Foodie Fridays

If you put up with me and my love of squash, perhaps you will tolerate a little affection towards the ever humble Sweet Potato. No? Really?

I know, you probably like Sweet Potato fries, and maybe you will tolerate a mashed thing at Thanksgiving, but how else do you eat Sweet Potato?

I have two little thoughts for you. This will be quick!

Number 1: If you make a mashed Sweet Potato casserole, please tell me you put a topping on it. If you don't, you should. This isn't rocket science, so don't think I'm a Domestic Diva over this recipe. Get some Pecan halves and arranged them in artful rows and columns. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Drizzle melted butter over all. Done. If you put whipped cream on the table beside it people with think it is dessert. Yum!

Number 2: If arranging pecans is not your style, (and really, who has time to peel, chop, and mash sweet potatoes anyway?), then try this: Remember my post on Fan Potatoes? Well the real name for that technique (unless I'm crazy mistaken) is "Hassleback Potatoes" from a name of a town in Sweden. The theory is that you slice your potato in to a fan shape, stick some garlic slices in the cuts, then roll it in butter, crisp them in a cast iron pan on the stove top, then bake them until you are ready to crawl into the oven beside them just to be close to their inherent deliciousness. My version was much more simple, but equally divine.

Now, try doing it with sweet potatoes. Cut them like a fan, coat them in oil(no garlic today) and then bake until soft in the middle and crisping on top. Then, OH THEN, drizzle the tops generously with real maple syrup, and toss some pecans on top if you have them, and bake another 10 minutes to caramelize.

My kids are not Sweet Potato fans. Correction: they weren't Sweet Potato fans until I made these Hassleback Maple Syrup Sweet Potatoes. Try it. You'll like it.

Foodie Fridays

We are going for fast, easy, delicious and three ingredients today. Perfect, yes?

Potatoes are a serious staple in our house. My burst of happy happy on Saturdays comes from my ability to buy 50 pounds of potatoes for $10 at our local farmers' market. One day I scored 100 pounds for $15!!! I quite nearly did a back flip of joy...nearly. Not literally. Inside I was cartwheeling. You just couldn't see my inner gymnast that day.

Did you know, that potatoes are higher in potassium than the world famous potassium hog "bananas"? And did you know that if you ate enough calories to sustain yourself daily in potatoes alone, you would exceed the daily requirements for protein? Don't be fooled into thinking that you can't be healthy and strong by eating a vegetarian diet, or by eating carbs like taters. They are brilliant. Not to mention the most versatile "vegetable" in existence. (I know, it isn't technically a veggie. It is a tuber, but still...)

My daughter and I sat down one day and made a list of all the recipes I make with potatoes, and realized we could eat potatoes in a different form every night for supper for a WHOLE MONTH without repeating! Genius. And for the pennies it costs to buy them, it isn't a bad idea to try out.

Without further ado: Fan Potatoes!

You need:

** a baking dish with sides (I use my 9x13 glass pan...okay, who am I kidding: we use two pans)
** as many potatoes as that pan will hold (assuming you are cooking for several folks)
** Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
** Parmasean Cheese

Holding the potato lengthwise on the cutting board, make several, thin, vertical slices into the potato, but not all the way through the potato. It will still be entact, but looking like a fan (that doesn't really want to open up very much). Place cut side up into your pan.

Repeat for all the remaining potatoes.

Pour Salad dressing over and in between the cuts on the potatoes (I use nearly a whole bottle for the 9x13 pan. I find it helps in flavour, thorough cooking, and lack of 'sticking-to-the-pan-ness' to have the dressing puddle around the base of the potatoes.)

Next, liberally sprinkle the potatoes with parmasean.

Bake in 375F oven for 45min to an hour, or until the potatoes are soft in the middle and crispy on top, and browning beautifully.

I find these are really forgiving potatoes. If you need your oven hotter (or cooler)for some thing else you are cooking, they are happy to cook in even a 350F to 425F oven. Just watch the times and check them often.

We serve these as an entree with a big salad and steamed veggies, but clearly they would be delicious with anything...roast beef, chicken etc. We have even done these on the BBQ come summer time and they work there too.

The best part? If you can make enough to ensure leftovers, they fry up to make the most insanely yummy homefries for breakfast the next day. Just slice them or dice them, fry them up, and YUM! :-)

Here is a link to the original recipe that I don't look at anymore :-)