Sausage Potato Boats Recipe by Chef Bretto AKA  Salsiccia di patate Barche

• 8 potatoes
• Olive oil
• Sea Salt (fine or coarse)

• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Tablespoons of minced/finely chopped onions
• 2 Tablespoons of minced/finely chopped garlic
• A shake of Red Peppers (I use red chili powder when keeping it family friendly or use red pepper flakes to spice it up)
• 1 lb of Italian Sausage (I use Johnsonville's Sweet Italian Sausage Links which add basil for the sweetness or mild for family friendly, hot for spicing it up)
• Splash of dry white wine (enough for deglazing)

• 1 Cup of Heavy or Whipping Cream  (Italians do not really use Sour Cream, though they often use Heavy Cream and Balsamic Vinegar in the same recipe which is much the same as Sour Cream. You can substitute 1 cup of sour cream for the cup of heavy cream and tablespoon of vinegar)
• 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons of Chives (Fresh or Freeze dried)

• 1 cup of Milk
• ½ Cup of Butter
• Fresh or Dried Parsley, chopped
• Fresh or Dried Basil, chopped
• Couple of dashes of white pepper
• 1 or more cups of Parmesan and Romano cheese blend

• 8 Tablespoons of Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• Melted Butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare a baking pan (such as a jellyroll pan 11X17 pan with a lip) with a sheet of baking paper or foil.
3. Scrub the skins of the potatoes clean and then pat dry. Oil the outside of each with olive oil and then rub some sea salt on them and place on the pan. Put in the oven and cook for 1 hour. The oil and salt make for a DELICIOUS skin on the outside of the potato.
4. About ½ hour before the finish cooking, put 2 T of olive oil and the bay leaf in a skillet. When the oil is heated, add onions, garlic, and red pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes. (Always make sure the oil is heated before adding or it will make your onions greasy, but never so hot that it is starting to smoke.)
5. Add the Italian Sausage to the skillet and mix it in with the onion and garlic mixture. Cook until Italian Sausage is no longer pink or lightly browned.
6. Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine. (I pull my pan off the burner when adding the wine to ensure we don’t start a fire, then put it back on the heat and stir.)
7. Check to see if your potatoes are finished when baked for one hour by piercing with a knife to see if they are tender. Sit them aside to cool for about 10 minutes before proceeding. 
8. Take 1 cup of heavy cream and place it in the large mixing bowl. Add one tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar to it. Remember, if you don’t want to take this step, you can just use sour cream in place of the heavy cream and vinegar. After about 5-10 minutes, stir in the chives and sit aside.
9. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice lengthwise in half. Scoop out the softened potato out of the center of each and place into a large mixing bowl with the cream mixture in it, but be sure to leave a thin lining of potato on the skins (if you remove too much potato…the skins will tear or collapse). Leave the potato boats on the baking pan.
10. Mash the potatoes (we use a hand masher to leave them a little chunky). Add the butter and milk.  Stir in the parsley, basil, white pepper, and cheese.
11. Pour the contents of the skillet into the potato mixture and finish combining.  
12. Spoon the potato mixture back into the potato skins. Use it all, it is okay to mound it up on top.
13. Sprinkle the tops of the potato boats with the breadcrumbs and then drizzle butter over the breadcrumbs.
14. Place in the oven and cook for about 30 more minutes at 350 degrees.
15. Serve hot with a side of salad or a green vegetable. 



Nonna's Chicken with Garlic and Rosemary; Parmesan Mashed Potatoes Cooked in Milk.  Prepared from "Make It Italian" by Nancy Verde Barr


Buongiorno miei amata amici!

Garrison Keillor once said, “A book is a gift you can open again and again.” I concur when we are speaking of Make It Italian by Nancy Verde Barr. It is not a new release, first published in 2002. However, out of the mountains of Italian cookbooks I have examined the last few years, this is my easily my favorite. “Why?” Because this is that unique cookbook, to which I always return for learning how to cook Italian.

Want me to get to the nitty gritty?

Cons: It lacks photos of the dishes and explanation of some of the techniques. I wish they would reprint this book with that input and it would rate six stars on a five star scale. May my dream become a reality!!!

Nancy Verde Barr - Author & Chef My Nonna in the Kitchen!

Pros: Nancy goes through the flavors that say Italian in chapter one. This is an essential chapter for anybody who was not born and raised in Italy. She explains all the various types of cooking fats, as well as how to use them. Then she teaches you about the aromatics, herbs and spices that speak Italian. On she goes through the list teaching you about key ingredients and the techniques to make them articulate Italian! :) 


In recipes, Nancy teaches us the main themes and then gives us variations. She encourages one to develop their own alterations of her recipes to make them their very own. She teaches one about flexibility, when one plans to make something and is missing an ingredient...her Nonna and mine never gave up, they found a substitute ingredient. Maybe it was because my Grandmas/Nonnas lived through the Great Depression that they understand how to make do with what you have on hand. It is a skill to desire and acquire.

"Make It Italian" Book Review My Nonna in the Kitchen!

I have gone from following Italian recipes to creating my own and sharing them on my Italiano Connection blog, in part thanks to this book. Nancy’s warmth spills through on every page and I feel like she is with me in the kitchen, guiding me through my Italian amateur chef endeavors. I owe more to this Italian cookbook than all the others combined.