Cauliflower, Chard and Beautiful Carrots

A change of pace - My harvest of late has been short on tomatoes and squash, and long on cauliflower, leeks, and carrots. Oh, and of course, chard.  It seems that we are never without chard. The change is prompting me to consider different options for dinner. Which is really not a bad thing after all those summer vegetables.  I'm enjoying coming up with appropriately autumnal dinners.  Reyn has just returned from a 10 day conference and was really glad to get back to our fresh-from-the-garden meals.

Our dinner last night came entirely from the garden.  I put together a mix of summer and fall dishes.  Zucchini fritters were accompanied by a fresh tomato and basil relish.  I also tried to replicate a slow cooked potato, garlic, and chard dish I had seen, but not eaten, at the wonderful Seattle restaurant, Sitka and Spruce. Although my dish didn't end up with the exact look of the Sitka and Spruce version, the flavor was fabulous.  Sauteed garlic, chopped greens, and fingerling potatoes are slowly braised in chicken stock.  This is a combination that I probably would not have thought of on my own, but one that melds into a perfectly flavored iconic comfort food. In addition, the leftovers made a delicious frittata for breakfast.  I will surely add this recipe to my regulars.

Braised Swiss Chard with Fingerling Potatoes

1 large bunch of Swiss chard, or other greens
4 -5 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil

4 -5 fingerling potatoes, other waxy potato could be substituted
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse chard and cut stems from the leaves, reserve for another use.  Slice the leaves into 1/2" strips.  Wash potatoes and cut into 1" lengths.  In a dutch oven, heat olive oil to medium, then add garlic cloves, saute briefly.  Add chard and cook until it begins to wilt, just a few minutes.  Add potatoes and chicken stock.  Stir  to distribute.  At this point you can cover the pan and continue to cook slowly on the stove top, or place in the oven, heated to 325 - 350F.  I cooked mine in the oven alongside a pan of roasting vegetables.  Continue cooking for about 45min to 1 hour adding more stock if it becomes too dry.  This is a very forgiving dish which would probably improve with longer cooking, so don't feel rushed.

Along with the fritters and potatoes I oven roasted cauliflower with some of our beautiful ruby carrots. These I simply cleaned and cut to size, tossed them with a little olive oil and garlic cloves, and popped them into the oven next to the potato/chard braise. Simply beautiful and delicious.