From the Garden to the Kitchen: Using Shallots

Some of my love of cooking is found 
in trying out new ingredients.  
In the garden, I love to try out new plants.
"New" is relative, of course.  
New to my kitchen, new to my garden.  
This year, I have 4 garden newbies, 
one of which is shallots.



I now find them to be very worth the effort.
They take up very little space,
and require minimal tending.  


You do need to put a little extra mulch on them
occasionally to keep them from drying out 
as they grow and spread apart.  

Notice that from just one bulb there are now 5 new shoots/bulbs.

Experimenting, I planted just one bag of 10 bulbs ($5).  
From what I've pulled so far, I'm estimating those
should bring a harvest of at least 30 to 40 shallots.  
I also found another bag later on clearance.
For $1, I figured it was worth trying a late planting.
They're doing fine so far, and stretching out 
my season so, good call.



A bag of just 2 or 3 small bulbs at the grocery store 
runs about $3 so, yep, worth it!  Not to mention the 
convenience of having them on hand and the 
peace of mind knowing they were grown in a
completely safe environment.

For the first shallots harvested, I found this recipe:
I also grow Yukons so...a good match!  
(recipe also below)


With this recipe, I discovered what happens when
 you toast mustard seeds.
Incidentally, this is why I dream of culinary school.
Who comes up with this stuff!?!
Just the smell of them toasting lightly in a pan was
indication enough of what was to come, 
and, oh my! the dish did not disappoint!
I'm now curious to find other recipes that use 
mustard seeds this way!

Fresh.  Simple.  And so delicious.
Bon appetit!

Do you have a favorite way of using shallots?
Linking to:


Recipe from Food & Wine
2 1/4 lbs small Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
1 t yellow mustard seeds
4 T unsalted butter, softened
1 T minced parsley
1 med shallot, minced
2 t fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a saucepan, boil the potatoes in water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the mustard seeds over moderate heat until they pop, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the butter with the parsley, shallot, lemon juice and mustard seeds. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Drain and halve the potatoes lengthwise. In a large dish, toss the potatoes with the shallot butter and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The shallot butter can be refrigerated for 1 week.


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