Island Fries

This is another Top Secret Recipe from Island's Restaurant. They were mighty tasty. :)
Ingredients
2 medium russet potatoes
3-5 cups vegetable oil
3-5 cups peanut oil (We only had vegetable oil.)

Garlic/Onion Salt
1 tbsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine garlic salt, onion salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slice potatoes with a slicer or mandoline set to 1/4-inch thick slices. Hold potato at a slight angle when slicing to produce fries that are about 2 to 3 inches in length. (I have a fry slicer, like one of those apple slicer/corers. It makes them pretty easily, if not a bit thicker.) Drop sliced potatoes into a bowl of water to rinse away starch. Pour out water, then fill bowl again. Pour out that water, then fill bowl again with water and add some ice. Let potatoes sit for 1 hour in the ice water.

Heat oils in fryer to 350 degrees. When the potatoes are done soaking, drain them, then pour them out onto a clean dish towel. Blot fries dry. When fries are dry drop about half into the hot oil and blanch for 2 to 3 minutes (fries should be soft in the center). Remove the fries onto a towel to cool. When all the fries are blanched, let them sit to cool for about 30 minutes. When fries are cool, fry them for a second time for 5 to 7 minutes or until fries are golden and crispy. Pour fries onto a rack or towels to drain. Toss fries with several pinches of the garlic/onion salt and serve hot.

These came out great. I didn't do all of the soaking for the precise times because I made these somewhat last minute. But they were really yummy.

Smokey Potato Chowder

We got this recipe courtesy of the best man from our wedding. It wasn't his recipe, but a woman from his family.

Ingredients

6-8 large potatoes

1 quart milk

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp liquid hickory smoke

1 can cheddar cheese soup or 1 1/2 cups cubed Velveeta

8-10 sausage links, cooked

onion (dried or fresh, to taste)

salt & white pepper

Peel and cut potatoes into cubes. Put into large saucepan, cover with water and cook until tender by still slightly firm. While potatoes are cooking,k put milk into wuart har with flour and shake until blended. Drain water off potatoes. Put potatoes back on low heat. Stir in butter, being careful not to mash the potato cubes. Pour in milk. Add cheddar cheese soup, rinse soup can with milk. Sti careful until well blended. Season with salt, white pepper, onion, and liquid smoke to your own tastes. Stir often to keep milk from sticking to bottom. Cut cooked sausage links into slices and add to soup. Heat until milk has thickened. Taste for any additionla seasonings needed. More milk may be added if soup is too thick or more flour may be stirred in it too thin.

I doubt we stay to these directions to staunchly, so feel free to vary where you want to. It's a great soup, nice flavor, and really comforting on a cold day.

Shepard's Pie Soup

One of my favorite websites is Supercook.  You can list the ingredients you have and don't have and it will spit out recipes that you can make with those ingredients.  Supercook was my friend tonight and inspired a recipe tonight that will probably become a regular in our house.

I was planning on making my Mom's shephard's pie for dinner, which I thought Julie had blogged about and I was going to add a link to, but she hasn't so next time I make it I'll share it with you.  Anyways, I had made my Mom's Homemade Macaroni and Cheese for lunch and it ended up taking all of my cheese.  So I didn't have any to top the casserole with.  I went to supercook, put in the ingredients that I had been planning on using, and out came a recipe to make soup.  I strayed a little from the original recipe, so I'm going to give you what I made instead of what the original recipe was.  If you want to see the original, go here.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
3 large potatoes
1 jar marinara pasta sauce
1 can corn
salt and pepper

Dice potatoes into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes and put in large pot to begin cooking.  Cook ground beef and onion in a skillet until beef is browned.  Drain all but 1 cup of the potato cooking water; the potatoes will not be cooked thoroughly yet.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and cook 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

I served it with biscuits on the side.  I don't have a biscuit cutter, so I use a heart shaped cookie cutter.  Adds a little something special, I think.

French Fries

We made these a while ago. I'm always interested in finding different and yummy ways to eat those potatoes. I know I posted another french fry recipe a while back. Last time I didn't have a real specific recipe, but this time I do. The flavor was really yummy, and depending on how you cut them, the cook time will differ, so just be aware.

Ingredients

1 large baking potato

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).  Cut potato into wedges. Mix olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder and onion powder together. Coat potatoes with oil/spice mixture and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven.

I put mine on foil to ease the mess clean-up, althought that might also change exactly how they bake. Like I said, you'll just have to be aware. The thinner the fry, the faster they bake and vice versa. But the flavor is really yummy and easy to alter depending on your tastes.

Fried Potatoes

So this one is pretty self-explanatory and not very complex, but it was a first for me so I had to share.

Ingredients

Potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

oil

salt (You could also try other salts, like Lawry's or other multi-purpose seasonings)

At first I thought I would try using my cheese slicer to slice my potatoes, hoping it would make them more uniform in thickness. It didn't work. And they would've been too thick anyhow. So I ended up using a knife, which was far more effective and I was able to make them quite thin.

I heated some oil in my pan (a nice layer) and added a layer of potato slices.  I just had to guess as to when they were done, and eventually you'll figure out what they look like when they're about finished.  After taking them out, I put them on a plate with paper towels on it and sprinkled them with salt.

I was pretty darn amazed that the really nicely sliced ones that were thin tasted exactly like Lays potato chips. No kidding. It took a while. I'm sure it would go much faster with a deep fryer, or something like that. I was just trying to figure out more ways to eat potatoes, since we're not big potato people. It was fun, and we all really enjoyed them.

Cabbage and Straw

This is an adaptation by Rachel Ray of an old Italian comfort food called pizzocheri.  It's more a winter food; kind of makes you want to unbuckle your belt and put your feet up a la thanksgiving dinner.  It's not winter, though.  It's summer in Southern California.  But at the last second I was feeding two missionaries from our church (two 19-year old boys who ride their bikes all day and have huge appetites) and I needed something that was easy and made a lot.  Plus, this uses the rest of the cabbage from the teriyaki chicken recipe. 

p.s. I sliced my finger today while peeling the potatoes. Please forgive any typing errors.

Ingredients:

Salt

2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 pound fettuccine or papardelle pasta (I usually use spaghetti)
1 small head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced  (I use 1/2 a head; or whatever's leftover after teriyaki night)
1 stick butter
3 to 4 cloves garlic, cracked from skin and halved
16 sage leaves; 6 left whole, 10 thinly sliced (I only use about 4 whole; I'm not a huge sage fan)
1 tsp black pepper
1 to 1 1/2 cups grated Romano (I have used plain Kraft Parmesan in the green shaker and have liked it just fine.)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.  (Now, when I first made this recipe, I tried to use the large pot on the right.  It wasn't big enough.  Try something closer to the large pot on the left.  And please excuse the state of my stove.)

Add the potatoes and cook 7 minutes.  Add the pasta and cook 2 minutes, then stir in the cabbage and cook 5 minutes longer.

While the potatoes and pasta cook, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat and add garlic and 6 whole sage leaves.  (Four for me, then no sliced ones.)  Cook 3 to 4 minutes; remove the garlic and whole leaves (reserve the leaves for garnish), then add the sliced leaves and the black pepper.  Just before draining the pasta and cabbage, add 2 ladles of starchy cooking water to the skillet.

Drain the potatoes, pasta, and cabbage and add to butter and sage.  (While I have a large skillet, it's not big enough for all the pasta.  I throw everything back in the big pot.)  Toss to combine with sage butter, adding in lots of cheese as you work.  Toss 1 to 2 minutes to form a cheesy butter coating on the pasta and cabbage.  Then adjust salt and serve.  Use reserved whole leaves to garnish the pasta.

And there you have it.  One huge pot of carbalicious yumminess.  This is usually enough to feed my family for 2 nights.  Tonight, with 2 extra mouths, it was just the right amount.

Crock Pot Roast

I know for most people roast is pretty darn basic and not exciting. For me, however, it's most intriguing. We did not eat roast growing up, and my first exposure to it I had mono (but didn't know it til the day after) and so needless to say, at the time it didn't taste great. I still don't think I would've liked it because it was a dry roast, which I've learned that I don't really prefer. However, after Emery was born, my neighbor and friend brought us dinner. It was a crock pot roast. I really, really liked it. We recently got a roast from my hub's family ranch and I had to do it right. So I emailed my old neighbor and got her recipe from her. This is what she sent me.

Ingredients
Roast
Onion Soup Mix
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Beef Bouillon
garlic, celery salt, onion powder, onion salt
Potatoes
Carrots

I use 1-2 (depending on the size of the roast, with my family size I usually use a 3-4lb. roast that I would use 2 for, but anything less I would use just one) envelopes of Lipton onion mix. 1-2 (matching how many envelopes you use) cans of cream of mushroom soup. I also like to add 2 beef boulion cube to the water. Add about 1-2 cups of water, I don't really measure it. Just enough to make it 1-2 inches deep in the crock pot. Then I like to set the crock pot on low for at least 6 hours preferrably 8. But if you want to just put a frozen roast in there you can do it for 12. I wouldn't recommend cooking them any faster unless you are doing it in the oven. Then you can do it for 3-4 hours at 250. If you do it in the oven seering the meat first is a good idea too. I just like putting a bunch of herbs on my roast like, garlic, celery salt (plenty of it, it's kind of the secret ingredient), onion powder, onion salt, pepper, Monteral Seasoning, beef bouillon (the other secrect ingedient :) Sometimes I add the cream of mushroom soup sometimes not. The the cooking instructions are the same.
I also add carrots and potatoes toward the end with at least 3 hours left.

So yes, the ingredients and instructions are a big broad. I'll give you a better break down of what I did. I don't know how much roast we had. It was big, so I assumed it was in the 3-4 pound category. (Although it had a bunch of bones, which wasn't fun to deal with. It was apparently a neck. Or was a neck.) So I did 2 cans of the cream of mushroom, 2 packets of onion soup mix, and added enough water to feel like it was sufficiently filled. Our crock pot is really big, so just use your gut on that. Then I peeled and cut up some potatoes. Just as many as you think would suit your size roast. Then I took my carrot sticks from my handy dandy peanut butter snack container and cut them all in half with my kitchen scissors.  As for the seasonings, I just sprinkled liberally. I did add the 2 bouillon. I didn't use any salts. I used garlic and onion powders. I try to reduce salts wherever possible. Just a personal thing. Our potatoes and carrots didn't end up fully cooked. The next time I did this, I put them in from the beginning. That worked well, although they probably didn't have to be in there that long. But I would put them in half way. It came out really tasty. I was very pleased. We've already cooked it again with the rest of our ranch roast. I rather enjoyed cooking a tasty roast.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Also known as "leftover Easter Ham".

Ingredients
6 medium potatoes - I think we only had 3, so ours might not have been as full as it calls for, and I'm pretty sure we didn't half the recipe. Although my husband started this and I finished it, so it's possible I'm just totally off base.
3 tbsp butter, separate, melted
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup potato water (saved)
1 cup milk or light cream - We used whole milk, thank you Emery!
2 cups ham cooked and cubed - Thank you Easter!
4 ounces cheddar cheese

Cook potatoes, pared and sliced in boiling, salted water for 10-15 minutes or til tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Place potatoes in 9x13 baking dish. Melt 1 tbsp butter, toss with bread crumbs, paprika and thyme. Set aside. Melt 2 tbsp butter in sauce pan, then blend in flour, mustard, salt and pepper. Add reserved potato liquid and milk. Cook and stir til thickened and bubbly. Stir in ham and cheese, one cup at a time. Cook til cheese is melted. Pour sauce over potatoes. Sprinkle with crumbs. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

We did the potatoes the night before, then I pre-chopped everything that afternoon. It was really easy to put together an hour before dinner.

Mashers

Otherwise known as mashed potatoes. Yes, a family staple, for most families anyway. I'm new to the potato band wagon. Outside of french fries, I didn't really eat potatoes growing up. This recipe is from Alton Brown (food genius) and his first book, chronicalling the first 80 episodes of his show Good Eats.

Ingredients

2 lbs russet potatoes (rinsed, peeled,m and cut into 1/2 inch chunks)

2 lbs red "boiling" potatoes (rinsed, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 inch chunks)

2 tsp kosher salt (which I actually have from his Thanksgiving Turkey recipe)

3/4 cup buttermilk (You can use the last 1/4 cup for a chicken biscuit bake.)

1/4 cup heavy cream (You can use the last 2 3/4 cups of that for alfredo sauce.)

6 cloves garlic (peeled and smashed) I use my garlic smasher for this, since it specifies smashed, not chopped or minced.

Place all spud hunks in a 4-quart saucepan and add just enough cold tap water to cover. (You can put the potatoes in the water and refrigerate them for up to 8 hourse before cooking.) Add 1 tsp of the salt to the pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. (This will take about 15 minutes.)

Meanwhile, combine the buttermilk, cream, and garlic in a 2 quart saucepan and bring to a bare simmer over low heat, watching to make sure the mixture doesn't boil over. Keep the mixture barely bubbling until the potatoes are done.

When the spud water boils, ditch the lid, drop the heat to a simmer, and cook until the spuds are easily crushed with tongs, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes, then return them to the pan and the heat. Toss and shake gently for 30 seconds or so to knock off any excess surface moisture. (The drier the spuds the better.)

Move the pan to a trivet (hot pad, towel) on the countertop and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tsp salt. Pour on about a quarter of the buttermilk mixture and start mashing.

As the spuds break down, add more of the buttermilk mixture until you're happy with the results. Remember, these are mashed potatoes, not whippe potatoes. If you over-mash them in an attempt to smooth ever piece you will inevitably rupture starch granules, which can and most likely will result in gummy potatoes.

Let me just say that I love the way Alton words things. He explains it in a way you can understand, and even adds a little science in there if you're following that part well enough. For the recipe, it was really great. Like I said, I'm new to the potato scene, but I really enjoyed these. They had a really nice, subtle flavor that made them not boring. I did half the recipe. I also took the time during naptime to cut my potatoes really small. (1/2 inch chunks is really quite small.) Then I stuck them in water in the fridge for a few hours. I felt like the small chopping really helped it cook faster. (Because that's not common knowledge, but still.) Overall, fab recipe. Expect more from Alton Brown's Good Eats in the future.

French Fries

Yup, we made homemade french fries. These were baked however, not fried. So I must be honest, I don't remember exactly how we did them. We have a french fry cutter. It's pretty sweet. It's like those apple slicers, but it's a bit square with the blades making lots of little squares. So we used that to cut up the potato. If you cut them by hand, you just want them to be the same size, so they cook evenly. I want to say that we might've brushed them with oil. Maybe. Or tossed them in a bag with oil. Then we sprinkled them with Lawry's. We baked them at a 350 (I think) for maybe 20-30 minutes. We checked on them periodically I'm sure. I wish I remember better! You can find plenty of homemade recipes online that bake versus fry. We washed and scrubbed our tator too, but didn't remove the skins. This can be a preference thing. I heard that the skins have nutrients in them, so it can be good to leave them on. They didn't bother us. Sorry for the horrible recipe! I just had to share it anyway, because I was jazzed we made homemade fries. I'll have to make this a part I of II. Next time I'll remember how I made them and give a better tutorial!

Shepherd's Pie

This is another Emeril recipe. I really enjoyed it. I didn't start liking shepherd's pie until the last year or so, so it's a pretty big deal that I like this. My mom might think so anyway. Just don't overdo the cloves. It's a powerful taste.

Ingredients
5 tbsp unsalted butter
3 large Idaho potatoes (about 2 lbs) peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 lbs ground beef or lamb (I used beef, but think lamb would be interesting. I'm not really familiar with it.)
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves (seriously, just a pinch. I'd say half an 1/8 tsp. This is strong and can really go too far if you're not careful.)
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth (I just use hot water and 1 1/4 tsp beef boullion granules)
3/4 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup green peas, fresh or frozen (if frozen, don't thaw)
2 tsp tomato paste
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Grease a 2 quart casserole dish with 1 tbsp butter and set aside. (This is smaller than a 9x13, I believe, so check your casserole dish.) Preheat oven to 375. In a medium saucepan, place the potatoes and 1 tsp of the salt. Cover with water by 1 inch and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and cook at a low boil until fork-tender, about 12-15 minutes. (I think I cooked mine longer than that.) Using oven mitts or pot holders, drain potatoes in a colander set in the sink and then return them to the saucepan. Add the remaining 4 tbsp of butter, the milk, heavy cream, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring for 30 seconds, then add the ground meat and cook, stirring to break up chunk, until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and remove as much excess liquid as possible. Return the skllet to medium high heat. Add the italian seasoning, thyme, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, cinnamon, and cloves, and cook until the meat is well browned, stirring frequently, about 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and cook, stirring, for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beef broth, carrots, peas, and tomato paste, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish and spoon the mashed potatoes evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake for 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to broil and cook until golden brown and crisp around the edges, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is a recipe Aaron found in the Reader's Digest and wanted to try. It turned out great. We just made it again for the second time and enjoyed it even more.

Ingredients
6 corn tortillas, cut into ¼ inch strips (You can most certainly use more tortillas. These are yummy!)
5 tsp olive oil, divided
½ tsp salt
¾ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 lb. red potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 cup frozen corn
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
¼ tsp pepper
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp basil

In large resealable plastic bag, combine tortilla strips, 2 tsp oil, and salt. Seal bag and shake to coat. Arrange tortilla strips on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes or until crisp, turning once. Remove to paper towels to cool.

In large saucepan, saute chicken in remaining oil until lightly browned. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add corn, chilies, cilantro, and pepper, and heat through. Stir in lime juice. Top each serving with tortilla chips.

This has quite the citrus flavor. I wouldn't skimp on anything, especially not the cilantro or lime juice. It's a great soup.