French Fry Diary 742: Blue Apron

Now we had talked about Blue Apron before on The GAR! Podcast right here. My podcast partner Ray Cornwall had joined Blue Apron and gotten The Bride and me three free meals. As might be expected as I'm writing about it here, there were potatoes involved.

One of the dinners, the one we chose to make the first night, was Chile Butter Steaks with Parmesan Potatoes & Spinach. As a last-minute substitution, which happens sometimes to assure all the food is fresh, we got bok choy instead of spinach, and I was fiiine with that. Not a spinach fan, sorry, Popeye. As I mentioned, everything comes fresh, and everything you need -except the effort- comes in a box directly to your front door. To make the quartered potato chunks with Parmesan, in the box came three Yukon Gold potatoes, labeled and ready for action.

The potatoes get chunked, cut in half and then across into half-inch pieces, tossed in olive oil, notably not included, then put in the oven for about twenty minutes. Just before they were done, the instructions said to drizzle the Parmesan cheese over them then let them cook a few more minutes.

In the end, the steaks were good, the chile butter a little hot (and we didn't even use more than a third of the chile paste), the bok choy looked awful but tasted good, and the taters were pretty good too. I would have made some adjustments if we do this again. Not as much oil in the pan to cook the steaks, and I think I would have used some butter on the potatoes… but that's me.

We had a great meal, and decided to give Blue Apron another week. We'll see what happens, hey, maybe there'll be more potatoes…

Random Tater Pic of the Day #120

Another night at the Royal Court on board the Disney Fantasy, and here's another tater pic. These golden brown swirled beauties are whipped Yukon Gold potatoes. They were delicious and the best part of that night's meal. They had a heavenly texture, lightly crisp on top protecting a soft hot buttery inside of tender potatoes. They came with my almost as good peppercorn encrusted steak.

And remember, French Fry Diary is now on Facebook, come on over and join the fun and the discussion!

Boxty!

It's that time of year again, here's a recipe from Chow.com by Christine Gallary:

Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake that contains a mixture of mashed and grated potatoes, resulting in a unique texture that’s part pancake, part hash brown. While suitable on an Irish breakfast or supper table, boxty pairs well with so many cuisines. For example, try topping it with smoked salmon and crème fraîche for a fun twist on blini. Game plan: If you only have salted butter in your fridge, it’s fine to substitute it for the unsalted butter called for here.

INGREDIENTS: 2 pounds (3 to 4 large) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, 3/4 cup whole milk, 1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt, plus more for seasoning the potatoes before cooking, 1 large egg, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 200°F. Chop half of the potatoes into large dice, place in a medium saucepan, salt generously, and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the potatoes uncovered until fork tender, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, grate the remaining potatoes on the large holes of a box grater. Toss with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and place in a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl; set aside.

When the boiled potatoes are ready, drain them, return them to the pot, add 1/4 cup of the milk, and mash until the potatoes are smooth.

With a plastic spatula, press the grated potatoes against the sides and bottom of the strainer to remove any liquid. Add the grated potatoes to the mashed potatoes (no need to stir though).

Place the egg, remaining 1/2 cup milk, flour, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and whisk until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the potatoes and stir until evenly incorporated.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple of drops of cold water in it: If the water bounces and sputters, the pan is ready to use; if it evaporates instantly, the pan is too hot.

Once the pan is ready, add enough butter to lightly coat the bottom when melted. Drop 3 dollops (about 1/4 cup each) of the batter into the pan and spread each to about 1/4 inch thick. Cook until the pancake bottoms are golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes more. Place on a baking sheet and set in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter. Serve warm.

French Fry Diary 391: Maya Grill, Coronado Springs Resort

When planning our most recent excursion to Walt Disney World, a short family vacation (The Bride, her folks, her sister, her husband and their son, the last of which was seeing the magic for the first time), The Bride wanted everything to be perfect, and that included the meals. We got the Disney Dining Plan so that made some things easier, but we still had to pick the restaurants.

The Bride and I had stayed at Coronado Springs once before, and that was where we were all staying this time. When we had been there before we had a wonderful romantic dinner at the Maya Grill, the modern Latin-American restaurant at the hotel, so I suggested it for the whole family this time. The Dining Plan would handle it so no problems with price. It was a big hit.

We were also joined this night by a cousin and his ladyfriend who live in the area so we had a full party. Our waiter Berk delivered fast and quality service, although the bro-in-law didn't think so, but personally I think that's his problem. ;-) The atmosphere was great as a solo guitarist played simple acoustic tunes in the atrium, some oldies, some traditional, even some new stuff.

Thanks to my catastrophic pickiness with food, the menu was a bit daunting. I did find something good, but I am sure they would have provided whatever I asked for. This is Disney after all. I settled on the Arrachera, a Mexican prepared flank steak, that's a sirloin steak served with Yukon gold potatoes, and vegetables to me and you. You know me, I exchanged the vegetables for fries if they had them, and they did.

Our meals came rather quickly, I was impressed, the bro-in-law wasn't. But the conversation was good, as was the company, so perhaps I just hadn't noticed how much time has passed. The steak was very good, the mashed Yukon golds with garlic and other not-so-fun foreign objects (edible, don't get me wrong) not so much. It was a good thing I also got the fries.

The French fries in question were steak fries, just standard frozen steak fries. They were baked, not fried, and had that soft and hot potato-ey consistency inside the semi-crisp shell. Good and simple. Sometimes simple is best.

Dessert included a variety of things including the chocolate mousse shot that I got, as well as the coconut flan The Bride said was to die for. It was a terrific night out, and one of the best meals I've had in a while. Two thumbs up to the Maya Grill.

Bobby Flay's Grilled French Fries

It's barbecue season so it seems like a good time to show you this - Bobby Flay's recipe for his Grilled French Fries, as well as a variety of condiments to go with. Enjoy!



I have to wonder however why he does serve these at his Burger Palace...

Random Tater Pic of the Day #38

More from The Bride's work conference in Los Angeles... another catered business lunch in the Ghostbusters hotel, and another serving of potatoes. In the serving tray this time are Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes. Mmmm...

How to Buy Potatoes for Thanksgiving

Grocery School gives us a lesson in buying potatoes just in time for Thanksgiving. Good luck buying them, enjoy the potatoes and have a Happy Holiday!

Truffled Fingerling Smashed Potatoes

From CHOW:

Truffled Fingerling Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Chef Garces folds truffle oil into smashed potatoes to make them even more irresistible.

What to buy: Fingerling potatoes are white potatoes with a thin skin. They can be found in gourmet grocery stores and at farmers’ markets. If you can’t find them, use Yukon Gold potatoes instead.

Truffle oil can be found at gourmet grocery stores.

This recipe was featured as part of our Suckling Pig for the Holidays menu.

INGREDIENTS

* 5 pounds fingerling potatoes
* 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1/4 cup white truffle oil
* 4 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place potatoes in a large pot, add water to cover the potatoes by 2 inches, salt well (the water should taste like seawater), and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer potatoes until fork tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Drain potatoes, return to the pot along with butter, and cook over low heat until butter is melted. Using a hand-held potato masher, smash potatoes until butter is incorporated, leaving some lumps. Add cream, truffle oil, salt, and pepper and fold together. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Difficulty: Easy

TIME/SERVINGS

Total: 1 hr
Active: 10 mins
Makes: 10 to 12 servings

Cheesy Chili Lime Gold Potato Wedges

Cheesy Chili Lime Gold Potato Wedges

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 hours,

2 teaspoons finely grated lime rind
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Kosher salt, to taste
4 large Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 cup finely grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, optional
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, optional
Salsa and sour cream for dipping, optional

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil or spray liberally with vegetable oil.

Place lime rind, lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder in a large zip-top bag. Squish around in the bag until combined.

Scrub gold potatoes and dry. Cut in half lengthwise. Continue cutting halves lengthwise into wedges about 1/2-inch thick. Add gold potato wedges to the oil in the zip-top bag, seal, and toss to coat.

Place gold potatoes on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is golden. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Serve gold potato wedges with optional sides of salsa and sour cream for dipping.

Yield: 4 servings

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/simply-side-dishes/
Stuck in a rut when it comes to your side dishes? Check out this group!

The above recipe brought to my attention at the just-potatoes group.


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Alexia Yukon Gold French Fries

"Ksointeriors" over at Expo Television, an admitted French fry hater, raves about Alexia's Yukon Gold Julienne Fries with Sea Salt.

They're not bad. Standard-sized fries with the skins still on made from (obviously) Yukon Gold potatoes. Alexia has a variety of upscale frozen potato products (some made from Russets and Reds as well as Yukons), including sweet potato fries, and onion rings to die for. For the most part I agree with Ksointerior's assessment of this product, her thoughts on fries in general... well, let's just say not.