There's a guy that parks his truck, piled high with corn, by the highway and sells to the locals. It's more expensive than at the grocery store but you can't beat it-fresh from the Chilliwack farms and sweet, it's the best corn you'll ever eat. In a few weeks I'm moving to Fraser Valley, right smack in the middle of farmland central where threre are little stands selling corn on what seems like every street corner. This recipe had a great twist to the mashed potatoes, by adding corn for texture. If you happen to find some good fresh corn, I recommend you use that instead. Make sure to check out the tips below.
Ingredients:
14 oz baby white potatoes (I used larger potatoes, just cut them into quarters)
2 tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 green onions, sliced
small bunch of fresh basil
1/2 fresh red chile, seeded and minced (I was out of chile-I sprinkled in some hot pepper flakes)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken breast halves, which was more than enough)
lemon
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 oz frozen corn (or fresh, roasted*)
pat of butter
To roast corn: Cut the kernels off the cob and toss with a little olive oil to coat, and season with some salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, stirring so it roasts evenly, in a pre-heated 375 F oven. Instead of adding to the potatoes as listed in the recipe, go ahead and cook, then mash, the potatoes, Stir the corn into the potatoes last.) Cut your potatoes in half, or quarters if they are larger, and put them in a pot of boiling, salted water. Cook for about 15 minutes or until they are tender. Meanwhile, mix together the tomato, chopped green onion, basil, and chile. Stir together. Pour in a bit of olive oil (a few tsps), then the red wine vinegar, and stir. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, stir, and taste. Set aside. Next, score the chicken breasts lightly on one side in a criss cross pattern. Then lay them out on your cutting board and cover them with cling film. Why? Well you're going to pound those babies until they are nice and thin-ish. (about 1/2 inch). Season the breasts with salt and pepper, then zest your lemon right over top, sprinkling the lemony bits down onto the breasts. Pick off the thyme leaves and sprinkle them on top too. Drizzle with some olive oil. Check your potatoes. They should be almost tender by now. In the last few minutes of cooking, add the corn and continue to cook until both are tender. Drain, and let the veggies steam dry a bit before dumping them back into the hot pot. Mash them up with a bit of butter, but be gentle. I also like to add a little hot milk if they are dry. Then stick a lid on those babies to keep them warm. Heat up your fry pan over medium heat with a little olive oil in it. Fry up the chicken breasts, about 3 minutes per side, until they are cooked through. Serve the corn and potato mash with the chicken breasts, and spoon the tomato mixture over top.
Serves 3-4
Adapted from Jamie's Recipes, via the new iPod app
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