Crispy Oven Fries and Roasted Summer Squash

Yep, it's another post about side dishes today! These are good ones, I promise you. The first one I'm going to tell you about is the Double-Baked Oven Fries I made the other night. I found this recipe over on Rachael Ray's website. I remember her making oven fries on her show once that were reportedly "crazy crisp," restaurant-quality french fries. Supposedly, you couldn't even tell they were baked instead of fried! I had to make them for myself to find out if this claim was true.

Even though Rachael Ray is not my favorite celebrity chef by any means, I have to admit that this whole concept is very clever. She uses cooling racks on top of the baking sheets, then spreads the potato slices on the racks. This allows for even heating all over the potato, so it doesn't have a chance to get soggy on the bottom. Then, she double-bakes the fries, at two different oven temperatures, with a brief re-toss in oil and spices in between. The fries do become very crispy, golden, and delicious after cooking them this way. I absolutely loved them; my seasoning of choice was Old Bay this time, but you could use virtually anything you particularly like. The only minor gripe I have with these is that you have to eat them right away, or they do eventually turn soggy. It's no biggie if you're making just enough to serve with no leftovers, though!



It's summer again, so of course that means the summer squash is in abundance around these parts. Sometimes, when I'm trying to figure out what to do with all of it, I become overly ambitious, coming up with ideas that are somewhat elaborate or time-consuming. Often, the easiest preparation is also among the most delicious.



This way of roasting squash just could not be simpler. Just toss sliced squash with some sliced onion, then add oil, salt, and pepper. As with the potatoes, any other spice of your choice could be added. Then you roast the veggies for about 15 minutes at 450 degrees, and you have sweet, juicy, tender summer squash that you barely exerted any effort in producing. Not bad for a lazy summer dinner!

Double-Baked Oven Fries
adapted from RachaelRay.com
makes about 1 1/2 lbs. fries

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. medium Idaho potatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Old Bay seasoning, to taste (any of your favorite spices can be used)
1-1 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with foil, then place an oven-proof cooling rack over the foil on each sheet.

2. If desired, peel the potatoes. Cut each potato into thin fries, lengthwise: the thinner they are, the crispier they will be. Transfer each slice to a large bowl.

3. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, Old Bay seasoning, and olive oil over the potato slices. Toss well to coat all the slices. Transfer each slice to the cooling racks, taking care to leave space between each.

4. Place the fries in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and increase the heat to 425 degrees. Return the fries to the bowl, and toss again. You may add more seasonings at this point.

5. Return the fries to the baking sheets and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until crisp and brown. Serve immediately.


Roasted Summer Squash
recipe by Bri
makes 1 lb. squash

Ingredients
1 lb. yellow summer squash, ends cut off and thinly sliced into circles
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced into strips
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss squash and onion pieces in the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange vegetables in a baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until veggies are tender and slightly brown. Serve immediately.

Meatless Mondays: Tabbouleh and Batata Harra (Spiced Potatoes)

As promised, here is the other half of my Middle Eastern meal from the other night. I figured it would be smart to blog today about the meatless side dishes I served, in honor of Meatless Mondays! I had the pleasure of making a Tabbouleh for the first time for this meal. Although I mostly used Cat Cora's recipe, I did make some changes to her formula.

I want to try her version soon, but I loved this one! Mine was more what you would consider a standard Tabbouleh, with tomatoes and cucumbers and parsley. Cat Cora's swapped out the tomatoes for red grapes, and fresh mint in place of the parsley. Yum! But I happened to have the tomatoes and parsley on hand already, so that is what I went with. It's a very easy side salad to make; the bulgur literally prepares itself once you pour boiling water over top. Once all your veggies are prepped and chopped, everything just gets tossed together with olive oil and lemon juice.

For the Batata Harra, or Lebanese Spiced Potatoes, I had to do a little bit of research. A couple weeks ago, my family ate dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant, and there was a very big menu. I finally opted for a large tasting plate for my entree, but I had my eye on the Batata Harra as well. Since I did not order the potatoes in the end, I decided I would just find out how to make them myself; they sounded too good to pass up! And they were simple and very delicious. They have quite a kick; I used both a fresh jalapeno and cayenne pepper, and you could definitely feel the heat.

My preparation method was different from the recipe I found; I made mine a bit healthier. In the original recipe, the potatoes are deep fried, and then all the aromatics are tossed in more oil. I decided to bake my potato pieces, and then I tossed the aromatics in a much smaller amount of oil. I'm happy to say that my dish still turned out extremely flavorful, and the potatoes were deliciously crispy. I don't know what the restaurant version of these tastes like, but I'll be making these at home again for sure!

Tabbouleh
adapted from Cat Cora's Classics with a Twist
makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups boiling water
1 cup bulgur
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup chopped scallions
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup diced cucumber (about 1 medium)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted

Directions
1. Pour the boiling water over the bulgur in a large bowl and stir just until all the grains are moistened. Cover and let sit for 1 hour at room temperature.

2. Pour the oil and lemon juice into the soaked bulgur. Add the scallions, parsley, oregano, tomatoes, and cucumber; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Cover and refrigerate tabbouleh for at least 1 hour so the flavors have a chance to meld. Top with the pine nuts just before serving.


Batata Harra (Lebanese Spiced Potatoes)
adapted from Food.com
makes 1 lb. potatoes

Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 lbs. red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp. fresh lime juice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the potatoes with some salt and pepper, and 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil. Spread on a nonstick baking sheet, or a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray, and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.

2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil. Add the scallion, garlic, jalapeno, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt and pepper. Saute the mixture for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Toss the potatoes in the scallion mixture until well coated. Take the skillet from the heat; stir in the parsley and lime juice. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.

Poblano Pesto Potato Salad

Well, I made another potato salad. It seems to be my new thing. I love a potato salad, or at least I love them as long as they don't contain mayo. I don't do mayo. But fortunately for me, there are still plenty of creative things one can do with potatoes.



I had a couple of leftover poblano peppers to use up, and I thought I was being very clever when I decided that they would taste fabulous as a pesto sauce. However, it turns out that I was not the first person to think of this. A quick Google search revealed that another blogger had made a sauce just like the one I thought I had dreamed up. Using their basic recipe as a guide, I made my own with a couple of different ingredients, such as fresh cilantro and marcona almonds. I especially love the marcona almonds in there; they have such a nice flavor, and they're already roasted and salted. That means I can use less oil and salt in the pesto; score!

I divided the batch of pesto in half, and used one half to make a simple potato salad. It was delicious! Just the thing for July 4th. The other half is awaiting its use in my fridge; I'm thinking about just using it as a pasta sauce. It's very scrumptious; it would be good as a sauce for meat or shrimp, as well. Heck, you could even use it to top your tacos or fajitas; the poblanos and cilantro give it a Mexican kinda flair.




Poblano Pesto
adapted from The Food Medic
makes about 1 1/2 cups pesto

Ingredients
2 large poblano peppers, blackened over an open flame or under the broiler, with the skin, seeds, and stems removed
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves (you can include stems)
1/2 cup marcona almonds
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. In a food processor, combine the almonds and garlic. Pulse until the almonds have been finely chopped. Add the poblanos, the cilantro, and the lemon juice. Process until the greens have been blended and the mixture resembles a coarse sauce. Slowly stream in the olive oil while the processor is running, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle in salt and pepper, to taste, and then pulse the food processor again until the mixture is uniform.

2. To make Poblano Pesto Potato Salad, simply mix half the pesto sauce with 1 lb. to 1 1/2 lbs. small Yukon gold potatoes that have been quartered and cooked in simmering water until fork tender (about 12 minutes). Store in the fridge until chilled, then serve. The other half of the pesto sauce can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for at least a week.

Meatless Mondays: Veggie Burgers with Jalapeno Coleslaw and Malt Vinegar Potato Salad

Last week, I found myself suddenly craving outdoor barbeque food. I guess it's because we have the Fourth of July coming up soon, and all over the place I am seeing recipes for burgers and salads. Still, I have been cooking so many meat-free dishes lately, I thought it would be fun to make an entire picnic-style meal without any meat involved. Plus, I had just found out that Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook included a recipe for a supposedly delicious veggie burger, and I was just intrigued enough to want to test it out.

I first made a Malt Vinegar Potato Salad to go along with my meal. I just love that special tang that malt vinegar has; it's the perfect pairing with those soft potatoes. It reminds me of summer evenings on the boardwalk in New Jersey when I was growing up. My mom would order a huge bucket of fresh-cut french fries, and we would eat the fries dipped in malt vinegar. Huge yum! In fact, it has been way too long since I've been to the Jersey Shore; now I'm craving boardwalk fries!

I made up this recipe for the potato salad on the fly; it really couldn't be simpler. If you like German-style potato salads, which are quite tart, you should like this a lot. If I'd had some grainy mustard on hand, I would have added that in, too. Feel free to do that if you have some!

The coleslaw is an interpretation of a Cooking Light recipe I found recently. I only had lemons on hand, but the original recipe was actually a Jalapeno-Lime Coleslaw. However, I just made a few simple tweaks, and came up with this Jalapeno-Lemon Coleslaw. It was great, but I can't wait to make it again with the lime. I do love the jalapeno/lime pairing.

Finally, I made Gwyneth's Veggie Burgers, and they were every bit as delicious as I'd hoped (but secretly doubted) they would be. The black beans and rice give the burgers a nice firm texture, and there's a generous addition of cumin that I thought gave it a nice Mexican flair. Onion and garlic keep things zesty, and the whole meal can be whipped up fairly quickly. There is a period where you can rest the burgers in the fridge before cooking them up, but I don't think you absolutely have to do that if you're strapped for time. One small note about this recipe: she says to dust the burgers in flour before frying them up, and I understand that this probably helps bind everything together better and gives the burger a nice, crispy crust. However, I believe that the instructions indicate more flour than is actually needed, so I put the amount I think is sufficient down below.

Gwyneth's Veggie Burgers
adapted from Savor Flavor Dining
makes 4 burger patties

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (14-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/2-1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Oil or nonstick cooking spray, for cooking the patties
Burger buns, condiments, etc.

Directions
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic, and cumin and cook until softened and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, beans, and rice; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the cilantro and mash the mixture with a potato masher; you want to make the mixture cohesive and combined, but don't mash completely. You still want some texture.

2. Allow the mixture to cool until it is easy to handle. Form the mixture into 4 patties. You can now allow the burgers to rest in the fridge for several hours before cooking.

3. When you are ready to cook the burgers, preheat a nonstick skillet, griddle, or grill pan to medium-high. Dust both sides of each burger patty lightly with the flour. Add the oil or nonstick cooking spray to your pan or griddle to heat it up. Cook the burgers until browned on both sides; it should take about 3-4 minutes per side. Top burgers with whatever you like, and serve on the bun of your choice.


Jalapeno-Lemon Coleslaw
adapted from Cooking Light
makes about 5-6 cups

Ingredients
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
4-5 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package angel hair coleslaw
3 jalapeno peppers, halved crosswise

Directions
1. Combine the lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Slowly stream in the olive oil, continually stirring with the whisk. Add scallion and coleslaw.

2. Thinly slice 1 jalapeno half crosswise (keeping seeds), and remove seeds from remaining jalapeno halves. Cut the remaining halves into thin crosswise slices. Add the jalapenos to scallion mixture and toss well to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.


Malt Vinegar Potato Salad
recipe by Bri
makes about 2 pounds

Ingredients
2 lbs. small red potatoes, quartered
4-5 scallions, thinly sliced
4 Tbsp. malt vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions
1. Place the quartered potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Set the pot on the stove, allow it to come up to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer the potatoes for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender but still hold their shape. Drain the potatoes when they are finished cooking.

2. While the potatoes cook, combine the scallions in a large bowl with the malt vinegar, salt, pepper, and rosemary, stirring with a whisk. Slowly stream in the olive oil, continually whisking the mixture. Dump in the hot potatoes and combine well with a large spoon, allowing the dressing the absorb into the potatoes. Cover loosely and chill potato salad for several hours before serving.

Meatless Mondays: Potato Gratin with Duxelles

It was not until I sat down here and got ready to blog all about this lovely Potato Gratin that I realized I had not photographed one of the most essential, and unique, components of the dish. You see, this week's Meatless Mondays offering is cool and different, and I wanted to tell you all about it. I can still tell you all about it, but I can't show you the innards of this gratin, as it is long, long gone and eaten. Sigh.

As you can see from the title, this is a Potato Gratin with Duxelles. Duxelles, I have learned, is a rich, meaty-tasting mushroom reduction. A long, slow simmer of a large amount of mushrooms cooks them way, way down and reduces them to little more than mushroom....well, mush. But this mush is pure, concentrated mushroom flavor, and it is very, very tasty. Once you have made your Duxelles, you can add it to almost any dish your imagination can dream up. I'm sure it will be fabulous in soups, amazing in omelettes, and delightful mixed into a pan gravy. Here, it was used as a layer of flavor in the Potato Gratin.

Making the Duxelles was quite simple; the hardest part is the waiting. It took me over an hour before all the liquid had evaporated from the pan; that is how you know it is ready. The Potato Gratin, from Cooking Light, was surprisingly decadent for such a light dish. It made me feel like I was being bad when I really wasn't! I love fake-outs like that. Be sure to allow plenty of time to make this whole ensemble, or make the Duxelles ahead of time and stick them in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the Gratin. Oh, and the Duxelles recipe makes a ton! I split up the remainder of my Duxelles in the cups of my muffin tin, flash froze the whole thing, and then popped them out and threw them in a freezer bag. Now I'll have the ability to Duxelle-ify any meal I please!

Potato Gratin with Duxelles
from Cooking Light
makes 10 servings

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups (1/8-inch thick) sliced, peeled baking potato (about 2 pounds)
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. minced garlic
3/4 tsp. chopped, fresh thyme
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Cooking spray
3/4 cup Duxelles (recipe follows)
1/2 cup (2 oz.) grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Drain potatoes through a sieve over a bowl; reserve potatoes and liquid.

2. Arrange half the potatoes in an 11x7 glass or ceramic baking dish that is coated with cooking spray. Spread Duxelles evenly over potatoes; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Top with remaining potatoes. Pour the reserved cooking liquid over potatoes; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Mushroom Duxelles
from Cooking Light
makes 4 cups

Ingredients
10 3/4 cups sliced mushrooms (about 3 pounds)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup minced leek (about 1 small)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
3 Tbsp. fresh minced chives
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Place about 2 cups mushrooms in a food processor, and pulse 12 times or until finely chopped, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Place chopped mushrooms in a large bowl. Repeat procedure in batches with the remaining mushrooms.

2. Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, leek, and garlic to pan; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in mushrooms; saute 30 minutes (mine took about an hour) or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, chives, salt, and pepper. Cool completely before using or freezing.

Irish Potato Leek Soup with Soda Bread

So I bought a 10-pound bag of potatoes last week and then realized that I would actually need to find ways to use them all. I knew that some of them were earmarked for a potato project my kindergartener had to do for school (he was tasked to make a Mr. Potato Head using a real potato. This turned out to be the perfect project for both my kids, as both adore Mr. Potato Head!). But then what was I going to do with the other 9 or so pounds of spuds?

Around the same time that I bought them, I decided I wanted to give Irish cuisine another try. I had made an Irish dinner last year for St. Patrick's Day, and I had a lot of fun making something that represented my heritage, finally! I wanted to make something else this year, so I settled on an Irish Potato Leek Soup.



I made this on a day where it was most covenient for me to pull out the slow cooker and put it to some good use, so that's exactly what I did. After perusing different variations on an Irish Potato Soup, I finally decided to basically tweak them all and make it my own. I added cauliflower to mine, as well as caraway seed. There's just something about caraway; I tend to associate it with Irish food and thought it would work well here. I let the soup simmer away for hours, then I lifted the lid and pureed the whole thing with my immersion blender. Since I knew that the soup would lose tons of heat from removing the lid, I let it cook for another hour or so. Then, I lifted the lid just before we were ready to eat and poured in a cup of milk. I figured it would make the soup even more creamy, and just a tad more indulgent. I did make it on St. Patrick's Day, after all. We could afford just a bit of indulgence!

To go with it, I whipped up a very simple, basic Irish Soda Bread. This one's just flour (one part white, 3 parts whole-wheat), baking soda, salt, and caraway seed (my own addition), mixed gently with buttermilk until the dough comes together. The dough is then formed into a rustic, imperfect mound and baked for about 40-45 minutes.

The bread, we thought, was kinda blah. It was dense, but it was great for sopping up the soup. The soup itself was interesting and made for a good late-winter warmer, but I have to say it needed a little something more. I wish I knew what it needed, but it's just an inexplicable sort of lacking. Some salt seemed to help for my husband; I agree that this may have been a culprit. Still, I am glad to venture into Irish cooking again, even if it's just for one day out of the year. Now I feel like I'm good for another year!

Irish Potato Leek Soup

recipe by Bri

makes about 9 cups of soup

Ingredients

3 large baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 to 3 lbs.), coarsely chopped

2 medium leeks, sliced into half-moons and rinsed of all grit

1/2 to 1 small head cauliflower, chopped into small florets

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 to 1 Tbsp. caraway seeds

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup milk (I used 2%)

Optional garnishes: chopped scallions or chives, sour cream, bacon, cheese, etc.

Directions

1. In a slow cooker, combine the potatoes, leeks, and cauliflower. Pour the chicken broth over the vegetables, then add the caraway seeds. Place the lid on the slower cooker and turn it on to low. Let it go for at least 4-5 hours.

2. After about 4-5 hours, remove the lid and puree the soup with an immersion blender. Add salt and the pepper. Pour in the cup of milk, then replace the lid and let the soup warm back up thoroughly before turning the crockpot to warm (or turning it off) and serving.

Irish Soda Bread with Caraway

adapted from Food.com

makes a 1 1/2 lb. loaf

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups whole-wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 Tbsp. caraway seeds (can use more; I felt like that was not enough)

1 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the buttermilk. Slowly pour in 1 cup of the buttermilk, mixing the entire time. Add in the other 1/2 cup buttermilk as needed, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until the dough has been gently worked into a ball that holds together.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Turn the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and mound into an 8-inch circle. Using a small knife, slash an X 1/2-inch deep over the top of the loaf.

3. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the top is very crusty and browned, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm; hot is even better.

Smoky Potato Pancakes

One of the (many) things I love about reading cooking magazines is how broad the range of food always is. In other words, I sometimes feel like I live a sheltered life because I never had a potato pancake, or latke, until I made them myself. There are plenty of other examples of foods I'd never been exposed to until recently, but I'll spare you the list right now. Suffice it to say, I'm really enjoying my new, broader food horizons and discovering worlds I simply never knew!

When looking through my latest issue of Cooking Light Magazine, I found an easy recipe for Smoky Potato Pancakes, and I just could not resist giving them a try. I love potatoes, bacon, and cheese (all three of which are included in this recipe), so I couldn't wait to try them all together in this new form. As long as you have a food processor, or some other device that can shred potatoes quick as a flash, this recipe is such a breeze.

You cook up a bit of bacon, then save it for a topping at the end. You saute onions in the bacon drippings, then add a bit of garlic and scallion. The cooked onion mixture goes into a bowl with a bunch of shredded potato, some cheese, salt, and pepper, along with some eggs to bind the whole mix together. Shape the concoction into patty shapes, and arrange them on a baking sheet. If you're concerned that they won't be good because they aren't being deep fried, you shouldn't be. These turn out crispy, with a bit of tenderness inside. I might have been able to cook mine even longer; they weren't as dark as the picture in the magazine. Still, they were completely scrumptious and surprisingly satisfying as an entree. I served them up with a spinach salad (like the magazine suggests) and we had a fantastic meal. If you've never had a potato pancake, either, I would definitely recommend these as a first foray into the world of latke making!

Smoky Potato Pancakes

adapted from Cooking Light

makes 8 potato pancakes

Ingredients

2 center-cut hickory smoked bacon slices

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup thinly sliced scallion (the original recipe called for leeks)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 pounds shredded, peeled baking potato (about 2 large)

1/3 cup (1 1/2 oz.) shredded pepper jack cheese (the original called for sharp cheddar)

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs

Cooking spray

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan using a slotted spoon, and crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add scallion and garlic; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Combine onion mixture with the grated potato (note: make sure you wring as much of the moisture as you can from the potatoes before adding them!), pepper jack cheese, 3/4 tsp. salt, black pepper, and 2 large eggs in a medium bowl. Mix well. Divide the potato mixture into 8 equal portions, and shape each portion into a 1/2-inch thick patty.

3. Place patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray (I used Reynolds' nonstick aluminum foil). Coat patties lightly with cooking spray. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until golden and set.

4. Top the potato pancakes with the reserved, crumbled bacon and sour cream (if using). One serving size is 2 pancakes, 1 Tbsp. sour cream, and 1/2 bacon slice.

Meatless Mondays: Red Pepper Fennel Soup

Wow, this is two Meatless Mondays in a row! This could be habit-forming. I have to say, I have been enjoying it. I can get a little tired of chicken and then chicken, so it's always great to find ways of preparing meat-free meals that are just as satisfying.

This soup is perfect for filling you up on a cold night. We've been getting hit with some snow this past week, and I tend to crave soup when the temperatures drop (or drop even lower than they were before!). I found this Red Pepper Fennel Soup on Food.com, and it was cited as having come from Rachael Ray's September 2007 magazine. I could not find this soup on Rachael's official website, though, so I have provided the link to the Food.com version down at the bottom of this post with my take on the recipe.



The soup starts with a leek and a bulb of fennel as its base. Since these are two vegetables we love to eat when we can get our hands on them, I figured we were off to a good start. I roasted my own red peppers for this; I feel like it's worth the extra time to do that instead of using a jar of roasted peppers. Fortunately, I actually did have enough extra time to do it this time! That's not always the case.

So you throw in your sliced red peppers, along with a sliced potato, broth, and some seasonings (I added fenugreek because I had just purchased some for the first time the day before I made this. I was looking for just about any excuse to try it out!). Let everything come up to a boil and simmer until the potato has cooked through. Then you pull out your immersion blender and puree the veggies. It becomes so thick and luxurious, and then you make it even more luxurious with the help of some heavy cream. I didn't want too much; the original version called for 1/2 cup, but I just put in 2 Tbsp. It was just enough for me. It made the soup slightly creamy without adding tons of fat.

To go alongside, you whip up some homemade pita chips in the oven. It's so easy; I do it every now and then, experimenting with different ways of seasoning them. This time, they had a mix of salt, pepper, fenugreek, and some fennel fronds on them. I overcooked them by a minute or two, so they were slightly charred. I thought that was actually pretty good in this case, since it matched well with the charred red peppers. I thoroughly enjoyed this meal, and was plenty full after one bowl. All that, and it was meat-free! Not shabby at all.

Red Pepper Fennel Soup

adapted from Food.com

makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 roasted red peppers, thinly sliced lengthwise

1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 leek, thinly sliced crosswise (white parts only)

1 small fennel bulb, with fronds, bulb finely chopped and fronds chopped for garnish

1 (1/2 lb.) potato, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp. fenugreek, plus more to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

3 pita bread, split and cut into wedges

2 Tbsp. heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium Dutch oven, heat 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add the leek and chopped fennel bulb and cook until lightly golden, about 10 minutes.

2. Add all the roasted pepper strips except 4-6, leaving the remaining 4-6 for garnish. Add in the potato, broth, salt, pepper, and 1/2 tsp. fenugreek and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potato is tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, place the pita wedges on a baking sheet and toss with the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Sprinkle salt, pepper, a few fennel fronds, and fenugreek seasoning over the wedges and toss to coat. Toast in the oven, 6-8 minutes, until crispy. Set aside to cool.

4. Once the potato in the soup has softened and cooked through, use an immersion blender to puree the soup (or puree in a blender, in smaller batches). Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper. The soup can be served hot or cold, with the reserved red pepper strips and fennel fronds on top for garnish. Serve the pita chips alongside, for dipping.

CEIMB: Cioppino (Or My Heavily Altered Version of It!)

For this week's Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe, chosen by Margaret of Tea and Scones, we were supposed to make Ellie's Cioppino, found in her So Easy cookbook. Since Cioppino is a savory fish stew, and I am not a big fan of seafood, I was close to skipping this one. However, I decided to give the recipe a read-through, and after I did I thought I'd go ahead and make it, albeit with a bunch of alterations. I do love shrimp, and there was a 1/2 pound of shrimp in the original version, so I figured I would still be close enough to call it Cioppino!

My rendition went like this: first, I halved the recipe, since I had just enough shrimp to do it that way. Then, I proceeded with the onions, the garlic, and the celery. I added two jalapeno peppers, and left them whole with the bottoms snipped off. I wanted to add a bit of heat without going too nuts, so I allowed the peppers to simmer with the broth and then removed them at the end. I also added about a pound of Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces, so that there would be a bit more substance to the stew. I pureed my diced tomatoes (because that's just how I roll) and used Marsala wine in place of white, because that is what I happened to have open already. For the broth/water, I used chicken broth. I let the whole aromatic thing simmer for quite a while, then added in the shrimp during the last few minutes of cooking.

I know my pictures aren't the most colorful (I blame the lighting in my house now that it gets dark so early), but this dish turned out to be vibrant, full of flavor, and incredibly satisfying. I know I took some liberties, but I was very happy with what I made. I can't wait to see how everybody else in the group liked theirs. For the blogroll, click here. I could not find a link anywhere online for Ellie's recipe, but Margaret has handily posted it on her blog.

Potato, Sausage, and Egg Breakfast Casserole

I just love making breakfast casseroles. We eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, doesn't matter. They're good any time, they're great to eat as leftovers, and you can pretty much throw anything but the kitchen sink into them and they're still bound to turn out perfectly. I used this particular casserole recipe when I was just trying to use up some different ingredients I had lying around.

It includes some standard breakfast casserole staples: potatoes, green and red bell peppers, onions, and cheddar cheese. The vegetables were cooked until soft (the potatoes were parboiled and the peppers and onions were sauteed) and then tossed into an 8x8 baking dish. Then, the undisputed star of the dish is added: chicken sausage.

According to one of my sons, the sausage was the best part of the meal. I think I have to agree. I've never made a casserole like this with the precooked, sometimes flavored chicken sausage you can buy so readily in the grocery stores these days. It was really delicious. The kind I happened to use this time was sun-dried tomato and provolone, but certainly any flavor would be great. I debated whether to pre-cook them before adding them to the baking dish, but since they come already cooked when packaged I figured I'd be safe. I just chopped two links of sausage into manageable pieces, added them to my pan of onions and peppers while they were sauteeing, and then took the pan off the heat once the sausages were warmed through.

Then came some shredded cheddar cheese, and finally lightly beaten eggs were drizzled evenly over the top. The whole concoction was placed in the oven and baked until the eggs were set and fully cooked, about 30 minutes or so. I allowed it to sit for a couple of minutes once it had exited the oven, just to make sure everything was all set up properly inside. I don't know if that step is really necessary, but it worked for me!

This made for a very easy and delicious weeknight dinner for us. It's one of those recipes that could also be assembled at night, and then set in the fridge overnight until you pull it out and bake it in the morning. I cut the recipe it's based on in half, so if you made the full amount it'd be great to feed a crowd. Best of all, there are so many possibilities with this. You could throw in some chopped bacon or ham, leftover chicken, mushrooms or eggplant, or even sweet potato for a nutritious spin on the potato base. Go ahead, try it out! It was so good, even my "picky one" ate it.

Potato, Sausage, and Egg Breakfast Casserole

adapted from Breakfast Casserole III, on allrecipes.com

serves 4-6

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

3 baking potatoes

2-3 links chicken sausage, any variety, cubed

1 Tbsp. butter

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 tsp. seasoning salt

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (2 oz.)

6 eggs, lightly beaten

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Place the baking potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan, fill the pan with enough water to just cover the potatoes, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down slightly, and cook the potatoes until fork tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, chop the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Add them to a 8x8 baking pan that has been lightly coated with cooking spray.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While the potatoes are cooking, heat another medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter to the saucepan to melt. Once it has melted, add the onions and bell peppers. Cook until the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the cubed chicken sausage and continue to cook until the sausages are warmed through, 3-5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Place onion mixture into the baking dish with the potatoes.

3. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of the vegetables. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and evenly pour on top of the sausage and veggie mixture. Top with salt and pepper, to taste, and then bake for about 30 minutes or more, until the eggs are set and the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown. (A knife or toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.) Cool the casserole just slightly, a few minutes, and then cut into wedges and serve.

CEIMB: Chicken Pot Pies (In a Pumpkin!)

This week, I decided to make the Craving Ellie in My Belly meal truly in honor of our hostess. The recipe, Chicken Pot Pies, was chosen by the wonderful Shandy of Pastry Heaven. I like to visit her blog each week to check out her spin on the week's CEIMB recipe, as well as to see what else she has been up to in the kitchen. Last week, her post on the Apple Brown Betty included a really interesting spin on a traditional pot pie-ish dinner. In addition to her apple dessert, she talked about how she made a meal by stuffing a pumpkin full of chicken and veggies, and then she topped it with a flaky crust! It was so cool, I was both impressed and inspired all at once! It looked absolutely gorgeous, not to mention incredibly delicious (and I'm still new to eating pumpkin in things, but Shandy's pictures of the stuffed pumpkin made my mouth water!). I just had to try this out!

I told my husband about the stuffed pumpkin idea, and he was intrigued as well. Then, I realized that Shandy had chosen the Chicken Pot Pies for this week, and it just seemed like fate! What better opportunity to try her pumpkin trick out than by using it on the recipe that was her pick? I was so excited to do this, we took the kids out this weekend and had them help us choose two perfect pie pumpkins for the occasion. I was planning on making this for Sunday dinner. I would make two pumpkins stuffed with pot pie, and then two more pot pies in individual serving dishes.



Then, Sunday morning, I woke up and felt terrible. I have been nursing some cold/allergy thing for over a week now, but that Sunday was the worst. I was exhausted, crabby, and was so hoarse I was squeaking at people. It was the pits. Why am I telling you all this? Because I wanted to be upfront and honest with everybody, and tell you that in the end, it was my hubby who was the dinner hero that evening, and not me. He cooked the whole thing himself, and oh, my goodness, was it divine! I felt so spoiled eating all that deliciousness, and knowing that I didn't have to lift a finger for it!

I've prepared Ellie's variation on the classic pot pie in the past, so I knew it would be scrumptious. The pumpkin made for such a showstopping presentation, and it was fun to scrape at the inside walls of the pumpkin while eating. You could mix in the softened pumpkin innards with the pot pie filling for that extra pumpkin-y touch.



One more confession I have to make: I'm not happy with the pictures for this post. See, the camera was working just fine....right up until we sat down to eat! Then, all of a sudden, the camera's memory card conked out on us. Yep, that's right. All the pictures hubby took of the beautiful pumpkin preparations, anything from before we sat down, they're all gone. But we did manage to save a few on the camera itself, and that's what you see here. Phew! I was afraid I may have lost them all, so it was a relief to see that some still made the cut.

Anyway, I have to send out a profuse thank you to Shandy this week! Not only did you pick an awesome fall recipe for us this week, but you also inspired me to make something completely new and different at the same time. It was a great success; my hubby and I are very grateful! If you'd like to check out everybody else's results this week, be sure to go to the CEIMB blogroll. Ellie's original recipe can be found here.

Garlic "Fries"

We love french fries around here. It's probably one of the very few foods that we can all agree on in my household. Populating my family is a hubby who will eat anything, a picky-ish but increasingly adventurous me, an extremely picky 5 year-old, and a 22 month-old who throws mostly anything besides cake on the floor. Sigh. So when you've struck gold, as I have, with discovering how much everyone loves fries, you've got to capitalize on that.

Unfortunately, they're kinda bad for you. The run-of-the-mill, greasy, restaurant-style ones are, anyway. Delicious, yes. Great to eat daily? Not so much.

Well, thanks to my most-beloved cookbook, Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave, we now have an easy way to enjoy french fries any time we want, without the greasy unhealthiness. Ellie explains in her book that fries are a weakness of hers, so obviously she had to create a way for her to indulge and still eat well. These are a perfect solution.

To be honest, I took the lazy way out with these fries and I did not follow the recipe exactly. In her version, Ellie infuses canola oil with garlic flavor, then uses that oil on the potatoes before baking them in the oven. I just used some oil and some garlic powder and called it a day. I would love to try it with the garlic-infused oil next time because you can totally tell that these would just be delicious on a completely different level. Ellie also garnishes the finished fries with fresh parsley, but I didn't bother with that, either. I told you, I was lazy that day!

I've made oven-baked french fries before, but these were the tastiest I've had yet. It could have something to do with the fact that I had the patience to cut them like actual french fries, I dunno. In the past I've made really big cuts, and they turn out more like roasted potatoes, not that there's anything wrong with roasted potatoes. Hey, that's probably why I was so lazy by the time I got to the seasoning step; I had already used all my energy cutting up the taters! Ha. I'm posting Ellie's version of the recipe below; obviously, it's better than what I did!

Garlic "Fries"
from Ellie Krieger via Food Network.com
serves 4

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. canola oil
3 large baking potatoes, 12 oz. each
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Heat the garlic and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Strain the garlic from the oil with a small mesh strainer. Set both garlic and oil aside.

2. Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch sticks. In a large bowl, toss the oil, potatoes, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the potatoes onto it in a single layer. Bake until golden and crisp, about 35 minutes.

3. Remove the potatoes from the tray with a metal spatula. Toss with parsley, reserved garlic, and additional salt, to taste. Serve immediately.

Baked Samosas with Quinoa Pilaf

I had the opportunity to make a couple more recipes created by The Next Food Network Star winner, Aarti Sequeira. It's funny; I actually stumbled upon this awesome recipe for Baked Samosas with Mint Chutney when I was perusing Aarti's blog. It's a cute blog, one I had never found before her stint on the Food Network. I recommend checking it out if you have a free moment and are looking for some innovative Indian dishes to make!

Anyway, I found this recipe and knew right away that I wanted to make it. Then, a couple days later, I looked at the TV listings and discovered that Aarti was going to be making those very same samosas on her show that weekend! It was fate. I had to make them. I had such great success with the other dish of hers that I'd made, so I was excited.



So, onto the recipe itself! It does take a bit of time, and there are a lot of steps. However, I am here to tell you that it was all worth it. We loved every bite of these, and I had leftover filling that my hubby threw into a tortilla for lunch leftovers. He said it was awesome!

I'll back up, though. What exactly is a samosa? Well, it's an Indian pastry filled, in this case, with chicken, potato, and apple. Aarti made these with mango on her show, but I had tons of apple on hand and decided to sub that in instead. I was aware that it might not work out, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a great alternative to the mango, although I'm sure it'd be great both ways.

You prepare the filling, and then you make a simple dough of flour, buttermilk, oil, and salt. Aarti's blog post about these samosas contained instructions for this method, so I was surprised when I watched the episode and found out she was making them with puff pastry on the show. The Network must have told her to simplify the recipe, or something. The Food Network website has the recipe done both ways, though, so you have the choice of making it with or without the puff pastry. I decided to make my own dough, since that's what I was already going to do after looking at her blog.

The dough was easy to make, and I think I did okay with forming the samosas. A couple of them looked a little funny, but that's fine. I just didn't take a picture of those, ha ha! The samosas are then baked after forming them, which I am always a big fan of. I would much rather bake then deep-fry any day. While these were in the oven, I made a quinoa pilaf for the side dish.

Now, I've been preparing quinoa in different incarnations for several years now, and my husband said that this dish was the first he actually really, really liked. That's not to say that our previous adventures with quinoa were horrible, but this dish was just exceptional. I had to agree; it was delicious! Aarti incorporates Indian spices, pine nuts, and dried fruit into her quinoa, and then finishes the whole thing off with some fresh citrus zest and juice. Yum!

I'm sorry to say, I didn't manage to get a picture of the mint chutney that went along with the samosas. I don't know how that happened! It was scrumptious, and quite easy to toss together. There's a cool little flourish at the end, after you blend all the ingredients in the food processor. You sizzle some mustard seeds in oil and then throw them into the chutney. It makes the whole concoction sizzle and hiss, and the seeds infuse the oil with their tanginess and just enhance the flavor of the chutney. Plus, it's very showy, so if you're looking to impress someone with your culinary skills, it's a great way to do that! This whole meal is impressive, though. I highly recommend it for a lazy weekend day when you have the time to prepare it.

Baked Samosas with Mint Chutney
adapted from Aarti Sequeira, via Food Network.com
makes 8 samosas

Ingredients
For the filling:
1 large russet potato
Water
Salt
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
3 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 apple, peeled and finely diced (Aarti used a mango)
Juice of 1/2 lime
5 Tbsp. chipotle sauce (I used Chipotle Cholula)
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds (I omitted)
Big handful cilantro leaves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil
Big pinch salt
1/2 tsp. ajwain seeds, optional (I omitted)
1 egg
1 tsp. water

For the mint chutney:
1 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and soft stems
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced, plus more to taste
About 1/4 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. vegetable/olive oil
1 tsp. brown mustard seeds


Directions
Make the filling: 1. In a small saucepan, add the potato and enough cold water to cover. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

2. In a second small saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a simmer and add a generous pinch of salt, bay leaves, 1 tsp. coriander seeds, peppercorns, chili flakes, and chicken breast. Simmer until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Mash the potato and finely shred the chicken and put into a large bowl. Combine with apple, lime juice, chipotle sauce, remaining coriander seeds, cumin, cilantro, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix with a spoon or your hands until well incorporated. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary. Set aside.

Make the samosa pastry: 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, buttermilk, oil, salt, and ajwain seeds, if using. Bring the ingredients together until a dough forms. Knead until it has softened a bit, about 5 minutes. Allow to rest, at room temperature, for about 15 minutes. You can put this in the refrigerator, but make sure you let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so, in order for it to soften.

2. Roll the dough into a short cylinder. Slice in half, then slice each half into two pieces, so you have 4 bits. Roll each bit into a ball. Flatten the balls into disks and then, on a floured surface, roll them each into a 1/8-inch thick, 7-inch wide circle. Cut in half to form 2 semicircles.

Assemble the samosas: 1. Put a tablespoon or so of the filling in the center of a semicircle. Have a small bowl of water handy. Dip your finger in the water and run it along the edges of the semicircle. Arrange each samosa so the flat side is facing away from you. Grab the left corner and fold it over the dough in a triangular motion, so that this corner lands on the bottom right side of the filling. Do the same with the other corner.

2. Squeeze bottom shut, and fold over, sealing with water. If you like, seal using a fork. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Arrange the 8 samosas on a lightly greased baking sheet.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and 1 tsp. water with a fork until thoroughly combined. Brush the tops of the samosas with the egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then turn the heat down to 375 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes. You can flip them over before turning the heat down, if you like.

Make the chutney: 1. In a food processor, whiz together the mint, cilantro, ginger, lime juice, and water until it all comes together as a sauce. There'll probably still be little bits of leaf in the sauce, but no worries. Pour the chutney into a bowl.

2. In a small pan over medium heat, warm the oil until it shimmers. Add mustard seeds; they should sizzle. Immediately cover with a lid until they stop spluttering. Make sure they don't burn! If they do, just start over. Immediately add the seeds and oil to the chutney. It will sizzle, so stand back. Once you've poured in all the oil, you can spoon a bit of the chutney into the pan so that you can capture all the oil. Pour into the bowl with the chutney. Serve the samosas hot, with the chutney alongside, as well as the quinoa pilaf (recipe follows).


Quinoa Pilaf
adapted from Aarti Sequeira, via Food Network.com
makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained (I used half red, half white)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. garam masala
1 Tbsp. pine nuts
2 Tbsp. chopped dried cranberries (Aarti used cherries)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, zested, plus 2 Tbsp. juice (Aarti used grapefruit)

Directions
1. Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until quinoa is cooked and the white curly germ shows, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion and spices, and saute until the onion has softened and the spices are very fragrant. Stir in the pine nuts and cranberries and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add the cooked quinoa (all the water should have been absorbed) to the skillet. Stir in the orange zest and orange juice. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed. Allow to sit, off the heat, for 10 minutes so the flavors seep into the quinoa. Serve alongside the samosas.

Comfort Meatballs with Crash Hot Potatoes (from the Pioneer Woman)

Wow. I can't believe I waited so long to make these recipes. I mean, they've both been on my radar for a while now. The Comfort Meatballs are one of the many, many dishes I've been dying to try out of Ree Drummond's cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I've had that book for nearly a year now, and I realize it's been terribly underused. I say that because this is the first thing I've made out of it, and it was to die for. As for the Crash Hot Potatoes? Also to die for. Crisp on the outside and perfect and tender on the inside, these fluffy taters are truly unique and delicious.

The meatballs begin with just a basic, standard meat and oats mixture. Add some milk, minced onion, salt, and pepper, mix, and shape into meatballs. Allow them to set up in the fridge for a bit.

Then, you brown the meatballs on the stove and pour a sauce all over them. The sauce is also made up of very basic ingredients. It contains some ketchup, some Worcestershire, a bit of Tabasco, some vinegar, sugar, and minced onion. Once those ingredients mix, however, they become magical. Really. I can't explain it, except to say that I don't even like ketchup by itself, and I could have eaten this sauce straight, with a spoon. I mean, it's just yummy.

So then you bake the meatballs with the sauce poured all over. They become baked through, and the sauce becomes gooey and bubby and perfectly wonderful. I'm sure these meatballs would have been even more decadent if I'd made them with ground beef, but they were fabulous with ground turkey.

Now, as if that weren't enough wonderful-ness for one meal, you get these potatoes on the side! Man, were these good! I couldn't stop picking at them while I was getting the rest of the meal together. They're so easy to do, too. There's just no reason for me not to make these at least weekly. Or more than weekly. In fact, I'd like to make them right now...

All you need to do is boil some small potatoes until fork-tender, then place them on a baking sheet. Next, you get to squash them with a potato masher! It was very fun, especially for my 5 year-old son. You just squash them once in one direction, then turn the masher 90 degrees and squash again in the opposite direction. This makes them all textured, and sorta flat. I compared them to home fries after making them. But tastier. Much, much tastier.

After you've "crashed" all the taters, you can season them with salt and pepper, as well as any herbs you may have lying around. I didn't use any herbs this time, but I didn't miss them. These were sublime with just good ol' s&p. Finally, make sure they have enough olive oil on them that they will not burn, and then bake them. That's it. Easy to make, and great for aggression if you're in the mood to squish something! I highly recommend making this meal next time you're in the mood for meat and potatoes. It just doesn't get much better than this!

Comfort Meatballs
from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
makes 6 to 8 servings


Ingredients
For the meatballs
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (I used turkey)
3/4 cup quick oats
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp. very finely minced onion
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 cup flour

For the sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 to 6 Tbsp. minced onion
Dash of Tabasco


Directions
1. In a bowl, combine the ground beef and oats. Pour in the milk, then add the diced onion and salt. Add the black pepper, then stir to combine.

2. Roll the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls and refrigerate them for 30 to 45 minutes to firm. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge the meatballs in the flour.

3. Brown the meatballs in batches until light brown. As they brown, place them into a rectangular baking dish.

4. Stir together the sauce ingredients and drizzle the sauce evenly on the meatballs. Bake for about 45 minutes or until bubbly and hot.



Crash Hot Potatoes
from the Pioneer Woman's website
makes about 6 servings


Ingredients
12 whole new potatoes (or other small round potatoes)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
Rosemary (or other herbs of choice) to taste (I did not have rosemary)


Directions
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

2. On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room between each potato. With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes. Rotate the masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with olive oil.

3. Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available). Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.