As soon as I saw this recipe I knew that it was something I would want to make. I adapted it from a recipe which I found on a blog called That Oven Feelin. (Don't you just love the names people give to their pages! This is so cute!)
I have always loved Creamed Peas. I often serve them with my Salmon Loaf. These are two things which go really well together. I also enjoy them on slices of buttered toast. This was a favorite thing that my ex mother in law used to make. Creamed Peas on Toast. Food doesn't get much more comforting than that!
I had never tried a creamed peas & potatoes recipe however. This just called my name. It sounded so comforting and delicious. Like something which my great grandmother might have cooked.
My great grandmother lived on a farm up on the South Mountain, here in Inglisville, Nova Scotia. The land had been passed down through the generations. They grew and raised everything that they needed to eat on that farm.
My great grandfather had cows, pigs, chickens and sheep. Somewhere I have a old photograph of him with his sheep.
They had their own milk for drinking and cooking with, cream which was kept cold in a bucket in a hole in the ground. My great grandmother churned her own butter out on the porch. My mother was born in that farm house and always remembered being allowed to help church the butter.
If they didn't grow it, they didn't eat it. It was as simple as that.
Mom had a very fond memory of sitting on the front porch of the old farm house with her sister, looking down at the valley below, scraping a raw turnip with a spoon and eating it as a treat.
The old farm is still there although it has not been occupied or farmed for many years now. It was sold to a nephew when my great grandmother was widowed and moved into town to live with my grandmother. Eventually they grew old as well.
My sister and I like to drive up there from time to time and walk the grounds, thinking back on the generations that have lived there and farmed the land in days gone by. We think of our mother and our Aunts as little girls running around the orchard, and of our great grandmother's kitchen garden by the back door where she would have grown her own potatoes and peas, perhaps to make a supper of something just like this.
It would be our dream to have enough money to buy the old homestead one day and bring it back to life. But we are now both elderly ladies now. Ahh well, hope springs eternal and in the meantime we can enjoy cooking and eating things like Creamed Peas & Potatoes, even if we did have to buy the ingredients at the shops.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CREAMED PEAS & POTATOES
Just a few very simple ingredients. You probably have everything in the kitchen right now to make this fabulous side dish. Amounts are for two servings only. If you want more, simply double everything to make four servings, triple to make six, etc.
- 2 medium russet baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (40g) frozen English peas
- 1/2 of a small onion, peeled and finely diced
- 1/2 TBS butter
- 1/8 tsp dried dill
- salt and pepper to taste
My potatoes were about the size of a closed fist. Not too large, not too small. I like to use russet potatoes for these kinds of things as they hold their shape well, and yet still get nice and fluffy inside. You want a potato that is almost floury, that will absorb some of the cream nicely.
I used a plain brown cooking onion. Don't chop it up too finely. You will want to see the bits of onion in the dish.
Use a really nice high fat cream. In the U.K. I would use heavy double cream. Here in Canada I used whipping cream.
I used frozen organic baby English peas. I like their texture better than larger peas. They are sweet and delicious.
Don't skip the dill. It adds a lovely flavor to this recipe. If you have fresh dill, so much the better. If you use fresh dill, then you will need roughly twice as much. Chop it finely and save a few sprigs to garnish the top!
Do not over season. The beauty of this dish is its delicate flavors. Too much salt and you will ruin it. Likewise with too much pepper. It is better to err on the side of caution. More can always be added at the table.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMED PEAS & POTATOES
This is such a simple dish to make with very little effort needed. I love quick and easy dishes like this one using things that I always have in my home!
Place the prepared potatoes into a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water. Simmer for roughly 10 to 12 minutes until just this side of fork tender.
Add the frozen peas and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes longer. (IF you are using baby peas, cut the time in half.)
Drain well and place into a covered dish. Set aside and keep warm.
Wash the saucepan, dry, and add the butter. Place over medium heat. Melt the butter. Once it begins to foam, add the onion.
Sauté the onion, stirring frequently, until they become translucent, without coloring. Pour in the heavy cream and bring just to the boil. Cook until it thickens slightly.
Fold the potatoes and peas gently into the cream. Season with the dried dill and salt and pepper to taste. Make sure everything is well heated through and serve immediately.
As simple as this was to make, it was also incredibly tasty. The potatoes were nice and tender without being over cooked as were the peas. The cream was rich and delicious, and the onion and dill added a lovely depth of flavor that I quite enjoyed.
I enjoyed this with some grilled salmon and a salad on the side. It was a lovely, filling and simple meal that I would make again!
If you like simple side dishes as much as I do, you might also be interested in the following recipes, which I can promise you are also delicious! I am the type of person who would be completely happy with just a plate of vegetables and nothing else!
CRUMB TOPPED ROASTED CAULIFLOWER & CARROTS - An incredibly easy and delicious way to prepare cauliflower and carrots. Seasoned with a mix of spices and tossed with some oil they are roasted in a baking dish until just crispy tender. They are then topped with a mix of cracker crumbs and grated cheese and roasted for a few minutes longer, until golden brown. Simply delicious!
RANCH DRESSED CRUSHED POTATOES - I made this recipe for the first time just a few weeks ago and was so impressed with both its ease of preparation and the flavors that it has become one of my very favorite potato recipes. Baby potatoes, boiled just until tender, in the skins. Lightly crushed and dressed with a creamy ranch dressing and minced chives. Delicious. Simply delicious.
Yield: 2
Creamed Peas & Potatoes
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
A small batch recipe for a fabulous side of tender russet potatoes, sweet baby peas, aromatic onions and dill all coated rich, delicious, heavy cream.
Ingredients
- 2 medium russet baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (40g) frozen English peas
- 1/2 of a small onion, peeled and finely diced
- 1/2 TBS butter
- 1/8 tsp dried dill
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the prepared potatoes into a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water. Simmer for roughly 10 to 12 minutes until just this side of fork tender.
- Add the frozen peas and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes longer. (IF you are using baby peas, cut the time in half.)
- Drain well and place into a covered dish. Set aside and keep warm.
- Wash the saucepan, dry, and add the butter. Place over medium heat. Melt the butter. Once it begins to foam, add the onion.
- Sauté the onion, stirring frequently, until they become translucent, without coloring. Pour in the heavy cream and bring just to the boil. Cook until it thickens slightly.
- Fold the potatoes and peas gently into the cream. Season with the dried dill and salt and pepper to taste. Make sure everything is well heated through and serve immediately.
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My favorite spring dish when I was a child. Always better when mom made it!
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