Idaho Potato

Idaho®Potato Breakfast Casserole

May 9, 2017

Thank you to Idaho® Potatoes for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I really enjoy making a great spread and sitting around the table for a couple of hours while sipping on coffee and picking on the bountiful feast in front of me. Mother’s Day is next weekend and if I were able to spend it with my Mom, this is what I’d make for her. If you would like to solidify your position as her “favorite”, make this for her and you’ll have it in the bag for good.

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Winter Market Buddha Bowls with Potato, Quinoa and Beets

February 8, 2017

This post is sponsored by Idaho®Potatoes. All opinions are my own.

Potatoes. Everyone loves them and they are available year round. However, I’m sure you get stuck in the same potato rut like I do. You need new ideas! Well, this one is our new “Go-To”. It has tons of veggies, it’s healthy, it’s gluten-free and if you leave the egg off, it’s vegan.
We all have a piece of that or a hunk of this in the fridge just waiting to get used up in something , right? Here is the perfect way to use up a few of those ingredients that are hanging out patiently awaiting their destiny.

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Winter Vegetable Soup

January 16, 2017

This post is sponsored by Idaho® Potatoes. As always, all opinions are my own.

It’s winter. That means comfort food. But, we’re also trying to eat a little healthier too, right? We’re making an effort to eat more vegetables because we want to get more bang for our buck in the nutrition department. I’ve got you covered. This soup is nearly fat free, it’s low in calories and contains a ton of vitamins, minerals and fiber. While you are cozied up in the house, it’s the perfect time to put on a pot of this hearty winter vegetable soup.

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Crash & Burn Potatoes

January 10, 2017

This post is sponsored by Idaho® Potatoes. All opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a new way to serve potatoes, this is it! I made these a few days ago with the intention of saving them for dinner that night. I have news for you, they didn’t survive the afternoon. We ate a few and then we ate more. We even ate them cold because they were delicious. Normally, the phrase “crash & burn” has a negative connotation to it, but not in this case. These little spuds are smashed (flattened) and roasted until super crispy then bathed in a spicy cinnamon malt vinegar sauce. Hence, the name Crash & Burn Potatoes.

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Lobster on Thick Cut Idaho®Potato Chips with Spicy Saffron Aioli

December 6, 2016

Dress up your favorite Idaho® Potatoes with lobster and saffron aioli for a special holiday appetizer! Salty, crunchy thick-cut chips are a sturdy base for buttery lobster tail. Topped with a spicy saffron aioli and chives, it makes an elegant nibble for any party. This post is sponsored by Idaho® Potatoes. All opinions are my own.

The holiday season is upon us, which means HOLIDAY PARTIES! It’s a special time of year, so I don’t feel guilty about a little splurge. The end of one year, the beginning of a new one… It’s a time to celebrate with friends and family and it’s a time to pull out all the tricks and SHINE! I make one or two special appetizers for parties and lobster on thick-cut potato chips is no slouch. The saffron aioli elevates it to “high falootin’ status” and this appetizer is always the first to disappear. It looks much fussier than it actually is, everything except the chips can be made in the morning and set aside in the refrigerator for later. This is key when you have lots to do before guests arrive.

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Roasted Idaho® Fingerling Potatoes with Shishito Peppers and Asian Spices

October 18, 2016

This post is sponsored by Idaho® Potatoes, all opinions are mine!

Last month, I was invited to join Idaho® Potatoes on their Harvest Tour 2016. What a privilege! I had never been to Idaho before and to be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I had arrived a few days before the rest of the bloggers to stay the weekend in Boise with L and her husband D. The 48 hours spent in Boise felt like twice as long because L had planned so many incredible things for us. We had the most incredible time in Boise and I seriously can’t wait to go back. If you’ve never been, GO. I know most people would think “Really?!” “Boise?!” Yes. Boise. The food was on par, we rode bikes everywhere we went and had some fantastic wines. I may have to do a follow up post on Boise, because I loved it so much. I’m sure that it had much to do with L, her outstanding itinerary and her wonderful husband who is such a love.
Onto the HARVEST TOUR!!!!

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Curry Coconut Corvina with Idaho® Potatoes

July 6, 2016

This is my first in a series of sponsored posts by Idaho® Potato! I’m thrilled to be working with them, they are the BEST! All opinions are my own.

Curry seems to be one of those flavors that people feel very strongly about. They either love it or they hate it, there’s not much middle ground. I’m in the “love it” camp. Just the smell of curry makes my heart flutter. A long, long time ago in a city far, far away when I was in culinary school, we would wander the streets of NYC and more often than not we ended up in an area of Manhattan that had lots of spice shops and Indian restaurants. I think that’s where my love of curry was born.

I suggest making this with a meaty fish like corvina or halibut. A delicate fish like sole would get lost in the aggressive flavor of the curry. That being said, the potatoes are really the star of the show. They absolutely make the dish. The crunchy outside and fluffy inside of the potatoes make it a perfect vessel to soak up that luscious sauce. The bright tang of the tomato combined with the heady, warm spiciness of the curry against the creamy flesh of the potato makes for a perfect bite.
It’s so good that I’ve considered making it vegan by omitting the fish, doubling the potatoes and adding in more peas, onions, chickpeas, etc.

A word on trial and error:
Cooking well takes practice. The more you cook, the better you get. You will begin to develop a feel for flavors that pair well (sometimes without even needing to taste it, you’ll just “know”) and even after you’ve been doing it professionally for 14 years, it’s not always perfect. See Below…

Recipe Testing:
This was the first version. Do you see how yellow the sauce is? The curry was just a “pinch” too much. It overpowered the coconut flavor. I backed off just a half teaspoon the next time around and it was perfect.
Take risks, learn from mistakes… That’s the only way to develop your palate and learn. That statement also applies to so much more in life. It’s a pretty good mantra.

Chef’s Tip: How to get those potatoes SUPER crispy

Soak the potatoes in cold water. This helps to remove some of the starch, which helps them to crisp on the outside and remain tender and fluffy inside. The water will become cloudy. I usually let them soak for 15 minutes and change the water once, then let them sit for another five minutes or so.
Drain and pat dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
Why does this matter? The excess starch can sometimes prevent the potatoes from cooking through before they begin to brown too much, leaving you with dark potatoes that aren’t cooked properly. Every restaurant I have ever worked in, potatoes always get a soak before frying so it stands to reason that if we are “oven-frying”, the same rules apply.

Chef’s Tip: Always put the “good side” face down first in the pan.
How do you know? Here’s a photo to help!

Assemble like a Pro:

Let’s Cook!

Corvina and Idaho®Potatoes with Coconut Curry

2016-06-30 10:46:08

Serves 4

A delicious, healthy meal with a simple coconut curry sauce that will make this easy dinner feel like a special occasion.

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Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

40 min

Total Time

1 hr 10 min

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

40 min

Total Time

1 hr 10 min

Ingredients

1.5 lb. piece of corvina, cut into 4 equal pieces
2 large Idaho® Russet Potatoes, sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 - 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 - 13.5oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder (yellow curry powder)
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
kosher salt
black pepper
white pepper
canola oil for frying and baking
nonstick cooking spray

Special Equipment

parchment paper
sheet pan

Make the crispy potatoes

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C)
Line sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment with cooking spray. This will help to ensure we don't have to pry the potatoes off, leaving our crunchy outside stuck to the paper.
Soak potatoes (as described above), pat dry with paper towels and place in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Toss to evenly coat potatoes and lay them on the parchment-lined sheet pan, put in the oven on the middle rack.
Bake for 15 minutes, then flip potatoes over. Rotate the pan and slide back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are crispy and cooked through. Sprinkle with a fat pinch of kosher salt while they are still warm.
*Your oven may run hot or cold, so times may vary! Keep an eye on the potatoes after you've flipped them.

While the potatoes are baking, cook the fish

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and drizzle in 2 TB canola oil.
Sprinkle both sides of the corvina with kosher salt and white pepper, place fish in the pan, good side down, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Using a fish spatula, carefully flip the fish over and cook for another 5 minutes. The time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish.
Remove the fish and set aside. DO NOT CLEAN OUT THE PAN.
Add in garlic and let it saute for a minute, then add in coconut milk, curry powder and tomatoes. Let the sauce cook down for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, then add fish back into the pan along with the peas. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Simmer on low heat for another 5 minutes, until fish is warmed through.
Place potatoes on the plate and ladle sauce over them. Place fish on top and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Notes

Corvina varies in thickness, try to choose a piece that is fairly even from one end to the other. This will make it easier to portion into equal sized pieces and it will guarantee that the cooking rate for all the pieces will be the same.
If you have one piece that is very thin and one piece that is very thick, the thin piece will be cooked through well before the thicker piece. In that case, put the thicker piece of fish in the pan first and let it get a head start on the thinner piece(s).

By Cheryl Bennett

Pook's Pantry https://www.pookspantry.com/

Used in this recipe:
Amazon Affiliate Links, I get a few pennies if you click on the above photos. I only promote what I actually use and love!

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Food Wine Conference 2016 Recap #FWCon

May 23, 2016

Where do I even begin? This past weekend was a whirlwind.

I arrived in Orlando on Thursday afternoon so I could spend some much needed time with old friends before the conference went into full-swing. There were so many hugs and smiles followed by raucous laughter, eating and drinking. Some of my friends I actually know in real life and some of them I met IRL for the first time last week. We “talk” to each other every week online, in groups on facebook, through emails, etc. But we are spread out across the globe, so we rarely have the opportunity to see each others faces and just hang out and talk like friends do. That was the absolute highlight of my weekend. “Meeting” people I have adored for years and finally getting to wrap my arms around them.

Work Hard, Play Hard

This year, I was a brand ambassador for Idaho Potato and I have to tell you, it was a match made in (potato) heaven. I spent the majority of my weekend with the folks from Idaho Potato and I had a blast with them. They were some of the most wonderful people I have ever met in my life. Here’s evidence of how much fun we had –
See those awesome potato gloves in the top right? Part of my swag bag from them… I love them! And Don & Linda!!! The people from Famous Idaho Potatoes know how to have a good time!

Thank A Farmer

One of the sessions I enjoyed most was our sponsors speaking about farming. As you know, I grew up in a rural community and I was fortunate enough to be aware of the source of my food. I was surrounded by local farms and many of my classmates were farm kids, so the sight of dirt-caked boots is not unfamiliar. One common theme from each of the sponsors: Idaho Potato, Certified Angus Beef, Cabot, CK Mondavi and Florida Strawberry Growers Association was their passion and commitment. Dan from Idaho Potato said something that really rang true : “You have to love what you do to be a farmer”. There is so much care and love that goes into what they do everyday and the amount of work that it entails to produce what they raise/grow on their farms is staggering.

Friendships, New & Old, are Good for the Soul

So Much Fun with these Gals! Copious amounts of food (and drinks!) were consumed this past weekend, all with these beauties by my side. This really is the BEST part of the conference for me. It’s not all play… we’re WORKING! It might look like we are just hanging out and having fun all the time (and we kinda are), but we are also talking shop most of the time. How to grow our blogs, what photo editing program works best for us, what we learned in the session we just attended, etc. Oh, and pass the margaritas, please…

Oui, Chef!

On Sunday, there was a cooking competition. We had a handful of mystery ingredients and had about 10 minutes to figure out what to do with them. There was Certified Angus ground beef, Fingerling Idaho Potatoes, Blueberries from Wish Farms, wine from CK Mondavi and cheese from Cabot, a tomato based vinaigrette dressing and a sweet and spicy sauce… Everything had to used and the focus of our dish had to be blueberries. We put our heads together and came up with a menu, I was nominated to cook (I had 15 minutes!) and then make 3 identical plates. It was a little crazy, but we pulled together and made it happen with time to spare!

Here are a few more shots from this amazing weekend!
From making facial masks with Greek yogurt to dressing up for our Denim and Diamonds bash, a great time was most certainly had by all!

A huge thank you to Idaho Potatoes for making my first experience as a Brand Ambassador so fantastic! They provided an AMAZING lunch for us and were gracious enough to give me links to the recipes so I could share them with all of you!!!

Thai Curry Idaho Potato Soup https://idahopotato.com/recipes/thai-curry-idaho-potato-soup

Carnitas & Potato Hash: https://idahopotato.com/recipes/dos-caminos-carnitas-and-idaho-potato-hash-1

Penne with Arugula Pesto, Idaho Red Potatoes and Spring Vegetables: https://idahopotato.com/recipes/penne-with-arugula-pesto-idaho-red-potatoes-and-spring-vegetables

Potato Cakes with Mint Chutney: https://idahopotato.com/recipes/potato-cakes-with-mint-chutney

Salmon Calcutta with Idaho Fingerling Potatoes: https://idahopotato.com/recipes/salmon-calcutta-with-idaho-fingerling-potatoes

Chocolate Potato Donuts with Creme Anglaise: https://idahopotato.com/recipes/chocolate-potato-donuts-with-creme-anglaise

Idaho Potato Pound Cake: https://idahopotato.com/recipes/idaho-potato-pound-cake-gluten-free