This was the first year that Joe and I didn't go out to eat for Valentine's Day. I wanted to be able to put my baby to bed and wish him sweet dreams on his first Valentine's. So I decided to bring the restaurant to us. And guess what I discovered? There are many advantages to fine dining at home.
Advantage #1: Cheaper. I know that Joe's favorite dinner is surf and turf. I went all out and got two 4 oz beef tenderloins to make fillet mignon and two small Maine lobster tails (they were expensive ingredients, but buying the smaller portions made it a little more reasonable.) I made the garlic butter sauce to dip the lobster in, made some herb butter for the fillet and even made profiteroles and espresso for dessert. The whole thing was cheaper than what it would have been going out. Not to mention I could have had the whole bottle of the wine for less than one glass at a nice restaurant.
Advantage #2: You finally have a reason to bust out the wedding china you never use. I can count on my hands the number of times I've used that china. And every time I use it I smile because it is so pretty and makes me feel so festive. I've decided to go out less and bring the restaurant home more just so I can look at those pretty plates and saucers.
Advantage #3: You can wear whatever you want. I briefly entertained the idea that I would get made up just as I would as if I were going out to a nice restaurant. Then I realized the beauty of sitting down to a decadent dinner in your yoga pants and college sweatshirt. It is pure bliss. It really is the best of both worlds.
The only downside: dishes. But if you have a really nice Valentine, maybe he'll do them for you.
To go along with our decadent meal, I needed a side dish that complimented it nicely. I really didn't want to spend too much more on dinner, so I took stock of what I had. I had a craving for a creamy potato side dish but all I had was sweet potatoes, which happens to be a favorite of Joe's. I had goat cheese and maple smoked bacon. Twice Baked Goat Cheese Sweet Potatoes was born. Perfect side dish and something I will be craving and making over and over again. You should too.
Twice Baked Goat Cheese Sweet Potatoes (serves 2)
1 large sweet potato
goat cheese
milk
butter
salt
pinch cayenne pepper
2 slices bacon (maple smoked if you can find it), crisped and chopped
*I realize that there are no measurements for this recipe which can be frustrating for some people, but I didn't want to give false measurements. Sweet potatoes vary greatly in size and what worked for my one potato may not work for another so I didn't want my recipe to be faulty. Sometimes cooking is just about trying and tasting. What I recommend is to go conservative with the amounts and add more to taste. You can always add, but you can't take away. Go with that philosophy and your own taste buds and you'll succeed.
Preheat oven to 350.
Scrub potato of outside dirt, dry and poke all over with fork. Oil potato with a small amount of olive oil and place directly on oven rack. Bake for 45 minutes or until potato is tender in center.
Cut potato in half lengthwise and let cool slightly. Spoon out insides of potatoes into a mixing bowl, leaving a thin layer of potato in potato skin. In mixing bowl, add a small amount of butter (approximately 1/2 tablespoon), goat cheese (approximately 2 tablespoons), milk (approximately1/4 cup), cayenne pepper and salt (a couple pinches). Using potato masher, mash until smooth. Taste and adjust ingredients to taste. Scoop potato mixture back into potato skins. (I refrigerated my potatoes for at least an hour so they could set up and the ingredients could marry a while. They can sit longer so you can make this ahead of time which is perfect for dinner parties.)
Bake potatoes at 350 for 15 minutes. Top with bacon pieces and return to oven for 5 minutes longer or until hot throughout.
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