When Adam and I started dating he lived about an hour from me. We often met in the middle. But every once in a while I would go out to his apartment. We always had trouble deciding where to go for dinner as we had two favorite restaurants in town. A chinese restaurant that has the best chinese I have ever had HANDS DOWN! Or a place called Dicks Bar and grill. There food was amazing. My favorite thing there is their french fries. They are skin on skinny just amazing fries. Adam has told me since we met oh like seven years ago that he would make me fries as he use to work in this kitchen and knew the secrets.

Yet I was still waiting, until last weekend. He finally made them for me, and let me tell you they were just as good without the mileage and gas to drive the hour to the restaurant.

Skin-On French Fries (From: Adam)

• 4 large russet  cut into 1/4 by 1/4-inch thick strips
• 2 quarts oil
• Seasoning Salt

Wash potatoes and cut into 1/4 by 1/4 inch strips. Cover with cold water by 1 inch and then cover completely with ice. Refrigerate for 3 hours or up to 1 day.

Preheat oil to 325. Drain potatoes and deep fry for 10-15 minutes or until desired doneness. We like ours semi-crunchy so we did about 20 minutes.

Drain from oil and season with seasoning salt. Eat while hot.

I get bored very easily with potatoes. But yet we have them more often then not. I thought this was a fun different way to cook them. I didn’t think they were any more time consuming then mashed.

We thought these were a little bland but I think with a herb baked on top that would be solved. Maybe even some sour cream after baking. It was a fun change. And our daughter loved them and we could just cut off a piece and she would hand eat it.

Garlic Hasselback Potatoes (From: momofukufor2)

• 9 mini new potatoes (I used Yukon golds)
• 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into 9 tiny cubes
• sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Grab a wooden spoon you’re not too fond of and place the potato in the spoon. Starting from one end of the potato, slice in 3 to 4 mm intervals. If the bowl of the spoon is deep enough, it will stop the knife from slicing all the way through the potato.

Slip several pieces of garlic into each potato and put the potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and top each potato with a cube of butter. Season to taste.

Bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes or until the potato skin look crisp and the flesh feels soft. Enjoy hot!

I love cheesy potatoes but don’t have them ever besides Easter when they are part of our menu. Lately I have been in the mood for them. So I decided to make these for girls night.

These were great, nice and cheesy and just what I was craving!

Cheesy Potatoes (Adapted from: Amber’s Delectable Delights)

• 1 (10.25 oz) can cream of chicken soup (I subbed cream of mushroom)
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 8 oz colby cheese, grated plus topping
• 1/2 cup melted butter (I used 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup onion, minced (I omitted because I HATE biting into an onion!)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 1 bag frozen shredded hash browns

Spray a 13×9 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine soup, sour cream, cheese, butter, onion, salt and pepper.

Gently fold the potatoes into the mixture and pour into prepared pan.

Bake in a 350 degree over for 35-40 minutes, or until heated through.

Top with cheese, I used about 1/2 cup.

My mom came over for dinner this week and I knew I wanted to make something different and fun. I decided to make meatloaf, mashed cauliflower, and then wanted to do something with sweet potatoes.

I found this recipe and used it as a base, omitting the sausage and onion to make it more savory. This is was wonderful. Even Adam who doesn’t like sweet potatoes took ate this, more so then his regular potato I made him.

Sweet Potato Hash (From: Cooking Light)

Place sweet potatoes and 1/3 cup water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave at HIGH 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Carefully uncover; drain and keep warm.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add onion to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Add sausage and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 4 minutes or until sausage is done, stirring to crumble. Stir in sweet potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, syrup, 1 tablespoon water, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook until liquid is absorbed and sweet potatoes begin to brown (about 5 minutes).

My mom and I were watching food network last week and someone on there was making a shepherds pie. Suddenly the craving hit, I had made one a long time ago and it was not good. I think it actually turned out so bad we ended up ordering pizza in.

I decided I had to attempt again and this time it would turn out! In the process of making this I learned something new. Technically I made cottage pie. Shepherds pie is actually only that when it is made with lamb which I didn’t not use. I used beef so technically I made cottage pie. I guess it’s true you learn something new every day!

This was super tasty! Adam and I really enjoyed it, I used carrot slices because that is what we had, next time I would cut them in chunks, and also I would add a little more flavor to the potato mixture,  it was a little bland.

Shepherds Pie (Found On: Bella’s Bistro, Originally From: Alton Brown)

For the potatoes:

• 1 1/2 pounds  russet potatoes
  
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
  
• 2 ounces unsalted butter (2 Tablespoons)
  
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg yolk

For the meat filling:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
  
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
  
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
  
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen English peas
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen broccoli
  

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the beef, salt and pepper, broccoli and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

Add the corn and peas to the beef mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. You can add cheese for last 5 minutes if you want.

I love sweet potato, sadly my husband is not too big of fan, I was excited when I saw this in my google reader. I decided to just go a head and make it with our ham dinner, if Adam didn’t like he would just have to eat more ham.

Well he loved it, taking a second helping and taking leftovers! YEA! This was very yummy, and different then how I normally have sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato Au Gratin (From: Lime in the Coconut, Originally From: Robert Irvine)

• 1 cup milk
• 1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 pounds sweet potatoes (about 12 sweet potatoes, depending on size), peeled and sliced thin with a
• mandoline (I sliced mine by hand)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Gratin:

• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks, plus more for baking dish
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (recipe calls for cheddar cheese I used brown sugar)

In a large saucepan combine milk, cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in sweet potatoes. Bring to a simmer and allow sauce to thicken.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 3-quart baking dish. Combine the bread crumbs, butter and Cheddar (or brown sugar) to make the gratin topping. Transfer the potato mixture to the baking dish and sprinkle with the gratin topping. Bake until the potatoes are cooked through, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Serve in the baking dish, garnished with chopped parsley.

As soon as I saw these in my google reader I knew I wanted to try them, I love red potatoes and then to make a little mini twice baked potato it couldn’t be better.

There were wonderful, and perfect to make for the two of us, next time I will freeze a bunch as I keep thinking how good it would be to have one.

Fluffy New Potatoes (From: Pioneer Woman)

• 9 or 10 medium to large new potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup sour cream
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1½ cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.

Rinse and dry the potatoes, then place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes and massage to coat. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Place the sour cream, cream cheese, Monterey Jack, chives, garlic, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.

Cut each potato in half lengthwise. With a spoon or melon baller, scoop out inside of the potatoes, leaving a very thin rim of potato inside the skin. Add the potato pulp to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients. Using a potato masher or fork, gently mash the ingredients together until fluffy and smooth. Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells.

Bake the potatoes in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through.

I always end up with extra mashed potatoes, even when I tell myself I am going to cut back so we don’t have extra, I still have extra. I saw this in my google reader and decided it would be the perfect way to use up my mashed potatoes. I ended up making two “pies” out of this recipe, I think you could easily half it and have enough for one.

We love loved this, it was a wonderful way to use up those potatoes!

Potato Pie (From: Jenn and Food, Perfect Together)

• 1 unbaked pie shell
• 2 cups 1% milk cottage cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (I omitted)
• 1/2 cup scallions (I omitted)
• 1/2 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese

Beat the cottage cheese until smooth. Add in the next 6 ingredients and beat in again until smooth. Stir in the scallions. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 400 for 45-50 minutes.

After decided on the BBQ pork chops for dinner, I could not decide between rice or potatoes. After deciding potatoes I wanted something different, and yummy. This dish definatly fit those. These are VERY yummy, and I cannot wait to eat the leftovers!

Cheesy Potatoes (Inspiration From: Ashley’s Attempts in the Kitchen)

• 5 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1 T. seasoning salt
• 1 T. white pepper
• 1/4 c. panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350. Spray baking dish with non stick spray.

Season potatoes with seasoning salt and white pepper.

In mixing bowl mix soup, sour cream, and 1 cup cheese.

Add in potatoes and stir until mixed.

Pour potatoes into prepared dish.

Cover with remaining cheese.

Top with panko.

Baked for 45-60 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

I posted on the nest this week for some menu ideas, I really didn’t want to have to go grocery shopping and wanted to use up the meat and things I had around the house. I was pointed in the direction of this chowder and was happy to try something new, it was a super cool day here in MN so it was perfect.

Adam and I LOVED this recipe, we both had seconds last night and I took the leftovers to work today, I cannot wait to make it again. To use up the ingredients I had I doubled the half and half and chicken broth I used. I would do the same thing again it gave you a good amount of sauce. If you are a soup and kielbasa lover you HAVE to try this!

Corn and Kielbasa Chowder (Inspired From: Living Insanity’s Loving Food Recipe From: Rachel Ray)

• 8 oz. kielbasa cut lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2 onions finely chopped (I used 1/2 an onion and it was perfect)
• 1 T. butter
• One 14.5 oz can chicken broth
• 1 lg baking potato peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 c. half and half
• 1 1lb. bag corn thawed
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh dill for garnish

Heat a deep skillet or a wide 4- to 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the kielbasa and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the onions and butter to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the broth and potato and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer until the potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the half-and-half and corn and cook, stirring, until heated through.

Using a blender or food processor, puree 1 cup chowder until smooth. Stir the puree back into the chowder along with the browned kielbasa and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the dill.