Whipped Feta with Roasted Potatoes & Tomatoes and Chili Oil
Whipped Feta with Roasted Potatoes & Tomatoes and Chili Oil
& when vulnerable writing hits the masses
Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more on Fridays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!
CATCH UP!
First of all, hi! I’m so excited to have so many new people here, thanks to last week’s Sweet Potato & Halloumi Salad taking off!
I always get excited when a recipe is well-received, but I also found myself a bit self-conscious when I realized last week’s popular post also included a very vulnerable essay on how I was feeling about my miscarriage and infertility.
Of course, when I share things online and in my newsletter, I know people are going to read it, but I don’t tend to think about it reaching others beyond those in my community. But then I realized: What did I think being a writer entailed?
Before I was ever cooking recipes, before I ever became an “influencer,” I always identified as a writer. I’ve journaled my whole life, worked on school newspapers, wrote for popular websites, authored cookbooks, even drafted a novel, and now, I write, here, on my Substack. I have to remind myself that I am not just a recipe developer or content creator. I am a writer. And it’s okay that my emotional musings are now being consumed by strangers. This is what I’ve always dreamed of! Nothing makes me happier than expressing myself through the written word, and at the end of the day, I’m glad people are reading what I have to say.
So thank you. Thank you for listening to me, for allowing me this space. Thank you for making my recipes. Thank you for all your kind messages in response to my miscarriage, and thank you for sharing with me your stories — they really do give me immense comfort and help me feel less alone in my struggles.
THINGS I’M LOVING!
‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin! Grant and I have been eating Perfect Bars for years, and I love when they come out with their seasonal flavors! They have a limited release Pumpkin Pie flavor right now that’s so good. Call me basic, but I do love a good pumpkin spice sweet treat.
I feel so very special and lucky that I happened to sneak a look at Justine Cooks before it comes out, and I can attest you are all in for a treat. When I buy a cookbook, I like to feel inspired by unique flavor combinations, beautiful images, and a general vibe that motivates me to get into the kitchen. Justine Doiron’s cookbook satisfies all of that for me. The recipes are so inspiring but also accessible, her words are moving, and the photos and recipes are gorgeous. I’m so excited for everyone else to see it!
ALSO! I will be joining Justine on her Los Angeles stop of her book tour! Join us for conversation, a complimentary drink, and a meet and greet at Historic Hudson Studios on November 10th! You can get tickets here!
I love my morning matcha, but sometimes I just want to switch things up, you know? I was gifted some Masala Chai Latte packs from Kola Goodies, and I’m impressed with how delicious they taste! They do come lightly sweetened and with milk already, but that makes preparation very convenient. And the spice combo is so delicious! One of my favorite premade chais I’ve had yet. This is not sponsored, but they reached out and gave me a code if you want to try: KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off your order!
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RECIPE!
Roasted potatoes and roasted tomatoes, separately, are two of my favorite things, so I’m not sure why I don’t pair them together more frequently. The sweet, roasted tomatoes work nicely with the salty feta cheese. A generous drizzle of chili-infused olive oil helps add some spice and complexity.
I envision this dish as an appetizer or a side dish, something shared by many at a table. Or eat it yourself too, I will never judge!
Whipped Feta with Roasted Potatoes & Tomatoes and Chili Oil
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
Potatoes & Tomatoes
12 oz teeny tiny gold potatoes, halved (or quartered, if they’re larger)
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
A couple dashes of garlic & onion powder
1-2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
Salt & pepper
Whipped Feta
6 oz cream cheese (thawed for 10-15 min)
7 oz feta, broken up into chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and add the potatoes. Drizzle on 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, season with a few good dashes of garlic and onion powder along with some salt and pepper, and then toss together until coated.
2. In a separate, small baking dish, add the halved cherry tomatoes, and toss in 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Transfer both the potatoes and tomatoes to the oven, and bake both for 25 minutes, stirring each halfway through cooking. Potatoes should be golden and crispy, and tomatoes should be bubbly and soft.
3. While everything is roasting, prepare your whipped feta. Add cream cheese, feta, and olive oil to a food processor or high-speed blender. Pulse until everything is well combined and smooth (making sure not to over blend). Texture should be light and whipped, not too chunky and not overly smooth.
4. Spread whipped feta on the bottom of a plate, and top with potatoes, and then tomatoes. Garnish with parsley, and finish off with a drizzle of chili-infused olive oil (I used Brightland). If you don’t have chili oil, you can drizzle some regular oil and then add a pinch of crushed red pepper. Sprinkle on a little salt, serve immediately, and enjoy!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
Last week, paid subscriber’s received a fall salad recipe made with kale, white cheddar, apples, crispy chickpeas, roasted cauliflower, and a thyme balsamic dressing!
Just a reminder that anytime you become a paid subscriber, you get access to ALL of the past recipes in the archive. You can always do a free 7-day trial as well!
