Top Chef Alums Show How to Make Easy, Elevated Potato Dishes for Friendsgiving

As Shota Nakajima explained in the video above, Friendsgiving is a "day to kick back and eat too much with some of your favorite people." However, after competing as a Season 18 finalist on Top Chef, Shota said he felt some pressure from his loved ones as Friendsgiving approaches: "Your friends expect you to do all the cooking, all the time."

For his special get-together this year, Shota challenged fellow Season 18 cheftestants Dawn Burrell and Maria Mazon to cook elevated potato-based side dishes. "Every Friendsgiving, there's always potatoes on the table, but they're not talked about as much," he said. "Today, I want the potatoes to shine so much that everyone's gonna be like, 'Turkey who?'"

With 40 minutes on the clock, the chefs quickly got to work, using pantry ingredients stocked by Campbell's^®. When time was up, both Dawn and Maria had created beautiful dishes that can easily be recreated by anyone at home. After trying Dawn's potato medley with brown butter hazelnut gremolata & mushroom cream and Maria's papas agridulce, Shota declared, "I am excited to cook these for my friends for many years to come."

Watch the video above to see the challenge unfold and scroll down for the full recipes!

Yield: 10 servings

Prep and Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

1 ½ pound Yukon gold potatoes

1 ½ pound purple fingerling potatoes

1 ½ pound sweet potatoes

¼ cup salt, plus more for seasoning

1 pound butter

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

4 large shallots, 2 diced and 2 thinly sliced

½ pound hazelnuts, crushed

1 tablespoon sage, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons honey

1 lemon, juiced and freshly grated zest

2 pounds oyster mushrooms

1 (10.5 oz.) can of Campbell’s® Cream of Mushroom Soup

3 cups heavy cream

Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cut larger potatoes into 1-inch discs and keep small potatoes whole, so that all potatoes are approximately the same size pieces. Place potatoes in a medium sauce pot and cover with cold water. Salt water heavily. Bring to a boil then simmer on medium heat for about 8 minutes or until potatoes are completely tender. Strain liquid out with a colander and spread out on a sheet tray. Cool completely.

2. For the hazelnut gremolata: Heat a medium sauté pan over high heat. Add 4 ounces of butter, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the thinly sliced shallots, and sauté until slightly caramelized. Add hazelnuts and cook for 1 minute, then sage and 1 tablespoon of the minced garlic, honey, and the zest of 1 lemon. Finish with a light squeeze of lemon juice and salt to taste.

3. For the mushroom cream: clean all mushrooms by cutting off the connecting part that is holding the mushrooms together, divide in half and chop ½ of the mushrooms into smaller pieces. In a sauté pan, heat ¼ cup of olive oil and add the diced shallots and the remaining minced garlic. Add 1 can of Campbell’s® Cream of Mushroom Soup and 3 cups of heavy cream, simmer for 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. To serve: Plate the Mushroom sauce on the bottom of a large platter, then plate the potatoes and top with the gremolata.

Top Chefs Tips!

1. For the lighter version of this recipe, use milk instead of heavy cream and reduce it to 2 cups.

2. Use this sauce over roasted chicken or fish too!

3. Potato uniformity is key to even cooking.

Yield: 10 servings

Prep and Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

4 pounds fingerling potatoes

4 (32 oz.) cartons of Swanson® Chicken Broth

5 blood oranges, juiced

2 lemons, juiced

3 limes, juiced

1 small can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 stick or ½ cup unsalted butter

5 cloves garlic

1 (10.5 oz.) can of Campbell’s® Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions

1. Boil your potatoes in Swanson® Chicken Broth. Pull them out 3 minutes before they are fork ready.

2. While potatoes are boiling, blend all the citrus juices and add chipotle, butter, honey, garlic, and Campbell’s® Tomato Soup. Blend thoroughly, pour into a large saucepan on low heat for at least 20 minutes.

3. Toss the boiled potatoes with the oil in a hot grill pan, until they are fork tender.

4. Once the potatoes are “grilled” toss them in the tomato sauce.

5. Plate family-style and garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Top Chefs Tips!

1. Boil your potatoes in Swanson® Chicken Broth instead of water for extra flavor. Also, the broth can be used again to add more flavor to your dish!

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