Potatoes Romanoff, Danish butter cookies, and shrimp enchiladas with Alice in Alaska
Born and raised in South Dakota, Alice Klopstad stayed for college and the start of her corporate career. Then Alaska captured her heart and now she calls it home.
Join me for season 3 episode 8 of Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens podcast, “Fishing, Foraging and Exploring: Midwestern Alice’s Alaskan Adventures,” as she shares her adventurous and inspiring story of moving to a place where she’s embraced the outdoor lifestyle—hiking, snow machining, fishing, foraging, and filling an entire freezer with fresh-caught halibut and salmon.
When she’s not exploring Alaska, Alice is baking sourdough bread, sewing and quilting, cozying up with books from the Anchorage Public Library, planning her next international travel adventure, visiting family, or responding to “moose down” texts from friends, summoning her to help when their hunt is successful.
In 2024, Alice squeezed in reading 39,862 pages in 110 books! Find her on Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/52706555-alice.
Alice shares three of her favorite recipes and the stories behind them: roasted shrimp enchiladas, her Grandma Joyce’s Danish butter cookies, and a comforting classic from her friend Jill—potatoes Romanoff. Get the full recipes below.
Listen to Season 3, Episode 8 in your favorite podcast app, or in the YouTube (audio only) or Spotify players below.
Alice also shares what tattoo she has in honor of her grandma. And grab a couple of Kleenex for her introduction to her beloved dog, Rambo. May he rest in beautiful peace.
If you like Mexican-inspired dishes like Alice’s roasted shrimp enchiladas, you should also try my Lime Chicken Street Tacos, Chicken Black Bean Salsa, and Chris’ Salsa. Of course, the perfect ending to any great Mexican meal is Key Lime Pie.
Sweet wishes,
Danish Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cup flour
- sanding sugar, to roll
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy in large bowl – stand/hand mixer.
- Mix in yolk, baking powder, salt, vanilla until smooth.
- Then add flour until dough forms.
- Divide dough in half – roll each into a log (about 6-7 inches long, about 1 ½ inches in diameter).
- Sprinkle sanding sugar on a flat surface, roll each log carefully.
- Wrap each log in plastic wrap, store upright in fridge at least 2 hours.
- Heat oven to 350℉. After refrigeration, slice to desired thickness (I prefer ¼ inch).
- Place on parchment paper or baking sheets on cookie sheet.
- Bake ~10 minutes, or until edges are golden brown (Grandma Joyce said 16-18 minutes, but my oven was way different and 10 was good for me).
- Cool, eat up to 5 days, freeze 3 months.
Go back to the recipe by scanning this QR code:
All text and images © Staci Mergenthal • Random Sweets
Potatoes Romanoff
Ingredients
- 2 lbs large russet potatoes, washed, unpeeled, cooked, and shredded (approximately 3 potatoes)
- ¾ cup mince shallots
- 2½ cups white cheddar, grated
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1½ cups sour cream (use plain Greek yogurt for extra protein)
- optional toppings: bacon, ham, broccoli
Instructions
To bake the potatoes
- Heat oven to 425℉. Scrub potatoes with water. Pierce each potato several times – bake until tender, about an hour. Let cool, refrigerate overnight (I like to make this recipe after I have baked potatoes and use the leftovers)
Potatoes Romanoff
- Heat oven to 350℉. Grate potatoes including skin into a bowl, sprinkle with shallots, cheese (reserve ½ cup), salt and pepper (hands are easiest to toss together).
- Fold in sour cream/Greek yogurt
- Transfer to qt gratin dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350℉ until hot and cheese is melted – about 30 minutes. Optional: top with bacon, ham, broccoli.
Notes
Go back to the recipe by scanning this QR code:
All text and images © Staci Mergenthal • Random Sweets
Roasted Shrimp Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 lb medium shrimp
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 2 Tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 12 6-inch flour or corn tortillas, warmed, Alice prefers corn
- 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded, minced
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup cilantro
Instructions
Filling
- Heat oven to 400℉. 1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, add shrimp onto sheet with olive oil, salt and pepper – gently toss to combine. Roast until pink, firm, and cooked through (6-8 minutes).
- Cool shrimp, dice into bite-sized pieces.
- Reduce oven to 375℉ – lightly oil 9×13 baking dish.
- Heat skillet and oil – add garlic and onion, cook until translucent (about 5 minutes on low). Add carrots, spinach, cabbage, chipotle pepper, oregano, cayenne. Cook, stir until spinach wilts.
- Add shrimp, stir.
Sauce
- In another skillet, melt butter, whisk in flour until lightly browned. Add stock and cook, whisking constantly. Stir in sour cream. Add jalapenos and garlic powder. Simmer until sauce is thickened. Add salt and pepper (to taste).
- Remove from heat, add cilantro.
Assemble the Enchiladas
- Warm tortillas in skillet. Add your filling to each tortilla, roll each one and put into 9×13 pan.
- Pour cream sauce over top. Cover with cheese. Bake in oven at 375℉ for about 20 minutes.
Go back to the recipe by scanning this QR code:
All text and images © Staci Mergenthal • Random Sweets
