Anniversary dinner

Today is our anniversary and the kitchen is filled with the heavenly scents of lamb braising away. In our kitchen, food has always played a starring role in any celebration, and tonight is no exception. We are making lamb bordelaise, garlic smashed potatoes, and pan roasted Brussel sprouts.

We started by reducing beef stock then adding red wine, shallots and spices. Bordelaise typically calls for marrow, but since we are braising lamb shoulder steaks on the bone, we have neglected the marrow.

My smashed potatoes are a household favourite. I like my potatoes rustic, so I leave a bit of the skin on while I am peeling. Drop each newly peeled potato into a bowl of cold water — this will keep them from oxidizing and browning. Chop the potatoes roughly, returning the chopped pieces into the water bath to reduce some of the starchiness. Boil the potatoes until fork tender and  strain them well. I like to add one of my secret ingredients: fat free Greek yogurt. It gives the smashed potatoes the tanginess of sour cream, but with more protein and no added fat. I do add a small knob of butter for flavor, a whole grated garlic clove, and plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper.

The Brussel sprouts are basic — boiled with Xs in their stems until tender, then pan sauteed with a little bacon, finely chopped shallots, and seasonings.

It's an anniversary dinner, so of course we're having dessert. I'll be making apple strudel sundaes. Granny Smith apples, chopped dried apricots, and raisins are sauteed in a little butter. Water, brown sugar, walnuts, and spices are added, and the mixture is simmered until the fruit is tender. Then I deglaze the pan with a small amount of maple syrup and serve the mixture on top of low-fat vanilla ice cream.


We plan to toast seven years of marital bliss with a bottle of raspberry Framboise. À l'amour!