August 22, 2014

The summer is fading away.  Dusk is arriving earlier, school supplies are taking over my guest room, and all of our vacations are now excellent memories.  I cannot believe school is about to begin (though in previous years it had always started by now!).

We actually got home today from our trip out east.  What do you make for dinner on the night you arrive home and have very little in the fridge and pantry?  Breakfast for dinner, of course!  Hannah and Liam fell in love with diner home fries while we were away.  I had a recipe for home fries and actually had all the ingredients on hand!  We made them and loved them so we actually have a keeper this week!

This weekend we are going to defrost our freezer so we shall see what ends up on the dinner menu - some new chicken dishes, I am sure.  And a few loaves of bread, perhaps...you should have seen how much bread flour I had in the freezer! I am hoping we'll turn out some keepers in the days ahead. Keep your fingers crossed!

Happy Cooking!

New Recipe
Home Fries

Home Fries

Ingredients

* 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

* 1 tbsp butter

* 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped into small pieces

* 1/2 cup sweet pepper (any color), seeded and chopped into small pieces

* 2 medium-large baking potatoes, skin on and cubed

* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.      Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a heavy 12” skillet over medium-high heat. Do not let it smoke.

2.      Add the onion & pepper and cook until browned about 8-10 minutes. Do not let this burn. Stir frequently. 

3.      When done, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.

4.      While the onions and peppers are cooking add the potatoes into a large sauce pan.

5.      Add just enough cool water just until the tops of the potatoes are covered and they float slightly.

6.      Place the pan over high heat.

7.      As soon as the water begins to boil, remove from the heat and drain the potatoes in a colander for approximately 5 minutes.

8.      In the pan the onions and peppers were sautéed in, place it back on the burner to medium-high and add the butter and remaining oil.

9.      When the butter foams, add the potatoes in a single layer, making sure each potato is touching the surface of the skillet.

10.  Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes without stirring. You want the sides to brown.

11.  Once browned on one side, carefully flip and brown the other sides.  You will need to do this a few times and it will probably take about 15-20 minutes total.

12.  Once all the sides are crispy brown, add the onions and peppers back in and gently stir.  Then add in the salt and pepper; stir once more then serve.

Notes

Wow!  Hannah was interested in adding home fries to our breakfast for dinner menu, and we had all these ingredients on hand the night we got home from vacation.  We loved this!  We had an orange pepper in the fridge so we used that; use whatever you have on hand.  Delish!