A Homemade Mash

 One of the best comfort foods is a plate of home made mashed potatoes. There's something soothing about a plate of them with a side  puddle of butter or gravy. It's home cooking at its' best.

I decided to try the old school method of making mashed potatoes but with a few tweaks. It's starts off traditionally  - with Russet potatoes.I used a whopping five pound bag of them.

There's a method to my madness. Leftover mashed potatoes make excellent puffs  -a kind of home made Tater Tot  - with the addition of eggs and chopped onions, then fried.

I soaked them first because this ensures a fluffy texture.

They were then drained and put to cook into a pot of boiling salted water. They have to be cooked for about twenty - to  twenty-five minutes. 

I like Russets. They are delicious with an earthy flavor  however, they're hard to cook.

The next step was draining them and adding the mix of hot milk and butter. 

I made this vegan with two cups of almond milk and six tablespoons of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. You're supposed to heat it on the stove top but the microwave does a good job too.

This was added to the drained Russets and then it was mashed with an electric mixer. Doing this will ensure a light fluffy texture. Again it was hard because Russets are really dense in texture.

The end result was pretty good.

The mash also got a good sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. You could add parsley or garlic if you wanted to. 

Homemade mashed potatoes is the ultimate comfort food. They can be as easy cook, albeit labor intensive. Yet all that work is worth it for a side of creamy goodness.

The Hassle Of Hasslebacks

 Hasselback potatoes have become one of stars of this crazy year. They look easy to make and all the sites say they're delicious. I thought I 'd give them a try.

I bought  a Hasselback grid from Gia's Kitchen on Amazon. It's a two piece affair with spiked wooden block and a grid on top of it.

It takes a sharp knife to cut into raw  russet potato which is like cutting into wood. 

It was hard to do even slices. You're supposed to cut almost all the way through, leaving about a quarter of an inch untouched. This is supposed to produce an accordion effect when cooked. All the online recipes have a variety of flavorings, from herbed melted butter to olive oil.I just brushed the slits and skins with olive oil and sprinkled on dried parsley.

They're supposed to be baked for half an hour in an air fryer at 350 degrees. This is what they looked like halfway through. a bit browned and promising.

Half an hour later they weren't. They were still raw so I gave them an extra ten minutes at 400 degrees F.

Most of it was OK, They didn't fan out and there were very few crispy bits. They did not look like golden accordions. Making Hasselback potatoes takes practice and making adjustments to the recipe.

Hasselback potatoes are a great side . Keep in mind you have to make them a few times to get those golden accordion slices. It's worth it knowing what the result could be.

Missing Your Restaurant Favorites

Everyone is missing their favorite fast foods and restaurants right now. It is tough because we're all sheltered in place . Yet we can make the most of a situation by recreating some of our favorite take outs at home.

One of the most missed is a hamburger. If you can get patties (try shopping early in the morning when the stores first open and supplies are in) then turn them into Whoppers and Big Macs. Add double the amount of meat along with lettuce and tomatoes along with pickles and sliced onions. As for the special sauce, it;s just a mix of mayo , ketchup , horseradish and mustard. Take a half cup of mayo and blend with a third of a cup of ketchup. It's then adding one fourth cup horseradish, and one fourth cup mustard. Also mix in one tablespoon white sugar or honey and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Keep in mind you can use this sauce for leftover cold meat loaf too. As for the fries, many stores have already sold out but you can make your own fries. Try to get Russet potatoes because they're the best and the meatiest. It's first cutting them into one quarter inch discs and then into one quarter inch sticks. Fry them in canola or vegetable oil. If you're using  an air fryer , then soak the uncooked fries in water for a whole hour. Dry them toss them in oil and salt and then put them in a 400 degree F air fryer for twenty minutes.

Of course everyone is missing their tacos and burritos right now. It's so easy to recreate a Taco Bell burrito. The filling is an easy mix of beans, tomato paste and chopped onions cooked together. What gives the filling its' zing is a tablespoon or two of red wine vinegar. Chopped cheddar cheese is added to the mix along with cumin and chili powder. Tacos are an easy make and you can fill them with a variety of different add ins. Use beans or chicken or any leftover meat or fish. Cook these fillings up with some sliced jalapenos and chili powder, top with homemade guacamole or sour cream along with sliced cherry tomatoes and shredded lettuce. You can even make a healthy one with such veggies as broccoli and cauliflower mixed with sliced carrots and green beans. Many love teriyaki and the sauce is easy to make. The base is soy sauce with a variety of different ingredients blended in. There's water , honey and brown sugar beaten into the soy sauce along with rice vinegar , sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Cornstarch is also added for thickening. Keep in mind any meat or veggie can be cooked with this flavorful sauce. Try tofu one night and salmon on another. serve with scallion rice which is an easy mix of chopped scallions cooked with rice boiled in either chicken or vegetable broth.

Everyone is missing their favorite restaurant and take out dishes right now. Try to recreate them with tasty replicas from your kitchen. You may just make them as regular dishes in the future.

Your Fall Staple The Potato

Fall demands heartier eating.This is not to say that you should abandon healthy eating for rich sauces and bigger portions,Ypu can eat wisely thanks tone root vegetable.The potato is a good stick to your ribs addition along with being versatile.There are dozens of heart healthy recipes that fit into anyone's diet. Before you go shopping ,be ware that potato centered dishes demand certain types.What works for fries may not be good for gracing a roast.Surprisingly there are more than one hundred types of spuds being sold in the S. There are seven types such as russet, red, white ,yellow along with the purple/blue fingerling and petite. Russet potatoes are medium to long with an oblong or flattened oval shape.these can be used for baking, frying, mashed or roasted.The red kind are always small with thin red skin and a pure white flesh.Their sweet taste is the perfect foil for any beef or pork roast.The yellow potatoes are their golden counterparts but with a richer, more buttery flavor.These too, can be used to grace roasts can also use them in salads too.White potatoes are similar to the russet.They're good for mashing or frying.Purple and blue potatoes are the most exotic,They have a moist firm flesh but also have a high starch content.Be warned their texture can be floury and unusual for those, especially kids tasting them for the first time.Fingerling potato kinds are similar to these but actually more familiar to the American palate. The taste is nutty and are good for frying and roasting.Another choice is the petite, marble sized but carrying a big flavor.These are the best for potato salad because of their size. One of the easiest potato recipes is the baked.The best bet is still the old fashioned oven way.Microwaved baked potatoes are iffy,Sometimes they just don't cook all the way through which means another trip back to the microwave.The oven is longer but infinitely better.Potatoes should be baked in a 425 degree oven for fifty to sixty minutes.Prep them with a rub of olive oil and sea salt.Prick the skin all over with a fork and set on foil.I like mine with just butter but you can put anything on them, from cheddar and bacon to chili to cooked veggies.Another fall favorite is potato soup.What I like about this is that is is a blank canvas.You can add everything from bacon and corn to create a chowder to leeks to make a chic potage.This is usually a summer soup served chilled however it can also be served hot as an ideal fall meal.Scalloped potatoes are a great side to any Sunday roast dinner.It may sound hard but it's easy to Whip up.Used sliced Russet potatoes and layer in a casserole .A cooked mix of cream and butter is layered on it and then the entire dish is baked.Tail gating parties demand potato salad.Try one with grilled potatoes for a new spin.I prefer my family's recipe.It is a subtle mix of red potatoes and two hard boiled eggs with mixed with celery and chopped onion.The only dressing is just mayo, a cup of it mixed with oil to every pound used. Make this tuber your fall kitchen go to.Potatoes are varied and versatile. they can be turned into yummy, ribsticking recipes that are both tasty and good for you.

Hot Potato Dishes

January is the time for hearty dishes and rich ingredients. What better than a dish revolving around potatoes?These tubers work well with almost any ingredient thrown at it and gives a richness to any dinner.A potato can be a side but it can also be the star of the dinner table too. One of the easiest tater dishes is a simple baked.This works well with steak but it can also be a good meal on it's own.There's nothing as fun as a loaded baked potato,whether it's filled with chili or a mix of veggies,topped off with melted cheddar cheese.For a different and tad fancier spin try twice baked potatoes.They're easy to make ,just scooping out the insides of a baked.They're then mixed with sour cream , butter and then put back into their skins and then rebaked for 15 minutes to get a crispy top. Of course mashed potatoes are always good too.You can liven them up by adding different herbs and butter as you mash.For a heartier mash, try sprinkling in bacon bits or shredded cheddar. Sometimes potatoes can be the star of the dinner table.The Swiss dish rosti is a large pancake that can easily serve a family of four.It's also easy to whip up, making it the perfect weekend supper.It just needs potatoes that have been grated, pressed free of any moisture and then fried in either lard or butter mixed with canola oil.You can add bacon or ham to it for extra flavor.For a more elegant yet simple dish try scalloped potatoes.This is taking Russet potatoes and slicing them very thin(you can use a mandoline for this).It's then layering the slices over browned onions and butter.Cream and milk is added along with herbs such as thyme and bay leaves. Potatoes are a perfect dish for these cold,snowy days.Try them a variety of ways to enjoy their earthy goodness.Have them in the hearty rosti or the elegant scalloped for complete enjoyment.