made in the following recipe from our dear Gina was that I toasted the pecans before adding them to the salad. I toasted them in a single layer on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes. I cooled them, then coarsely chopped them before I added them to the salad.

Spinach Salad with Apples, Gorgonzola and Pecans
From Gina/FL
Servings: 4

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 (6 oz.) bag baby spinach leaves
1 large apple, thinly sliced
2 ozs. gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped pecans
croutons

Conbine the vinegar, syrup, and olive oil in a small bowl and whisk until blended. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Combine the spinach, apples, cheese and nuts in a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing ans toss to coat.

Serve in individual bowls and top with croutons.