Recipe Friday: September is a Month for Potatoes, Chicken, Honey and Mushrooms

September is a busy month in the food holiday world as we celebrate four foodie holidays: National Potato Month, National Honey Month, National Mushroom Month and National Potato Month. 

While many of these dishes can work together, such as in a mushroom & potato soup, or a honey-glazed chicken, but all four of these ingredients can easily be the stars of the show on their own in a variety of dishes. Here are just four delicious recipes that will put the spotlight on Sseptember's favorites. 

Mushroom, Apple and Walnut Stuffed Acorn Squash

Recipe courtesy the National Mushroom Council

Yield: 8

Ingredients

4 ea. small-medium sized acorn squash, seeded, cut in half lengthwise
Salt and pepper
2 T olive oil
8 oz fresh mixed mushrooms (portabella, shiitake, oyster), coarsely chopped
2 ea. celery stalks, thinly diced
2 ea. apples, peeled and finely diced
3 T butter
1 T fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 cup vegetable stock
½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 ea. small loaf of day-old sourdough or French bread, cut into ¼ inch cubes (approximately 5 cups)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut acorn squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Season the inside with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake about 30 minutes until soft.
3. Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, heat olive oil. Add mushrooms and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add celery and continue to sauté for 5 minutes. Lower heat and add apples. Continue to cook until apples become tender, about 5 minutes. To the pan, add butter, sage and vegetable stock. Heat just until butter is melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Place chopped walnuts and diced bread in a large bowl. Pour warm vegetable stock mixture over bread. Using your hands, toss the bread until it is well coated and most of stock is absorbed.
5. Remove squash from oven and turn it cut side up. Divide the stuffing among each squash half; spoon the stuffing into the cavity of each squash until filled. Return to 350 degree F oven and bake until stuffing is golden brown, approximately 15-20 minutes.
6. Serve hot alongside a festive ham or weeknight roast chicken.

Idaho Potato Roulade

Recipe courtesy Idaho Potato Commission (David Knight, Kilted Chef LLC, Bailey, CO)

Ingredients

6 ea.  large Idaho® Russet Potatoes, peeled
6 ea duck legs
Salt
3 lbs duck fat
18 oz (by weight) dried sour cherries
8 oz (by weight) dried black currants
18 oz. brandy
12 oz (by weight) dried morel mushrooms
3 lbs baby spinach, washed
12 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs fresh microgreens

Method for Potato Tube

1. Use a spiral cutter to spin the potatoes to create the long strands needed to form the tube. 
2. Using a 12" length of aluminum foil fold it lengthwise until it is 6" wide. 
3. Wrap the 12"x 6" piece of aluminum foil around a cardboard tube from a paper towel roll and paper clip the ends of the foil so it doesn't unravel. 
4. Loosely wrap the long strands of potato around the foil then slide the foil off the cardboard tube being careful not to crush the foil form. 
5. Fry the potato tube while wrapped around the foil in 325°F oil until lightly golden. 
6. Be sure to turn the potato tube while frying so it colors evenly. 
7. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain. 
8. Remove the paper clips off the ends of the foil and collapse the foil to remove from inside the potato tube. 

Method for Duck Confit

1. Pat the duck legs dry with paper towels. 
2. Prick the skin all over with the tip of a knife. This allows the underlying fat to run out when heated. 
3. Liberally salt the duck legs all over, cover and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
4. Wipe the excess salt with a paper towel and place the duck legs in a casserole dish just big enough to hold the legs. 
5. Spoon the solid duck fat evenly over the top of the duck legs. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and place in a cold oven. 
6. Turn the oven on to 285°F. DO NOT PREHEAT THE OVEN. Let the legs slowly warm up with the oven. 
7. After 1 hour remove the foil and cook for 1 hour more. Remove from the oven. Let cool for 15 minutes. 
8. Remove the legs from the fat and remove the skins. The skins can be crisped in the oven and eaten as a chip. 
9. The leftover fat will be used to saute the spinach and morel mushrooms. Pick the meat off the legs and lightly shred. 

Method for Brandied Cherries and Black Currants

1. Soak the Cherries and Currants in the Brandy covered overnight at room temperature.

Method for Morel Mushrooms

1. Gently rehydrate with 2 ounces of water. 
2. Remove the mushrooms from the water before they become too soft. 
3. Rough chop the mushrooms after they are rehydrated.

Asssembly

1. Heat 6 ounces of butter in a large saute pan over medium high heat until the butter foams but is not brown. 
2. Add the garlic and spinach. Saute until all the spinach is wilted. 
3. Place the spinach/garlic on a paper towel to drain. 
4. Heat 4 ounces of butter in the same pan and add the duck confit. 
5. Sauté to reheat the duck and add a little color, add the spinach back to the pan and toss with the duck. Add the mushroom and saute over a medium flame for 1 minute. Remove all the ingredients from the pan. 
6. Add the cherry/currants in brandy off the flame and return the saute pan to the flame. The brandy may flambé so be careful. It's not a bad thing if it does. 
7. Reduce any liquids until they are almost all gone. Add the duck/garlic spinach/mushroom mix back to the pan and combine with the cherry/currants. 
8. Toss in the fresh microgreens. Spoon the mixture into the Potato Tube.
9. Use the reduced liquid in the pan to sauce the plate.

Chicken Legs with Glazed Eggplant, Zucchini and Apricot Skewers

Recipe courtesy National Chicken Council

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 ea. whole chicken leg quarters
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground peppe
1 T finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
¾ cup balsamic vinegar
2 T honey
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
1 T lemon juice
1 ea. small eggplant, sliced into ½ to ¾ –inch slices
2  ea. small zucchini, sliced into ½ to ¾-inch slices
8 ea. dried apricots
8 ea. wooden or metal skewers

Method

1. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic and olive oil. Crush into a paste by pressing the garlic to the sides and bottom of the bowl with the back of a spoon. Place chicken legs in baking dish and rub all over with garlic rosemary paste, rubbing over and under skin.  Allow chicken to marinate for 30 minutes.
2. While chicken is marinating, combine balsamic vinegar, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce by half, about 15-20 minutes.  If using wooden skewers, soak skewers in water to prevent burning while cooking.
3. Place vegetables and figs in a large bowl. Pour balsamic glaze over; toss to coat well.   String vegetables and figs onto skewers, alternating between eggplant, zucchini and figs.  Reserve any remaining glaze in bowl.
4. Pre-heat broiler or prepare grill by heating on high, covered for about 10 minutes.  Adjust grill heat to medium high after preheating. Over medium high heat, sear or broil chicken on lightly oiled rack.  Turn over once until well browned, cooking for a total of 6-8 minutes. Continue to cook chicken, moving and turning to avoid burning. Grill or broil chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 170º F, about another 20 to 25 minutes.
5. When chicken is halfway done, place vegetable skewers on grill or under broiler. Grill, turning often, until vegetables are tender and browned but not falling off of skewers, about 15-20 minutes.
6. To serve, place chicken on a platter, arrange skewers (or remove vegetables from skewers if preferred) next to chicken. Drizzle warm vegetables with remaining honey balsamic glaze. 

Honey-Marscapone Cheesecake

Recipe courtesy National Honey Board 

Yield: 12