buffalo fries

June 13, 2011 by 6 Comments

After a particularly greuling day full of doctors appointments and screaming children, Dave and I needed a respite. I couldn’t stand the thought of cooking and it was already late in the day, so we stopped in for happy hour at a local brewery. Lucy dug into a box of crayons, the baby napped, Dave spaced out to a baseball game on the bar television, and I sipped a very large, cold hefeweizen. It was just what the doctor ordered.

We picked a smattering of appetizers which included a plate of “buffalo fries”: soggy steak fries in a pool of buffalo sauce with some melted cheese on top. It was a dish that was much better in theory than in execution. And even though it was a pretty crappy appetizer, the thought of it stayed with me all week. I could make it better. Perfect, even.

And so can you. Grab a few yukon gold potatoes, a bunch of green onions, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, shredded jack, Johnny’s seasoning salt (or your favorite variety), buffalo sauce (I like Frank’s), and blue cheese dressing.

Begin by slicing the potatoes into wedges. You’re welcome to use regular old russet potatoes, but I find that for oven fries, yukon golds have a better texture and flavor.

Throw them in a bowl and toss with a little cooking oil.

Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with seasoning salt.

Roast in the oven until golden and crisp around the edges, roughly 15 minutes per side.

Next, find yourself an oven safe plate or platter that you’d like to serve the fries on. Carefully spread the hot fries onto it.

Drizzle with buffalo sauce…

…and top with the shredded jack and crumbled gorgonzola. Place under the broiler for a few minutes, just until the cheese is melted and starting to bubble.

Chop up the light green parts of the scallions…

…and sprinkle on top of the finished fries.

Of course you can’t serve anything “buffalo” without blue cheese dressing on the side.

Now these are buffalo fries done right. The potatoes are crisp and salty, the buffalo sauce adds heat, and the creaminess of the melted cheese tempers the spice. Make these for your next party and your friends will never leave.

I’m going to whip up a plate of these next time Dave and I need a break. Which is…pretty much always.

-RDG

Buffalo Fries printable pdf

Serves 4-5 as an appetizer. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes

  • 3 large yukon gold potatoes
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • seasoning salt
  • 1/3 c buffalo sauce
  • 1 c shredded jack cheese
  • 1/3 c crumbled gorgonzola cheese
  • 3 green onions
  • blue cheese dressing (optional, for dipping)

1. Preheat oven to 475F. Slice each potato in half lengthwise, then each half into 6 wedges. Place in a bowl and toss with cooking oil. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment or Silpat. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn fries, sprinkle with more seasoning salt, and roast for an additional 15 minutes.

2. Set oven to broil. Carefully place hot fries onto an oven safe platter. Drizzle with buffalo sauce, then sprinkle with cheeses. Broil until cheese is melted and just begins to bubble. Remove from oven.

3. Dice green onions and sprinkle over the top of the fries. Serve with blue cheese dressing on the side.

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bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers

June 3, 2011 by 4 Comments

The best kinds of friends will show up at your doorstep with beer and dinner. They’ll bring homemade fresh pizza dough, cilantro, red onions, barbecue chicken and shredded cheese, and then proceed to amaze and delight you by cooking pizza on your grill. To tide you over while the miraculous pizza grilling is being performed, they will serve you jalapeno poppers.

I have the best kinds of friends. Not only did they come over and feed us freshly grilled BBQ chicken pizza (a post for another time—I’m still trying to master my pizza-grilling skills), but they also introduced me to the mother of all appetizers that I’ll be making from now until September.

Making your own poppers is easy. All you need is cream cheese, finely shredded jack (or motzerella, or cheddar—whatever your preference. You could even go a little crazy with blue or gorgonzola), fresh jalapenos, and regular-cut bacon (not thick-cut).

To begin, lop off the stems of those spicy peppers.

Slice lengthwise down the middle…

…and remove the seeds. I wear gloves when handling hot peppers because I’m the kind of woman who will *forget* that she just had her finger in a jalapeno and then use said finger to scratch my eye. I’m not the smartest cookie sometimes.

Mash together the cream cheese and the jack cheese.

Fill the jalapeno halves with the cream cheese mixture…

…and wrap each one with a half slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick.

And now for the best part: fire up your grill to medium. I love these as a summer appetizer because there’s no running back and forth from the kitchen to the grill—it can all be done outside. Prep your poppers in the morning, refrigerate, and grill whenever your company shows up.

Grill for roughly 3-4 minutes per side. Don’t walk away from the grill for too long; that pesky bacon loves to spark grease fires.

Hand each guest their own little bowl of these and they will be smitten with you all evening. Or at least as long as the poppers hold out.

Cool cream cheese in a spicy jalapeno wrapped with salty, smoky bacon. Wash it down with a cold beer (or better yet, a salted margarita!) and you’ll be singing the Beach Boys all summer long.

-RDG

P.S. Thanks Ric & Tennille for 1) being amazeballs and 2) for introducing us to poppers and BBQ pizza. We love you more than bacon.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers printable poppers

Makes 20 poppers. Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 8 minutes

  • 10 jalapeno peppers
  • 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3/4 c finely shredded jack cheese
  • 10 slices bacon (regular-cut, not thick-cut), sliced in half widthwise
  • 20 toothpicks

1) Rinse and dry the jalapenos. Lop off the stems, then slice each one lengthwise down the middle. Remove the seeds.

2) Mix the cream cheese and jack cheese together with a fork. Fill each jalapeno half with some of the cream cheese mixture. Wrap each pepper with a half slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

3) Preheat gas grill to medium. Grill poppers for 3-4 minutes per side, until bacon is lightly browned. Serve immediately.

 

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horseradish-roasted sweet potatoes

May 10, 2011 by 2 Comments

I firmly believe that horseradish is a heavenly condiment. Dot a little on prime rib and it will lend a tangy spice. Dollop a lot on a baked potato and poof!—instant sinus cleanse. What other accouterment can claim the same effects as Sudafed?

That being said, I’m not a fan of nose-tingling amounts of horseradish on a regular basis. I prefer a subtle heat, and these roasted sweet potatoes have just enough to add flavor without having to reach for the Kleenex. The sweet, soft center of the potato is a nice contrast to the salty spice that crusts the outside during roasting.

To make them, grab some yams or sweet potatoes, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, garlic cloves, and prepared horseradish (sometimes marked “grated” or “shredded,” but please don’t use the creamed variety).

Dollop the horseradish into a medium bowl.

Mince the garlic and toss it in along with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

Whisk together to form a thick paste.

Peel the sweet potatoes and dice into 1/2″-1″ pieces.

Toss with the horseradish mixture to coat…

…then spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, Silpat or aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated 450F oven for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.

Tender little bites of sweet potato spiked with a subtle, tangy spice. This dish is so easy to make that you could toss it together at the last minute, or plan ahead and serve it to company alongside a grilled flank steak and a spring salad.

It’s a simple side dish that’s a little different. Give it a go, and feel free to amp up the horseradish if you’re up for a nose-tingling, sinus-clearing good time.

-RDG

Horseradish-Roasted Sweet Potatoes {printable version}

The amount of horseradish recommended below will result in a subtle flavor. Use more if you really, really like horseradish! Serves 3-4 as a side dish.

Prep Time: 5 minutes Bake Time: 25 minutes

  • 2 sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and diced into 1/2″-1″ cubes
  • 1 1/2 tbsp prepared horseradish
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • several turns freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Whisk together the horseradish, minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper to form a thick paste.

2. Toss the cubed sweet potatoes with the horseradish mixture to coat. Spread on a cookie sheet lined with Silpat, parchment or aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Serve immediately.

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tamale pie with bbq pulled pork

April 24, 2011 by 20 Comments

A few weeks B.C. (Before Charlie), my dear sister-in-law stocked our freezer. She handed over a tote bag full of homemade frozen meals as her baby gift to us. Among the foil-wrapped containers there was one labeled “Tamale Pie.” Curious, I stashed it in the freezer and waited for the busy day on which we would need to use it.

Weeks later, exhausted from being up with a baby all night and chasing a toddler around all day, I popped it in the oven for dinner. The smells of Mexican spices and sweet corn began wafting from the oven. Eating it was even better—spicy ground beef, peppers and onions were all topped off with a layer of light, crunchy cornbread. If this was tamale pie, I thought, I wanted more of it.

I set out to make a sort of “ultimate” version with pulled pork slathered in a spicy barbecue sauce. Barbecue and cornbread were made for each other. I’m a fan of Stubb’s, but homemade or another brand work just as well (and if you make your own barbecue sauce, send me a bottle? Please?).

Marinate a pork shoulder roast in the barbecue sauce, then cook in the Crock Pot. Shred the meat.

Next, you’ll need fire-roasted tomatoes, cornbread mix, peppers (orange, yellow, and poblano), a sweet onion, chili powder, cumin, and kosher salt. Oh, and one handsy toddler lurking in the background.

Uh oh.

And she’s got it.

Saute the onion and poblano pepper in a bit of oil until tender.

Add the bell peppers and spices, saute a bit more…

…and finish with the tomatoes. Check the spices and make sure everything is to your liking.

Assemble the cornbread (my favorite $0.53 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix requires milk and eggs, but yours may be different).

To the cornbread batter, add corn (frozen or canned is fine) and sharp cheddar cheese (or your favorite variety—pepperjack would be great as well).

Stir together the pork with the pepper/onion mixture and spread into the bottom of two 9″ pie plates or one 9×13″ rectangular baking pan.

Top with the cornbread mixture…

…and bake until golden.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream. A frosty margarita on the side is also mandatory.

This has become one of my new, go-to comfort meals. There is something soothing about these classic flavors, and since the recipe makes a large batch you can enjoy this meal for several dinners or stash half in your freezer for a hectic day. Kisses to my sis-in-law Becky for introducing me to this crazy wonderful dish (and for stocking our freezer!). Make this for yourself or for some lucky parents-to-be soon.

-RDG

Tamale Pie with BBQ Pulled Pork Click here for printable version

If you’re using another brand of cornbread mix, omit the eggs and milk and follow the directions on the package. Makes 1 rectangular 9×13″ pie or 2 round 9″ pies.

Inactive Prep Time: 12-24 hours for marinating pork, 7-8 hours for cooking pork.

Active Prep Time: 25 minutes.

Bake Time: 25-30 minutes.

  • 3 lb pork shoulder roast
  • 1 c barbecue sauce, divided
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 1 poblano pepper
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 orange bell pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 c milk
  • 2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 c corn kernels (frozen or canned is fine)
  • sour cream for serving

1. Rinse pork roast and pat dry. Place in a large Ziploc bag and cover with 1/2c of the barbecue sauce. Refrigerate 12-24 hours.

2. Transfer pork roast with marinade into bowl of slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours. Remove pork, shred, and stir in remaining 1/2 c barbecue sauce. Set aside.

3. Dice sweet onion. Seed and dice poblano pepper and bell peppers.

4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and poblano pepper and saute 3-4 minutes, until onion begins to become translucent. Add bell peppers, salt, chili powder and cumin. Saute 5 minutes more. Add fire roasted tomatoes and continue to saute 5 minutes more or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in shredded pork. Check seasoning.

5. Preheat oven to 400F. Combine corn muffin mix, eggs, milk, cheese and corn in a large bowl and mix to combine. Grease one 9×13″ baking dish or two 9″ pie plates. Spread the pork mixture into the bottom of the pan and spread the cornbread mixture evenly on top*. Bake for 25-30 minutes (may take slightly longer in large rectangular pan) until cornbread is cooked through and slightly golden on top. Serve topped with sour cream.

*NOTE: Can be covered and frozen unbaked. Bake from frozen at 400F for 45 min-1 hr or until cornbread is done.

 

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green chile chowder, lightened up

April 9, 2010 by 3 Comments

While catching up with my favorite food blogs one lazy afternoon, I ran smack-dab into the middle of one of the most awe-inspiring, delicious-sounding, I-must-make-this-now recipes I’ve seen in quite some time.

I read the recipe at 3:00, was at the store by 4:00, and had this chowder in my stomach by 6:00. When a recipe turns an afternoon of web surfing and Judge Judy into a mad cooking dash, you know it has to be a great one.

But being me—never quite satisfied, unabashedly restless, and with a compulsive need to alter every recipe attempted—I changed it a bit. I substituted sweet potatoes for savory ones, added corn, switched roasted garlic for the raw variety, and cut the fat. What ensued was a crazy-delicious, smoky/spicy, slightly sweet and completely yummy chowder. I was in love.

Anything New Mexican-inspired makes my skirt fly up. Literally. If you haven’t seen my undies, you haven’t been around me very long. I’m a sucker for green chiles, cilantro, roasted corn—these are all foods that make me flash my neighbors.

Luckily, I’ve invested in the full-coverage granny panties, lest they should accuse me of indecent exposure.

What I loved most about this particular Santa Fe-style dish was the combination of the smoky spice (provided by roasted jalapenos and anaheim chiles) and the tinge of sweetness from the yams and corn.

Here’s an equation:

Corn chowder + spice – fat + a helluva lot of flavor = green chile chowder.

Got it? The quiz begins at 9.

I suggest that you make this today. Preferably for lunch. Or dinner. Or a snack. Or for that potluck tomorrow. Or because your neighbors haven’t seen your panties in a while.

-RDG

Green Chile Chowder, Lightened Up

  • 4 Anaheim or Poblano peppers
  • 2 Jalapeno peppers
  • 1 onion
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • 3-4 yams or sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup corn (frozen is fine)
  • 5-6 cloves roasted garlic
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup fat free half and half
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Garnish: (optional) lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, dollops of sour cream

Preheat oven to broil and move oven rack to highest possible position. Place jalapenos and green chiles on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place under the broiler for 5-10 minutes on each side, or until skin of peppers is thoroughly blackened. Remove from oven and fold aluminum foil around peppers to keep warm.

Dice onion and peel and dice potatoes. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and add onion. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until onion is translucent. Remove peppers from foil packet, peel, remove seeds, and dice (either wear gloves or wash your hands thoroughly after this step). Add peppers, potatoes, roasted garlic, corn, cilantro, chicken stock, cumin, and salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes until potatoes are cooked and mixture has thickened. Remove from heat.

In a blender or food processor, puree half to three-quarters of the chowder, depending on how chunky you would like it. Pour pureed mixture back into pot, add milk and half and half and stir. Place chowder back on stove to bring it up to serving temperature. Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro and sour cream if desired. Serves 8.

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