IN THE KITCHEN WITH

In the Kitchen with The Lakehouse’s Tamara Stanger

by Allison Arthur photos by Travis Engvall

FROM finding berries on the island just outside The Lakehouse at Deer Creek to working with farmers to grow native beans, Tamara Stanger is passionate about getting back to her Utah roots. The 41-year-old chef grew up watching those around her set examples for her future, all the while getting back to more native ways.

One of her most influential mentors (her father’s employer when she was growing up) ate only off the land she lived on, and Stanger, then just an aspiring chef, learned many tricks from being around her. Until The Lakehouse opened last year, Stanger had been living and working in restaurants in Arizona, but she now enjoys taking advantage of everything Utah has to offer and serves her food in inventive ways.

Stanger impresses everyone around her with bursts of unexpected flavors and combinations: vinegar pies made with aging fruit, hummus blended with indigenous beans and simple dishes enhanced with inventive twists. While she calls her style rustic, we find it incredibly sophisticated and love everything about what she is doing. Here is more of what we learned one afternoon from the busy chef:

HOW DID YOU FIRST DEVELOP AN INTEREST IN COOKING?

Both my parents worked, so I had to entertain myself a lot. My mother owned a restaurant in Eureka, Utah, and made a lot of homestyle food like chicken-fried steak and homemade pies. Cooking was like a big science project for me. I started baking when I was 6 or 7, but nothing I was making was edible.

SUCH AS?

Cookies made with dried gelatin powder. It was not a good idea.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST THING YOU MADE THAT WAS A HIT?

I made a lot of cakes, and I remember being very excited about a devil’s food cake that was perfect. I was about 8. There were rules to follow [in cooking], but you didn’t exactly have to follow them. I made a rhubarb ice cream, and my friend locked me out of the house so she could eat it all.

BETWEEN LIVING NEAR A RESERVATION AND SPENDING A LOT OF TIME WITH SOMEONE DEDICATED TO LIVING OFF THE LAND, YOU MUST HAVE ABSORBED A LOT OF TRICKS.

My mother always used wild ingredients. She foraged for juniper berries and used them in pancakes. She turned crab apples into fermented wines to use on pork loin.

AND NOW YOU HAVE PARLAYED WHAT YOU LEARNED NOT ONLY INTO YOUR MENUS BUT ALSO INTO TEACHING CLASSES.

I am teaching a foraging class at the University of Utah. We are going to do a lot of the lessons in Provo Canyon. One way to tell if something is edible is to watch if the animals are eating it.

ONCE YOU HAVE FORAGED FOR IT, HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT NOT LETTING ALL THE EDIBLE PARTS GO TO WASTE?

One of my favorite ingredients is roots. I will fry green onion tips and use them for garnish. I keep the skins on everything. They add flavor, and I don’t like wasting.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER ITEMS YOU CAN FIND IN UTAH?

Mustard, acorns, wild parsley in the spring, tubers and wild onions.

YOU EVEN GET THINGS OFF THE ISLAND OUTSIDE THE LAKEHOUSE’S FRONT DOOR!

There are currant bushes there and flowers and herbs.

THE LAKEHOUSE’S ROASTED BONE MARROW POTATOES

5 medium russet potatoes 2 pounds marrow bones 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1/2 teaspoon rubbed dried sage 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon cracked pepper

> In a medium-size saucepot, bring water to boil with a heavy pinch of salt. Wash russet potatoes and cube, leaving skin on. Add to saucepot and boil on medium-high until soft enough to mash. Strain and set aside.

Meanwhile, coat marrow bones in oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Place uncovered on a sheet tray and roast in an oven heated to 450 F for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, add potatoes. Use a spoon to scrape the center of the marrow into the potatoes.

Add the cream, balsamic vinegar and spices, and mash to desired creaminess.

Additional fun ingredients to try: shredded cheese, chile flake, crispy pancetta and fresh chopped herbs.

Don’t throw out the bones, they make a wonderful bone broth!

DESPITE THE EARLY INTEREST IN COOKING, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU DIDN’T NECESSARILY WANT TO DO THAT PROFESSIONALLY.

I tried to get out of it. Wanted to be a writer but [cooking] came really easily for me. I liked the fast pace and the hard work. I started working in a restaurant in Phoenix [Pig & Pickle] — I begged them to let me work there. They threw me into making bread. It taught me how to put weird flavors together that somehow complement each other and opened my mind to “there really is no limit.”

My first executive chef job [Helio Basin Brewing Co.], I was interviewed for a sous [chef] but got hired as head chef. They talked me into it, and I had to learn a lot on the fly. The menu was tacos, and I knew I had to make 1,000 tortillas a day. I figured out how to make them with spent grains from the brewery.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO PASS ALONG TO THE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR YOU?

I had one really good mentor and think it is important not to waste anything. You can find ways to use the fat from the duck you butcher.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR COOKING STYLE?

I would say it is very rustic. I love cooking over a fire and keeping stuff in the purest form as possible so you can taste it. I also believe that veggies deserve as much love as the protein.

YOUR EXPERIENCE ON THE TELEVISION SHOW CHOPPED TAUGHT YOU …?

Food doesn’t get cooked in 20 minutes. I do slow food that often takes more than one day to complete. To pull flavors out takes time. My beans take six hours to cook.

YOUR DAY OFF MEAL WOULD BE AT?

Okra in Salt Lake City. They are really tuned in with local foods. But I don’t take days off.

DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE AT THE LAKEHOUSE?

I want to do private, really nerdy, foragedfor dinners with people who aren’t scared to come eat some strange foods. I also want to be a destination restaurant for Utah.

AS A CHEF, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT BE EMBARRASSED TO ADMIT YOU EAT …

I eat the same exact thing every day. A roast beef sandwich on wheat bread with Swiss cheese — giant handful of radish sprouts and deli roast beef with yellow mustard. Sometimes it is my breakfast.