10.23.2012

The Best Sweet Potato Fries


I never used to like sweet potatoes, but this is obviously because I haven't fried them to smithereens before. I seriously could not stop eating them... a little sweet, a little salty, a little crunchy...mmmm so much goodness. 

I also haven't really had too much success with making the perfect crunchy fry. I've tried baking them before, but they either come out burnt on the outside and raw inside, or just end up being like baked potatoes in strips. If I am ever too lazy or feeling overly health conscious, I will probably stick to the baking method. However, this double fry method really makes these babies perfect. 

I know there are some pretty nifty contraptions that can be used to cut potatoes into fry-like pieces. However, I don't have one and here is a little trick I have figured out after cutting myself (or having a close call) many times. 

But first, preheat a pan of vegetable oil to a low frying temperature (300*). 

Meanwhile, after you peel the potato, cut it in half the long way down the narrowest side. Take one half and lay it with the flat side down. Cut it down the center the long way again. Flip this quarter onto the side it isn't already on, and then slice that quarter the long way into fry-width pieces. Flip the stack back, so that the slices are piled on top of each other. Take the top rounded piece off (so that your knife does slip off the rounded surface). Slice again into fries, and slice the rounded piece by itself. Repeat with all four quarters. 

Fry the pieces, in batches if necessary, just until the pieces are soft, about 2 minutes (not until they are brown; that will come later). Remove from oil, and fry the second batch. After removing the second batch, raise the heat of the oil to 400*. Fry each batch again, until they are brown and crispy (another 2-3 minutes, depending on how big the pieces are). Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Salt generously, and eat your heart out. 



10.04.2012

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies


I know it's kind of cliche, but seriously. Fall is the best time of the year. I don't know if it's the relief from constant heat and humidity, or the almost unnatural wheel of colors that end up on the tips of trees. Or maybe it's the promise of holidays that are just around the corner, and their fond and strong memories that have accumulated over the years. Maybe it's the crisp mornings that make you shiver just a bit and remind you that you're human and need warmth to survive, or cuddling up with a loved one while sheltered from the frost outside. Whatever your reason, I will go one step further and say Fall wouldn't be Fall without pumpkin. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin scones... and of course pumpkin cookies. (with frosting of course). These little treasures are the softest, lightest, moist-est cookies I've ever had; they are literally like mini pumpkin cakes. I used probably more pumpkin than most recipes call for in the flour-to-pumpkin ratio, which made them actually taste like pumpkin rather than just being orange cookies. It also makes them incredibly moist and fluffly.

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice OR 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 16-oz can pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix the first six ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Cream the butter, sugar, and maple syrup together; add the egg, and beat till incorporated. Mix in the pumpkin and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients and mix till the batter is combined.

Drop tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets and slightly flatten. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the bottoms are brown and the cookies bounce back when tapped.


To make the "frost":
Mix together - 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 Tbls melted butter, and 3 Tbls milk. Mix together and add more or less milk to reach your desired consistency. Use the back of a spoon to spread on the tops and serve with a steaming cup of coffee.



10.01.2012

Beef Lo Mien



This is what happens when I have nothing planned for dinner, and a few select ingredients that I need to use up. Today's Chopped-esque episode is brought to you by Buckwheat Japanese Soba noodles, red bell peppers, stew beef, and green onions.  

I knew that the stew beef would be somewhat chewy and tough, so I got that marinating right away in a mixture of the following: (I did not measure these things, so the amounts are a rough estimate. Basically you want the sweet to balance out the sour, and the sour to balance out the salty, and so on and so forth...)
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 dark soy sauce
- A few dashes of fish sauce
- 3 Tbls brown sugar
- Chili paste to taste, depending on your heat tolerance

Then, get a pot of water on the stove to boil your noodles. 




Dice 2 Red Bell Peppers and 3 or 4 green onions/scallions and saute in a wok with a bit of oil. When they are thoroughly softened, remove from the heat and set aside (leave in wok). 

Throw your beef pieces into a frying pan, then after they have browned on the edge, add all the juices from the marinade. Cover (to keeps the juices from evaporating), and cook over medium till done. 

Boil noodles as directed. Drain, and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking more, then toss with a bit of olive oil. Set aside. 

After the beef finished, I spooned the pieces out and chopped them up into smaller bite-sized pieces. My suspicions were confirmed (that stew meet is just that, and not very tender), so I wanted to make sure they were palatable. 

Throw everything into the wok and toss together over medium/high heat, turning and flipping constantly so the noodles don't stick. 

Serve with a cold Sam Adam's Oktoberfest in a freezer-chilled cup, and enjoy!



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