SUNDAY
Lavender Dry~Rubbed Veal Chops | Lavender~White Chocolate Mashed Potatoes | Steamed Broccoli
Before we get to the rest of our dinner last night, let’s talk about the Lavender~White Chocolate Mashed Potatoes…did you think I had lost my mind? When I came across this recipe {posted over at the Salted & Styled blog} it struck me as so bizarre and I found myself thinking about it for days. Lavender…white chocolate…potatoes…NEVER, in a hundred years, would I have thought to put those 3 ingredients together in a dish. But signs pointing me in the direction of this concoction kept popping up…samples of a white chocolate cheesecake with a lavender graham cracker crust were being passed out in our local market when I stopped in early last week; Heidi at the 101 Cookbooks blog recently posted about creating & brewing your own herbal tea blends and my first cup was a lavender~chamomile blend; and, when Mallory, from out~of~the~blue on our drive down to Paso Robles this past Friday afternoon, mentioned she was craving the lavender ice cream from our favorite ice cream shop up North in Sonoma County {Screaming Mimi’s} I just knew I had to make these mashed potatoes, if for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity. Rarely hesitant to try new things, I decided this recipe would either be an over~the~top, earth moving success OR a failure of epic proportion. The actual result was surprising.
Dried lavender, white chocolate chips, butter & cream created mashed potatoes that had just the slightest degree of sweetness but what really caught my attention was the soft floral notes the finished dish possessed. The potatoes were certainly creamy, and the white chocolate lent a considerably smooth texture to the mash, while the lavender contributed a spring-like freshness to what could have been a dreadfully dense side dish. All through dinner, Maddie and I {the resident mashed potato addicts here} kept using the word “pretty” to describe these unique spuds. Not at all like the rich, dense, savory mashed potatoes we have come to love…those versions sporting horseradish, chives, sour cream, truffle oil, garlic and often sporting a coat of brown gravy…these were lighter and somewhat “lady-like”. White and creamy, dotted with pretty lavender flecks, these potatoes resonated spring for me.
Now, are these my new favorite, “go~to” mashed potatoes? Absolutely not. Decades of sinfully creamy, buttery, savory clouds of starch served alongside rich cuts of meat are not easily replaced with this boutique version which fancies sugar and perfume but, to be honest, they have their niche. With every bite of these potatoes I kept thinking about spring, blooms, freshness…Easter. I believe these are the perfect mashed potatoes to serve with an Easter ham or spring lamb.
- 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons crushed dried lavender buds
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- In a large saucepan, add potatoes and cover with cold water. Salt water with 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork (approximately 15 to 20 minutes).
- In a small saucepan, add heavy cream, butter and white chocolate. Heat just until butter is melted.
- Drain water from potatoes and return to saucepan. Add the cream mixture and, using a potato masher, mash potato mixture until your desired consistency (add more butter or milk here if you like a creamier mashed potatoes).
- Stir in crushed lavender. Salt and pepper to taste.
This young cut of beef naturally possesses a smoother texture than its older siblings…aged beef steaks such as strip, & rib eye. And, for this dinner, a dry rub incorporating lavender with traditional seasonings…coarse sea salt, peppercorns & dried sage…not only brought a cohesive taste to the overall dinner plate but those same floral notes added a freshness to this young meat.
A generous rub all over with the seasoning mixture, together with a marinating period which allows the meat to come to room temperature before grilling. produces an incredibly moist & tender finished product…
- 2 teaspoons dried lavender buds
- 2 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 6 thick-cut, bone-in veal chops
- Using a mortar and pestle or the back of your knife, grind the lavender buds, salt, peppercorns and dried sage until coarse. Rub the mixture into both sides of the veal chops.
- Allow veal chops to sit at room temperature while preparing and heating grill to a medium-high heat.
- Place the veal chops on a lightly oiled grill~rack and cook for 4-6 minutes. Turn chops over and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes (for medium-rare). Remove from grill to a plate and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with a scoop of White Chocolate~Lavender Mashed Potatoes and drizzle with any juices that accumulated on the plate.
Simply steamed and without any sauce, or even a wedge of lemon, to detract or overwhelm the soft floral notes found in both the potatoes and the veal. The dinner plate, as we enjoyed it last night…
