Meat and Potato Night and Dinner At The Fat Radish

If you look at my recipe section, which I highly suggest you do, you will notice that my vegetarian recipes definitely outnumber the meat ones. We are not typically a “meat and potatoes” kind of household. But the other night for some reason, this craving came over me. I think it all started when I saw these adorable mini potatoes at our local grocery store. They were just so cute and colorful…I knew they had to be used immediately. So I did a spin on one typical meat and potatoes type meal…the good ol’ chicken fingers and fries special. These chicken fingers aren’t your standard greasy and fried phalanges. These are pecan crusted with a delicious spice mixture and baked in the oven.

I used this Emeril recipe…his spice mix is fantastic! You will definitely have a lot left (I halved the recipe and am still left with a small bag) but it’s also delicious sprinkled on vegetables before roasting, fish, or even plain old chicken breasts. For the potatoes, the reason for this dinner in the first place, I wanted to keep them simple because they were just so beautiful. I halved the larger ones and tossed them all with lots of olive oil, salt and pepper, and chopped garlic. I roasted them at 400 for about 30-40 minutes, until they were nice and brown.

Salty, crispy, and delicious!

Aren’t they just adorable! Now don’t get too concerned…I did get my veggie fix soon after when I went for a veggie filled dinner at The Fat Radish in the LES. A British/American restaurant with a focus on healthy, seasonal, and vegetable filled dishes…I was super excited to finally give it a try. The restaurant is really beautiful with lots of white lighting, wood tables, and wait staff all dressed up in jeans and flannel shirts.

Complimentary plate of radishes

I already had some feelings (actually…very strong feelings) about what I wanted to order and was prepared to almost force my vegetarian friend to share everything with me! Luckily, our waitress confirmed my thoughts when she recommended all the dishes I wanted to try. No forcing was needed! We decided not to order a main and instead went with one vegetable and two of their “medium” sized dishes and one side. A perfect amount of food for two large appetites!

Whole local cauliflower with almonds, raisins, and olives

Celery root pot pie with black garlic and gruyere cheese

Beet crumble prior to being unwrapped (how cute!) and the brussels sprouts side

Beet root crumble with goat cheese, swiss chard, hazelnuts, and oats

Never have I had a cauliflower dish like this before. I would love to try to recreate this at home! Everything was just so flavorful…I’m always so impressed when restaurants can make vegetables taste just so amazing and really bring out their flavors. Fat Radish definitely knows how to do this right! The pot pie was rich and super flavorful with a buttery crust, the beet crumble was just adorable…looks like dessert but tasted like beety/cheesy goodness. The brussels sprouts perfectly roasted and contrast with the crispy fried leaves. Really…I don’t have a bad word to say about any dish. One word of advice…definitely make a reservation. This place was packed to the brim! If you happen to be friends with/married to/or dating someone who thinks they don’t like vegetables, do them a favor and take them to Fat Radish…it will blow their mind!