Butter Crunch Parsley Potatoes

As the French would say....crunchy bonté beurre...oui!

All in a hard days work....not! In liu of office speak, a client had hinted to a potato she serves up every Thanksgiving that is not only a family treasure, but it's crunchy! I just had to try for myself even though this would totally defeat the purpose of my low carb week....eh whatever. I just happened to have some baby golden yukons, fresh parsley and chilled Pinot lying around. With an important paper due for school, pending work tasks that I could have gotten a head start on over the weekend and a multitude of household tasks....I got straight to cookin'....all...freakin...day. It was great....the food too. :)

1 lb of baby Yukon Gold potatoes
4 tblsp salted melted butter
Handful of fresh parsley leaves chopped
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350F

Pour about 3 tablespoons of the melted butter in the bottom of a shallow baking dish that is large enough for all of the potatoes. Sprinkle in the chopped parsley. Cut the potatoes in half and place cut-side down into the dish. Pour the remaining butter over the top of potatoes and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place in the over and roast for 25-35 minutes until fork tender and the bottoms are golden brown and crunchy.

Zucchini Rice

The one, the only....Zucchini Rice. I'm so proud of this dish as it is easy to make, can be served hot or room temp and everyone seems to love it. It's perfect as a side or on its own. This dish also pairs well with almost anything from grilled chicken, ribs (see Asian Style Ribs) or burgers. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

This serves 2-4 people. Double the recipe for more, just remember to rinse the rice thoroughly before cooking or you'll end up with mushy rice.

• 1 large zucchini cut into large cubes with skin
• 1 small shallot minced (substitute with red onion)
• 1 cup of diced button mushrooms (optional)
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 cup of white rice
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth (substitute with water)
• ½ cup olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Handful of chopped Italian Parsley for garnish (optional)

Cook rice using the chicken broth, set aside. In a large skillet, at medium-low heat add about half of the oil and add the shallot, garlic and mushrooms to sauté...add some salt to allow the mushrooms to release their moisture. Once the shallots are translucent and mushrooms look about cooked, add the zucchini and lightly sauté leaving the zucchini slightly crunchy. Turn up to medium-high heat and add the rest of the oil. Add in the cooked rice and lightly fry the rice by patting it down then stir to combine all of the ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. If the rice is sticking….check your heat or add more oil. Garnish with chopped parsley and.....SERVE!