OMGSH. Buttery, garlic scampi served over a warm bed of potatoes- Just.So.Right
TGIF!!!! FIRST I need to say- this is one of my all-time favorite dishes! Normally when I am whipping up dinner or large meal, I pick on it so much while cooking, that by the time I’m done, I’m barely hungry! But because all of the components that go into this meal are sorta ‘unpickable’, it is the perfect thing to cook when you are super hungry and want your food cooked QUICK! And by the time you get to the end, you can enjoy it more since you didn't eat so much of it before it's complete. This Scampi dish is like the least complicated meal ever (well, maybe not ever) and its super duper easy. Not to mention, it looks so lovely when it's served, and will give you serious cooking brownie points. Trying to impress someone with your cooking skills, but not totally amazing at cooking? This is the dish that will knock their socks off!
You might also be a littttttle bit confused that I am serving shrimp scampi over mashed potatoes. It's not exactly the “right way” to serve this dish, and you will most likely find it tossed in some spaghetti noodles or poured over rice. I used to put it over rice too, but then one day I thought to myself “OH MY GOODNESS. This garlicky butter sauce would be AMAZING over hot mashed potatoes”. And BAM! That’s when it hit me. DUHHHH Let’s just put the shrimp serving over potatoes, and add some greens for extra nutrients. I promise you it is such a good combo and SO WORTH IT.
So without further blabbing, see below for this delectable recipe.
Enjoy! xx S.
I N G R E D I E N T S:
- 1/2 pound of Shrimp, peeled & deveined (approx. 20-25 pcs)
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter (+ 2 tbs separately for potatoes)
- 5-6 gloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp of dried Oregano
- 1 lemon, halved
- Splash of white cooking wine (optional)
- 6-7 red potatoes, unpeeled & washed well
- 1-2 heaping teaspoons of Rosemary (or more to your preference!)
- Half & Half- or any type of milk for mashing
- Big handful of Kale greens!
- Salt & pepper to taste
PREPARE: Begin by peeling and deveining (yeckk) the shrimp. Rinse well and set aside until ready to use. Separately, Dice up the garlic and set aside.
POTATOES: You might recognize these amazing potatoes from the Brown butter Scallop recipe. But i'll post again here so you don't have to do the research :) . Rinse and dice red potatoes, and place in large pot with Rosemary, Salt & Pepper. Fill with water, cover, and bring to a boil. Once it reaching boiling point, lower to medium low and let cook until potatoes are soft (about 10-15 minutes). Drain, add 2 tablespoons of butter, and mash by hand with fork. Add a splash of half & half, and mix well with electric hand mixer. Once fluffy, add salt & pepper to taste.
SHRIMP SCAMPI!: In a pan over medium low heat, add butter, garlic, oregano, half a lemon juiced, plus salt & pepper (I also add a small splash of cooking white wine here to give it some extra *jazz*). Cook until all melted and mix to combine all well. Let it bubble for a few seconds and remove from heat. Then in an oven safe dish, lay out your shrimp and pour the buttery scampi sauce, tossing lightly to cover each piece perfectly. Broil for about 6-8 minutes, or until cooked well and butter starts to get slightly golden.
KALE: In the same pan you just made your butter sauce, add in a large handful of kale and toss with salt & juice from the other half of the lemon (also over medium heat). Sprinkle a little pepper, and cook until wilted.
To serve, lay the shrimp and kale over a dollop of mashed potatoes, and drizzle some of the broiled butter & garlic on top. Zest some lemon, and serve! MMM Delicious!