Showing posts with label Potatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Potatoes. Show all posts

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Crispy Potatoes and Onions



Potatoes and Onions always reminds me of the time I spent living with my grandmother.  She loved this dish and we always baked extra potatoes so that we could eat this in the morning.  My grandma loved potatoes.  She always said it was in her English blood to eat a potato or two every week and she did.

I have kept the tradition alive.  When I bake potatoes I throw a few extra in the oven so that when the desire to have a warm breakfast hits my family, I can whip this up.  If you can't eat potatoes I have substituted baked sweet potatoes too.  The difference is that they work best if they are not too soft. They tend to get very mushy if over cooked.

I love the crispy skin of salmon or chicken that is cooked to perfection.  Well, it is no surprise then that I keep the skins on my potatoes and make sure the oil is very hot so that they come out crispy and perfect.  Almost like a potato chip.  YUM

My cast iron pan is the perfect cooking vessel for this dish. It radiates heat and provides the perfect heat source to guarantee that the potatoes come out just how we like them each and every time.

This dish is simple but it is so easy and family friendly that I knew I needed to share it with my readers.  Don't let the specs of burnt onion sway you away from making this dish. In our opinion they add flavor and texture to the dish.  If this is not how you prefer your onion, then remove them before you add the potatoes.  Reintroduce them to the dish after the potatoes are fried.  

Enjoy!


Crispy Potatoes and Onions
Serves 4

4 baked potatoes, cold and cubed (see above picture)
lard or your favorite frying oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1 medium onion, sliced thin

1.  Heat oil until it starts to just bubble at the edges of your cast iron pan.  Reduce heat to medium.

2.  Add sliced onions.  Let cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add potatoes and season..  Fry together.  Watch the heat.  Cast iron will keep the heat very hot and you may want to turn it down a touch.  I like to cook my potatoes for about 10-12 minutes.  I turn them every few minutes.  Add more oil if they get dry or start to stick.

3.  Remove and serve.  You can always add cheese, sour cream or bacon as optional garnishments.

Written by Sherron Watson


Thursday, September 4, 2014

Tallow Roasted Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes



Tallow is rendered fat from beef or lamb bones and/or large pieces of fat.   I make my own beef and lamb tallow or pork lard to use in a variety of recipes.  Some times I buy extra bones and freeze them just for this recipe. My favorite bones are those with bone marrow.   I have also used regular beef bones from my butcher.  While roasting with the larger bones, the fat "melts" away and roast the potato wedges.  You just don't get the added benefit of digging the marrow from the centers of those bones.

My daughter and I quickly run to the kitchen to scoop out any marrow that is left in the bones, most of it has melted onto the cookie sheet and is frying the potatoes as they roast in the oven.  I add a pinch of salt to the tiny little scoops of deliciousness and savor every bite.  Why eat marrow?  The benefits are huge especially if you have auto-immune issues as I do.   Click on the question and it will take you to a blog that explains the benefits better than I can in this short post.

I started roasted potatoes this way a few years ago and they are a family favorite.  I roast the bones to make beef stock.  By adding the potatoes it seemed that I was saving time, cooking two items at once and using my oven more efficiently.

Depending on the type of fat you use, the flavor from that animal, will impart a reflection of the beef or lamb flavor profile.  The lard does not have much flavor and will not be as pronounced.

There are a variety of pictures here:

The first picture is of potato wedges with lamb tallow.  I often buy boneless leg of lamb roast.  On this day I cut the roast up to make lamb kabobs.  I had a nice piece of lamb fat attached to the roast so I trimmed it and slowly on medium heat, melted it down.  I was left with a small amount of tallow.

I heat the oven, added the lamb tallow, arranged my potatoes in a 400 degree oven and roasted them until the bottoms were crispy.  Each oven is different.  My oven took about 40 minutes.


These two pictures below are showing you that I have used a huge bone on the left and the smaller marrow bones on the right.  I use white potatoes and sweet potatoes.  I have also include rutabagas and they turned out great.  The marrow and the melted fat make the best potatoes, in my opinion.  



This picture shows that the the large bone will roast and enough fat will melt away that the potatoes are still roasted.  I have also included a few onions on this tray.



We are not afraid of saturated fat.  I don't believe it is something to fear in our diets. In fact, we invite it into our diets.  My husband and I both recently had our blood work done and found that our cholesterol is perfect.   I believe our diet choices are reflected in our recent yearly examine and our doctors are impressed with our weigh loss and healthy habits.

What we did cut out was processed food, refined sugar and most, if not all, junk foods and sugary drinks.  Our focus has changed to healthy fats from grass fed animals, more vegetables and fruits, nuts, nut flours and lots of exercise.

I encourage everyone to do their own research, listen to your bodies and the advice of your doctors.  I can only share with you our experience and  how this change in our diet has improved OUR health.

Tallow Roasted Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes

5-6 small marrow bones, cut 1 inch in thickness (ask your butcher to do this)
6-8 potatoes, wedged or diced
1 small onion, sliced (optional)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley (season with a light hand)

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Place bones and potatoes on a large cookie sheet.  Season potatoes with a variety of spices and dried herbs.  I have listed what I usually use but I do switch it up every once in a while.  There are no measurements because use what your family likes.

3.  Roast for about 40-50 minutes.  The potatoes will be very crispy on the bottom and soft and pillowy on the top.

4.  Remove from oven and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.  Refrigerate left overs and reheat in the microwave.

Written by Sherron Watson





Monday, May 13, 2013

Bacon Potato Pancake with Toasted Corn Salsa



Imagine my excitement when I received a huge box delivered to my doorstep.  It was like Christmas all over again.  I opened it up to discover that I had been sent some pretty amazing things: an assortment of potatoes from Potatoes Goodness Unearthed and supplies from OXO to help me with my amazing potato appetizer.

At the end of this month I will be attending my first conference in Philadelphia, Eat Write Retreat. As part of the participants we have a variety of opportunities before the conference to get involved.  This was one such event: a mystery ingredient used to create an amazing appetizer recipe.

It took me about two weeks to finalize what I would be making.  I had a few ideas but kept coming back to a potato pancake.  I wanted to make something that I would want for an appetizer and this is something that I love.  I have topped my bacon potato pancake with a creamy avocado sauce and toasted corn salsa.

All I can say is that my family thought it was pretty amazing!

The bacon and potato paired together is always a home run in my book.  I love avocados and thought the green highlighted the corn relish and was an excellent sauce for the pancake.  The corn salsa offers a bit of crunch and texture to the appetizer.

When I make mashed potatoes at home, my kids always want corn to go along with them.  They enjoy the combination of corn and potatoes together and in some way, this was how the dish came together.

My kids are a huge influence in how I cook.  They have strong opinions about flavors and textures.  They have never been afraid to share their thoughts on any dish I have created.

My favorite part about the box I received in the mail was a nifty sheet of facts about the varieties of potatoes on the market.  I always knew that certain potatoes tasted better with certain dishes but I never went in search of this information.  I was pleasantly surprised to see a laminated sheet that gave me hints and ideas, along with a recipe, that would better assist me in finding the perfect potato to use in any recipe.

For this recipe, based on what I read, I used the YELLOWS.   They are buttery and creamy.  Two words that I definitely wanted to use in describing my Bacon Potato Pancake.

I hope that you will enjoy this appetizer as much as we did--the kids are already asking me for it again!

**Disclosure: I was provided with an assortment of potatoes to try along with a variety of OXO products.  My opinions are my own and I have willing given honest feed back to both products.

Bacon Potato Pancake with Toasted Corn Salsa

Makes 12-2inch pancakes

5 slices of bacon, cooked
1.5 lbs. of yellow potatoes, diced
1/4 cup green onions, diced
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
1 egg
1/4 cup all purpose flour (white rice flour for gluten free)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
salt to taste (1-2 teaspoons)
Avocado Cream--recipe below
Grilled Corn Salsa--recipe below

In a large pot add diced potatoes and fill with water until just above potatoes.  You do not need to peel them unless you don't want the peel on your potatoes. When potatoes are done (they can be split with a fork) DRAIN the water.  Let potatoes dry out for a minute or two.

Fry up your bacon and cut into small pieces.  Save the grease and use this for frying up the potato pancakes.  I always keep my bacon grease so I do have extra if I need more while frying up the pancakes.

In a medium size bowl, combine bacon pieces, green onion, cheese, egg, flour, salt and pepper.

Using a potato ricer, rice the potatoes into the bowl with the other ingredients.  Stir to combine. The consistency will be very thick. I used an ice cream scoop to portion my pancakes.

Using the bacon grease, add this to a new frying pan and fry your potato pancakes until they are golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack.

Top with avocado cream and grilled corn salsa.

Avocado Cream

Makes 2 cups

2 ripe avocados
1/2 lime
1/2 cup sour cream
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Combine avocado, sour cream, juice of half a lime, salt, garlic powder and onion powder into a small bowl.  Mash with fork, and then whip until smooth with wire whisk.  You can use a food processor if your kitchen has one, mine does not.

Toasted Corn Salsa

**Fresh grilled corn can be used if you prefer

1(14.5) can yellow corn, drained well
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons orange bell pepper, diced small
1/4 cup red onion, diced small
1 teaspoon light olive oil
1 lime
salt to taste

To grill canned corn I used my small cast iron pan.  Heat pan until very hot.  Add corn and toast on all sides, stirring frequently so it does not burn.

Remove once it has a nice brown color.

In a medium bowl, add corn and the remaining ingredients.

Serve hot or cold.


Written by Sherron Watson











Sunday, March 24, 2013

French Gratin Potatoes #SundaySupper




This Sunday our Sunday Supper group is sharing Passover and Easter recipes.  When I think of Easter in my home growing up we always had ham and scallop potatoes.  In fact, my sister has kept the tradition going for many years, when the celebration is held in her home.

I find myself experimenting with dishes and changing things up sometimes.  This potato dish is different then the one I grew up with because the cheese is a different style and flavor and this changes the dish slightly.  I like the use of gruyere cheese personally.  The flavor is one that is unique and allows this dish to shine.

I found this recipe a while back on a page called the French Tart.  I will share my adapted version below.  I even went and bought a fancy Le Crueset baking dish to prepare my gratin dish so that it would have the right presentation for my family.  I love these oval baking dishes.

I invite you to visit my friends from Sunday Supper  (recipes below).  They are a great group of men and women and I am always impressed with their dishes and stories.


Recipe: French Gratin Potatoes or Dauphinoise

Serves 6
Prep and Cook Time: 2 hours

3 lbs. of waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cups Gruyere Cheese, grated
2 cups of heavy cream
Salt
Pepper
3 cloves of minced garlic
2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 3oo degrees.

Butter the inside of a heavy duty baking dish.

Add a layer of potatoes and a sprinkle of salt/pepper to the bottom of the dish, cover with cheese.  Repeat this until all of the potatoes and cheese are gone.  Your last layer should be cheese.


In a small saucepan, add heavy cream, garlic and thyme. 

Bring to a gentle boil, remove from heat and remove thyme.

Pour hot cream over potatoes.

Bake for 1.5 hours or until potatoes are done and the top is browned.



Easter
Breakfast, Breads, and Buns
Appetizers and Sides
Main Dishes
Dessert
Passover
Dessert
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and food photos.

Written by Sherron Watson


















Thursday, January 24, 2013

Purple Potato Soup #Superbowlfood #Ravens




Football has been in my blood from the time I was a kid; sitting on my grandfather's knee watching the game every Monday.  My grandmother in the kitchen and the family planted in front of the TV. It was tradition.

When I married Cory he was not a sports fan and through the years I drifted away from watching the sport.  I played a lot of tennis and so we were drawn to the Grand Slams of the tennis world.  I would read the sports page and try to stay up to date with coaches and players but I soon ran out of time once my kids came to read the paper, much less the sports page.

We have lived in some pretty awesome cities with great teams:  Seattle and the Seahawks, Denver and the Bronco's and the Dallas Cowboys in Texas…ever hear of these teams?  Sure you have.

It was not until me moved to Maryland that my husband, after 25 years of marriage, decided to watch football.  Last year our first game together was the Patriots vs. Ravens.  We were bummed they lost but since it was our first game we did not have too much invested in to their loss.

This year though was a totally different story.  We became bigger fans--face paint, purple hair and even purple food managed to get into our line up.

It was like a crazy woman was unleashed inside of me when we started watching this year;  I LOVE the game of football.  I know it's rough and not for everyone, but to me, it is exciting.  Getting to know the players and each of their weaknesses and strengths bonds a person to the team.  I missed it.  It did not take me long to jump right back into stats, coaches and team members.  The difference is that the coaches and players I watched as a child are now the sports announcers calling the play by play action for the viewers and those listening on the radio.  Names that I grew up with-- Jimmy Johnson, Mike Ditka and Dan Marino--just to name a few, are older and wiser, like myself.  I am a legend in my own mind, like the players and coaches then and now. 

It's electrifying to see how a quarter back can lob a ball and place it perfectly into the hands of the receiver, like Torrey Smith.  My favorite is watching Jones receive the ball from a kick off and run it down, yard after yard, passing the other team as they try and stop him.  I can't forget Ray Lewis and those short runs.  Flacco passes him the ball and he goes for the first down. Each time he finds himself at the bottom of the pile.  On more than one occasion I have had to even yell at the TV, thinking I was helping him run the yards down the field….run Lewis run!

I made this soup for a local magazine that is coming out in February, our wedding edition.  The soup is beautiful and looks lovely on the table; of course, this was before we beat the Patriots last weekend.

SUPER BOWL XLVII here we come!

I really wanted the 49er's to win.  I wanted these two brothers, Jim and John Harbaugh,  to make history and have their teams play against each other for what may be a great family moment for their parents, spouses and kids.  Can you imagine being the parents?  To have them win on the same day, to make the cut, must have been an exhausting and thrilling Sunday afternoon for them.

When making this soup, you need to remember that the color is found through out the potato but the skin will make the soup a deeper  purple it is also where the nutrition is found.  I chose to keep the purple skins on and you can see in the pictures the pieces of dark purple.  I asked my family if it bothered them and they said no.  If this is an issue for you, then go ahead and peal them just knowing that your soup may be lighter in color.  I would also suggest using a Vitamix or Blendtec (I don't own either of these machines);  they will puree the potato and skins.  I used a regular blender.

As the big day approaches I am planning out our party for February 3, 2013.  It will consist of grape jello for the 5 year old, grape soda for the teenagers, purple potato soup for the adults and a whole table full of finger foods.  We love dips and finger foods on game day.

I will list a few of our favorites that can be found on the blog:

Purple Potato Chips

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Pizza Dip

Steak Spring Rolls


Broccoli Bites


Artichoke and Goat Cheese Mushroom Caps


Avocado Fries


Gyoza

Puff Pastry Buffalo Appetizer


Caprese Salad on a Stick


Reuben Dip

Maryland Blue Crab Dip


The purple potato, it turns out, is quite good for you.  I did some searching and learned that the benefits of eating them can add value to your diet by adding valuable antioxidants.  I found this article helpful in learning about them a bit more, I hope you do too.   GO HERE.

I served the soup in a set of espresso cups that I bought at an antique store. They were the perfect size for a sip or two and the little handle allowed them to be consumed without a spoon.  I also served a cold asparagus spear in each cup along with a piped sour cream heart.  You may want to consider something other than the heart on game day, maybe #1 or and "R" for Ravens.

The final note about this soup is that it can be made thick or thin.  I used the water that the potatoes were boiled in to blend the soup, added the few extra ingredients and to thin the soup,  I added cream.  The more cream you add the thinner and lighter purple the soup becomes.  We preferred ours to be creamy and thick.


Recipe: Purple Potato Soup


1 small bag of purple potatoes, washed and quartered

2 cups of water

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup of red onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic

1/2-1 cup of heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Garnish: sour cream, asparagus top, chives, parmesan cheese, bacon, etc....

In a medium pot, add water and chicken broth.

Add purple potatoes and red onion. Bring to a boil and cook until tender.

Puree potatoes/onions with garlic and water/chicken broth until smooth. If using a blender, be very careful about adding hot liquid and sealing the lid. I suggest, tilting the lid, cover the top with a kitchen towel and slowly start blender.

While blending, add enough cream to achieve the consistency you desire.

Taste and season with salt and pepper. I always find it needs more salt than you would think.

Store soup, until ready to use, in an air tight container.  To reheat, simmer on the stove until warmed through.

Asparagus spears were easy to make. I added them to a microwave safe bowl with an inch of water and laid the spears on the bottom.  Cooked on high for 4 minutes.  Ran them under cold water, cut them to the size I needed, sprinkled them with salt and stored them in the fridge until I needed them.  Do not over cook them or they won't stand tall in the serving bowl.

The sour cream was placed in a bag with the corner snipped and piped onto the hot soup right before I served them.



Written by Sherron Watson











Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Potatoes



Garlic.  CHECK

Potatoes.  CHECK

Parmesan.  CHECK

Oh how I love a good roasted potato especially in the cool months ahead.

As a kid we ate potatoes by the bag full.  My grandmother made the smoothest, creamiest mashed potatoes I have ever had.

In the mornings she would make fried potatoes with onions for our breakfast.

She added potatoes to her soups, her roast dinners and served little red boiled potatoes.

I think it may be our English/Irish heritage by we love any potato: red, yellow, gold, brown.


As an adult I try to limit how often we have potatoes in my little family.  For this reason, I am always trying to make the BEST style of potatoes.  We still love mashed but this new version is our favorite.

It is crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside.  DELICIOUS!



Recipe: Parmesan Roasted Potatoes


8-10 gold and red potatoes, quartered
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of salt
Pepper to taste
2 large onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 400.

In a bowl toss potatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.

In a large cookie sheet melt the stick of butter.

Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over melted butter.

Add potatoes to cookie sheet. Sprinkle sliced onions in between potatoes so that the whole cookie sheet is covered with either potatoes or onions.

Bake for 30 minutes, then turn potatoes and onions. Bake for another 30 minutes until they are golden brown.

Serve immediately.






Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Pork Chops, Potatoes and Gravy


I love a meal that is prepared and baked all at once.  Pork chops, gravy and potatoes are a sure way to bring your family running to the table when they hear the call for dinner.



Recipe: Pork Chops, Gravy and Potatoes

Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours

4 thick boneless pork chops
1 egg
2 T. milk
1/2 cup of flour ( I use almond meal and brown rice flour, 1/4 cups of each--for gluten free option)
salt/pepper
2 T. oil, for frying pork chops

1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
2 T. olive oil to saute

5 Yukon gold potatoes, sliced

1 stick of butter
1/4 cup of flour (you can use white or brown rice flour or potato starch--for gluten free option)
1 cup of milk
1 cup of heavy cream
1 pkg. of Lipton onion soup

Preheat oven to 350 F.

1. Heat oil in saucepan. Combine egg and milk, beat together. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Stir well. Take each pork chop and dip in milk bowl, then dip on both sides in the flour bowl. Add pork chop to hot oil and cook until golden brown on each side. Remove to a dutch oven style baking dish.
2. Slice potatoes 1/4 inch thick and set aside.

3. In a medium pan, melt butter. Stir in flour. Add milk and cream. Once sauce is thick, stir in onion soup mix. Remove from heat.

4. To saute onions and mushrooms, add 2 T. oil to pan and saute together until onions are soft.

5. You will layer your dutch oven like this: pork chops, sauteed onions and mushrooms, onion gravy and top with the sliced potatoes.

6. Cover and bake for 1.5 hours.

















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