Smooshed and Loaded Taters

I love potatoes.

And so, I’m always looking for more ways to fix them, and keep the meal fresh and interesting.

This is an adaptation to my recipe Wacka-Mole Potatoes. Just take ‘em up a notch.

You can substitute all kinds of additions here, which a good recipe always offers, so be inventive, and depending on the dish it is being served with, think out of the box.

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 6-8 new potatoes
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 c fried onions
• 1 c corn, defrosted
• 2 c shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wash potatoes and place in plastic bag with oil, massage until all are coated. Spread out on parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan, and roast for about 40 minutes at 425°.
2. When done, remove from oven. Leave potatoes on the pan. Using a small saucepan, place over each potato and press down until “smashed”. When all are done, slide them together into a rectangle or place in a casserole in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Place under broiler until the edges are starting to crisp.
3. Remove again.
4. Cover with a layer of fried onions, then the corn, and then the cheese.
5. Turn off oven and place back in just to let the cheese melt.

Serves: 4

NOTE: You can used caramelized onions, chives, chopped fresh chiles, vary the cheese, sweet peppers (lightly sautéed), lightly sautéed mushrooms. This goes really nicely with ribs or hamburgers. Any other fresh herbs you like would also be nice.

Related articles

• New Potatos au Gratin (alidoesit.wordpress.com)
• Fancy Jacket Potatoes With Cheese (machiavelliid.com)
• Loaded Hash Brown Potato Casserole (nancycreative.com)

Poofy Potato Souffle

Taters, taters, taters. Every woman I know (okay so I’m living a sheltered life), is searching for more new ways to fix the potato.

And here is one!

And it’s good, which is a double bonus.

And it’s versatile, so it’s a triple bonus.

And it looks very nice.

And did I say it tasted good and was versatile?

Well, get busy and make it then.

Inspired, and virtually stolen from Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and chunked up
• 1/4 c milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 1/3 c flour
• 1 c milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c chopped scallions
• 1/4 c parsley, chopped
• 2/3 c cheese, Gruyère, baby swiss, cheddar, whateva!, shredded

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook the potatoes until fork-tender and drain.
2. Add milk and butter, mash. (you can do this early in the day. They are easier to work with at room temp when you are assembling.
3. Whisk the flour, milk and eggs together, so it looks like a pancake batter.
4. Using a shallow baking dish which has been greased (I used a deep dish pie plate which was perfect), pour 1/2 of the batter into the bottom.
5. Scoop up mounds of the potatoes and flatten between your palms and then place on the batter, until the batter is covered.
6. Add the scallions, parsley, and some salt and pepper over this.
7. Then scatter the cheese over that.
8. Pour the remaining batter over, covering everything.
9. Place in a pre-heated 400° oven for about 25-30 minutes or until just browning up.

Serves: 6

NOTE: Lots of fun things with this. Change the herbs. (You can add them to the potatoes when you mash if you wish instead of sprinkling on top of the taters. Of course, use any cheese you wish. Also consider using some sausage slices over the potatoes or cooked bacon, which could make this a rather lovely luncheon meal. You can (as Rufus did) make these in 6 ramekins instead of one dish, and that makes it super elegant. If you decide on Parmesan cheese, I’d be inclined to put that directly in the potatoes and mash it in, but that’s up to you. You could of course add some cooked veggies too. The sky is the limit.

Related articles

• Recipe: Leek and Potato Soufflé With Ham and Fontina – Recipe (nytimes.com)

Kiss the Cook Scalloped Potatoes

My mother is a good cook, but she did not teach cooking. I watched, and mostly I remembered and/or worked out the better recipes. But when it came to scalloped potatoes, well I never got it. She had the casserole composed before I got home from school, so I missed something.

Now I know what I missed. Not enough butter, and not cooking it long enough. Anyway, now I have it thanks to the wonderful recipe submitted on JustaPinch by Jane McMillan.

It is perfect in every way. And it’s wonderfully adaptable as a good recipe should be.

This is not a precise recipe, few are, but get the proportions fairly right, and it will turn out just fine. I’ll give you some hints to change it up at the end.

I reduced the recipe to a more manageable amount for two people with still plenty of left-overs.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 lg potatoes (I think bakers are best), peeled or not, and very thinly sliced.
• 1 med to small onion, also sliced very thinly.
• 2/3 c of flour
• 1/2 tsp paprika (just sprinkle it on)
• 1/2 tsp each, salt and pepper (again just sprinkle away)
• 1 c milk, give or take
• 3 tbsp butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Butter a 2 qt baking casserole and turn on oven to 350°
2. Peel or not your potatoes and thinly slice, along with your onion.
3. Layer 1/3 of the potatoes and 1/3 of the onions. Add 1/2 of the flour and butter.
4. Layer 1/3 of the potatoes, and 1/3 of the onions. Add the balance of the flour and butter.
5. Layer the last of the potatoes and onions.
6. Pour milk along the side until when you press down on the potatoes firmly, you can just see milk almost to the top layer.
7. Cover with foil and seal firmly. Bake in oven for 1 hour.
8. Remove the foil and bake another hour.

Serves: 4

Now comes the fun part: you can do all kinds of fun things here like adding hot peppers, or sweet peppers. Add garlic. Then go wild with cheese, any type, with our without peppers. Just follow your instincts. Add crumbled bacon. Or ham.  Add fresh herbs of your liking. Add chopped spring onions. Leeks!  Make it a new creation each time.

Related articles

• Scalloped potatoes with gruyere cheese, green onions and thyme (charlotte.news14.com)
• Scalloped Potatoes – Tyler Florence (bookcasefoodie.wordpress.com)
• Gratin of Potatoes and Leeks (slightlydomesticateddad.wordpress.com)

Treasure Hunt Mash Potatoes

I love potatoes.

I love mashed potatoes.

I get tired of mashed potatoes with gravy or with just butter.

The PioneerWoman gave me the ingredients for this.

The amounts are not so important.  Fudge it around depending on how many you are serving. Leftovers here are good, but the treasures may soften up on ya, so I’d say it’s best eaten up!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 med-lg russet potatoes, peeled and cut up for boiling.
• 1/3 stick butter
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 6 slices bacon, cut up in 1/2″ pieces and cooked until crisp, drained.
• 4-5 scallions chopped with some of the green parts
• 2/3 c French’s fried onions (or other similar brand)
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Boil the potatoes until fork tender, drain.
2. Add the butter and cream and mash.
3. Add the scallions and bacon, stirring just to incorporate.
4. Place in serving bowl and sprinkle all over with the fried onions.

Serves: 3-4

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• A New Combo (bookcasefoodie.wordpress.com)

Wacka-Mole Taters

Ahh, the lowly potato. Maligned yet the staple of so many meals. I mean some folks demand potatoes or it ain’t a meal!

So, in the constant push to find “another” way to make potatoes, I saw this on Cook’s Test Kitchen.

It’s simple. It’s rustic.

It’s good.

The picture at left suggests that they are finished in a saute pan on the stove. Actually it’s far easier to do them under the broiler. But either way works.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 new potatoes
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wash your potatoes and place in a plastic bag. Drizzle with the canola oil and massage until potatoes are coated.
2. Turn out onto a parchment-lined jelly roll and roast in a 425° for about 40 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Remove pan from the oven and move all but one potato to one end.
4. Take a small sauce pan and press down on the potato until it gives in and squashes. Do this until all are squashed, keeping them apart from each other.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Place back in the oven under broil, and broil until edges are crispy and the open potato is just starting to brown.

Serves: 3 (assuming 2 per person)

 

The Real Deal Fish & Chips

Taverns make the best fish and chips.

When I was a kid, my dad stopped on Fridays at a local tavern on his way home and got greasy bags of succulent fish and crisp french fries.

When I married, our local tavern had Friday fish fries and we used to gorge.

Then they changed hands, and well, that was the end of that.

So I had to learn.

And I’m very picky about my fish. The “Gordon’s” crap is uneatable. So I had to learn.

Alton Brown from the Food Network did this one up, and it is perfect.

I know, deep-frying is a pain. I have a big old lunky deep fryer, but frankly find a big cast iron skillet works best and I don’t use nearly the oil.

I’ve given you two ways to do the french fries. Frankly I always bake mine now.

So get to it, cuz you know you love it.

INSTRUCTIONS:

• 3/4 c flour
• 1/2 c cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp baking powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can beer
• 1 1/2 lbs. fish of your choice
• 3/4 c flour
• 3-4 russet potatoes
• oil

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE FISH:

1. Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk and then add the beer until you get a pretty thin batter.
2. Dry fish and cut into manageable pieces.
3. Dust in the flour and place on a rack until all are done.
4. Then with a wooden skewer (this just works so nicely), dip in the batter and let excessive drip off. Then back into the flour. Then replace on the rack.
5. Place in a 375° oil deep fryer or other suitable pan until done–lightly browned. Don’t crowd.
6. Place on a rack with paper towelling beneath to catch drips. When all are done, place in a warm oven to hold until french fries are done.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE FRENCH FRIES: (METHOD I)

1. Cut up potatoes into nice stick form. Place in a microwave safe dish with 1/4 oil and cook just until pliable.
2. Dry the potatoes.
3. Place in the oil at 325-250°  for about 6-8 minutes. Remove, drain, and when all are done, refry for 3 minutes more in batches again.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE FRENCH FRIES: (METHOD II)

1. Cut up potatoes. Uniformity matters more here. Place in a plastic bag and add about 3 tbsp of oil. Shake and massage until all are coated.
2. Place on a parchment paper lined jelly roll or cookie sheet. Don’t let chips touch each other. You may need 2 sheets to accommodate all.
3. Place in pre-heated 425° for about 12 minutes and then turn on the broiler and cook for an additional 10 minutes or so until nicely golden. (the broiler obviates having to tediously turn them all over).

Serves: 2-4

Serve with coleslaw and homemade tartar sauce.

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• Fish and chips with a twist (itsnotartitsdinner.wordpress.com)

The Gold Standard of Potato Salads

I grew up on my mother’s potato salad. I figured that is how it was made.

When I was an adult, I was invited to friend’s homes for backyard picnics.

I took my spoonful of potato salad, sat down, and dug in.

I screamed, I spit, I howled, “What is this shit?”

Well,  okay, I exaggerate. I thought all those things in my mind.

What is this swill of potatoes, an obligatory egg, a rib of celery, vinegar and mayo with a dash of salt and pepper?

What it is not is potato salad.

Over the years, I’ve sophisticated Mother’s recipe a very little bit. This IS potato salad.

INGREDIENTS:

• Six to eight potatoes (Yukon preferred), peeled, diced, and cooked in boiling salted water until just done.
• An equal amount of eggs hard-boiled and peeled, chopped roughly
• 2 ribs of celery chopped
• 5 scallions, chopped, with plenty of the green part too
• 6 radishes, sliced
• 1/2 green, red or yellow sweet pepper
• 6 strips bacon, fried and crumbled
• 1/2 c diced dill pickle
• 1/3 c sliced pimentoed olives

Put all together in a bowl (except the bacon)

DRESSING:

• 2/3 c of mayonnaise (home-made or Hellman’s preferred)
• 2 TBSP ballpark mustard or dijon if you are really uppity.
• 2 TBSP fresh parsley
• 1/4 c juice from the pickle or olive jar
• 1/2 TBSP freshly ground pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 c chives for garnish.

Whisk the dressing together, adjust for your taste, and pour over the potato mixture and fold in carefully. Mixture should be more dry than sloppy. This allows for leftovers that aren’t swimming in watery dressing. Before serving sprinkle with the bacon and chives.

Get ready to write out the recipe for all the requests. If you don’t get requests, you are hanging with the wrong people!

Serves at least 8.