Tag Archive: Potatoes

Oven Fries

Oct 14th 131

Even after almost 2 years of eating gluten-free, I’m still learning about places it can be that trip me up. Recently on Ashley’s blog I read that most restaurant fries aren’t gluten-free. Puzzled, I looked it up online and sure enough found a host of explanations why most restaurant french fries aren’t gluten-free, basically summed up by this:

  • Some restaurants preserve the fries in between cutting and cooking by adding a coating including flour to soak up moisture and keep them from sticking together.
  • If fries are fried in the same oil as battered foods like chicken nuggets, the oil can contaminate the fries with gluten.

Luckily in the few instances I can think of that I’ve eaten french fries I don’t remember feeling sick afterwards. But I don’t need to be told twice to avoid something potentially harmful, especially when they’re so easy to make at home.

Oct 14th 115

This recipe is very simple, with just what I would call the bare-bone ingredients. You can make more flavorful fries by switching up the seasoning. The vinegar in the recipe helps to give the fries a more authentic flavor without overpowering the seasoning. Definitely don’t leave it out, and don’t worry about the fries having a strong salt and vinegar taste because they most certainly don’t.

Oven Fries

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

  • 2 medium-sized russet potatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons oil
  • Splash(about 1/2 Tablespoon) vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more for finishing
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Oct 14th 168

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  2. With a sharp knife, cut the potatoes horizontally and then lengthwise into long, thin fry shapes.
  3. Toss the fries with the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper until completely coated.
  4. Line the fries out on a baking tray in a single layer. Bake for 50 minutes or until the ends are crisp, flipping occasionally to cook on all sides. Sprinkle with extra salt and serve immediately.

Oct 14th 102

Serve with ketchup, obviously. I like Trader Joe’s ketchup because it’s more tart than most others but since I don’t live near one I use Whole Foods brand organic ketchup. Did you know organic ketchup has up to 8 times the lycopene of non-organic brands? Add that to the list of useless facts you’ll never need.

Warm Red Potato Salad

May 16th 018

Some people don’t like to cook. I don’t get them.

Most of the time I’d rather make my own meal than go to a restaurant. It’s just not the same as home cooking. Last week was crazy with work and most of my meals I didn’t cook or were just salads thrown together. It was awful. This week is much more relaxed and I’ve been able to cook again, and not just fudge but better things like this potato salad. I could eat this again and again. The vinegar and sugar make for just the right sweetness. You’ll never miss the mayonnaise in another potato salad.

Warm Red Potato Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1lb red potatoes
  • 1/2 yellow onion, julienned
  • 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

May 16th 005

Bake the potatoes for 1 hour in an oven set to 350 degrees. Remove them and cut them up into 1-inch chunks.

Soak the julienned onion in cold water for 5-10 minutes to remove some of their pungency. Drain the liquid from the onions.

May 16th 010

Add all of the ingredients together and mix. Serve while still slightly warm. Refrigerate any leftovers

May 16th 017

Who doesn’t love potatoes and onions? Whoever doesn’t I love them enough for the both of us.

May 16th 024

Brussel Sprout and Potato Hash With Fried Eggs

April 4th 038

I can never have a savory breakfast; it just doesn’t appeal to me at all. I need something sweet and as close to a dessert as I can get away with eating when I wake up.

Dinner is another story. I love a big plate of hot, savory food at night. I also love eating all the “traditional” breakfast foods like hash browns then since I’d never eat them otherwise. Sure, you could make this for breakfast. But I think it’s much better for dinner. Just imagine all your cares from that day flowing away like the runny yolk when it breaks and suddenly nothing seems so bad any more. Just remember to leave room for breakfast dessert.

Brussel Sprout and Potato Hash With Fried Eggs

Ingredients(for 2 servings):

  • 1 1/2 brussel sprouts, steamed*
  • 2 medium potatoes, cooked and diced*
  • 1 onion, julienned
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup of butter, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

*You can do this easily by microwaving them together for 4 minutes before starting.

April 4th 005

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Once the pan is heated, add in the brussel sprouts, potatoes, and onion.

April 4th 009

Cook for 10 minutes tossing the contents of the pan periodically until all the sides have had a chance to brown. Divide the contents of the pan between two plates or bowls and return the pan over the burner.

April 4th 015

Using the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, fry each egg individually in the pan. When each is done, plate it over the hash two to a plate. When all are done, season with salt and pepper.

April 4th 032

My favorite part really is the runny yolks. If the yolks aren’t runny, well, I’d still eat it but it wouldn’t be the same. Apparently pregnant women shouldn’t eat runny yolks; I’m glad that’s never in my future.

Irish Green Beans

March 13th 043

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I thought long and hard about what green recipe to make for today. By luck, I also had a bunch of green beans to cook with and this dish sort of came together itself. You may ask yourself what makes this Irish, to which I would answer the butter, potatoes, and simple seasoning. If that’s not stereotypical enough for you, I apologize that I couldn’t somehow work Baileys into the recipe; know that it’s there in spirit.

Irish Green Beans

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 medium sized potatoes, diced and cooked
  • 1/2lb green beans
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

March 13th 028

Prepare your ingredients by dicing and cooking the potatoes through. You can boil, bake, or microwave them.

March 13th 036

Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat until melted.

March 13th 038

Add in the green beans and potatoes and sauté lightly for about 10 minutes until the butter has coated everything and starts to brown.

March 13th 041

Season the pan with the salt and pepper and toss. Serve hot.

March 13th 047

Just when I thought I’ve eaten potatoes every way, there’s a new way to cook them. The butter and black pepper really help to make all the ingredients come together. It’s a hearty side dish that stacks up well against any main. So break out the lamb with steamed cabbage and start celebrating St. Patrick’s Day(or more likely just these and a beer).

March 13th 052

Hasselback Potatoes

February 27th 054

Lately there’s been a lot of these hasselback potatoes around the food blog world. As a meat and potatoes person, I knew I had to try these. The recipe is so simple and yet quite different than your regular baked potato. These weren’t quite crispy like potato chips as I was hoping but they were tender and rich.

And, if you’re like me, you’ll be a little disappointed to learn that this isn’t named after a certain View hostess. Next you’ll try to tell me that Whoopi Goldberg didn’t invent the whoopie pie…

Hasselback Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium baking potato
  • 2 pats of butter
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning

February 27th 008

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Carefully slice the potato ever 1/4-1/2 inch about 90% of the way through, making sure not to cut it completely.

Put a pat of butter over each side of the potato. Bake it for 60 minutes.

February 27th 047

Plate and pour the excess melted butter overtop. Season with salt and pepper.

February 27th 059

Paula Deen would do good by this recipe, ya’ll. It was definitely a fun and different way to eat a baked potato. Bacon bits on top would have been a great final touch.

Lentils With Potatoes And Caramelized Onions

January 24th 011

Comfort food rarely looks appealing, and yet there’s nothing we want more. It’s warm, thick, and often rich with flavor; who cares what it looks like? This has been my favorite comfort food lately. It’s not really a stew because there’s no liquid. Instead, it’s a thick, creamy bowl of flavorful carbs. And that is the most comforting thing in my eyes.

Lentils With Potatoes And Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dry lentils
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3-4 starchy potatoes, diced and cooked
  • 1 onion, julienned
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for finishing

January 24th 003

Start by cooking your lentils to completion with the bay leaf, salt, and pepper. When the lentils are done cooking, remove the bay leaf and discard.

Meanwhile, caramelize onions in a large frying pan with the olive oil. Once the onions are loose and translucent, add in the potatoes as if you were making a hash and cook for 10-15 minutes until they start forming a crust.

January 24th 005

Add the onions and potatoes in with the lentils and mix the contents together well. Don’t worry if the lentils start mashing and the potatoes break apart; that just means the flavor will blend together more. Serve hot and drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil(the kind Ina’s always pushing).

January 24th 008

I didn’t promise a pretty bowl, but I will promise that you can’t eat this without smiling. It’s thick and hearty and can please the cravings of a meat and potato lover. I like to eat this with ketchup, which is weird because I don’t normally put ketchup on anything. I’d also suggest eating this on the couch watching trashy TV wearing old sweat pants, because it’s that kind of comfort food.

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Mashed Potatoes

November 16th 096

This recipe came along more as a fluke than anything else. I had already started to make mashed potatoes when I suddenly realize all I had for “milk” was vanilla almond milk. After giving it a shot and adding pumpkin puree, I realized the vanilla and almond flavors blended perfectly to make this a pumpkin pie-like mashed potato. The salt, nutmeg, and other spices lend the perfect flavors to make this a flavorful dish without too much fat.

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

  • 3 medium baking potatoes
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/3 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • a pinch of black pepper

November 16th 081

Peel the potatoes and cook them until they are tender(you can use an oven or a microwave for faster cooking. Mash the potatoes to a smooth puree.

November 16th 088

Add in the almond milk, pumpkin, and melted butter and continue to mix until it’s completely consistent. Lastly, stir in the salt, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and pepper. Serve hot.

November 16th 092

Warm, comforting, pumpkiny—what’s not to love? Get your fill while it’s still in season.

Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes

If you haven’t already entered the giveaway going on now, there are only 2 days left!

Oct 26th 005

The only memory I’ve ever had of mashed potatoes are from holidays where the potatoes thinned out to a pudding sat in a pool of butter. Needless to say, I didn’t have a problem passing on the mashed potatoes for most of my childhood. But I’ve been enjoying them a lot recently; in turns out if you skip the butter and use a moderate amount of milk with the right seasonings, they taste like, well, a potato! And I can never pass on that.

Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

  • 4 starchy baking potatoes(I like Russet)
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk(or non-dairy creamer)
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Bake the potatoes for 60 minutes at a high temperature(alternatively, you could just microwave them). Remove the skins and mash in a bowl. Pour in the milk and seasonings and continue to blend until the liquid has been absorbed. Serve hot.

Oct 26th 010

The great thing about coconut milk in this recipe is that these don’t really taste “coconut-y”; there’s enough pepper and onion to make them interesting and flavorful while still keeping a smooth, rich consistency. These give mashed potatoes a much better name in my mind, and scream “comfort food”.

Side note: Did you know professional food photographers will use mashed potatoes to look like ice cream? That’s no fun.