From the Test Kitchen: Elevating Your Menu with RoastWorks® and Simple Goodness™

From the Test Kitchen, Volume 5

At Simplot, our fry portfolio is often the star of the show. The foodservice division was founded on potatoes, and the company is credited with pioneering the first commercially viable frozen fry product in the 1940s. However, that is not where the portfolio ends. In this volume of the test kitchen, I have chosen to focus on our RoastWorks® and Simple Goodness™ brands to share some inspiration for hearty winter recipes. From grain blends to roasted corn blends and caramelized-style onions, Simplot carries a wide variety of products that help streamline foodservice operations by reducing prep time and saving on labor costs. As we walk through these recipes you will quickly see the benefit of working with our RoastWorks® and Simple Goodness™ brands.

Beef Bourguignon

One of my favorite products here is the Simplot RoastWorks® Baby Bakers™ Roasted Potatoes. They come in a lightly seasoned format, left whole, and make for the perfect small potato to create a beautiful side dish. Simplot also offers a version cut in half and seasoned with herbs and parmesan. There are so many applications for these perfectly petite potatoes, but I have wanted to use them as a base for a hearty stew since I started. Beef bourguignon is a classic French dish that has been around since the Middle Ages.¹ The dish was brought to the American palette by Julia Childs in her famous cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 1961. I used her recipe as inspiration, making some adjustments to accommodate Simplot products. Utilizing Simplot Simple Goodness™ Classic Vegetables Mirepoix Vegetable Blend and Simplot Simple Goodness™ Premium Vegetables RTE Caramelized-Style Onions in tandem with bacon, red wine, garlic, thyme and more—all covering the whole Baby Bakers™—I created a sharable appetizer that modernizes this French classic for your operation.

Clam Bake

Continuing with the Baby Bakers™, I thought showing a recipe I created for the Fall/Winter Trend Feast® would make a great addition to this volume. Winter is the best season for clams, and there’s nothing like a clam bake at a coastal restaurant. With this recipe and the help of a few Simplot products, a delicious clam bake can be accomplished in an oven in fifteen minutes, bringing that coastal vibe no matter where you are located. Our pre-seasoned Caramelized-Style Onions combine perfectly with white wine and butter as well as the clams and shrimp to create a delightful dinner for two that’s easy to accomplish and equally delicious. Simplot RoastWorks® Baby Bakers™ Halves with Herbs & Parmesan shine in the recipe, absorbing the sauce and working perfectly with Simplot RoastWorks® Flame-Roasted Corn & Jalapeño Blend for some spice and sweetness from the roasted corn. We named this Hamptons in October for Trend Feast®, but it works all winter while the clams are in season.

Clam Chowder Loaded Fries

After completing the clam bake, I had some extra product left over, and a new loaded fry was born. I recently interviewed a great partner of Simplot, Spud Fish & Chips, and we brainstormed the idea of a clam chowder-loaded fry, to serve as an LTO. With the product on hand, this was the perfect opportunity to see if the idea had legs. Our Roasted Corn & Jalapeño Blend worked just as well in the chowder as in the clam bake bringing sweet and spicy notes together with the bacon and clams. As an avid skier, I’d love to see every resort offer this option. A delicious hearty clam chowder over fries…no better way to warm up after a long day on the mountain. Beyond the chowder, any hearty stew would work in this format and make a great addition to winter menus.

Riced Cauliflower Risotto

Who doesn’t love risotto, particularly in the colder months? As the holidays have passed, I decided to lighten things up a bit by using Simplot Simple Goodness™ Premium Vegetables Riced Cauliflower as the base. The best part about using riced cauliflower over the standard arborio rice? Beyond the health benefits, the cooking time is much faster, making it an easy addition to an operator’s menu. Simplot RoastWorks® Roasted Sweet Potatoes add significant color and flavor to the dish and meld perfectly with the cream and parmesan. Fast, delicious, and perfect for the winter, yet still carrying some additional health benefits is a win with this recipe. You can still follow the risotto method, but the cauliflower doesn’t require the constant care of a traditional risotto recipe. I chose sweet potatoes for this dish, but this can go in many directions with almost anything in your pantry.

Fritters

The last stop on our RoastWorks® journey is a fun appetizer concept utilizing Simplot RoastWorks® RTE Flame-Roasted Corn and Black Bean Fiesta Blend to create fritters. This blend comes pre-seasoned with lime and garlic, playing perfectly with the delicious flavor from our roasting process. I also included Simplot Harvest Fresh® Avocados Cucumber Tzatziki Flavored Avocado Spread to kick things up a notch and add the elevated flavor of avocado. This dish exemplifies the benefits of utilizing Simplot’s seasoned products to create unforgettable menu items that are easy to execute but deliver on the plate. This particular corn blend is RTE, meaning once it is thawed, you can use it right out of the package with no extra cooking step required. I took the opportunity to throw a little more on top as a garnish that leaves the dish with roasted flavors and beautiful colors so your customers can eat with their eyes before digging in.

Simplot will always be known for potatoes, but it is my hope after this journey in the test kitchen that our RoastWorks® and Simple Goodness™ brands become top of mind for operators as they look for resources to streamline operations. Saving time and cutting labor costs are important for all foodservice operations and that is what these two brands provide. As always, my goal with the test kitchen is to provide ideas and inspiration, so take these recipes and make them your own.