Random Tater Pic of the Day #152

Yucca Fries from Bahama Breeze.

French Fry Diary 587: Iron Hill Brewery Sweet Potato Fries

Attending a social event at the Iron Hill Brewery with the South Jersey Writers (quick plug, membership is now open!), I finally had a chance to try the sweet potato fries.

On a previous trip, I was stunned by the amount of favorite fried foods that were served at this chain, and pledged to return and try some of the variations. It was a toss up between the onion rings and the sweet potato fries, and based on the opinions of the folks I was eating with - one a dedicated Iron Hill fan - I settled on the latter.

So while talking about writing techniques and other shop talk, I got my regular, a burger, plus a side of the sweet potato fries. The burger was big, juicy, and very filling, definitely something to come back for again. The fries were also big and thick, soft hot wedges of sweet sweet potato. They were very good while hot, but not as much as they cooled, but I would definitely get them again. Recommended.

Sarah Goes to Rehoboth Beach

This entry is part guest blog, part Somebody Else's Fries, and part Random Tater Pic of the day. Very cool blogger, fellow writer, FFD contributor, and friend Sarah Hawkins-Miduski recently visited Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.

Here is her blog entry about her trip and the delights she saw, including a cool fish and chips place, and the Dogfish Head Brewery with their amazing fries and bacon-stuffed onion rings. Enjoy!

French Fry Diary 586: Archer Farms Potato Chips

Just to be clear, Archer Farms is really neither a potato chip maker nor distributor as we usually think of them. Archer Farms is Target, and you'll only be able to get these chips at Target - it's their store brand. The last time I was in Target, looking for Kettle Brand Sweet & Salty chips, because the website said mistakenly they were there, I ended up walking out with these.

I was attracted to the lattice cut first and then had to double down when I saw they had Sweet & Spicy Barbecue flavor lattice cut. Sold. I've been waiting for Herr's or Cape Cod to do barbecue for a while, but it seems Target did it first. It just seems like a natural next step to me, but then I love the barbecue flavor and the lattice cut.

As excited as I was to try them, I mucked up opening the bag. I ended up just cutting it open with a scissors. Of course had I taken a moment, I would have figured out how to properly pull the tab on the front to open the ziplock reclosable bag. It's easy once you know about it, but if you don't examine the bag closely before attempting to open, well, they might as well have come from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

The potato chips are thick and twisty as a kettle chip should be, and that along with the lattice cut make them just perfect for dipping. The barbecue flavor has all the traditional ingredients but with a bit more kick than usual. The molasses in there gives it just a tinge of sweetness. I dig these a lot, thumbs up.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #151

From "America's Worst Tattoos," yes, it's a cowboy boot filled with French fries…

Random Tater Pic of the Day #150

Friend and FFD contributor Cindy went to Taverne Gaspar, a gastropub north of the border in Montreal, and got (what else would you get in Canada?) poutine!

Kale Chips

Here's a recipe for Kale Chips from Christine Gallary at Chow.com.

Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: About 45 mins | Makes: 2 servings

Kale has a certain vegetal flavor that you either love or hate. No matter which camp you’re in, it’s hard to resist the deliciousness of these crispy chips, which are subtly spicy from togarashi powder. Warning: Once you start snacking, it’ll be hard to stop.

It’s best to use dinosaur kale (also known as black kale, Lacinato, or cavolo nero) rather than curly kale because its broad, flat leaves crisp up more evenly.

Special equipment: You will need a pastry brush to make these chips.

Ingredients: 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon togarashi powder, 1 pound dinosaur kale, 3 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for coating the baking sheet.

Instructions: Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Using a pastry brush, coat a baking sheet with a thin layer of olive oil; set aside. Combine the salt, sugar, and togarashi in a small bowl; set aside. Remove and discard the center ribs and stalks of the kale. Tear the leaves into rough 3-inch pieces. Wash the leaves and dry them thoroughly.

Place half of the leaves in a large bowl, drizzle with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil, and toss with your hands until the leaves are thoroughly coated. Sprinkle with half of the togarashi mixture (about 3/4 teaspoon) and toss again with your hands until the leaves are thoroughly coated. Place the leaves in a single, even layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake until the kale chips are crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, place the baking sheet on a wire rack, and let the chips cool for about 3 minutes. Using your hands, carefully transfer the chips to a serving dish. Repeat with the remaining kale, oil, and togarashi mixture. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

French Fry Diary 585: Pineapple

I have been hearing about this place for quite a while from friends and family, and from Foursquare, so we finally decided to try it. If I'm being honest, all the Chinese restaurants we have fairly local are... just adequate. You know, they're not bad, but they're not great either. So we have been tentatively on the lookout for a new good Chinese restaurant, and Pineapple was supposed to be great.

Pineapple is a small place, not unlike our normal Chinese food place (which does not have French fries, it should be noted), and it's tucked into a just as small shopping center I'm actually familiar with. Along side the Berlin's Gaetano's, Stormwatch Comics, and Los Amigos, if you look close, you can find Pineapple. It's not easy to find if you don't know where to look.

On our first trip, we ordered online (a handy thing, and a definite plus) and picked it up to eat at home. I got the teriyaki chicken on skewers (which can be ordered with all white meat if desired, which I did), with broccoli and rice. The chicken was really good, better than I usually get at Chinese restaurants. The terrific teriyaki sauce also comes on the side. I saved some of it for later to use on other stuff, including the French fries Pineapple also has.

The fries in question were regular cut deep-fried frozen fries delivered in a classic diner styrofoam container, and they were awesome. They were especially awesome when dipped in the teriyaki sauce. I think we have definitely found a new Chinese restaurant locally. Pineapple lives up to their rep, and we'll be back.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #149

We recently visited Jake's Wayback Burgers again, and The Bride got the Extreme Burger, a burger with French fries on it. She said it wasn't bad.

French Fry Diary 584: Kettle Brand Sweet & Salty Potato Chips

I am easily tempted by new flavors of potato chips, firstly for the opportunity to write about it here, and secondly because I like potato chips. It's nicer though when said new flavor also sounds like something I might like. Such is the case with Kettle Brand Sweet & Salty Potato Chips.

Being Kettle Brand they are appropriately healthy with no preservatives, no MSG, no transfats, and no GMOs. They also all natural, gluten free, and were cooked in safflower and/or sunflower and/or canola oil. That last part had me a bit worried… don't they know what kind of oil it is? …but I'll let it slide.

These kettle cooked chips have as flavoring the fairly obvious sea salt plus sugar and dried cane syrup. Hmmm, that should make for an interesting taste. They are salty but the sugar overwhelms the salt, but not unpleasantly. These are very tasty and addictive potato chips. I would say they would be good for dipping but I wouldn't want to take away from the actual taste of just the chip. The are very good, recommended.