a recipe found!

Yesterday, I made it sound as though I may not be posting another recipe for a while. At least that is what I was thinking. But then I remembered that I still had a couple of recipes in my back pocket. On December 5th, at the last class of my 3-week series at Les Gourmettes, four days before the fateful fall, and with the permission of my fabulous students, I took a bunch of photos during class with my iPhone.

Happily, I have those to share with you until I am able to cook again!

When I asked the class if they would mind if I took photos and they said to go ahead, I then asked if they would mind if I took photos of them too. I felt as though there was a little hesitation, so I said, “If you don’t want your picture included on the blog, just hold the recipes up in front of your face, and I’ll say that some of my students are very intent on reading their recipes.”  Here is how they reacted to that suggestion!

Pranksters, each and every one of them! I love my students!

They are the sweetest people!

Each and every one of them!

The recipe calls for sweet potatoes to be cut into matchsticks.
To do so …

after peeling the potato,

cut in half,

then cut each half into 1/4-inch planks.

Stack the planks and cut them into 1/2-inch matchsticks. It’s that easy!

Sweet Potato Salad with Haricot Verts and Basil Mayonnaise

Basil Mayonnaise
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled and mashed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1  1/4 cups purchased mayonnaise

Salad
4 large sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut lengthwise in 1/4-inch thick matchsticks
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt to taste
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound Haricot Verts, (French green beans) stem ends removed
3 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
5 green onions, white and green portions thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Basil Mayonnaise: Pulse basil, garlic, salt, and cayenne in a food processor until finely chopped. Add mayonnaise and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill while you make the salad.

Salad:  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.

In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes and 4 tablespoons of the oil; sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes.

Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until tender, crisp, and browned 30 to 40 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil, over medium heat. Set up a bowl of ice water and season with salt. Add the beans to the boiling water and cook until they are tender about 5 to 6 minutes. Once the beans are cooked, immediately transfer them to the bowl of salted ice water to stop the cooking. When they are cold, remove them from the water and drain them well in a colander. Cut in half on the diagonal and place on paper towels to dry.

In a sauté pan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil on medium-low and sauté the shallot for a couple of minutes until soft and translucent; add the beans, turn to coat and warm through; then turn off the heat and let stand until ready to assemble the salad.

As soon as potatoes are roasted, toss together in a large bowl; the beans, potatoes, and green onions; add about 3/4 of the dressing and stir to combine well, taste and adjust the seasoning; add more dressing, if needed.

Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with parsley, and serve while still warm or at room temperature.

Serves 10