...

 

This week for Sunday Supper, I'm doing something new.  I'm suggesting a recipe I haven't actually tried yet. But I just got the Bobby Flay Mesa Grill cookbook and I've so been enjoying his throwdowns on the Food Network, that I figure we can all experiment together. Plus my Mom is in town and she LOVES crab cakes and I've never made them.  So here goes!

 

I'm already thinking about how to put my own spin on this. For example,  I'm not so crazy about the blue cornmeal (or really, any kind of cornmeal.) But I'll try it his way, then I'll report back. 

 

I'll also probably be serving this with a green salad, because I'm seriously challenged in the whole leafy vegetable department. Though I imagine some sweet corn on the cob would also be nice.

 

How about you guys?  If you've got your own take on crabcakes and twice baked potatoes, let a sista know.  

 

 

 Bobby Flay's Blue Corn Crabcakes with Mango-Green Onion Relish

 

6  tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, diced
1/4 cup prepared horseradish, drained
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
2 pounds lump crabmeat, picked over
2 to 4 tablespoons instant flour (recommended: Wondra)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups blue cornmeal
Black Olive-Roasted Red Pepper Relish, recipe follows
Basil Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saute pan over high heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapenos and cook until soft. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the horseradish, mustard, creme fraiche until combined. Stir in the onion mixture. Add the crabmeat and 2 tablespoons of the flour and gently fold to combine; season with salt and pepper. If the mixture appears too loose, add more flour, tablespoons at a time. Refrigerate, covered for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Divide the chilled crab mixture into 8 patties about 1/2-inch thick. Dredge each cake in the corn chips or cornmeal and tap off excess.

Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan over high heat and fry the cakes for about 3 minutes on each side, or until crusty and lightly browned. Place 2 crab cakes on a dinner plate and top each cake with a tablespoon of the relish and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Mango-Green Onion Relish

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

 2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and diced
 2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
 1 tablespoon honey
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the mangoes, green onions, serrano chile, lime juice, honey, and oil in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let the relish sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. This can be made up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.
 

 

Horseradish Twice Baked Potatoes

 

6 medium Idaho potatoes, scrubbed

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

1 and 1/2 to 2 cups whole milk, or heavy cream, heated

1/4 cup prepared horseradish, drained

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup sour cream or crème fraîche

1/4 cup fresh chives 

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

 

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until soft when pierced with a knife, 55 to 65 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool for five minutes.

 

Preheat the broiler.

 

Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and carefully remove the flesh, leaving a thin layer of potato near the skin. Put the flesh in a bowl. Reserve 8 of the best skins and discard the others.  Add the butter, 1 and 1/2 cups hot milk and the horseradish to the flesh and mash until smooth, or run the potatoes through a food mill and then add the butter, milk and horseradish and stir until combined.  Season with salt and pepper, and add up to 1/2 cup of additional hot milk if needed. The potatoes should not be dry.

 

Fill each potato skin with the mashed potato mixture and return to the baking sheet. Broil until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Top each potato half with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped chives.  Serve immediately.