When I decided to go back to Brooklyn for Thanksgiving, my boyfriend informed me that I would be in town just in time to say goodbye to his best friend, Mike, before he moved to Minnesota. Since their favorite thing to do is play and watch soccer together, what could be better than having a post-soccer playing/soccer watching brunch with a few other footballer friends?
My first visit to the Grand Army Plaza farmer's market in three months was more than slightly disappointing (what? no organic fruit anywhere!). The two organic produce stands had slim pickings and without the Park Slope Food Co-Op to help supplement what the farmer's market lacked I was fairly limited in my veggie selection. What NYC does have no shortage of are potatoes and I knew some sort of potato egg dish was in order. Especially after a morning of running around the pitch.
Also, to my delight, my vegetable garden that sat in neglect since August was bursting with kale! Apparently, my boyfriend has a green thumb he has been hiding from me for years.
The beauty of these types of dishes is that they can be adjusted to any season. In Spring, I would go for an asparagus version, in Summer I might use tomatoes and peppers, Winter would include cubes of kabocha squash, the options are limitless.
After a good game of pick-up soccer we all squeezed into the apartment to watch the Liverpool game while I made the most of the four square foot counter space (I'm not kidding, I measured it). Paired with a wonderful baked oatmeal dish courtesy of Heidi Swanson's new book, Super Natural Everyday, the dish was a huge hit and I had enough ingredients to make a meat version, too. Everyone left with full bellies and I left with a new found respect for late fall Brooklyn farmers markets. It was definitely a bittersweet day as we said goodbye to a friend. And although New York may have lost one wonderful Jamaican to Minnesota, Liverpool won that day.
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Potato-Mushroom Casserole
This recipe made two pans of casserole so I was able to have a sausage and vegetarian version. To get just one pan's worth use 6-8 eggs and you will get a dish chock full of goodies but light on the egg.
2-Tbsp olive oil or ghee (cocnut oil would work, too) plus some for greasing pan
6-medium sized heirloom potatoes, sliced
3/4 lb maitaki mushrooms, chopped
3-medium sized yellow onions, sliced
1-tsp salt
2-cloves garlic, minced
3-small shallots, miced
1-small bunch Tuscan kale, shredded
5-oz goat cheese
1 dozen eggs, beaten
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9-inch baking dish. Saute olive oil and onions in cast-iron skillet for five minutes. Add potatoes and cook until potatoes are almost cooked through, about ten minutes. Add salt. Add mushrooms, garlic and shallots and cook just until you can smell garlic. Turn burner off and add kale.
Pour half of mixture into greased pan and keep other half in skillet. Add half the beaten eggs to skillet and other half to dish. Dot pans with goat cheese. Cook for twenty minutes or until set.
Serves 12-14
