
Whipped with goat cheese, these spuds are pure buttery heaven.
By Khalil Hymore
Mashed potatoes come in many forms, thankfully. Recently, I had the joy of experiencing the most delicious mashed potatoes ever at New York City hotspot Minetta Tavern. Whipped with goat cheese, these spuds are pure buttery heaven.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the half and half in a small saucepan over medium heat until just boiling; set aside.
Drain and return the potatoes back to the pot. Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat until much of the excess water evaporates and the potatoes are dry, about 3 mintues.
Begin mashing the potatoes with a potato masher or process through a ricer or food mill. Stir in the goat cheese, half and half and butter and continue mashing until smooth.
Stir in the chives, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Humble, delicious, and a Thanksgiving staple--how to prepare THE perfect mashed potatoes this holiday!
By Khalil Hymore
If you ask most people about the foods they crave, chances are it always involves sugar. Scott's eyes always get wide around chocolate cake! Me? Not so much. I like chocolate as much as the next person, but it isn't my thing. My food weekeness is potatoes...(sigh) in all forms. I love me some French fries (why can't those be served on the Thanksgiving table?), and simply adore hash browns and home fries, but my favorite is mashed potatoes.
In the end, the simplest potatoes and methods were the tastiest:
Potatoes - In all of my testing, good old fashioned russet potatoes produced the lightest, fluffiest mashed potatoes because they are so high in starch. New potatoes such as Yukon gold's and red's were too waxy and contained too much moisture to produce perfect mashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes, while a great healthier alternative to white ones, didn't really produce classic results either.
Boiling - This may be basic, basic rule, but I am always surprised how many people don't follow it, always, always start cooking your potatoes in cold, salty water. Also, peeling and quartering the potatoes into large chunks produced the best results. If you cut the potatoes too small they can become water logged and will result in soggy mashed potatoes. Leaving them whole took too long to cook! It's also important to return the potatoes to the pot after draining and keep cooking them for several minutes over low heat. This dries them out producing the fluffiest mash.
Mashing - Some people whip their potatoes with an electric mixer, or process them in a ricer, or a food mill. Those are all fine methods, but I found that the best method for mashing them was with a potato masher. Yep, a simple potato masher. Why? Becuase it doesn't work the potatoes too much. When mashed potatoes become overworked, thy can easily become gummy and pasty. Eew! No one wants that on turkey day.
Add-ins - Think of mashed potatoes as the ultimate blank canvas. They can be mixed with anything. Try rutabega, turnips, winter squash, celery root, fennel, leeks, caramelized onions, fresh herbs, spinach, bacon, sausage, or cheese. Anything!
Check back later this week for my ultimate recipe for mashed potatoes with goat cheese and chives! One more week...turkey day! I'm so excited!

By Khalil Hymore
Brussels sprouts get a bad rap, most people hate them. My friend Kristen hates, hates, hates them...well, actually, she used to hate them. Let me explain.
The vegetable everyone loves to hate becomes a new Thanksgiving side dish!
A hearty dish full of the flavors of Fall.
With a chill (finally!) in the air, Khalil curls up with a few good books (cookbooks, of course).
Never open canned pumpkin again
By Khalil Hymore
How fun is it that Halloween is on a Saturday this year? For the first time in years, I am super excited--mostly for the trick-or-treaters (a New York City first for me).
No tricks here - this recipe is a tasty Halloween treatFor the cupcakes:
For the frosting:
For the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice and set aside. Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and eggs and beat until well combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients, then the pumpkin and continue beating until just combined. Divide evenly among the muffin liners and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and maple syrup with an electric mixer until combined and smooth. Frost the cupcakes with the frosting and sprinkle with salted pepitas. Boo!
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Some resources and ideas for feel-better-soon foods.
By Khalil Hymore
When Ashley and I were young, we could always count on our mother to make us fried eggs and bacon with plain white toast for breakfast when we were ill. That was our go to sick food. She would even be sure to cut everything up on the plate, so that the eggs mixed with the bacon, and we could dip the toast into the runny yolks--it always made us feel better. It was our special ritual, and sometimes I really miss it. I mean, let's be honest, though we loathe to admit it, most of us revert to being children the moment we come down with a bad cold or flu...or even worse food poisoning.

A delicious soup that will have you feeling right as rain.
By Khalil Hymore
When I set out to create a healthy soup, I never expected it to be SO delicious. (Scott is already asking for more!) More importantly, I really wanted to create a tasty "go-to" dish for those suffering from the nauseous effects of chemotherapy (hence the nausea fighting fresh ginger). This vegetarian soup also contains vitamin C rich sweet potatoes, high in iron fresh spinach, and protein packed tofu.
Some tips to make chicken a little more exciting
By Khalil Hymore
I rarely cook with boneless skinless chicken breast. Ina doesn't like it, so I steer clear (she is one of my demi-gods after all). But lately, I've been rethinking that humble cut of naked poultry. It's so easy to knock boneless, skinless chicken breast when you're a chef. It's often tasteless and boring. In fact, very few ingredients are so unwelcome in a restaurant kitchen. The truth is it's the skin and bones that give the chicken flavor as well as much of the unwanted fat and calories. Which is precisely why boneless, skinless chicken is so popular (oh those healthy eaters).
Ok, so how do you take advantage of this economical cut of poultry without boring your family to tears? (You know you are! Be honest!) Full disclosure: It doesn't involve a can of condensed soup (Sorry Sandra!).
Because everything tastes better with bacon!
The culinary world mourns a devastating loss
By Khalil Hymore
This week publisher Condé Nast did the unthinkable. It shuttered Gourmet magazine. This, by now, is not news to you, especially if you're a regularly reader of this blog (you know how much I loved my Gourmet). Truth be told, I was actually planning to discuss the merits of boneless, skinless chicken breast this week...no, seriously! But how could I now, with the culinary world still mourning a big loss.
The demise of Gourmet is shocking because it is such a venerable
brand, premiering in 1941. Our grandmothers subscribed, our mothers
subscribed, and thus we so did we. Gourmet was an American icon
that flourished in a post World War II America and quickly
established itself as the place where home cooks and chefs collided.
Where the line was blurred between the restaurant world and our
kitchens at home. Gourmet was a cultural touchstone, for sure, but it was also a dear friend.
Though the newsstands seem to be cluttered with food magazines, none of them come close to capturing the style, sophistication, and elegance of the articles and recipes contained within the pages of Gourmet. Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and Saveur, while all fabulous publications in their own right (I especially love Saveur), they don't take us to far off lands (a boon to those of us who cannot afford to jet-set on a moments notice), do not stage elaborate and inspirational food stories, and do not engage us in the world of food politics in quite the same way.
Anyway, there really isn't all that much more to say (see below, for others' reaction to the news), except that the loss of Gourmet magazine, in my world, and if you give a damn about food at all, yours too, is devastating. My stack of old Gourmets just became a lot more valuable.
A comforting meal for rough times
When the going gets tough, it's nice to go back to your roots and cook something comforting. Pork chops with spaetzle (homemade German pasta) always remind me of my grandfather who was a great cook and baker. German foods where his specialty, so whenever I get bad news it's always fun to perk myself up with dishes that remind me of him, and a simpler time.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. When the pan is almost smoking add the pork chops to the pan and sear until lightly browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chops to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic to the skillet; cook until soft and starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and the sage to the pan, being sure to scrape up caramelized bits from bottom. Add the pork chops back to pan and bring to a simmer. Partially cover skillet with lid, reduce heat to low, and braise until chops are cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer the chops to a serving platter and cover to keep warm.
Reduce the cooking liquid until syrupy, and pour it over the pork chops before serving. Serve with buttered spaetzle or egg noodles.
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From apples to ad execs
By Khalil Hymore
Can we take a break from "The Tasty Dish" for a moment and talk about Mad Men? I have to be honest, a few episodes into this new season and I was growing restless. Don't get me wrong, a bad episode of Mad Men is still a million times better than any other show on television right now, but this season has been...um, slow. But I should have known better! The writers for were just lulling us, like a cobra getting ready to strike. And strike they did!