Dinner to Brag About

Last night I had some friends over at the apartment and Rachel decided we need to have something new for dinner. We started by getting a really nice baguette from Panera bread and trying out the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Well, I remembered from last summer going to this restaurant in Fargo with my Aunt Sue and the mixture had roasted garlic in it. I had to try it for myself. I roasted garlic chunks in the oven with some olive oil until they were crispy brown. These I then crushed into the mixture with a bit of salt. AWESOME!!!
Rachel's main course consisted of red mashed potatoes with buttermilk, whole chunks of garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. There was steamed fresh green beans steamed in chicken broth. The meat of choice was venison which she wanted to spruce up. It had a mashed green peppercorn paste, literally ground into the backstraps. Then she reduced down a peppercorn sauce from cream, peppercorn, and brandy. She then served each plate individually drizzling the sauce over both the venison medallions as well as the potatoes, and serve this with a slice of Panera sourdough. We had to find out what wine to go with it and the guys at HyVee said Zinfandel and that was the finishing touch to the main course. Rachel's former roommate Megan brought a double chocolate mint brownie to complement the meal. Too good to not share with all. Well, the story not the food.

This has to rank right up there with one of the best meals Rachel has ever prepared.