Battle of the Potato Salads: Czech Potato Salad vs. Vinaigrette Potato Salad

When my husband told me that he didn’t care for the Czech style potato salad that my family makes, 1) I was shocked that I’ve never heard this before considering we’ve been together for 10 years, and 2) how can you not like the potato salad?! It’s so good! His friend did confirm that it was strange to have peas and carrots in a potato salad, which didn’t occur to me as strange considering that’s how I’ve always had it. 

 

So, since we were having our friends over for a BBQ this weekend, I decided to have a ‘battle of the potato salads’ and let our guests decided which on was better. Here are the two contenders: Czech Potato Salad and a Vinaigrette Potato Salad. Let the battle begin. 

 

I recommend making the salad a day before to let the flavors blend overnight.

 

Czech Potato Salad vs. Vinaigrette Potato Salad

Czech Potato Salad

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes
2 large carrots, diced
½ cup frozen peas
2 celery stalks, diced
1small yellow onion, minced
2 green onion sprigs, diced
2 large pickles, diced
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

Dressing:

¾ cup mayo
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp pickle juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot of salted water, boil potatoes whole until skins break and they are fork tender. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel skins and cut into cubes. Add potatoes into a large bowl.

While potatoes are cooling, dice carrots and place in a small pot of boiling salted water. Add peas and cook until carrots are fork tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and add to large bowl. Add remaining ingredients.

In a small bowl, combine ingredients for dressing. Whisk together until combined. Add to potatoes and veggies. Gently toss with dressing. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Vinaigrette Potato Salad

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes
5 strips of bacon
3 green onion sprigs, diced
½ small red onion, finely minced
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 celery stalks, diced
3 hardboiled eggs, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Champagne vinaigrette (store bought)

In a large pot of salted water, boil potatoes whole until skins break and they are fork tender. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel skins and cut into cubes. Add potatoes into a large bowl.

While potatoes are cooling, cook bacon in a frying pan until crispy. Remove bacon from pan onto a paper towel lined plate to soak up extra grease. Once cooled, roughly chop and add to bowl. Add remaining ingredients to bowl. Mix together. Add the eggs last, gently folding in with dressing. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Buffalo Chicken Deviled Eggs

I came across this recipe on my favorite food blogger’s website, and my mouth watered instantly. You can find his recipe here. This recipe is a little different but I would imagine just as delicious. 

 

I have to admit, it felt wrong stuffing chicken into an egg, but it tasted so right!

Happy Easter!

 

 

3 boiled eggs

1 Tbsp Ranch dressing

1 Tbsp Frank’s RedHot, or buffalo wing hot sauce

¼ cup shredded chicken, roughly chopped

½ fresh jalapeno pepper, finely diced (optional)

Blue cheese crumbles 

 

Cut boiled eggs in half, lengthwise, and add yolks to a small bowl. Add Ranch and Frank’s RedHot to bowl. Using the back of a fork, mash everything together. Add chicken and jalapeno peppers and mix together. Using a spoon, add mixture back to eggs. Top with crumbled blue cheese.

 

If you like this recipe, you should also try my Sriracha Deviled Eggs.

 

Note: I used a drop of Sriracha sauce to dot each egg, purely for esthetics, since the Frank’s was too thin.

Saturday Breakfast: Corned Beef Hash

I don’t even like corned beef, but I went to the grocery store starving and it was on sale (after St Patty’s Day), so I said – what the heck? My husband feels the same way about it, but we both loved the way this meat came out, as well as the breakfast we used it in the next day!

 

Then my co-worker brought me three fresh eggs from her own chickens. There was one brown and two with different shades of green. I was so excited to try them since I’ve heard you can really taste the difference between fresh verse store bought eggs. The yolk was larger and more yellow. They were delicious. A great accompaniment to the corned beef hash.

 

4 servings

 

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

2 medium Russet potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled until tender (make the day before)

2 cups chopped corned beef - see corned beef recipe below, make the day before

½ small yellow onion, diced

½ red bell pepper, diced

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp minced fresh flat leaf Italian parsley

Salt & pepper, to taste

 

In a large frying pan over medium high heat, add EVOO. Once oil is hot, add potatoes, corned beef, onion, peppers and garlic. Press down with a spatula and let cook for about 5 minutes. Mix in parsley, salt and pepper. Press down with spatula and cook for another 5 minutes, until potatoes and beef are browned and crispy. Serve with fried eggs and toast.

 

Crock Pot Corned Beef:

2 ½ lb corned beef brisket

Vegetable broth (low sodium)

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

 

In a crock pot, add corned beef. Cover with broth. Add garlic and bay leaves. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove from liquid, place on cutting board and cut against grain.

 

Tip: Make the day before and use leftovers for corned beef hash.

Egg Noodle and Vegetable Casserole

I know when some people hear the word ‘casserole’ they scrunch up their nose and say eewww! My mom is Czech so we didn’t grow up eating the traditional American casseroles, like green bean casserole or tuna noodle casserole (I couldn’t even type these without saying eewww!) – the kind of casseroles where you add a can of Campbell’s soup. Growing up, my mom used to make an egg noodle and ham casserole (fleky se šunkou) for us. This was great to eat warm, or even cold and cut into squares the next day.

 

4 servings

Wide egg noodles (about ½ a bag)

2 slices of butter
3 eggs
¾ cup half & half
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp Dijon mustard
6 oz grated Cheddar cheese
½ red bell pepper, diced
½ green bell pepper, diced
¼ cup chopped flat leaf Italian parsley

Cook noodles in salted water according to directions, about 6 minutes; drain. Toss noodles with butter and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, half & half, salt, pepper and mustard.

Add noodles to a large bowl. Pour egg mixture over noodles, add cheese, peppers and parsley. Mix until combined.

Add mixture to a greased casserole dish. Bake uncovered on 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until eggs set. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy with grilled pork chops, or as a light meal with a salad on a warm summer night.

Variations:

·         Add Pepper Jack cheese or a few dashes of hot sauce for a kick!
·         Add broccoli florets
·         Add ham
·         Add mushrooms
·         Add chopped fresh spinach
·         Add asparagus spears
 

NY Strip Steak Hash with Eggs

I created this breakfast using all the leftovers from our Valentine’s Day feast … and then added two eggs! Yum … and Valentine’s weekend continues!

 

 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

2 large red skinned potatoes, steamed or boiled, cubed

½ cup diced cooked steak

½ cup chopped steamed cauliflower

½ small yellow onion, diced

2 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

 

In a frying pan over high heat, drizzle EVOO. Add potatoes and cook until all sides are browned and crispy. Turn heat to medium, add steak, cauliflower and onion; mix together.

 

Create two holes in the hash mixture and crack an egg into each hole. Cover pan and let egg cook until the whites are settled, but the yolk is still soft (or cooked to your liking). Season with salt and pepper.

 

Enjoy with a few dashes of hot sauce and a side of fresh fruit.

 

Chorizo Stuffed Chile Relleno Casserole

Since we weren’t going to be around for Thanksgiving, I wanted to have an early celebration and throw a big brunch for my friends. I made several egg casserole/frittatas, but this one stood out as the crowd favorite. 

 

If you’re having guests in town for the holidays, I’d recommend this simple and quick dish as a part of your brunch menu.

 

 

1 chorizo sausage link (1 lb)

1 large can of whole roasted chile rellenos (about 10-12 peppers)
6 eggs
¼ cup milk
A dash of Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated pepper Jack cheese

Remove sausage from casing and into frying pan. Over med-high heat, cook sausage through. Using a spoon, carefully stuff chile peppers. Place stuffed peppers onto a greased baking pan.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs with milk, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over chiles into dish. Cover with shredded cheese.

Bake on 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the middle is set. Let casserole rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

Top with sliced avocado and serve with salsa.

 

Vegetable Frittata Squares

I made these for a Birthday breakfast celebration at my work. I prepared the sauté veggies the night before then just added the eggs and baked it in the morning. Include your favorite vegetables and then serve them warm or cool.

6 eggs

½ small red bell pepper, diced
½ small green bell pepper, diced
About 10 thin asparagus spears, cut into ½” pieces
3 large baby Bella mushrooms, diced
2 green onion sprigs, diced
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
A few dashes of red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp butter
Shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sauce pan, sauté all the veggies over medium high heat in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Meanwhile, beat eggs with an electric mixer until fluffy and bubbly. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes; stir in sautéed veggies.

Pour mixture into a greased 9”x9” casserole dish. Dot mixture with butter pieces and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich

What a delicious Saturday morning!

Servings: 2

6 slices of bacon

4 eggs
Butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Salt & Pepper
4 slices of hearty sourdough bread
Extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
½ avocado, sliced

In a frying pan, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set on a paper towel lined plate; set aside. Wipe grease out of pan.

Add a little butter or EVOO to the pan. Crack the eggs into the pan (try to keep the two sets of eggs together). Once the whites are set and the outer edges are just starting to curl up, flip. Season with salt and pepper. Depending on how soft you like the yolks, remove pan from heat when it’s ready.

In a toaster oven, toast bread. On one side of bread, cover with Cheddar cheese and melt.

To assemble sandwich, stack bacon and eggs on slice of toast with cheese. Add sliced avocado and top with second piece of toast. Cut in half and enjoy with some fresh fruit.

Sriracha Deviled Eggs

I made these delicious, spicy deviled eggs as an appetizer for our Easter dinner. They were spicy, tasty and a hit!

1 dozen eggs

1/3 cup mayo

2 Tbsp Sriracha hot chili sauce

½ tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp jarred Jalapeno juice

2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro

Sea salt & Freshly cracked pepper, to taste

To boil eggs, place eggs in a pot covered with 1 ½” of water; bring to a boil. Once water boils, cover and remove from heat for 10 minutes. Remove eggs and place in an ice bath. Peel under warm water. Slice eggs in half and scoop harden yolks into a bowl.

Mix yolks with the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more Sriracha to make spicier. Add more mayo to make creamier.

Piipe mixture back into egg whites. Garnish with a dot of Sriracha sauce and cilantro.

Easter centerpiece made of jelly beans, Peeps and fresh flowers.
Thanks, Pinterest!

Vegetable Frittata

My parents are in town and I had some nice asparagus and tomatoes on hand, thus the perfect recipe for a frittata brunch! Serve warm with toast, or serve cold with a small salad for a light lunch.

6 eggs

2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

1 Tbsp minced fresh Rosemary

½ tsp sea salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

¼ cup diced red onion

About 5 asparagus

About 5 red bell pepper rings, quartered

About 5 tomato slices

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Freshly shredded Parmesan and sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to broil.

In a 10” skillet over med-high heat, drizzle EVOO and sauté onion, asparagus and bell peppers for about 4 minutes. Remove asparagus and bell peppers from pan; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs, herbs, salt and pepper. Add eggs to skillet over onions. Allow mixture to cook and set, lifting edges and allowing runny middle underneath. Arrange tomato slices, asparagus and bell pepper on top of eggs while they are still soft.

Sprinkle with cheese and set under broiler for 2-3 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Variations: Add crumbled sausage, chopped steamed broccoli or goat cheese.

Vegetable Frittata

This is a nice dinner to have with a side salad tossed in a vinaigrette or to have cold the next morning for breakfast.

1 large red skinned potato, diced

½ cup small cauliflower florets

½ cup baby carrots, chopped
¼ cup small broccoli florets
8-10 asparagus, cut into ½ inch pieces
½ green bell pepper, sliced
1 green onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
2 tsp minced fresh parsley
4 eggs, beaten
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ - ½ shredded parmesan cheese
EVOO

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium frying pan over med-high heat, drizzle some EVOO and add potatoes. Sauté for 10 minutes. Add cauliflower and carrots and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Add broccoli, asparagus, bell pepper, green onion, garlic and herbs; sauté until potatoes are cooked.

Pour eggs over vegetable mixture, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with cheese. Move pan to oven and cook for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Tostadas

A yummy way to start your weekend!

4 corn tortillas
Non-stick cooking spray
4 eggs
Salt and pepper
½ red bell pepper, diced
4 slices of Canadian bacon, or ham, diced
2 green onion sprigs, or regular yellow onion, diced
Freshly grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray one side of the tortillas with non-stick cooking spray, place on a baking sheet and cook for 7 minutes. Turn tortillas over, spray with more cooking spray and cook for another 7 minutes, until crispy. While tortillas are baking make eggs.

In a frying pan, spray with cooking spray, add peppers, ham and onions; sauté for a few minutes. Add eggs and scramble together. Season with salt and pepper. Don’t overcook the eggs since they will go in the oven for a few minutes and cook more.

Top each tostada with scramble eggs mixture, top with cheese and bake for a couple minutes until cheese is melted.

Top breakfast tostadas with sliced avocado, salsa and fresh minced cilantro. Serve with a fruit salad.

Cheesy Vegetable Scramble with Garlic Potato Pancakes

I’m not a huge breakfast person or fan of eggs, but this morning I woke up starving and decided to make this tasty number. The hubby was happily surprised.



1 large russet potato
¼ yellow onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp freshly minced parsley
3 eggs (1 for potatoes, 2 for scramble)
½ red bell pepper, chopped
3 large asparagus, steamed and chopped
2 green onion sprigs, chopped
Pepper Jack cheese, freshly grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
EVOO

In a large bowl, grate potato. Move shredded potato a paper towel or cheese cloth and ring out excess liquid. Return potato to bowl. Grate onion into bowl, and then add garlic. Add parsley and one beaten egg. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

In a large frying pan, heat a few drizzles of EVOO over medium high heat. Scoop several large spoonfuls of potato mixture onto frying pan; flatten a little to make small pancakes. Fry until they are crispy and browned, then flip and cook the other side.

In a small skillet, heat EVOO over medium high heat. Add bell pepper, asparagus and green onions. Sauté until peppers are tender. Add 2 beaten eggs. Mix and cook all together until eggs are no longer runny. Season with salt and pepper. Add Pepper Jack and remove pan from heat.

Enjoy with buttered toast or an English muffin.

Breakfast Biscuit Sandwiches with Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes

3 servings

Pillsbury biscuits (5 pack)
1 large red skinned potato, sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 rosemary sprig, minced
S&P to taste
EVOO
4-5 eggs
4-5 slices of American cheese
4-5 slices of ham
Nectarine, sliced in wedges

Bake biscuits accordingly to directions (350 degrees for about 15 minutes).

Blanch potatoes, by placing potato slices in rapidly boiling salted water for a few minutes. Heat EVOO in a frying pan over med-high heat and add potato slices to sauté. Add garlic, rosemary and S&P to taste. Sauté until both sides of potato slices are crispy and brown, about 10 minutes.

Fried each egg in a little EVOO, flip after a few minutes, so the egg is soft in the middle and the outside is fried and brown. Heat up slices of ham by lightly frying each slice in a little EVOO in a frying pan.

Make sandwiches by splitting each biscuit, add egg, topped with ham and cheese. Serve with potatoes and nectarine.

Open Faced Breakfast Sandwiches

Saturday morning breakfast for my hubby.

1-2 eggs
1 Tbsp of heavy cream or milk
Couple dashes of hot sauce
Salt & pepper
2 slices of Black Forest Ham
Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 Sourdough bread slices
2 slices of cantaloupe
A few grapes

Heat some EVOO in a frying pan. Whisk eggs, cream, hot sauce, s & p until fluffy. Scramble eggs until they are barely runny. They will continue to cook in the hot pan and you don’t want to overcook them so they’re dry. Move eggs to the side and heat ham in the same pan until it’s warmed through.

Toast bread. Top with ham, eggs and cheese. Put back in toaster oven so cheese melts. Top with freshly cracked pepper. Plate sandwiches with a side of fruit. Serve with OJ and coffee.

Special Saturday Breakfast

Pillsbury biscuits

Home-style herbed potatoes
1 large Russet potato, cubed into small pieces
¼ small red onion, chopped
¼ - ½ green bell pepper, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Sprig of Rosemary, minced
Handful of parsley, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste
EVOO

Eggs Scramble
2 eggs
A few sprigs of chives, minced
¼ cup of shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
Dash of Tabasco
EVOO

Heat oven to 350 degrees for biscuits. Brush top of biscuits with egg for a nice, brown top. Bake for 13-15 minutes.

Heat EVOO in skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and brown. When potatoes start become soft and translucent around the edges, about 15 minutes or so, turn down heat, add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cover with lid and occasionally sauté until veggies get soft and potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. Sprinkle with herbs towards the end, right before veggies are done.

Heat EVOO in skillet over medium-high heat. Scramble eggs in a bowl, add salt, pepper, and a dash of Tabasco. Scramble eggs in skillet. Once eggs are almost done, mix in chives. Once everything is plated, top eggs with cheese.

Plate eggs, potatoes and a biscuit. Enjoy with a Bloody Mary or Mimosa!