Homemade Oven Fries

We were actually supposed to have mashed potatoes, but because of something I will blog about in a minute, I needed a quick change up. These were so fabulous, I have taken the organic fries we usually buy off my grocery list. We'll be homemaking from now on. I'll probably play around with different seasonings, but this is what I did the other night...

Ingredients

*1 medium potato per person, roughly (I used organic), wedged, and soaked in salt water for up to 24 hours (I was in a hurry... we soaked about 30 minutes)
*oil
*rosemary
*minced garlic
*salt
*pepper
*parsley
*paprika

Preheat oven to 400*. Drain potatoes. Toss with a *very little bit* of oil. I didn't measure, but I probably used about 1/3 c (for 3 potatoes). That was too much. Potatoes will SOAK up the oil very easily, so you really want more of a drizzle. Add 2-3 Tablespoons to the oil as you are tossing. Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to another bowl, leaving behind as much oil as you can. In the new bowl, add in very generous amounts of all your remaining spices - rosemary, paprika, salt, pepper, parsley - remember that potatoes don't have much flavor on their own, so you really want to pump up the flavor here. Toss potatoes around to really get them all equally spiced. Speaking of spice, if you like your fries to have a bit of a kick, I think a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper would go very nicely with this blend. Spread potatoes on a cookie sheet/baking pan, trying not to let them touch each other. Bake at least 1 hour and 15 minutes, can be more, depending on you prefer your fries. I like them CRISP. Ideally I would probably go a bit longer next time, or cook at the same temp the whole time... which brings me to: cook at your preheat temp the whole time, unless you need to share the oven and need the temp compromise - then you can cook 45 minutes at 400*, cut it down to 375* and cook the remaining time at that temp. These were TO DIE FOR. Yum!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Let me start by saying that I have always been a fan of brussels sprouts, but because I've never had them prepared WELL, I became less of a fan of them. The few times I have tried them in restaurants have been just plain nasty, and my moms cooking of them, while tolerable enough to convince me that I like them, was plain and boring (boiled in a pot of water, drain, serve. blah.) and didn't make me eager to try them on my own as an adult. But they're supposed to be really good for you. And I've been hearing about roasting them a lot lately. So we decided to give it a try. oh. my. god. We had a late dinner the other night, because Amanda had a doctors appointment and I didn't get dinner done in time. So after I got everything cooked, I had the task of keeping it all warm and fresh till they got home. Still uncertain, I decided to try a sprout. It was seriously one of the best things I have ever tasted. I couldn't stay out of them after that - I was popping them like potato chips. Very simple recipe too! We will definitely be having them again.

Ingredients

*1 lb brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed if fresh, poured out of the bag if frozen ;)
*oil
*minced garlic
*salt
*pepper
(Seriously, that's it!)

Preheat oven to 350* or 375* if you are cooking other things and need a temperature compromise. Toss the sprouts with a healthy drizzle of oil - I used safflower, because it is the end of the shopping period and it's all I've got, I think any kind would be fine. Go ahead and use plenty, you want them well coated. Add in a couple tablespoons of minced garlic (we buy our garlic already minced usually cause I'm lazy) while tossing. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the sprouts out of the bowl - leaving as much oil as possible behind - and lay them on your cookie sheet/baking pan. Sprinkle a generous amount of course ground sea salt and course ground pepper all across their tops. Bake for about 30 minutes, till they are looking brown and carmely. Enjoy! Yum, yum, yum!!

Good Idea/Bad Idea

Good Idea: Making homemade fries. Understanding that said fries take a while to cook, so you should wedge and soak them early on.

Bad Idea: Forgetting to move them from the soak water to the oven.

Oops! We skipped lunch instead.