French Approval: Potage Parmentier & Turkey Terrine

Last night I cooked dinner for Tony and my good friend Ann Marie, who was born in Germany, ran to Paris from the Nazis, then ended up here during the war. More Parisian than anything else, she loved my pseudo French experimentation. As I feel like I passed some sort of test, I thought I'd share... You'll want to experiment with amounts and times, but here's what I did:

Potage Parmentier
(Potato & Leek Soup)

2 tbsp. butter
3 leeks (try to find ones that are mainly white, as that's what you'll use).
4 Idaho potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup whole milk (cream is better, so use cream if you feel like it)
salt & pepper to taste

Slice the white and light green parts of the leek and sauté in the butter until soft and golden. (You can save the green parts and mince finely to use as a garnish, or reserve for stir fry). Add the potato and sauté for a minute or two. Add stock, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer (covered) for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and purée with immersion blender, in a blender, or with whatever else works for you. Return to low heat, add milk, salt and pepper. Serve.


Turkey Terrine

1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 tbsp. herbes de Provence
1/4 cup (or more to taste) Dijon mustard
pinch of salt
freshly-ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and transfer to a terrine, loaf pan, or the like. Bake, covered, at 325 until the temperature of the turkey reaches 165 (I overcooked it last night, so start with 30 minutes, check, then longer if necessary).

Serve at room temperature or chilled--the flavor is much more complex when it's not hot.