Bacon, Parmesan & Arugula Potato Salad

Sometimes the best things come into your life when you least expect them. Take this Bacon, Parmesan & Arugula Potato Salad. I wasn't looking for a new potato salad recipe, but as soon as I saw Kylee's post I just had to make it. And I'm really glad I did because we all absolutely loved it.



I halved the recipe (the full amounts are listed below) and it was more than enough for the three of us. I brought the leftovers on a picnic the following day to share with friends and they raved, too. The best part is, it's super easy and incredibly flavorful.

Bacon, Parmesan & Arugula Potato Salad
Slightly modified from Kylee Cooks

3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon salt
1 lb bacon
1 5-oz bag arugula
mayonnaise
Shaved or grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot of cold water covering them by 1-inch. Bring to a boil over high heat and add salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Don't overcook them or they'll get mushy!

Meanwhile, cut the bacon into pieces using kitchen scissors. Cook it in a pan until crispy, then drain on a paper towel. Reserve the bacon grease in the pan.

Once the potatoes have cooked, drain them and immediately toss with the reserved bacon fat. Drain again and spread out on rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate until cooled, about 30 minutes.

Mix the cooled potatoes, bacon, arugula, mayonnaise, Parmesan, and pepper together. Taste and adjust seasonings and mayo as needed.

Crispy Chicken with Egg and Arugula

I love a good crispy chicken recipe. I also love anything topped with a fried egg. When Nicole posted this recipe for Crispy Chicken with Egg and Arugula I was stoked - two of my favorite things in one recipe? Brilliant.

This was such a comforting meal with the crispy chicken, creamy mashed potatoes and arugula with a tangy dressing. The fried egg with its runny yolk was delicious with the chicken. There's nothing complicated about this recipe but it's so, so good.

Crispy Baked Chicken with Egg and Arugula Salad
As seen on Prevention RD

1 egg + 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup panko
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb chicken, each breast cut in half lengthwise
vegetable or canola oil
4 eggs

Arugula Salad:
8 oz fresh arugula
1 shallot, finely minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper

In one of two shallow bowls, whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. In the second bowl, combine the panko, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Heat vegetable oil in a medium skillet (enough to shallow-fry the chicken). Working one at a time, dredge the chicken in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides completely. Fry in batches until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes per side; remove to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Meanwhile, prepare the arugula salad. Whisk together the shallot, Dijon, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, honey, salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the arugula and toss to combine.

In a small skillet, cook the eggs to your liking – over easy, medium, or hard.

To assemble, plate each chicken breast and top with 1 egg and 1/4 of the salad mixture. Serve immediately.

Chicken with Prosciutto, Brie, and Arugula

While making this week's meal plan I realized I had chicken in the freezer, a box of arugula in the crisper quickly going bad, and half a wheel of Brie. I'd had my eye on this recipe for Chicken with Prosciutto, Brie, and Arugula ever since Jaida posted it, so this seemed like the perfect time to make it.

This isn't a complicated recipe but I was happy I chose to make it on a weekend instead of a weeknight. I always get flustered breading and frying chicken so I prefer to take my time and do it right rather than rushing. As you can see, patience is a virtue and I got a nice, crispy crust on the cutlets. Delicious.

The slightly-melted Brie and prosciutto combined with the tang from the arugula dressing was divine. This will definitely be going on my 2013 roundup at the end of this year. I was peeved at myself for only making two chicken breasts (and one was so teeny tiny it barely counts as a full breast). SP was also peeved - he ate both his pieces for dinner so he didn't get any leftovers for lunch. I cut Baby Girl's chicken into nuggets, which she devoured along with the crispy potato wedges I served alongside.

Chicken Cutlets with Prosciutto, Brie, and Arugula
Bobby Flay, as seen on Sweet Beginnings

Arugula Salad
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb baby arugula, rinsed and spun dry

Chicken
1 cup flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 (6 oz) boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
6 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/4 lb Brie, rind removed, sliced
8 thin slices Virginia ham or prosciutto

Prepare Arugula Salad: In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified. Add the arugula and toss to coat the leaves with the vinaigrette. Set aside while you prepare the chicken.

Place flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in three separate shallow bowls and season each with salt and pepper. Place a wire baking rack over a baking sheet; set aside.

Place each chicken breast between two pieces of waxed paper (or a freezer-style plastic bag) and pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper, and dredge each breast in the flour; tap off excess. Dip into the egg wash and let excess drip off, and then dredge on both side in the breadcrumbs. Place on a baking rack set over a baking sheet.

Preheat two large nonstick sauté pans over high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil to each pan and heat until the butter is melted and sizzling. Place 2 breasts in each pan and cook until golden brown on the first side, using tongs flip over and continue cooking until golden brown on the second side and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total.

Remove to a plate and immediately top each breast with a few slices of Brie, then top with a few slices of prosciutto and some of the arugula salad. Serve immediately.

Breaded Chicken with Arugula, Tomato and Red Onion Salad

I wanted to do something different with chicken so I decided to try making a dish I've seen on a few menus but never ordered - chicken (or veal) with a salad made with arugula, tomato and red onion:


Initially I was going to use store-bought bread crumbs but then I saw we had a few slices of bread leftover from the previous week so I made fresh bread crumbs instead. The difference was huge and now SP says I have to make any breaded meat using fresh bread crumbs. They got nice and toasty in the oil and had a satisfying crunch when we bit into the chicken. I just pulsed some torn bread in my mini food processor and seasoned them with dry Italian seasoning. Easy and delicious.

After a shallow fry I topped the hot chicken with the arugula tossed with tomatoes and red onion that I'd marinated in lemon juice and olive oil.

Lasagna and Arugula Salad

In addition to the roast chicken SP made when I got home from my work conference he also made a huge lasagna for dinner later in the week. The night we decided to eat it I cut us both large chunks of the pasta, meat sauce and cheese:


SP knows I love cheese and he added plenty to this lasagna. It was utterly delicious, with a great tomato sauce (he's a wiz at tomato sauce) and lots of cheesy goodness. To cut the richness of the lasagna I made a quick arugula salad with shaved pecorino cheese, red wine vinegar and oil:


I love when SP cooks. We were able to each take a portion for lunch the next day and then freeze four more portions for another time.

Rigatoni with Spiced Meat Sauce

The latest issue of Everyday Food had a lot of great recipes, including this one for Rigatoni with Spiced Meat Sauce.


The recipe is really easy and took a little less than 30 minutes to put together, including making the salad. I used beef instead of lamb because we have so much in the freezer and it was fantastic.


I loved the spiciness from the cayenne and the kick from the vinegar. And the cinnamon added a nice flavor in the background. For the salad I thinly sliced some red onion and mushrooms and tossed them with baby arugula:


Simply dressed with red wine vinegar and oil, this was a fantastic weeknight meal.

Macaroni & Cheese

I love shopping at Wegman's. It's an amazing store and while we never make a trip there without spending more than we'd planned to, we always find something fun. In case you hadn't noticed by now, we love cheese. They were doing cheese tastings this weekend so we stopped to try what was on offer. I'm not usually a fan of Gruyere, but I tried a piece and it was amazing - nutty tasting, with a good bite to it, but without that stinkiness that turns me off from most cheeses in the Swiss family. We bought a small tub of the grated cheese to add to last night's mac & cheese dinner:


... that I served with crusty bread (also bought at Wegman's) and a salad:


... made with arugula and baby spinach tossed with salt, pepper and grated Pecorino. I had mine with red wine vinegar and oil. For the mac & cheese I made my usual recipe, but instead of just cheddar I added the Gruyere, as well 6 slices of bacon cooked in the oven until they were just crispy:


I also made my own bread crumbs using 2 slices of white bread pulsed in the food processor. They toasted up beautifully in the oven.

Fish Dinner

I've said it before - we don't eat enough fish. We both love it, but most of the time it's something you need to buy fresh the day you use it and we just don't have the time or energy for that during the week. But tilapia is something we can buy frozen at the wholesale club and cook a thousand different ways, so it's kind of become our go-to fish.

Last night I wanted something simple and comforting. Nothing fancy, just good solid food. I decided to lightly batter the filets in egg and flour and fry them in vegetable oil. The fish developed a nice crispy crust without being heavy or greasy. A squeeze of lemon over the top really added that extra. I knew I wanted potatoes but I wanted to do something different, so I cubed and boiled them then tossed them with a little butter, salt, pepper and chopped parsley:


We love arugula but don't eat much of it in the winter. The bagged arugula looked good at the store so I made a quick salad with sliced mushrooms, grated Pecorino and a red wine vinegar and oil dressing:


Let me tell you, this meal was outstanding. We both felt immensely satisfied, even though it wasn't a heavy or complex meal. And the leftovers today were excellent for lunch. I love when a meal really hits the spot.

Chicken Bacon Roulades

I feel like a broken record sometimes. I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've been cooking some great meals, but somehow the evenings have gotten away from me.

Someone on a cooking board I frequent posted this recipe for Chicken Bacon Roulades awhile back and I finally got around to trying it.


We both really enjoyed this meal, although it took way more time to prepare then I initially thought it would. I didn't feel like loading up on potatoes, so I served a simple arugula and mushroom salad with the roulades:


I tossed the salad with a quick dressing made with red wine vinegar, minced shallot, oil, salt and pepper. It was tangy and really cut through the richness of the roulades.