I have to tell you: I’m a sucker for blue food. Especially food that you don’t always expect to be blue. (You know what I’m talking about. Anything blue raspberry flavored, etc. And bonus points if it makes your tongue change color.)

Call it a weakness.

So, you can imagine that I’m thrilled as can be whenever I can get my paws on nice-looking blue potatoes.

You could probably blast these at super high heat in the oven and get them nice and crunchy. A lot of folks make oven-baked fries that way, say 20 or 25 minutes at 450 degrees.

Me, I prefer to roast them for about an hour at a lower temperature. I’m not a kitchen scientist, but I swear that there’s something about doing it this way that makes them a little nuttier. (Anyone, anyone?)

What is a blue potato, anyway?

Blue potatoes, native to South America, have been popping up in American markets since the 1970s. Aside from their striking color, though, they taste pretty much like a regular potato. (No blue raspberry flavor here, sorry.) The insides will range from solid blue, to speckled, like mine.

They get their blue color from anthocyanin pigments. That’s the same phytochemical that makes cabbage purple and blueberries blue. Anthocyanin is also a source of antioxidents. (Hello, a healthier potato? Yes, please!)

Blue potatoes are a medium starch potato. This means that they’re starchy enough to make fabulous mashed potatoes, and waxy enough to hold their own in potato salad.

A lot of folks are partial to making red, white, and blue potato salad around July 4.

This is a really simple recipe. It’s a great, easy weeknight alternative to french fries. I tossed the potato wedges with some fresh, minced herbs, garlic, and olive oil, then baked ‘em in the oven.

Roasted Blue Potato Wedges with Fresh Herbs

1 lb. blue potatoes
1 Tbls. fresh green herbs, minced (I used rosemary, thyme, and oregano)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Serves about 4 as a side

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Grab your potatoes. I got mine from a local farmer’s market, but I have seen ‘em in some Whole Foods.

Scrub ‘em clean under cold water. You can peel them if you like. Blue potatoes have relatively thin skins, so I don’t bother. Nip out any big eyes with a sharp paring knife and discard.

Blue potatoes tend to be on the smaller side, so I just whack each potato into quarters, like this.

Put your potato wedges in a large bowl. Toss in the chopped herbs.

Give them a good drink of olive oil. A quarter of a cup is usually good for about a pound of wedges.

Add the garlic and some kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

And toss to coat well.

Spread them out on your prepared pan.

Pop them into your preheated 350-degree oven. Roast for about an hour, stirring them once about halfway through.

They’re done when they’re crisp and brown on the edges.

Serve hot or at room temp. To reheat, pop them in a 250-degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until warm throughout.

(Seriously, yum!)

Enjoy!

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C’mon. Let’s do some magic tricks in the kitchen. We’ll start by making a feast that’s fit for a king—for practically pennies. All you need is a sharp knife, a few hours, and a roomful of friends to feed.

This pork shoulder is butterflied, rubbed with olive oil, garlic, and herbs, then slow roasted—a method that transforms this relatively cheap, tough piece of meat into something moist, tender, and downright sublime.

Garlic & Herb Roasted Pork Shoulder: A feast on a budget

These days, I don’t know many folks who aren’t pinching at least a few pennies. Roast pork shoulder is a great way to feed a crowd on a budget. My roast was less than $8 for about 7.5 lbs. of meat. Granted, some of that weight was bone, but not too much.

Garlic & Herb Roasted Pork Shoulder: The basic technique

First, remove the bone from your pork shoulder, then butterfly it. Rub the meat with a mixture of fresh garlic, herbs, and olive oil. Truss it up, blast it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, then drop the heat to 300 degrees and slow-roast it for about 3 hours.

The result is mouthwateringly tender and flavorful.

The inspiration for this dish comes from this month’s Food & Wine magazine, which has a great article on food and wine pairings done by sommeliers.

It’s a riff on the garlic-rubbed pork shoulder (page 178) made by Andrew Green, the wine director for the Bacchus Management Group. I followed his basic technique for roasting, with some changes (I used different herbs, trussed my roast, roasted it a little longer, etc.).

I’ve cooked many a pork shoulder, but I usually either braise them, or roast them then shred the meat apart for pulled pork. (To turn this roast into pulled pork, roast it for another hour or two, until it comes apart easily.)

Buying pork shoulder: What to look for at the market

So what’s a pork shoulder, anyway?

Pork shoulder comes from the top portion of the pig’s front leg. It’s sometimes labeled picnic shoulder, picnic arm, or picnic ham (though it’s not really a ham…ham comes from the back legs).

For this recipe, you want to get a fresh pork shoulder, not a smoked one. Depending on your market, you may find one with or without the bone.

How to remove the bone from a pork shoulder

Now, Green’s original recipe called for boneless pork shoulder. My roast still had its bone.

I’ve never been one to be shrink from butchering a big piece of meat, so The Angry Chef sharpened my big knife and I went to town. I used my butcher’s knife, but use a good boning knife if you have one. It’s thinner and more flexible.

Read on for detailed photos of how to bone a pork shoulder. (Raw meat warning: It’s my standard up-close-and-personal style of photography.)

How to roast a pork bone for your very well-behaved dog

Once you get that pesky bone out, you can toss it. Or freeze it to drop into the stock pot later. Or, if you have a dog who deserves a very nice treat, you can roast it for him along with your pork shoulder. Instructions are at the end of this article.

Dexter, a.k.a. The Happiest Dog on Earth Right Now

Should you leave the pork rind on, or remove it?

Good question. Most bone-in pork shoulders will come with the thick skin still attached. You could certainly remove it before roasting, but you’d be losing a lot of that glorious pork fat, which helps ensure the meat stays moist and juicy as it roasts. I left my pork rind on.

If you like, you can cut little slits in the skin to help the fat render more easily, which will help the skin crisp up. You can also cut the rind off after the roast is cooked, when you’re carving. Or you can carefully whack through it with a very sharp knife and serve a little skin with each slice, depending on how crispy it is. Totally up to you.

Get to the pork!

Yep, yep. Here you go.

Garlic & Herb Roasted Pork Shoulder

1 fresh pork shoulder, about 7.5 lbs.
8-10 cloves garlic, mashed
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbls. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 Tbls. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
freshly cracked black pepper

Serves 8-10

How to remove the bone from a pork shoulder

Unwrap your pork shoulder.

One end of the bone is here.

The other end is here.

So that means you want to make your cut about here.

Inside the shoulder, the bone is jointed, and goes about like this. When you get the whole bone out, you’ll see how it pivots at the ball joint, kind of like your shoulder.

Slice down into the shoulder until you hit the bone.

Pull one side of the meat back, and cut down around a little until you can see the bone.

Keep pulling the meat back on one side, then the other, and cutting until you’ve exposed most of the top of the bone.

Then lift one end up and cut under it until you’ve freed the bone.

Depending on the size and shape of your roast—and where the bone was—the meat may still be uneven. (i.e. Much thicker on one side than the other.)

If that’s the case, slice the thick part of the meat horizontally, like this, to butterfly it open.

The goal is to get it relatively flat and even.

Garlic & Herb Roasted Pork Shoulder: Make the oil and garlic rub

Put the mashed garlic in a small bowl.

Toss in the herbs and 1 tsp. of kosher salt.

Add the olive oil. Mix with a fork until well combined.

Garlic & Herb Roasted Pork Shoulder: Season and truss the meat

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (and/or a roasting rack, if you like). Set aside. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle your roast with a little kosher salt.

Spread the meat with about two-thirds of the herb mixture. Reserve the other third for the top of the roast once it’s trussed.

Spread it all over the meat so it’s fairly even.

Crack on a little fresh black pepper.

Fold the meat in thirds like this:

Tie a few pieces of butcher’s twine around the roast to secure it.

Set it on your prepared pan, skin-side up.

Rub the meat with the remaining herb mixture.

Sprinkle with kosher salt and a little freshly cracked black pepper.

Garlic & Herb Roasted Pork Shoulder: Roast the pork!

Pop the pan into your preheated 400 degree oven. Roast like this for 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes, your roast should look about like this (beginning to brown on the edges and let off some juice):

Drop the heat to 300 degrees, and roast for another 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Your roast is done when it registers between 160 and 170 degrees on a meat thermometer.

Your roast should look about like this:

Garlic & Herb Roasted Pork Shoulder: Carve, serve, and enjoy!

When your roast is done, lift it off onto a serving platter and tent a piece of foil over it for about 10 minutes.

I use one of my favorite kitchen tools from my grandmother to lift mine.

While your roast is resting, make a little pan gravy, if you like.

Drain the roasting juices into a saucepan, skim most of the fat off, and bring it to a boil. Simmer to reduce it by about half, then whisk in a few tablespoons of butter.

Now, you need a very sharp knife or cleaver to cut through this skin.

I turned the roast over so it was skin-side down, sliced through the meat with a cleaver, then chopped through the skin and served a little slice with each piece.

Serve and enjoy!

How to roast the pork shoulder bone for your dog

Obligatory warning: Pork bones are usually more brittle than beef bones. Never leave your dog unattended with one. That said, the shoulder bone is a really thick bone. Use your judgment. Grab the shoulder bone that you removed from your roast.

Toss it in a lightly greased baking pan. Rub it with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt.

Roast in the oven alongside your trussed pork shoulder (400 degrees for 40 minutes, then 2 1/2 to 3 hours at 300 degrees).

Possibly, your beast will know what’s in the oven and wait patiently.

When it’s done, it should be nice and brown and crispy.

Let it cool completely before sharing with your pooch.

Cheers!

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So recently, I found myself with a bunch of spare egg whites. (Stay tuned to find out what happened to the yolks sometime later this week…) I was starving when this happened. I whipped them together quickly with a handful of stuff I had in the fridge, and…voila! A super light omelet that was packed with flavor.

This would also be really yummy made with whole eggs.

I love to make omelets in a pinch. They’re such a great way to use up odds and ends from the fridge.

For this omelet, I quickly sauteed chopped sun-dried tomatoes and oil-cured black olives to infuse their flavor into a little olive oil.

Then I tossed in a handful of chopped green onion, sage, and thyme. (Use any fresh, green herbs you like.)

I finished it with a little grated ricotta salata, goat cheese, and freshly cracked black pepper. As with most omelets, this recipe is all chopping and very little actual cooking.

Fresh Herb Egg White Omelet: A note on ingredients

I used a mix of grated ricotta salata and fresh goat cheese. It was the perfect salty, creamy, tangy mixture to balance the fresh herbs.

Fresh goat cheese

Ricotta salata is a rindless sheep’s milk cheese. It reminds me of feta in a lot of ways. It’s a little bit sweet and kind of milky tasting. In terms of consistency, it’s fairly firm, but tender and crumbly. (Again, kind of like feta.) It’s fabulous grated onto hot pasta with a little garlic butter.

Ricotta Salata

It’s really soft when you grate it:

For the sun-dried tomatoes, I used the kind that weren’t packed in oil. (If you use that kind, just squeeze the excess oil off them, or omit the oil in the frying pan.)

The olives were black, oil-cured olives tossed in an herbes de Provence mixture.

Get to the omelet, already, Mouse!

Yep, yep! Here you go. Oh, one last thing. Salt. Don’t add any until the end, and even then, sprinkle lightly. The olives and cheese have plenty already.

Fresh Herb Egg White Omelet with Black Olives & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 Tbls. fresh sage and thyme, chopped (or other combination of green herbs you like)
4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
4-5 oil cured, pitted black olives, chopped
2 Tbls. olive oil
4 egg whites
3 Tbls. ricotta salata, grated
2 Tbls. fresh goat cheese
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Serves 1 hungry person, or 2 people who just want a nibble

Fresh Herb Egg White Omelet: Prep your ingredients

Like I said, this recipe is all chopping. Chop up the green onions. Cut them into thin-ish rings. They’re not going to cook for long, so you don’t want giant pieces of them.

Chop up the sage and thyme or whichever green herbs you like. You want to wind up with about 1 1/2 Tbls. of chopped herbs.

Dice up the sun-dried tomatoes.

Grate the ricotta salata.

Separate your eggs. Set the yolks aside in the fridge and use within a day. Put the egg whites in a medium-sized bowl.

Whip them up with a whisk until they’re light and frothy.

Fresh Herb Egg White Omelet: Cook the omelet

Put the olive oil in a non-stick pan on the stove over medium-high heat for a minute or two to heat it up.

Toss in the tomatoes and olives.

Mix them around to coat in oil. Cook for a minute or two like this to infuse some of the flavor into the oil.

Add the green onions to the pan.

Toss in the herbs.

Stir around to coat in oil. Cook for a minute or two more over medium-high heat. Then spread the ingredients around in the pan so they’re fairly evenly distributed.

Drop the heat to low. Pour in the beaten egg white.

Pick the pan up and tilt it around to distribute the egg around the pan.

Cook for a minute or two like this, until the egg starts to solidify.

When most of the egg looks cooked (the top will be a little jiggly), sprinkle on the grated ricota salata.

Break the goat cheese up into pieces and drop it on. Cook for another minute or so.

At this point, the egg white should be pretty much set (i.e. not jiggly or raw looking). Watch it carefully. Don’t overcook the omelet, as it will make the egg whites rubbery and tough.

Run a rubber spatula around the entire edge of the omelet to loosen it a little. Then flip one edge over into the center of the omelet, like this:

Flip the same edge over one more time, so the omelet is folded in thirds. (The goat cheese will melt once the omelet is folded.)

Slide it off onto a plate. Toss on a little kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper if you like.

Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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