French Fry Diary 615: Tommy's! Roasted Cajun Potatoes

I saw this at the Shop-Rite and had to grab it for later inspection. This bag of steam able potatoes (usually not a good sign) just emanated fun with its packaging. Tommy's! (complete with exclamation mark) Roasted Cajun Potatoes just looked like it would be worth the price of admission, good or bad. I was sold.

Now Tommy's! is not the southern California burger chain nor the famous Los Angeles burger joint, it's apparently its own thing, connected to the healthy freezer food retailer Tommy's Superfoods. This packaging depicting the cowboy with the gator is slightly different than what I could find online. Keeping with the Superfoods line these are vegan, non-GMO, BPA free, POFA free, with no transfats.

They are however microwave steamable, and for French fries, even healthy ones, that's often not good. They can be nuked in the bag, in a microwave safe plate, or even just fried on the stovetop in a skillet. That last one is probably how I should have done these, maybe next time. In the nuke, the blew inflated like microwave popcorn and it filled the space with damp steam.

These potato wedges besides being 'blended' with roasted corn, and onions, are also seasoned with Tommy's! Cajun Style Baby spices. Okay, truth, once these potatoes are on the plate, they smell good, but they are not pretty. The mess reminded me a bit of ill-prepared breakfast potatoes at an abandoned buffet. It's a good thing they taste so good.

The potato wedges don't have crisp or crunch because of the cooking method, but they're also not wet it soggy. This is a solid cook, and they have a baked potato quality, soft and hot. The corn and onions are a surprising addition and the spices pack quite a hot kick.

I liked these quite a bit. I'm looking forward to the next time so I can try the stovetop method, or maybe reheating them in the oven to get a bit of a crisp. Recommended.

French Fry Diary 601: The Little Potato Company

The Little Potato Company packages little white, red, blue, purple and other types of potatoes at some of the better groceries around. They're awesome baked, and maybe rolled in onion soup mix. I like the company a lot.

I saw these at Shop-Rite a couple weeks back and knew I had to pick it up, both for dinner and to write about. From The Little Potato Company, these were microwave ready fresh creamer potatoes, tint red and white potatoes in a nuke box. Five minutes later, throw on the 'savory herb' seasoning and you have a serving of hot potatoes. Like many products of this type, I had to see it to believe it.

During the cook time in the nuke there was much steam sizzling sound and a few times cooking pops. Toward the end of the quick cook, a baked potato aroma could indeed be smelled. It should noted though that the clear plastic cover was pretty hard to remove, even after I cut it, it remained difficult to remove. I had to add some spray butter to make the seasoning adhere.

These are quite good actually, and I might add that the 'savory herb' seasoning has tiny bits of bacon in it. These microwave packs also come in Zesty Italian and Garlic Parsley varieties. I found these were best cut in half, spray-buttered then nuked for another minute. Your mileage may vary, but either way, these are really good.

French Fry Diary 593: Weight Watchers Smart Ones

I'm not a good diet guy, besides the obvious fact that I write a French fry blog, I think many diet versions of foods lack fundamental taste. I don't mind low fat pancake syrup. Regular Jell-O is better than the no sugar stuff but I'll still eat it. Of course, on the other hand anything other than whole milk tastes like flavorless white water, and surely urine is yummier than Diet Coke.

Anyway, I've done Weight Watchers before, and didn't do too bad at it. The Bride currently does a steady diet of WW Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine microwave meals. While shopping for her I found something of interest to both me, and the blog - Smart Ones French fries.

The two meals in question are Chicken Strips & Fries, and the more traditional Fish & Chips. It should be noted that these aren't the regular TV dinner style nukables, but microwave trays like the Ore-Ida Easy Fries use.

The Fish & Chips included 'salt & pepper crinkle cut french (sp) fried potatoes.' Pretty standard crinkle cuts with duh, salt and pepper. The Chicken Strips & Fries included 'ranch seasoned french (sp) fried potatoes.' Other than Weight Watchers' insistence on not capitalizing the word 'French,' these were pretty good. Natural cuts that were somewhere between regular cuts and shoestrings, these were a little limp but still good. They needed seasoning, so obviously I didn't taste the ranch seasoning. These were not bad at all.

French Fry Diary 589: T.G.I. Friday's Loaded Fries

Now I love T.G.I. Fridays, so I know their menu fairly well, even though I don't get to go as often as I might like. And knowing their menu, I know that they don't really serve this item, T.G.I. Friday's Loaded Fries, in the restaurants. While they have a variety of French fry-like products, I don't think they even have crinkle cut French fries like these. Potato skins, yes, French fries, no. We'll forego that bit for now and review this frozen grocery treat as is.

These are very similar to the microwave fries I've reviewed before, the Ore-Ida Easy Fries. Same directions - cook 'em in the box, but then add the cheese and bacon. Other than having to melt the cheddar sauce in running warm water, this is a pretty easy prep.

The box comes with the same type of microwave box, and two packets, one with cheddar cheese sauce, and the other with shredded cheddar and American cheese, and bacon bits. There's a four minute plus fries cooking time then an additional minute with the toppings. The problem is you get a soggy box pan with the fries glued to the bottom with cheese.

Once you've pried the fries from the cheesy glue box, they're not bad. They don't have the crispness of the Ore-Ida Easy Fries, no matter how else they are close to them. I wonder if the size of the box (slightly bigger) or the additional cook time for the toppings has anything to do with that. These are not bad in a pinch, but I think it might be easier to do Easy Fries and apply your own toppings when they are hot from the microwave.

French Fry Diary 575: Raglan Road

Usually every trip to Walt Disney World for me includes a journey to Downtown Disney and Cookes of Dublin, which until recent years has had the best French fries, pardon me, Irish chips I have ever had. Lately though, they haven't been so great. Whether it's because of changes in the cooking process or just general laziness in prep, I don't know, but they ain't what they used to be.

As a change of pace, this trip, we decided to try the big fancy sit-down restaurant attached to Cookes of Dublin called Raglan Road this time. It's the same folks doing both places, but rather than a walk-up counter service, this was a nice sit-down place. We had planned on having a whole group of folks with us, friends and family, but one by one, people dropped out for various reasons. I was beginning to wonder if I should change my deodorant.

At first, as it was just myself, The Bride and her mom, we were thinking of just going to Cookes of Dublin as Raglan Road was so much more expensive, and Cookes was easier. Thinking of the folks who couldn't make it, we bit the bullet, and went to Raglan Road for a full meal and experience - and it was an experience. Absent friends and family don't know what they missed. No regrets.

The restaurant is pretty big, like most places in WDW, it's like a TARDIS, bigger on the inside than it looks outside - a large dining area and bar area, with one big stage and a center stage as well. We had heard there were shows, and bands, but we did not think, being so early (it was five-ish) we would see them. We were wrong.

I got my usual, a plain burger, as well as an order of the chips and an order of the onion rings which I had been told I should definitely try. The burger was very good, and came on a weird roll that had strips of ham? Or onion? Baked and threaded through it, very very tasty. As far as the food goes, it needs to be said. They may be next to each other, and they may be the same operation, same management etcetera - but Raglan Road is not Cookes of Dublin. Raglan Road is vastly superior.

As we were beginning to enjoy our meal, the entertainment began. It was as if Riverdance erupted around us, on the large stage in front of us, and a small center stage spot behind us. Propelled by the music of Creel, the tap group known as Our Darlin' Dancers put on an amazing show. So terrific, and later kids from audience were brought up on stage, shown moves, and danced along. Everyone had a great time especially the two little kids who were dancing next to our table.



Back to our meal, especially the French fries and the onion rings, the stuff you're here to read about. Both the rings and the fries (I mean chips) came in proper paper cones, although other tables had them dumped on to plates, which was also kinda cool. The onion rings were fine in the cone, but the fries were kinda wedged in there pretty tightly. The cheese was like a glue holding them together. Note the shape of the pile once we dumped them onto a plate ourselves.

My friend Dom was dead on about the onion rings. They had the same wonderful batter as the Cookes of Dublin onion rings, with big thick and juicy onions, and a very crunchy exterior. To die for, these were fantastic. However the fries were a bit different from the fare at Cookes. These natural cuts were bigger than usual shoestrings, with good amounts of cheese, garlic, and something that always needs a careful measure - just the right amount of truffle oil. Near perfect fries. Raglan Road more than makes up for Cookes of Dublin's recent decline.

Since it was The Bride's birthday, we also got as a dessert the bread pudding that one of our absent friends had recommended. We didn't order it, it came on its own - that's just how Disney rolls. This was a luscious dessert, and the vanilla and caramel cream over it was sweet heaven. What a wonderful birthday gift. Thank you!

There was a lot of food, so we ended up taking some of it back to our happily microwave equipped hotel. The onion rings were a bit soggy the second time around, but based on my experience, I think these would have been awesome if baked when reheated, rather than nuked. I might say the same about the fries, but for the record, they were an inedible disaster in the nuke. Definitely bake leftovers.

Raglan Road is awesome, one of my favorite restaurants in WDW, and it gets my highest marks. Very highly recommended, and I would definitely come back. As a matter of fact, I look forward to it. Raglan Road rocks.

French Fry Diary 571: Simply Potatoes Mashed Potatoes

Recently, The Bride got sick with a pretty bad stomach virus. After a harrowing night and day in the ER they let us go home. One of the provisos was a bland food diet for a few days. She expressed interest in mashed potatoes, and specifically requested the Simply Potatoes brand. I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and review them for you.

We purchased the Diner's Choice Traditional Mashed Potatoes style, the ones thankfully 'made from fresh potatoes.' They are also available in Country Style, Garlic, Sour Cream & Chive, and also Mashed Sweet Potatoes. Simply Potatoes is usually a brand I like.

These gluten free potatoes come in a big plastic bowl for use in the microwave in four quick minutes, or to be transferred to other containers for oven or stovetop for a much longer cook. We went with the nuke for ease and brevity. They didn't look quite done after four minutes, so gave it a stir and another minute per the instructions. Not bad.

I kept them bland for The Bride, but it's notable that these mashed potatoes definitely do need some seasoning, especially butter. Once added, for me only, these were excellent. Even unseasoned The Bride, on her way to swift recovery agreed. Still not quite sure why these were a 'diner's choice' though.

French Fry Diary 551: Fried Rice Potatoes

I was in Shop-Rite picking up a few items for dinner and snacks while we were buried in one of the big snow storms a few days back, when something in the fresh and hot Chinese buffet section (Asian Chef by Mikado, according to the receipt attached) of the store caught my eye. Fried Rice Potatoes.

There, amongst a couple different varieties of chicken, was a serving pan of thick potato chunks cut crinkle cut style, looking similar to Nathan's fries, with pepper chips, sitting under a heat lamp and a sign that read 'Fried Rice Potatoes.' There was no rice involved, and neither the server nor Google were much help so I don't know where the name was derived from, or even if it was a typo.

So I scooped up some honey chicken, some teriyaki chicken, and a healthy portion of the fried rice potatoes and headed home, anxiously waiting to reheat and enjoy this treat for later.

When I got home I reheated two ways, microwave and baked in the oven. As might be expected, the baked food was better. The potatoes had a solid baked potato vibe plus a kick from whatever they were marinating in, very tasty. The chicken wasn't bad either. I will definitely be getting this again.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #126

These are 'Potato Bakers' that I picked up at the Dollar General, for, wait for it, a dollar. These little microwave safe plastic plates are just to put your potato on while you bake it in the microwave. They can do double duty as the serving dish for said potato just as easily. Handy and cheap.

French Fry Diary 541: Potato Express

I'm not sure whether I was being spammed, or if this was sent to me deliberately because of this blog, but I've gotten an email ad for a new 'as seen on TV' product called Potato Express.

 It is some kind of insulated bag that cooks baked potatoes (and more!) in the microwave oven.

They claim 'perfect potatoes in just four minutes.'

There's even a commercial that shows you all you need to know:



Hmmm… let's just see what the Epic Review Guys think of that:



Yep, kinda what I thought too…

French Fry Diary 521: The New New Burger King French Fries

Yes. Again. Burger King is changing their fries again.

This is actually more of an addition rather than a change though. Burger King's newest addition to their fry family, which also includes their standard new fries from a couple years back, their onion rings, their curly fries (still only available at select outlets), and their sweet potato fries (generally a summer item), are called Satisfries. Yeah, I'm not sure about the name either.

Satisfries are bigger crinkle cut fries, similar to the frozen microwave fries BK sold for a while in grocery stores, and have less fat and fewer calories. While they will be included at no charge in the kids meals, adults will be paying extra if they want them. Hopefully that means they'll be that much better than BK's regular fries, maybe. Time will tell.

Special thanks to Allison for hipping me to this announcement.

French Fry Diary 503: Ruffles Crispy Fries

I had only just heard about Ruffles entering the fry-shaped snack market when The Bride snagged me a sample at a 7-Eleven near her office. Usually these things are made from corn rather than potato and unless you get them flavored, they are relatively flavorless. I was hoping for more from Ruffles.

Other than being ridiculously hard to open, the first thing I noticed is that they are made from potatoes, not corn, just potatoes, salt, and vegetable oil. That's it. Notably, I got the Original, but they also have Cheese. They look like natural cut French fries, and according to the packaging, are sliced from real potatoes.

They feel like old burnt French fries, and as I said, they look like natural cuts, but they smell and taste like giant potato sticks. And for a special treat, do like they say on the bag and heat them up in the microwave (just not in the bag). Warm, they are terrific, a great fry or chip substitute for a sandwich lunch or snack.

I like them, they're good, and quite honestly, more than a little addictive. I'm glad The Bride only got a sample bag. If you can find them, pick them up, because I'm not sure how long they'll be around. These are really good, thumbs up.

French Fry Diary 476: Nature's Way Microwavable Russet

There are more than a few of these do it yourself baked potatoes out there recently. Probably the one that most folks think of is the Bakeables from Simply Spuds. This is the same concept but by Nature's Way, a company that inexplicably seems to have no internet presence.

This plastic wrapped potato just goes right in the microwave as is. Don't even take off the wrapper. It does whistle a bit as it cooks, but don't be alarmed, the sparse directions indicate that's normal. It will be hot when you take it out, so watch out. It makes getting the hot potato out of the plastic quite the trick without burning yourself.

However, once you do get the wrapper off, get the potato on a plate, and start with the fork mashing, it's terrific. Good deal, Nature's Way.

French Fry Diary 475: McCain Purely Potatoes

I did not have a good first experience with these here. I had assumed that McCain Purely Potatoes would be similar to Simply Potatoes Homestyle Slices, but nope, not quite. Well, you know what happens when you assume... you make an ass out of 'u' and 'me.'

McCain makes French fries, so they should know what they're doing when it comes to potatoes, right? Yeah, there's that assume thing again. They do pretty good. That said, I will choose Ore-Ida over McCain almost every time. Perhaps I should wait for Ore-Ida to come out with a product like this.

Purely Potatoes is simply that, peeled and sliced premium russet potatoes like it says on the bag. The bag, besides being usable as a microwave package to cook, also says no prep is required, and the potatoes can be used for au gratin, mashed, or pan-fried, or even deep-fried. All true, but with provisos.

First things first, do not freeze them, at least not if you want to eat them. I made this mistake. Sooo not a good idea. Freezer burn is the luckiest you will get, inedible is the most likely result. If you buy Purely Potatoes, use them that day. And microwave steam the potatoes in the bag first, no matter what you're going to use them for. If you mash them, prep them for baking, or simply move them to the pan or the deep fryer next, they will be hot and ready.

I was really disappointed the first time I tried these. Awful, inedible, oooh, I was sick. Do. Not. Freeze. Them. Maybe I'll give them another shot, but not today.

French Fry Diary 459: Steamables

While looking for the regular Simply Potatoes I usually get for Christmas breakfast I saw these. Also from Crystal Farms Simply Potatoes, here comes Steamables - this particular variety is Rustic Italian Seasoned Russet Wedges. The best part? They steam right in the bag in your microwave.

I was all over this. A quick and easy side is always welcome. But steamed in the microwave, obviously crispy is out of the question, so these would be like baked potatoes. I could live with that. I popped them in the nuke.

While in the nuke I was a bit worried as the bag was plumped up like a balloon about to burst, more extreme than I had ever seen in a cook-in-a-bag food before. Like I said I was a bit concerned, however the aroma coming from the nuke was wonderful. Lotsa garlic.

The inside of the microwave was wet when they were done, and the bag was wrinkled and wet. When coming out of the bag, they clumped into the plate in an unappetizing lump. This didn't look good and it didn't bode well.

I added some salt and some butter to taste. The seasonings are a good Italian mix, the garlic however was overpowering. Over and above that, these are good as baked potatoes. Soft and hot perfection as a baked potato should be, with a pleasant aftertaste.

These Steamables don't look great, but they taste good, and with a bit of work on presentation, can make a great side for your meal. I think I would definitely try these again.

French Fry Diary 386: Ian's Onion Rings

I saw these at the Whole Foods recently. Ian's Onion Rings? I had never heard of them before, so into the basket they went. Sure, why not?

As it turns out that Ian's Natural Foods in Massachusetts also makes gluten-free chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and something more in line with our obsession here, potatoey Alphatots. I'll have to track that last one down for a future blog entry.

The bag made a lot of promises. No wheat or gluten, no milk or casein (whatever casein was), no eggs, no nuts, and no soy. These "Gluten-Free Crispy Golden Battered Onion Rings" had a lot to live up to, and I hadn't even gotten them home yet.

Soon as I got home I couldn't wait to try them. First they are sliced thinner than standard onion rings, which is good, I like that. Second, their coating is neither wonderful Panko nor yucky beer batter, but corn flakes. That rocks. That makes for an extra crunch, always a good thing.

The coating that I love so much will become a problem if you choose to deep fry these babies however. They will crisp very quickly. Burn is more like it, giving you delicious onion, once you bite through that rock hard shell of course. What doesn't burn will fall off and fill your deep fryer with debris that will be a pain in the butt to scoop out. Deep frying - not recommended.

For the record, there are no microwave instructions, despite it saying 'microwave' under the cooking directions. On closer inspection, what it says is microwaving is inadvisable. In mad scientist mode I tried it anyway, so you won't have to. It was a disaster with soggy way too chewy onions. Baked is the way to go 100%.

Very quickly, test it out to get the right time as it's variable to the oven and thickness of the rings, you will have very tasty and crispy onion rings. Unlike most freezer rings, these might need a bit more seasoning however, I dipped mine in barbecue sauce. You can add what or dip with whatever you like. These are really terrific. Recommended. Can't wait to try Ian's fries.

French Fry Diary 364: Select 7 Panko Breaded Onion Petals

I had a long day, I was hungry, and it was late so my options were few. So when I approached the 7-Eleven, like an oasis in the desert, I knew I would be stopping for a snack. I got a hot dog. It's easier to ignore how long they've been there and what they might be made of at that hour. And Cool Dog, the first stop for dogs, wasn't open.

I was still hungry and was aisle by aisle shopping the 7-Eleven, and I found these - the Select 7 Panko Breaded Onion Petals. 7-Eleven or not, I snatched them up. I have recently been on a Panko drive so I had to have them.

Once home I found they could be cooked three ways - microwave, baked, or deep fry. Deep frying is a lot of work, and anyone who's had supposedly crunchy food microwaved knows it rarely works, so that was out too. Baking it was. For the record, I gave them a few more minutes in the oven than they suggested. And the Aussie Sauce will be saved for The Bride and her salads. It is just salad dressing, is it not? I myself prefer barbecue sauce for my fried onion treats.

Baked they are quite crunchy and tasty, with more of a hint of Panko than the ShopRite Panko Onion Rings promised. And the portion provided by the small box is enormous. Despite the 7-Eleven store brand, these are very good. I like them a lot. I look forward to trying them deep fried, and maybe even microwaved.

French Fry Diary 361: Checkers

Checkers and Rally's are the same place, and essentially the same food, but here in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area, we only have Checkers.

Checkers is predominantly a drive-thru and/or walk-up restaurant, even though there are a few tables outside, I don't think they get much use - its not Sonic. The lunchtime I visited the place was dead, no drive-thru traffic even - which is a shame because the food is pretty good. And notably, the customer service is also very quick, and usually pretty accurate too.

The burgers are big and tasty, although this time it did take some effort to get a plain burger. Speaking of Sonic, I think the shakes at Checkers are thicker and better, and excellent for fry-dipping. They also have the usual fare of chicken, fish, and hot dogs as well, but it's the favorite fried food we're here to talk about.

The French fries at Checkers are long (sometimes very long) regular natural cuts with a thick crispy batter coating, salted and black peppered. This orange colored spicy skin gives them an extra zing and crunch that contrasts the soft hot potatoey insides. These are darn good fries, but make sure you have a beverage handy to balance the heat. It's a good heat though. They're also great for sandwiching and, as I said, shake dipping, which will also cool some of that spicy fire.

The Checkers fries also nuke well in microwave once you get home, at least twice, sometimes three times, making them an excellent drive-thru fry that can be had later. Recommended.

French Fry Diary 304: The New Burger King Fries

New Burger King French Fries are coming, or perhaps I should say they are already here.

I guess they didn't want anyone to compare and contrast the old and the new fries like Wendy's did when they switched fries last year. The new fries were already in most restaurants even though they weren't supposed be introduced until December 5th.

My good friend Marni hipped me to the change so I made arrangements to check out the new fries. This was a weird experience as I haven't ordered all that many fries at BK since they changed to the Invisicoat battered shoestrings that I hate so much.

Again I was surprised to find the change had already gone through, and that no one had the old fries any more. Other than one poster advertising a free fry day later in the month, there was no promotion or fanfare about the new fries. Quite honestly I didn't even think the employees were aware of it. When I asked about it at the counter, the clerk had to get a manager and ask her. No old fries left, good riddance, on to the new ones.

The new BK French fries resemble Roy Rogers regular cut fries actually, only they still have that crappy Invisicoat coating although not as much of it. I have to say they do taste a little better, as long as they are hot. Notably once I got some of them home, they did not nuke or reheat in the oven well at all. They are good for dipping but too thick for stacking in a sandwich.

Now, according to Burger King, these new fries are low sodium (despite how salty they appear to be and taste as well), and there's nothing wrong with that, if it's true. The problem is they also claim that the coating makes them not only crisper, but also stay hotter longer, and I know for a fact that that is just not true. Things like that make me wonder how much else is true or not. But then again, it's been so long since I've had BK fries, perhaps the old ones were even worse at staying hot.

It is an improvement over the old ones, but not much of one. I am glad they didn't go the route of Wendy's and go natural cut. Everyone is doing that these days and there are just not enough regular cut fries out there. If BK was going to change their fries though, why not go back to their original shoestrings though? They are sorely missed. Well, at least if I go to Burger King now, fries are at least a possible option now.

If you want to try out the new fries for yourself, BK is offering folks a free taste on December 16th. I've told you what I think, let me know what you think.

French Fry Diary 253: The Legendary Melrose Diner

Everyone of a certain age in the Philadelphia area knows the Melrose Diner. If not from living in the neighborhood and actually hanging out and eating there, then from the jingle that accompanied their radio commercials, "Everyone who knows, goes to Melrose..."

After one of the Philadelphia Wings games this past season, a group of us (The Bride, her sister, and friends Judi and Marc) wanted to grab a bite and talk. The Melrose was convenient, so we took in this historic landmark for some grub - including the favorite fried food.

The legendary Melrose Diner has a wonderful smell inside that fills you with joy as soon as you open the doors. It's the true scent of a good diner - pie and chocolate, nothing beats it. Our very helpful, friendly and entertaining waiter Nick took good care of us that night. It should also be noted that the tight booths of the Melrose are sooo not for larger folks. One would assume if you eat too much there, after a while you'll have to go somewhere else with bigger booths.

Marc was nice enough to let me get a photo of his fries and let me try some, so I ordered the home fries for myself, so I could get a double dose of the favorite fried food this trip. I couldn't convince anyone to order the onion rings though, maybe next time. The fries were old school crinkle cuts that tasted baked even though they were probably deep-fried. I could also see that the staff was making extensive use of a microwave in sight. It didn't matter, this was comfort food at its best in one of the area's greatest diners.

As I said, I ordered the home fries, or as Nick called them, the hash browns. These were shredded potatoes fried in what tasted like yummy bacon grease - the old fashioned way. They were really really good and I cleaned my plate. As an added bonus, they had crushed ice in the Cokes. Really, how can you lose? Good friends, good times, I'll be back to the Melrose.

French Fry Diary 237: Trader Joe's Hash Browns

It's always great when a normal everyday purchase turns into something unexpected and fun. That's what happened with Trader Joe's Hash Browns.

These are just regular hash browns, polygon flat chunks of processed potatoes, pre-fried, frozen and just waiting to be heated up and devoured for breakfast or a late night snack. What makes them different is the packaging.

Simple but whimsical, it caught my attention after I had first opened the package. The witty sayings, "When I grow up I want to be Trader Joe's Hash Browns" and "Bacon & eggs really dig Trader Joe's Hash Browns."

The one that really got me was on the bottom by the UPC code. It was a tiny image of a fork and plate with a fried egg, and an arrow pointing to the plate saying "insert hashbrown here." Cute.

I baked my hash browns, although they can also be fried or nuked in the microwave. I just like 'em that way best. If you break them a few times when it's time to turn them, you can get very crisp edges. Mmmm...

Trader Joe's Hash Browns, get 'em for the packaging, get 'em for the hash browniness. Mmmm...