A Pile of Potatoes and Other Winter Eats

All about cozy cooking and some compelling reasons to leave the house

Hi friends,

Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce, a newsletter about cooking, eating out, and making the most of it. I hope you’re staying warm and doing some thinking/donating/community service today in honor of MLK Day and all the work that we still need to do (some favorite places to donate are here, here, and here).

Let’s dive in.

Something to cook:

I barely cooked recipes this week but I made a few fun improvisations.

I used my leftover broccoli roast spice blend (you’ll have extra) on sweet potato slices and broccoli last night and loved this application. It sticks well on smaller pieces of vegetables. I also added miso and garlic to the suggested sauce and it’s way better (duh).

Hosting book club calls for a snack dinner composed of Trader Joe’s finest treats served in every little bowl you own. Ours always include the Mediterranean hummus, olive and fig crackers, brie, manchego, green olives of some kind, and dark chocolate peanut butter cups.

I ate lots of tostadas in Guatemala since there was a stand in the central plaza that sold them late at night. They always had a layer of refried beans and a cabbage slaw on top, plus some queso fresco, cilantro and onions. I made a pale imitation this week by crisping a tortilla and topping it with a black bean/olive oil/garlic/lime juice/cumin/chili powder mixture and a cabbage salad with lime, apple cider vinegar, and pickled red onions plus some peanuts for crunch. A very good lunch.

Do you ever wake up with the need to bake? We still had a can of pumpkin so I made a batch of pumpkin muffins for the freezer. The recipe comes together so quickly and works every time.

Roasting a sweet potato is nothing crazy but have you ever left yours in the oven too long? Try roasting a (whole, pricked with a fork) sweet potato to the fall apart stage, which takes probably an hour and 15 minutes at 450, depending on the size of your potato. The texture is unbelievable (you can also try this method if you have lots of time). Top them with lemon yogurt on a bed of spinach or baby kale.

Julianne went through an overnight oats saga this week (too much liquid, forgetting the salt, etc) and got back on track with the formula in this recipe.

Something to Order:

The Passport to Bushwick is here! We shipped the first batch of Passports last week and I’ve been visiting a bunch of the participating bars. First was Petra, a tucked away natural wine bar with a great menu of Middle Eastern plates. Their house wines are stored in goblets and the owner will probably have you try a few things. (If you haven’t gotten a passport, it’s not too late. It’s $25 for a free drink at 19 Bushwick Bars, valid for the rest of the year. Use code BROKE for 10% off at checkout).

Weekday specials are the best. This week, Dale and I went to Le Fanfare, an Italian restaurant in Greenpoint, to celebrate his new job! It’s a walk from the subway but there are 3 $10 pastas available Monday-Wednesday. The pasta was really good (I got a pesto situation and the shapes were fun and clearly homemade) and the space itself is very cute, with good cocktails.

Leah and I grabbed a late dinner at Guadalupe Inn, which participates in taco tuesday ($2 for 6, a great deal). We also loved the veggie enchiladas with green salsa and the leftovers kept well.

Mom and I had lunch at the Williamsburg Cafe Mogador, which is good, but I think nearby 12 Chairs is better.

Cold nights pair so well with pizza, it’s ridiculous. Dale and I got bar seats at Emmy Squared on Saturday night and had a pretty much perfect meal: the broccoli salad and the pizza with spicy honey. Detroit style pizza is so comforting and splitting a pie means you each get two corner pieces. The Williamsburg Emmy Squared has wine on tap and the East Village one does not, so you know where my allegiances lie.

Yesterday I spent a wonderful afternoon at the Brooklyn Banya with Natalie and a fab crew of ladies. In addition to the saunas, steam rooms and hot and cold tubs, there’s a Russian restaurant right next to the pools. I was a little surprised by the pairing, but it totally worked. We sampled all the pierogis (the potato were my favorite, followed by the salty cheese), perfect pickles, and so many forms of potato (there was a pile of crispy potato slices with dill that will haunt my dreams). If you’re looking for a different kind of birthday brunch or just want to warm up and unplug, consider the Banya.

Coffeeshop of the Week:

Café Esencia in Ridgewood is so charming. The space has beautiful molding and fixtures and the coffee is really good. They even have homemade almond milk for only 25 cents extra. I didn’t try the food but there’s a pesto egg situation that looked great and they are known for their churros. It’s close to the Forest Ave M and they have wifi, so I’ll be back.

Something to read:

I think about this a lot: The (very cold) palate cleanser in the Princess Diaries

Are bartenders really judging your drink order? Or are they flirting? Man Repeller investigates.

Souen, a health food cafe in Soho, is closing and people are upset. I had lunch here once and loved it. It’s so hippie and the vegetables and carrot ginger dressing were perfect.

Are crunchy snacks made from cauliflower or peas actually healthy?

Marissa A. Ross wrote a beautiful and honest profile of Krista Scruggs, a winemaker in Vermont who’s an “overnight success” after more than 8 years in the industry.

Bread is back or Oprah was speaking for all of us with her I LOVE BREAD moment.

How to make prettier salads by slicing your vegetables differently

In honor of my visit to Trader Joe’s this week: Every year Alex Beggs at Bon Appetit reviews all of the new TJs products. 2019 starts here and it’s a good time. Plus, customer favorites from 2018.

I wrote about the new Toby’s Estate in Bushwick, which has good coffee, wifi, and a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese that’s almost $10. Ah.

I was going to link to something about celery juice but I’d rather not.

Now, let’s talk about couch food:

Hilary has a perfect system: If it's in a bag, I'm eating it on the couch. Because I'm very athletic and crave salt and calories, I'm a *huge* chip enthusiast and favor Doritos and kettle cooked potato chips. Occasionally I go through Smartfood phases. Back in the day I liked sweets and would treat myself to mixed palmfuls of dried cranberries and white chocolate chips (both straight from the bags) as a lazy but scrumptious dessert while watching TV.

Sarah says: My all time favorite couch food has to be popcorn. Ideally stove-popped, but I am a simple babe and I love microwaved too. Put in a giant bowl and chow down bb. You can even pair with some dark chocolate squares and just really nom. 

Dale speaking his truth: Favorite couch meal =Los tacos!

This week, let’s play a game. If it were 80 degrees outside, what would you want to eat? I would love a peach and an ice cream cone and also an iced latte.

Happy eating and thanks for reading.

xo, Abigail

P.S. Save February 21st for our next Happy Hour and forward this email to a friend you’ve been meaning to catch up with. Then make plans for dinner :)

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