Paul's Birthday Dinner! - Sous Vide Octopus, Smoky White Beans & Kale, and Crispy Lemon Potatoes.

Since we couldn't go out to a fancy restaurant this year, we made a fancy dinner ourselves and played Mario Party. Not a bad birthday :-)

For appetizer, we had deviled eggs with candied bacon and asparagus prosciutto puffs with gouda! I won't be posting these recipes in detail but here is a quick summary!

Candied bacon - Maple syrup, brown sugar, grain mustard, cayenne pepper - Baked at 350*F until crispy! Served with classic deviled eggs (mayo, mustard, hot paprika).

Asparagus Prosciutto Puffs with Gouda - puff pastry, seasoned purple asparagus (olive oil, s&p), prosciutto, shredded gouda. Baked until puff pastry is cooked through and golden.

Ok, onto the good stuff... Let's start with the star of this dish - OCTOPUS! I found a whole octopus at Whole Foods but you may also be able to find frozen octopus in your regular grocery store. Fun fact: previously frozen octopus is actually more tender, so don't shy away from this option! Estimate about 1 lb per person when purchasing the octopus because they tend to shrink up while cooking. We sous vide our octopus and charred it in a hot pan afterwards. Definitely recommend! Cooking octopus seemed overwhelming at first, but actually turned out to be pretty simple (after it was cleaned... cutting out the beak and ink sack were pretty gross!).

Rosemary Garlic Octopus

Ingredients:

Whole octopus, cleaned

Rosemary sprigs (1 sprig per sous vide bag)

3 garlic cloves, crushed

Salt & pepper

Olive oil

Vegetable oil for charring

Directions:

Cut octopus into manageable pieces. We cut ours in three pieces, with a few tentacles on each piece.

Rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place in a vacuum sealed bag with rosemary and crushed garlic.

Sous vide at 171*F for 5 hours.

Remove from sealed bags and gently pat dry with paper towels, careful not to remove the skin (this is what gets crispy!).

Cut into 3 inch pieces.

Heat a metal pan with a thin layer of vegetable oil over high heat (avoid using a non-stick here, they typically do not get hot enough for a char - you can also use a cast iron).

Add octopus to the pan in batches, do not overcrowd. Allow to char in pan a few minutes on each side. The crispier, the better!

Serve immediately with chimichurri and side dishes (recipes below).

Cilantro & Parsley Chimichurri

This can be made in advance or while the octopus is cooking in the sous vide!

Ingredients:

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Half bunch of parsley, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 hot red pepper, finely chopped (or use red pepper flakes)

6 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Lemon Rosemary Crispy Potatoes

These potatoes are boiled first, then roasted. This method provides a soft creamy texture inside and crispy outside.

Ingredients:

Potatoes, medium diced (the quantity will depend on the size of your potatoes. We used Yukon Gold potatoes. These are smaller so we used about 7)

2 large lemons

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Rosemary

Baking soda

Salt & pepper

Olive oil

Directions:

Place diced potatoes in large pot and cover with cold water (about two inches above top of potatoes).

Squeeze in lemon juice and place lemon skins into the pot.

Add salt and 2 tsp of baking soda to the pot (this draws out the starch of the potatoes, making them crisp up better in the oven).

Bring water to a boil and continue cooking until potatoes are tender and can be poked with a fork.

Strain pot of water and return potatoes to pot, allowing them to steam while they cool.

Add potatoes and lemon skins to a roasting pan. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and crushed garlic.

Roast for 35 - 45 minutes, until crispy. Photo below is pre-roasted.

Smoky White Beans & Kale

You can make this recipe in advance! Simply omit the kale when making ahead. To serve: Heat up the white bean mixture on the stovetop and stir in kale, allowing it to cook for a few minutes, until wilted.

Ingredients:

2 cans cannellini beans

2 cups chopped kale

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, diced

1 can vegetable stock

4-5 drops of liquid smoke (optional)

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp chopped rosemary

Red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle with olive oil.

Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add in garlic and continue cooking a few more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beans to the skillet, along with vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Cover skillet and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes covered.

Remove lid and cook for another 5 minutes and beans are very soft. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and rosemary. Add in liquid smoke.

Stir in kale and cook until wilted.

Turn off heat and stir in lemon juice. Serve immediately.

After all that cooking, I couldn't manage to make a dessert so we ordered from Insomnia Cookies!

Now we wait until my birthday to see what fancy dinner Paul cooks up for me!