SUMMERSET ABBEY by TJ Brown and Mustard Roasted Potatoes

Today I welcome author T.J. Brown, who has an incredible personal story about overcoming cancer, and an incredible debut novel. If you like Downton Abbey, you're going to love her new book, SUMMERSET ABBEY!

She's also a great cook, so read below for a recipe that I'm definitely going to try!

 

TJ Brown's Recipe: Mustard Roasted Potatoes

I have found an absolute passion for cooking now that my children are grown…no more picky eaters to please and I get to make what I want! This recipe is originally from the Barefoot Contessa, but I modified it to suit our tastes. These are perfect for a party because you can make them ahead of time and then put them under the broiler for a few minutes  to reheat.  

• 2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes (or any potatoes really)
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• Salt to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the potatoes into bite sized chunks, and place them on a sheet pan.  Mix together the olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a bowl and pour over the potatoes. Mix together well with your hands. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are lightly browned on the outside and tender on the inside. Toss the potatoes from time to time with a metal spatula so they brown evenly.

Serve hot sprinkled with chopped parsley and a little extra salt.

 

And now, about the book, SUMMERSET ABBEY (available in bookstores nationwide):

1913: In a sprawling manor on the outskirts of London, three young women seek to fulfill their destinies and desires amidst the unspoken rules of society and the distant rumblings of war. . . .

Rowena Buxton

Sir Philip Buxton raised three girls into beautiful and capable young women in a bohemian household that defied Edwardian tradition. Eldest sister Rowena was taught to value people, not wealth or status. But everything she believes will be tested when Sir Philip dies, and the girls must live under their uncle’s guardianship at the vast family estate, Summerset Abbey. Standing up for a beloved family member sequestered to the “under class” in this privileged new world, and drawn into the Cunning Coterie, an exclusive social circle of aristocratic “rebels,” Rowena must decide where her true passions—and loyalties—lie.

Victoria Buxton

Frail in body but filled with an audacious spirit, Victoria secretly dreams of attending university to become a botanist like her father. But this most unladylike wish is not her only secret. Now, Victoria has stumbled upon a family scandal that, if revealed, has the potential to change lives forever…

Prudence Tate

Prudence was lovingly brought up alongside Victoria and Rowena, and their bond is as strong as blood. But by birth she is a governess’s daughter, and to the lord of Summerset Abbey, that makes her a commoner who must take her true place in society—as ladies maid to her beloved “sisters.” But Pru doesn’t belong in the downstairs world of the household staff any more than she belongs upstairs with the Buxton girls.  And when a young lord catches her eye, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever truly carve out a place for herself at Summerset Abbey…

Other books in the series:

A BLOOM IN WINTER (Summerset Abbey #2) March 5, 2013

SPRING AWAKENING (Summerset Abbey #3) August 6, 2013

Thanks for visiting, T.J.! This book looks awesome!! For more about the book, the series or TJ herself, visit her website!

Shirley