Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Quail & Olive . Complimentary product was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own.   This is one of my favorite side dishes as the flavors can be customized with a flavored oil and an infused salt.  For this version I used the  Roasted Garlic Olive Oil  from  The Quail & Olive * and the saffron salt they carry in their pantry.  Anni actually has this combination - Roasted Garlic Olive Oil + Saffron Sea Salt - for folks in a holiday gift pack! Ingredients 2 pounds baby potatoes (I used a mixture of red, yellow, and purple potatoes) olive oil for drizzling 1/2 teaspoon sea salt mascarpone cream for serving saffron sea salt for serving freshly ground pepper for serving Also needed: baking sheet; parchment paper or silicone mat; something to smash with - tamper, measuring cup, or rolling pin Procedure Preheat oven to 400...

April was a ridiculously unproductive month for me in regards to the  Foodie Reads 2016 Challenge . I barely read any foodie books. I barely read any books for that matter. But, I'm reinvigorated and am kicking off the month with a book that is guaranteed to get you to eat more vegetables. I promise. On the Page... The Vegetable Butcher  by Cara Mangini* intrigued me as soon as I heard the title: The Vegetable Butcher. That seemed a little silly. Do we really butcher vegetables?! But, I was instantly interested in reading it and bought it sight unseen. So, I guess it wasn't so silly after all. First, a note: I live on the central coast of California. I'm five miles from the artichoke capital and nearby Salinas valley is called 'America's salad bowl.' I've belonged to a CSA (community supported agriculture) farm for over a decade. So I have access to a wonderful selection of local produce all year long. This book is a fantastic resource for vege...

I was recently introduced - through a fellow food blogger (thank you, Sarah of  Curious Cuisiniere !) - to  Acala Farms and their Flavor-Infused Cottonseed Oil*.  While I am an ardent culinary adventurer and eager seeker of oddball ingredients, I am fairly pedestrian when it comes to my oil choices. My kitchen is stocked with olive oil - some for cooking lubricant and some for delicious condiment - and that's about it.  So, when I received the cottonseed oil, I was intrigued. The enclosed literature was fascinating. Acala Farms took its name from the Acala cotton variety that thrives in hot, arid climates. Cottonseed oil was first bottled in the early 1880s, just after Eli Whitney developed the cotton gin. Honestly, I had no idea that cotton was even used as a food crop. I have to say: I adore Acala Farms' motto of "drizzle, sizzle, sample, and eat". So, I did. This recipe embraces all four of those. I drizzled, I sizzled, I sampled, and I ate...and it was ...

Somehow I managed to put several dishes on the table yesterday without snapping a photo of them. Yikes. I guess I was busy getting people fed! These were delicious! No special proportions or procedures. Just use great ingredients... Yukon gold potatoes butter heavy cream freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper snipped chives Cube and boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and smash with butter and heavy cream until they are the consistency that you want. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the chives. Serve hot.