Tasty Tuesday

Today is a simple post. Spent most of the morning in the gym. I must say, up until the beginning of the year, all I did in the gym was run...for miles and miles. Now when I go, it's like a 2 or 3 hour affair, complete with weights, strength training circuits and lots of running. When you factor in the mile and a half walk to the gym and back, and the shower afterwards, half of my day is gone. How do people with normal jobs do this every day?? It's fun, but exhausting. When I leave, all I want to do is eat. So when I left the gym today, I decided to make something simple, beautiful and delicious.

Swiss Chard Roulade: Serves 4
Olive oil (for greasing and brushing)
2 large potatoes, thinly sliced (this is best done on a mandolin, but by hand works just fine too)
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb red chard, leaves and stems separated
6 oz. Gorgonzola Dolce cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a 9x12 inch pan with parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Toss the potatoes with garlic, salt and pepper and arrange them carefully and evenly in the pan, overlapping the pieces. Brush with olive oil. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the paper (save it for later) and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and golden. Cool.
2. Meanwhile, chop the chard stems and boil in salted water for 5 minutes. Add the leaves to the pot and cook for an additional 7 minutes, or until tender. Drain VERY well and mix with the cheese.
3. Put the saved piece of parchment paper over the potatoes and gently flip so that the potatoes are upside down on the new piece. (I didn't do this, and think it would have really helped) Spread the chard and cheese mixture evenly over the potatoes. Roll hot-dog style, using the paper under the potatoes to help roll.
4. Place roulade back into the pan, and bake for 15 minutes, or until heated through, crisp and golden. Cut and serve immediately.

The gorgonzola dolce cheese is a nice addition to this roulade. It's a little tangy and sharp, which complements the sweetness of the chard. This pairs well with a leafy salad, or with a rustic tomato . I served it with a simple salad of musclum greens and a basic vinaigrette. The recipe for the dressing is below:

Basic Vinaigrette: Yields 1 and 1/2 cups
1 small clove garlic, peeled and mashed into a paste with 2 to 3 pinches of salt
1/3 cup red wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup olive oil

In a small bowl, mix garlic, vinegar or lemon juice, shallot, Dijon, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly until combined. Readjust seasonings if necessary.

Hope you enjoy these tasty versatile recipes. Try different fillings in the roulade or add minced herbs to the dressing. I might try green chard, raisins, pine nuts and goat cheese next-I'll let you know how that goes.