These cheesy scalloped potatoes (also known as au gratin) are one of the most comforting and satisfying things you can make. They’re a perfect side to any steak dinner, and also make for a show stopping presentation for dinner parties or holidays. It’s easy to prep in advance with basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
• 3-4 large onions
• 1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup chicken stock (substitute for vegetable stock to make dish vegetarian)
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used equal parts gruyere, emmenthal and cheddar)
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• fresh herbs for garnish
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Start by evenly slicing, and then slowly caramelizing all the onions over low heat until deeply browned. I like to do this step in advance and then store the caramelized onions in the fridge until ready to be used.
2. Melt the butter over medium-low heat, and then stir in the flour. Constantly stir for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken stock, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper and add the thyme. Allow to simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes until thick. You’ll know it’s ready when the roux coats the back of your spoon. Remove thyme, and take off the heat. Add half the cheese and stir until melted. Set aside while you prepare the potatoes in the next step
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Use a mandoline to evenly slice the potatoes into very thin disks. Grease a 9″x13″ baking dish and then evenly layer the potatoes, overlapping as you go. After each layer, brush on a coating of the cheesy roux, and top with caramelized onions in even dollops. Continue until all the potatoes are used, and then top with a final layer of roux, evenly pouring on any remainder. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 1 hour.
4. At this point, you can either store in the fridge until you are ready to serve, or continue baking to finish the potatoes. When ready to finish top the potatoes with the remaining cheese, and increase your oven to 450ºF. Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbling and potatoes the top layer of potatoes are starting to crisp. Depending on your oven, you may need to broil for a few minutes.
5. Allow the potatoes to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and garnish with freshly chopped parsley or chives.

Beef cheek is an often under utilized cut of meat. Due to the pronounced lines of collagen that run through beef cheek, it needs to be slowly cooked over a long period of time to ensure the connective tissue breaks down. Smoking, braising, or cooking sous-vide are ideal for preparing beef cheeks. You can slice it thick like a brisket, or shred it apart, making it ideal for tacos or bbq platters.

Ingredients

• 2lb beef cheek
• 3 tbsp ground coffee
• 2 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch Mexican oregano

Method

Pre-heat your smoker to 250°F

Combine all the seasoning to form your coffee rub and generously season the beef cheeks on all sides. Once your smoker is to temperature, cook beef cheeks until an internal temperature of approximately 160°F. When the meat hits 160°F, individually wrap the beef cheeks in butcher paper or heavy duty aluminum foil. Continue to cook until an internal temperature of 210°F. Allow steam to escape the butcher paper, and then rest the beef cheeks covered for at least 30 minutes before slicing or shredding. Total cooking time can range from 8-10 hours.

To make beef cheek tacos, simply pile the shredded meat onto tortillas and top with your favorite salsa, hot sauce and a squeeze of lime.

Tip

• I highly recommend the use of a good meat thermometer when smoking meats like beef cheek. Always cook to temperature and time your meals accordingly. I use the MEATER wireless thermometer for all my cooks. Shop MEATER with 10% off in Canada here and in the US here.

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This crowd pleasing chili-lime chicken wings recipe only uses a handful of ingredients and is easy to prep in advance, perfect for game-day.

Ingredients

• 2 lb chicken wings
• 1/4 Traeger chili & garlic rub
• 1/4 cup Valentina hot sauce
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 lime
• Maggie Seasoning
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• Oil for frying

Method

Start by heavily seasoning the wings and allowing them the cure in the fridge for several hours and up to overnight. The cure is optional, but will help draw out excess moisture, resulting in a crisper crust and juicer wing.

I like to cook these in a smoker, but this recipe also works in an oven. Pre-heat your smoker to 225°F and cook wings for 3 hours. At this point you can either fry your wings right away, or store the wings in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve. When ready to fry, heat oil to 375°F and drop in wings for 1-2 minutes until golden and crispy.

To make the sauce, gently heat the valentina and whisk in butter until combined. Squeeze in the half the lime and season with a dash of Maggie.

Toss wings in the sauce along with the sliced green onion and serve hot, with additional lime.

Tips

• Feel free to adapt this recipe and substitute in your favorite Mexican hot sauce. I like extra hot valentina, but Cholula and Tapatio also make great choices.
• If you don’t have Maggie seasoning, you can either omit, or replace with a dash of Worcester sauce.
• The wings can be smoked/baked in advance, and then frozen in large batches for easy prep when ready to serve. The wings can be fried from frozen.
• If baking in the oven, add a dash of liquid smoke to replicate that wood-fired flavor.

Buffalo Ranch Fried Chicken Sandwich

It doesn’t get much better than fried chicken.  That is, unless you drench it with buffalo sauce and stick it on a toasted brioche bun.  There’s something about the combination of spicy buffalo sauce with a cool, creamy ranch that is so perfect and satisfying.

For this recipe, I’ve partnered with Litehouse. I have been monetarily compensated by Litehouse inc. but any and all opinions are my own.  To be honest, I’m usually not a fan of store bought salad dressings, especially ranch.  I preferred to make my own.  Room temperature ranch dressing from the aisle did not seem very appealing to me.  When Litehouse reached out to me, I was intrigued to try their Ranch.  It’s made with real, fresh ingredients, and sold in the refrigerated section, so you know it’s not full of preservatives.   And I’ve got to say, since they sent me their Homestyle Ranch dressing to try, I haven’t bothered to make my own.  Litehouse is just as good.

I knew that their Homestyle Ranch would be perfect for buffalo chicken sandwiches.  As much as I love the heat from the buffalo sauce, a cool refreshing ranch is the perfect complement and really completes the sandwich.   I wouldn’t use a room temperature ranch, but Litehouse is as fresh as it gets.   I’ve been using this dressing on everything this summer.  Iceberg wedge salads, grilled cabbage, and just cut up veggies for a quick snack.   When looking for Litehouse in the grocery store, be sure to go to the refrigerated section.

Now onto the fried chicken.  I’ve made my fair share of fried chicken and I’ve tried a bunch of different methods.  Brining, not brining, double dipping, bread crumbs, there really are a million different ways to prep chicken for the frier.  One technique that I’ve picked up and stuck with is adding a few tablespoons of the marinade to the flour dredge.  It forms little lumps within the flour which help create a rough texture and a super crispy crust.  I used to double dip in flour, but with thin pieces of chicken, you end up with too much crust.  To me, the marinade in the flour is the perfect solution.

I find that one chicken breast is perfect for two sandwiches.  You want to butterfly right in half so you end up with two thin chicken breasts.  Sometimes, you will be able to find them thinly cut in grocery stores, but if not, just cut it yourself.  Because the chicken is relatively thin, you don’t want to leave them in the buttermilk marinade for two long.  For larger pieces of chicken I would say up to 24 hours is fine, but for these, I wouldn’t go longer than 12.  But don’t worry if you can’t make time for that, a few hours in the fridge should do the trick.

when frying the chicken, be sure not to overcrowd the pan or else the oil temperature may drop.  Getting crispy crust is all about keeping the oil hot.  If the temperature drops, the chicken will absorb the oil and you’ll end up with a soggy crust.

I like to top my buffalo chicken sandwiches with shredded lettuce, tomato, and lots of Homestyle Ranch.  When I made this recipe, I actually had extra chicken and served it as chicken tenders with the Ranch as a dipping sauce.  I hope you enjoy Litehouse’s Homestyle Ranch as much as I did!

Buffalo Ranch Fried Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 2 chicken breasts, butterflied into halves
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Canola oil, for frying

To make the Sandwiches

• 8 tbsp Litehouse Homestyle Ranch Dressing
• 1/4 cup buffalo sauce
• Lettuce, Shredded
• Tomato, Sliced
• 4 brioche buns

Method

In a large ziplock bag or bowl, combine the halved chicken breasts with the buttermilk and 1 tbsp salt. Place in the fridge and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 12.  In another large bowl or ziplock bag, combine the flour, cornstarch, remaining salt, garlic powder, onion power, and paprika. Add 3-4 tbsp of the buttermilk marinade to the flour mixture and stir everything together.  The addition of the buttermilk will create small lumps in the dredge which helps create an extra crispy crust.

Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, and toss each breast in the flour mixture ensuring it is fully coated.  Place the dredged chicken on parchment paper until ready to fry.  When ready to fry, heat oil to in a large, heavy bottomed pan to 360°F.

Carefully place the chicken breasts into the oil and fry for 5-7 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165°F.  I recommend cooking the chicken in two batches to ensure the oil temperature doesn’t drop too low.  When the chicken is done, remove to wire rack or paper towel to drain excess oil.

To coat the chicken in the buffalo sauce, either toss all the fried chicken in a bowl with the buffalo sauce, or brush the sauce onto each piece of fried chicken.  Either will work.  When ready to build the sandwiches, toast each brioche bun, and spread a generous dollop of Litehuse Homestyle Ranch onto the bottoms and tops of each bun.  Place lettuce on the bottom bun followed by the chicken and then tomatoes.  Finally place the top bun on and dig in!

Grilled Baby Gem with Charred Jalapeño Ranch Dressing

Summer is here and that means it’s officially grilling season.  It’s not that I don’t grill during the rest of the year, in fact, I’m content with barbecuing in a blizzard.  But now that we’re finally getting some good weather, I’m basically doing all my cooking outdoors.  I’ll grill anytime, and I’ll grill anything.

For this post, I’ve partnered with HomeSense. HomeSense is my go to spot for all my BBQ entertaining essentials.  They’ve got tons of outdoor dishes, glasses, and all the accessories you could ever need, everything is at a great price too.  With Father’s Day around the corner, It’s the perfect spot to find gifts as well.  Click here to find your local HomeSense.

Homesense provided me with some great grilling accessories for this post so in addition to the recipe, I’m going to share a few tips and accessories that I really loved.

Everybody likes to grill burgers, steaks, hotdogs, and chicken, but there are so many other fun things that taste great when grilled.  I’m a big fan of wedge salad, especially during the summer. It’s something I make all the time.  All you need is a crisp green like romaine, iceberg lettuce, or in this case baby gem, and a creamy ranch.  You could throw that on a plate and call it a day.  Or, you could step up your game and grill your wedge salad.  It’s super easy and also a fun way to change things up from the usual routine.

Grilling baby gem takes no time at all.  A minute on a hot grill is all you need to get a bit of a char and tons of smokey flavour.  The Jalapeño buttermilk ranch also goes perfect with the grilled greens.  I take all the seeds out so its not too spicy but you definitely still get a bit of heat.  If you don’t typically make your own ranch dressings, you should.  You only need a few ingredients and it’s so much better than store bought.  You can change it up really easily by adding herbs or different spices.  I often add dill and parsley to this dressing as well.  I also like that you can completely control the consistency of the dressing.  Just add a bit more buttermilk to thin it out or add a little more yogurt if you prefer a thicker dressing.

I wanted to keep this salad relatively simple so I just added a handful of cherry tomatoes.  But you could make things a bit more interesting by adding different veggies or even fruit.  Cucumber and onion are always safe bets but some sort of citrus like orange or grapefruit would also be a fun addition.  Same goes for cheese.  I often add feta or blue cheese to my wedge salads.

Before I get to the recipe, I want to share a few of the grilling accessories that I got from HomeSense.  First is this burger mold.  I typically don’t use burger molds because I find they over compress the burger and make it tough.  That’s not an issue with this one though, since the meat doesn’t get squished down. You just gently fill it up, and then cover it with the lid.  I always like to have a batch of burgers in the freezer and this mold is perfect for that.  The hexagon shape is also a fun change.

Another great accessory are these mini thermometers.  I always like to use thermometers when I’m grilling whole chickens.  For me, it’s the best way to tell when it’s done.  This set has 4 thermometers so they also are perfect for cooking multiple steaks and ensuring each one is cooked perfectly.

The last accessory that I want to share is this BBQ wok. I love these for doing small veggies on the grill that could easily fall through the grates.  It’s perfect for doing onions to go along with your burger.    All the other accessories in this post are also from HomeSense, so if you see anything you like, you know where to get it.

Grilled Baby Gem with Charred Jalapeño Ranch Dressing

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the salad

• 6 heads of baby gem lettuce, halved lengthwise
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Method

Preheat your bbq to medium-high heat.  To make the dressing, start by charring the jalapeño on the BBQ until it is totally blackened.  Carefully remove it and place it in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap until cool enough to handle.  In the meantime, combine all other dressing ingredients in a medium bowl or jar.  When the jalapeño has cooled down, carefully scrape off the charred skin using a sharp knife.  Slice the pepper in half lengthwise and then scrape out the seeds.  Discard both the seeds and skin.  Finely chop the flesh of the jalapeño and then add it to the dressing.  Stir well to combine and keep dressing in the fridge until ready to use

Cut each baby gem in half ensuring to keep the base intact.  Toss them in a bowl with olive oil and salt and then grill cut side down for about 1 minute.  You just want a bit of colour on them.  Remove the lettuce from the grill and arrange on a serving plate with the halved tomatoes.  Drizzle the salad with the ranch and serve extra dressing on the side.

As you probably know, burgers are one of my favorite things to make, but more importantly, they  are one of my favorite things to eat.  I like to think that I’ve developed some pretty good burger making skills over the years through a lot of trial and error.  If anyone wants to be a taste tester, let me know.

A good cheeseburger is super simple, yet there are a lot of variables that can have a huge impact on the final product.  The type of meat you use, the way you form the patties, what type of pan you use, the bun, the cheese, and the toppings are all things that will effect the final burger.  You can check out my burger tips but I will reiterate some of them here as well.

I always use freshly ground meat when making burgers.   You don’t have to but if it’s available to you, I’d definitely recommend it.  I also use chuck with at least an 80/20 lean to fat ratio.  I’ve played around with other cuts and combinations of cuts and I personally enjoy pure chuck the best.  Something that’s important to keep in mind when forming patties is to be as gentle with the meat as you can.  I like to gently form the meat into balls and then compress it using my hands.  You don’t want to start messing around with it too much, it can result in a dry burger.  Also never add anything to the meat.  You don’t need an egg, you don’t need any spices, and you definitely don’t need any bread crumbs.  We are making burgers, not meatloaf.

One of the often overlooked components of a burger is the sauce.  I often see people just putting ketchup and mustard on their burgers, and while there is nothing wrong with that, I prefer to use a “special sauce” or a “secret sauce”.    It’s that flavor that leaves you wanting more and what makes takeout burgers so good.  If you want to achieve that takeout feel at home, I’d say special sauce is a key component.  I’m going to share the recipe for the special sauce that I basically use on all of my burgers.  It’s something that I always have at least a bottle of sitting in the fridge.

You don’t need any special equipment to make the sauce, but I like to run it in a food processor so it can smoothly come out of a squeeze bottle.  For this recipe, HomeSense has provided me with a Cuisinart food processor to help spread the word about the Privé event they have going on from March 23-29.  The event focuses on perfectly priced brand name small appliances and is available in select stores.  More information on HomeSense Privé can be found here.  If you are interested in the Privé, keep in mind that there is limited quantity and the best stock will be available on the 23rd.

If you don’t care about being able to use a squeeze bottle for the sauce, you can just mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.  I’m telling you though, once you try this sauce, you are going to want to keep it stocked at all times.  The recipe makes just over 1 cup so if you want to make more or less of it, just double or half the recipe.  The sauce also will keep for a long time if you are using relatively new ingredients.  There is nothing in it that really goes bad, just be sure to note the expiry date of the ingredients if you plan to store it.

Whether you are new to making burgers at home, or have been struggling with achieving results you are happy with, if you follow my burger recipe, I can almost guarantee that you will be making drool-worthy cheeseburgers in no time!

Ingredients

For the Burgers

• 2 lb Ground Chuck
• 8 slices American Cheese
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly Cracked Pepper
• 4 buns (potato or brioche)
• Butter for searing

For the Special Sauce

• 1 cup Mayo
• 2 tbsp relish
• 2 tsp yellow mustard
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

To make the special sauce, combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Alternatively, mix all the ingredients together in bowl.  Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

To make the burgers, start by pre-heating a large cast iron skillet over high heat.  While the pan is heating, divide the meat into 8 3.5 oz portions.  There will be leftover so you can make an additional patty or freeze for making sauces or chilis.  Gently shape the portions into balls and then flatten to about 1/4″ thick patties.  Season one side of the patties generously with slat and pepper.

Meanwhile, set another pan over medium heat and melt in enough butter to very lightly coat the pan.  Toast all the buns cut side down until golden brown and then flip them over to toast the not cut ends.  Toasting both sides helps gives the buns a bit more stability.  Remove buns and place them on a workstation or plates where you will build the burgers.

Melt a good amount of butter into your pre-heated cast iron skillet. You want to make sure it’s really hot.  The goal is to get a good crust on the outside but leave the inside juicy. It’s going to be smokey so make sure your fan is on and fire alarms are at a safe distance. Place the burgers in the pan seasoned side down and then season the other side with salt and pepper.  Sear for 1.5 minutes and then flip.  Place the cheese on after the flip and sear for an additional minute.  Remove burgers and place on tray.

To build the burgers, squeeze or spread a good amount of sauce on both the top and bottom bun and place 2 patties on each bun.  If desired, add sliced pickles, shredded lettuce, onions, and tomatoes.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

Firstly, I want to wish everybody a Happy New Year.  It’s hard to believe that it is 2017 and that this is the third year that I have been creating and sharing recipes with all of you!  I just got back from a trip to Mexico so I thought tacos would be appropriate for the first recipe of the year.

There are literally infinite ways to make tacos and almost anything can be used as the filling.  From classics like fish to more unique ideas like grilled avocado or Sriracha fried chicken, I think that anything tastes better when eaten in a tortilla.  As much as I like trying new unique tacos, I think that the simpler is better and it doesn’t get much simpler than shredded chicken.

Simply shredding up some grilled chicken and topping it with a bit of fresh salsa would make a great taco, but creating a deep and flavorful sauce that the chicken is cooked in takes it to the next level.  The amount of flavor you can build in a relatively short period of time for this sauce makes it worth it any day.

Since the base of these tacos is already wet, I tend to keep the toppings to a minimum as opposed to if I was using flank steak or beer battered fish.  These tacos are totally delicious and satisfying on their own but I like to put out a few toppings to give people option when building their tacos. Thinly sliced jalapeños, shaved red onion, shredded cabbage, and cilantro leaves all make great toppings to add a refreshing bite to the tacos and they help create some texture.

When it comes to tortillas, you can use either flour or corn, whichever you prefer.  I like both but I much prefer corn tortillas when they are charred.  If you have a gas stove, throw them right on the burner for a perfect char.  If I’m not charring the tortillas I usually stick with flour, which is what I did with these.

What I love about these tacos, and tacos in general is that they are suitable for so many different occasions.  They make for a relatively quick weeknight meal that everyone will enjoy but they also work perfect for dinner parties or can be set up as a taco bar for a larger party if you increase the recipe.

I wish that I had gotten a few more pictures of these tacos but as you will find out, they are incredibly delicious and not easy to resist.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients

• 4 bone in skin on chicken breasts (skinless and/or boneless could be used as well)
• 1 can (16 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 3-4 chilis in adobo sauce (from a can), finely chopped
• 1/2 spanish onion, thinly sliced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf, dried
• Flour tortillas
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper

   Toppings

• Sliced jalapeños
• Shredded cabbage dressed in lime juice
• Shaved red onion
• chopped cilantro
• sour cream
• lime wedges

Method

Season all of the chicken with salt and pepper and preheat olive oil in heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken skin side down until browned, about 2-3 minutes (or until golden brown) and then flip and brown the other side.  Remove chicken to plate and set aside.

Lower heat to medium.  In the remaining oil and rendered chicken fat, add Spanish onion and a big pinch of salt.  Cook until softened, 5-7 minutes stirring often.  Add in the chopped adobo peppers along with garlic and bay leaf and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.  Once the onion and adobo mixture is cooked down, place the chicken back into the pan, skin side up, along with any juices from the plate.  Pour in the tomato sauce around the chicken and try to stir everything together around the chicken. Lower heat and bring the sauce to a light simmer and cover the pan.  Cook for about 20 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165°F.

After 20 minutes, carefully remove the chicken to a board and shred the meat off the bone using two forks.  Continue to shred until desired consistency is reached.  Ensure that there are no bones in the shredded chicken.  Return the shredded chicken to the sauce and stir everything together.  Season it to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, either transfer the chicken mixture to a separate dish or serve it right out of the pan.  Serve the chicken along with your desired toppings and tortillas and allow everyone to build their own tacos.

Brown Butter Blueberry Dutch Pancake

Sure, everybody likes a nice stack of classic pancakes but this dutch pancake takes things to a different level.  It’s become one of my favorite lazy Sunday brunches.  It’s nice because you can easily feed 4 people at once and serve it straight from the pan.

I’ve been meaning to try making it with other berries but haven’t gotten around to it yet.  It would be great with raspberries, strawberries or even no berries at all.  I also like to serve it with a big spoonful of greek yogurt with blueberry jam swirled through.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup blueberries (add more if desired)
• powdered sugar, for dusting

Method

1. Start by preheating your oven to 450°F as well preheating an oven safe pan (10 inch) over medium heat.
2. Beat eggs very well until frothy.  I like to use my stand mixer for this but you can use any electric mixer or do it by hand if you don’t have one. When eggs are frothy, whisk in the flour, milk, vanilla, cinnamon nutmeg and salt and continue to beat until batter is smooth.  This should take about a minute.
3. When batter is ready, melt butter in the hot pan until it is lightly browned and then pour in the batter.  Quickly drop in the blueberries and try to spread them evenly.  As soon as the blueberries are in, carefully transfer the skillet into the oven on middle rack.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown.
5. Dust with powdered sugar if desired