I have another potato with cheese (and cheese) and butter recipe for you.

I swear I’m not trying to kill you; it’s just I like cheese.

I kinda figure it’s like math…you know, two negatives make a positive, OR depending on your life perspective, two positives make a big gigantic cheesy, calorie-filled positive. I consider myself a super optimissitc person, so I’ll go with the latter.

If you are too, then hop over to PW’s Tasty Kitchen blog where I did a guest blogging situation. You’ll find: step-by-step pictures, the recipe and me waxing poetic about cheese and butter. You know, THE USUAL!!!

LOVEYOUBYE

P.S. I’ll post a recipe of some salad soon. Or not.

So…you may have noticed that I’ve been MIA lately. It’s also possible you haven’t noticed since if you’ve been too busy drooling over A’s more recent recipes.  At any rate, the short story is that I got a call to come back to NC for a 3-month job, and had only 5 days notice before I needed to start. If you’re trying to visualize what that must have been like, picture this:

Me, running around my apartment throwing whatever random clean clothes I had into suitcases.

Me, getting giddy with excitement about getting to be in Asheville for 3 months over the summer!

Me, crying because I’m not going to get to go to Cinespia this year.

Me, packing 4 pairs of high heels, which I wear almost never, and only two pairs of flip flops, which I wear every day. I, of course, will not realize this until I am all the way across the country. This will happen at the same time I realize I have 10 dresses to wear on the weekend, and only 3 pairs of jeans to wear during the work week. Packing fail.

So, to kick off my Southern summer, I give you this recipe: Hashbrowns – scattered, smothered and covered. Most of you will remember these from one too many late nights at Waffle House. For those that haven’t had the pleasure, this is what I typically would eat in college whenever I found myself still awake and hungry at 3am. As to what I had been doing to keep me awake that long…umm…I plead the fifth.

Here’s all you need to know: These are potatoes fried in a pan (scattered), topped with sautéed onions (smothered) and cheese (covered). Seriously delicious, even if you eat them at a more respectable hour of the day.

Hashbrowns – Scattered, Smothered and Covered

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Serves 2

1 russet potato, scrubbed and grated.
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup of canola or olive oil

Fill a large bowl with water and liberally add some salt. Soak the potato shreds in the salt water bath for about 10 minutes to draw out all of the starch. Drain, and then squeeze all the moisture out of the potato using a clean dish cloth.

Meanwhile, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan and sauté the onion over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, until the onions begins to brown. Remove from the pan and set aside; wipe the pan clean with a paper towel.

Add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and bring up to medium high heat. Scatter the potatoes onto the pan and fry until they turn golden brown. Using a large spatula, flip the potatoes over, keeping them as together as possible. Scatter the onions over the potatoes and then top with cheese. When the other side begins to turn brown, transfer the hashbrowns to a plate. Dig in immediately!

Okay, I may have exaggerated a bit by calling these fritters “super exciting.” But I felt like I needed something to counter-act the fact that these are made of turnips and it’s hard to find a less exciting sounding word than “turnip”. Due to the dullness of it’s name I think turnips are often overlooked in the food world. I mean, who thinks of turnips when you have ingredient options like blood oranges, sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes or Vidalia onions? If produce were children and recipes were kickball teams, turnips would probably get picked last every time.

However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth using. This recipe is a prime example of the ugly duckling getting a chance to shine. These fritters are similar to potato pancaked, but the turnips add a little bit of a bite to the normally neutral taste of potatoes, and they are packed with vitamins. Add in some green onions and sour cream and oh man are these ever delicious. It’s kinda like when the dorky kid in glasses gets picked last, and then kicks the ball outta the park to score the winning point.

Turnip and Potato Patties

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Adapted from Gourmet Magazine via Simply Recipes

Makes 6 patties
1/2 pound turnips, peeled and cut into cubes
6 oz potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 1/2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Grapeseed oil or canola oil (high smoke point vegetable oils)
Salt and pepper
Sour cream (optional)

Cook the potato and turnip in a large pot of boiling water for 15 to 17 minutes or until tender. Drain the vegetables and transfer to a bowl. Mash with either a fork or potato masher and then stir in green onions, egg, flour and salt and pepper to taste.

Coat the bottom of a heavy bottom skillet with about ¼ of oil and heat over medium high heat until the surface of the oil begins to shimmer. Using a ¼ cup measurer, spoon the mixture into the oil and flatten with a spatula into patties. Cook  for about 2-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown, and then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.

Serve with sour cream if desired. Yum!

Can I just be honest with you?

I made these potato chips so I could stick them in my sandwich–a PB&J to be exact.

All this back to school talk got me a bit nostalgic for the days when I used to sit at the lunch table, trying and pleading for someone to barter my boring crudites for their Snack-Pak. It never worked.

So instead I’d just sulk and put Doritos in my PB&J. It made everything better.

I was poking around the internet to see if I was the only weirdo kid/adult that put/puts chips in their sandwiches. And newsflash! I’m totally not.

Did you know that there’s a wikipedia page all about potato chips in sandwiches? Yeah, craziness.

According to the page, they refer to potato chips in sandwiches as “trailer park cuisine.”

Umm…I totally take offense to that, mainly because if you think about it a PB&J, by itself, it’s pretty one note in terms of texture (unless you use crunchy peanut butter but I’m a creamy peanut butter girl).

I say that it actually took someone with a pretty classy, sophisticated palate to take this classic, iconic sandwich and stick their potato chips in it.  I don’t think it was an amateur, thank you very much.

This person knew what they were doing. They took a PB&J and upped the levels. Now it has sweetness from the jelly, a creamy, nuttiness from the peanut butter and this awesome crunch from the potato chips. Heaven.

Say you don’t want to put them in a sandwich–that’s cool. No biggie. I recommend these with a dip, or hummus, or really all by themselves. They’re super easy to make. They’re pretty healthy and the clean up is minimal since there’s no splashing of hot oil.

If I were to eat them solo, I might toss them in some dried herbs once they get out of the oven, like herbs de provence or some thyme.  A plate of these and some limeade would make for a pretty perfect afternoon.

Oven-Fried Potato Chips

Recipe from Gourmet

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6 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 russet (baking) potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Brush 2 large baking sheets well with some oil.

Peel potatoes and with a mandoline or other hand-held slicing device cut length-wise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Lay out a few paper towels and dry the potatoes thoroughly.

Arrange potatoes in one layer on baking sheets and brush with remaining oil.

Bake potatoes in middle of oven until golden, 12 to 15 minutes, and while still warm transfer with a metal spatula to racks. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Chips may be made 3 days ahead. Cool chips completely and keep in an airtight container at room temperature.

I have to confess that I was once a bit of a pizza purist. To me, pizza meant crust, sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. As a kid I was incredibly stringent on this rule. It was a huge step when I finally began to eat sausage on my pizza, but no one was crazy enough to think I might try green peppers or mushrooms.

Nowadays I tend to be much more adventurous. I like pizzas with different sauces like pesto, or even those that don’t have sauce like a classic Margherita pizza. This however, might be the biggest leap I’ve ever made. There isn’t any sauce, just a drizzle of olive oil. You won’t find mozzarella but instead a mild Fontina cheese. Oh yeah, and there’s also the potato and arugula. I was stunned to learn how amazing arugula could be on a pizza when I went to Pitfire, but potato? On a pizza? My adult self wanted to try this, but I could hear the little kid in me screaming “Gross! I’m not tasting it!”

Trust me though, you’re gonna want to give this a shot. If you actually do have small children, feed them a “normal” pizza while you dig into this. The mild potato and Fontina combined with the peppery arugula is perfect for the summer; light, flavorful and satisfying.

Potato and Arugula Pizza

Adapted from The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook

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Pizza dough, either store-bought or homemade
1 larger baking potato, scrubbed
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 cups arugula leaves
3 ounces shredded Fontina cheese (about ¾ cup)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the potato into thin slices. Toss in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and lay out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until just tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Raise the oven temperature to 500 degrees. In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the minced garlic. Set aside. Wash, dry and coarsely chop the arugula. Toss the arugula with 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Grease a baking sheet with olive oil and stretch the dough to fill it. (You can also use a pizza stone and roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle on a pizza peel) Line the dough in rings of potatoes, starting from the outside and working inward, leaving a ½ inch border around the edges. Brush the potatoes with the garlic oil.

Place the baking sheet in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the crust starts to brown and the potatoes are golden brown.

Sprinkle the arugula evenly over the pizza. Sprinkle the cheese over the arugula and bake for another 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

There are times when I get bummed out. Like seriously just bummed. Whether it be with careers, relationships, friendships, etc., we all make plans for those things, and when those said plans don’t work out, disappointment can surely set in.  So the other day when I was bumming around and loathing in my own bummed-outness, I decided to take a cue from Erin over at Reading My Tea Leaves.  Each week she posts a few pictures of simple, little objects that made her week. Sometimes when bigger stuff is out of your control, you have to look to the little stuff that makes you happy.

So here are a list of a few things that made my week:

1. A vintage post card that hangs on my fridge. It’s from my uncle that was accompanied with an old Marcela Hazan cookbook.

2. Even though it’s Spring in LA, the chilly nights still make me grab for this cashmere scarf. And plus, it was a gift from my brother (probably picked out by my mom).

3. These daffodils because they’re $1.79 at Trader Joe’s, and that means I can buy a bunch and spread them around my apartment. They’re sunny.

And lastly, this freakin’ frittata.  It was super easy,  super amazing and tasted like Spring.  And also, it has potatoes in it! And the carmelized onions are amazing..and this is coming from someone that quivers at the thought of eating a cooked onion. Seriously.  You must try this.  If you do, I guarantee that it’ll be one of those little things that make your week.

{Frittatas are like garbage disposals. Wait, that sounds gross.  I take that back.  But you can really add whatever cool leftover stuff you have going on in your fridge.  I had an awkward amount of goat cheese and a few strips of bacon laying around, so I decided they’d be a good addition.}

Potato Frittata

Recipe from The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook

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5 tablespoons canola oil

1 small yellow onion, sliced

5 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

7 eggs

1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon minced chives

2 whole scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

4 strips of bacon, fried and chopped

1.5 oz. of goat cheese

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat and drizzle 2 tablespoons of the oil into it.  Add the onions and cook until they’re carmelized, 8 to 10 minutes. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup water, scraping any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.  Cook until the water evaporates and the onions take on a uniform brown color, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the onions to a roasting pan and toss the with the potatoes. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the potatoes.  Season them generously with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.  Set them aside to cool for 15 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, herbs, and scallions together and season them with salt and pepper.

Add the potatoes and onions to the egg mixture.  Heat a 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet, and add the egg and potato mixture. Sprinkle the bacon and goat cheese on top and slightly mix with a fork.  Cover the skillet with aluminium foil, transfer it to the oven, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

Slice and serve directly from the skillet, warm or at room temperature.

I think it’s time I clarify something about my diet. I know that I often tell people I’m a vegetarian, but a real vegetarian does not eat animal flesh of any kind. I, however, eat fish, which makes me a pescetarian. I tell people I’m a vegetarian because I think it’s a less-weird word than pescetarian. Try and tell your Southern relatives that you’re a vegetarian and they look at you like you’re speaking German. Tell them you’re a pescetarian and they look at you like aliens have abducted your body and taken over your brain. So I go for the lesser of two evils, it’s just a easier.

So yes, I eat fish and seafood. Why do I eat fish and not chicken or beef or pork? Well, of all the meats out there it has the least amount of fat, it’s chock full of healthy oils, and quite frankly, because I don’t feel as bad about eating fish as I do cute little lambs or cows.

And cause sushi is awesome.

And crab cakes are amazing.

And smoked salmon is heaven.

When it comes to cooking, I rarely prepare seafood myself. However, when I start craving some smoked salmon and don’t have any bagels or cream cheese on hand, this is what I make. It has olives and potatoes and fennel, which means that even without the salmon this salad still rocks my socks. Don’t underestimate the importance of the fennel in this salad. It gives you a crunch that would otherwise be missing, and the light, fresh flavor is the perfect contrast to the stronger tasting olives and salmon. I recommend eating this salad on a warm day, outside and in the sun. Adding sunshine will make it taste better, I swear.

Smoked Salmon Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

Makes 2 salads.

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Salad
4 red new potatoes
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
½ fennel bulb, chopped
fresh cracked black pepper
spring mix

Dressing
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon salt

Boil the potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain from water and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together red wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, thyme and salt to make the dressing.

Arrange spring mix in 2 bowls. Cut the potatoes into quarters and add to the salads. Sprinkle with olives and chopped fennel. Lay slices of smoked salmon over salad and drizzle with dressing. Spinkle with black pepper and dig in.

A couple weeks ago I went camping in Joshua Tree National Park, and was introduced to the breakfast lovingly called “Slop” that my friend Mel has made for friends in the past. It was unanimously decided that she would forever be in charge of breakfast on any future camping trip, and, despite it’s unattractive name, I urge you to give this a try. Whether cooking over a camp fire or in a skillet at home, this was an easy and simple breakfast that would satisfy just about anyone. As our very first Guest Blogger, here’s what Mel had to say:

Everyone loves camping.  Being outside under the stars, enjoying food cooked over an open fire, waking up to the fresh mountain air.  You walk out into the beautifully cool morning air, and sit down to a beautiful breakfast of—- cereal and granola bars?!?!   No, no no!!  I love breakfast, and no outdoorsy mountain setting is going to take that piping hot egg-y goodness away from me!  But what to do- you certainly can’t poke a stick through an egg!

Easy!  Most campsites come with a grate that sits over the fire.  And, in some cases you can bring one along or “build” one.  It’s easy enough to get a grate-like object and set it up on some rocks over the fire.  Add a Cast Iron Skillet and VOILA!  Breakfast!  It may seem a bit elementary to combine potatoes, eggs and sausage into a breakfast, but lets be real- you’re camping.  You can’t exactly whip up some Eggs Florentine or a nice quiche.  It may be simple, but it will certainly be more delicious than trail mix.

This breakfast, endearingly called “Slop” by my family, is our version of what Adrianna calls a “go-to dish”.  It is incredibly easy, can be made countless ways, and is terribly hard to screw up.  And- best of all, it feeds an army while only using one pan!  It can also be halved, quartered, third-ed (is that word?) to fit your breakfast needs.  When I was a kid, my family made this everytime we went camping.  Now, when I visit home it is always our Sunday morning breakfast.

Below is a traditional “Slop” made family style with Spicy Breakfast Sausage.  The great thing about “Slop” (and the reason for it’s appetizing name) is not only can you substitute any “meat” to satisfy your company or cooking environment– you can add anything you want to it really!  I myself am not a huge Spicy Breakfast Sausage fan, so I substituted bacon pieces by cooking the bacon first until crispy and crumbling it in to the final scramble.  In the camping version photographed here, I simply left the bacon as a side dish to satisfy a vegetarian friend amongst us (okay, its Caroline!).  You could also substitute Veggie Sausage or lose the meat all together, as this is still a satisfying breakfast.  Just be sure when using a substitute you add a generous portion of Crushed Red Pepper since a little kick really sets this breakfast apart.  And, when not cooking with meat- be sure to grease your pan in order to really cook up those potatoes.

Breakfast “Slop”

Recipe by Melissa Fecher

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This standard recipe feeds approximately 4-6 folks.  Serving size may change depending on how hungry your guests are- and let me tell you, “Slop” goes quick!  In my experience, I always err on the side of too much food- as its delicious reheated!! Also, you’ll need a pretty large pan.  It fits pretty well in a 12 inch cast iron skillet for camping, but my parents use a gigantic teflon pan when they make this at home.

1 32oz bag of Potatoes O’Brien**
1 roll spicy breakfast sausage, veggie sausage, or 1 package of bacon
2 tablespoons butter (only if you aren’t using real meat)
12 eggs
Salt and Pepper
Red pepper flakes

**Although I haven’t tried it yet, I assume you could simply substitute some diced potatoes and a chopped red or green pepper for the frozen Potatoes O’Brien and achieve the same results.

In a large pan or skillet, begin to cook meat over medium heat.  Note that when camping the easiest way to control heat is to simply move your pan.  Fire may be hard to control but the proximity of your food isn’t- “Medium Heat” just means enough to get this cooking.  If it’s burning- move it away!  If nothing is starting to sizzle, put it right over the flames.  Use Caution though- as overzealous flames may lick over the top of your pan and start the grease on fire!  Not that that’s ever happened to me!

When the meat is browned, drain most of the grease.  If using a meat substitute, be sure to add a little butter or cooking spray to the pan.  If using Bacon, remove from skillet and set aside on some paper towels- leaving some grease.  Add the Potatoes O’Brien to the pan and allow to cook through (this step is going to take the longest).

The Potatoes O’Brien (seemingly by design) never really get browned, but you do want to make sure they’re cooked thoroughly.  Nothing ruins a beautiful breakfast like little pieces of half frozen potatoes.  While they’re cooking up add a little salt and pepper to season, and as many red pepper flakes as you’d like– usually a nice dusting over the top of the potatoes will do.

When they are nice and warm go ahead and add all your eggs to the pan.  You may want to reduce the heat at this point, since the eggs will cook quickly.  To save time you could crack the eggs ahead of time into a separate bowl– but I love the one dish aspect of this meal, so I usually just remove it from direct heat while cracking each egg into the skillet.

If you’ve decided to use bacon, now would be the time to crumble what you’ve set aside into the mix.  From there just keep stirring enough to keep the eggs from overcooking.  Soon you’ll have a beautiful breakfast “Slop” of your very own!

Ummm…Papa a la whooo?  That’s what you’re thinking, right? Well, that’s why I’m here; to explain, you see. I grew up on this stuff.  I remember as a kid my mother making this sauce and me sneaking cubes of queso fresco. I was pretty creative with the stuff and used to put it on everything from chicken to potato chips. In Peru, where my mother was born, this is a pretty common appetizer–it’s sort of like their version of veggies and dip.

I’ve started exploring dishes of my childhood lately; probably because I get a little homesick from time to time.  Living away from home makes me want to be there even more.  I also think it’s about this time in ones life where you begin to look back a bit.  Being a kid was so cool. It was cozy; no bills, no worries, no pretending about being a real adult.  Being an adult sucks.  I want nothing to do with it.  So in protest I’ve decided to make a bunch of this sauce and dip it in potato chips.  So there.

Papas a la Huancaina

From Mom’s Kitchen

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2 pieces of romaine
6 medium potatoes boiled
1 hard boiled eggs
4 black olives

FOR THE SAUCE:
1 pack of 12 oz. El Venadito Queso Blanco (if you can’t find it, you can always use feta)
1 habanero (you’re supposed to use peruvian yellow peppers but i can never find them)
1 can 5 oz. carnation evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of tumeric
1/3 vegetable oil
4 saltine crackers (use last)

You can use a food processor or blender.  Cut the Queso Blanco in cubes and throw them in the blender along with the evaporated milk, salt and pepper, tumeric, and vegetable oil.  Blend until smooth.  TIP: If the consistency is a bit too thick, then add a tablespoon of vegetable oil until it’s just right.  If it’s too thin, then crumble a saltine cracker in your hand and add to the sauce.  Play with it until the consistency is nice and thick.

Peel and slice potatoes and arrange on top of lettuce.  Pour sauce on top of potatoes and place slices of boiled eggs and black olives around potatoes.

As a rule, I’m not a big fan of potato salad. Don’t get me wrong, I love potatoes and I love cool, summery salads, especially at barbeques or picnics. There’s really only one thing that stands between me and your standard potato salad: mayonnaise. I hate, let me repeat, HATE mayonnaise. I can stomach a little of it when its dressed up as an aioli and LIGHTLY spread on a sandwich. I will also overlook mayo when used to make deviled eggs, because those suckers are tasty. However, drowning cooked potatoes in the stuff is just a waste of perfectly good potatoes in my opinion.

So, when a friend asked me to bring a potato salad to her 4th of July barbeque, I set out to find an alternative recipe that would be mayo-less. Searching through my pile of cookbooks I eventually got the idea for an oil & mustard dressing. Ahhh..mustard, how I love thee. Unlike mayonnaise, I could eat mustard with a spoon and be content.

The combination of mustard and relish create a light and tasty salad that doesn’t overshadow or drown the potatoes in unnecessary dressing. Another great bonus to not having mayo is that this salad can sit out all day at a barbeque without the risk of it going bad.

A note on the potatoes: I’m calling this Red White & Blue potato salad, and Chase was very quick to point out that the “blue” potatoes are in fact purple, not blue. My answer is that in the potato world, purple is as close to blue as you’re gonna get, so just deal with it. If someone has a moral dilemma with calling these potatoes blue when they are in fact a different color, by all means feel free to change the name to whatever you please.

Red, White & Blue Potato Salad

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1 ½ pounds new potatoes (any color) scrubbed and quartered
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons course ground or whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sweet relish
¼ cup olive oil
Salt & pepper
½ cup fresh chopped parsley

Gently boil potatoes until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain completely.
Meanwhile, mix together vinegar, mustards, relish, oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add dressing to hot potatoes and gently toss together. Allow to cool, and add parsley. If the potatoes are too dry, add a little more oil.