Tator Soup (from Princess Re)

Tator Soup (from Princess Re)

Bake 3-5 lbs. potatoes, scoop out the innards.

Saute 1/2 cup onion (recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups but that is too much)

Add potatoes and 1 qt. chicken stock or qt water with lots of chicken bouillon cubes)
1 qt. half 'n half or milk
1 lb. cheddar cheese or more.
Salt, pepper and cayenne

Yours in cooking,
Marie - Funny Farm

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Maggie's Oven Fries

Maggie's Oven Fries

Why not make 'em my way? Cut up your taters as usual: Rinse well to get the juices off and pat dry on a towel. Then place into a bowl and drizzle a little bit of olive oil on, I can use 3 medium sized spuds and about 2 teaspoons of oil. Stir well to get everything coated with the oil.

Dump those slices onto a cookie sheet that is covered with parchment paper and bake at about 400°F until they smell so good you can't stand it anymore.

Especially good with ground rosemary sprinkled on before baking.

Most of the oil slides off the spuds and is left on the paper, what you have left is lovely crisp oven fries, yummy.

Warm hugs and woofs,
Maggie & MacTaggart
(2/2/11)

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Baked Potato Soup

I modified this recipe, of course. I had to call my daughter's husband and have him come take half of it home. We have enough for tomorrow. I could barely eat a soup bowl-full. It was very filling and yummy. I changed it a little. I will put my changes in parenthesis.

Baked Potato Soup

2/3 cup Butter
2/3 cup Flour
7 cups Milk
4 large Baking Potatoes*, baked, cooled, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)
4 Green Onions, sliced (I used a small bunch. It was not too much. I used a 1/2" of the green part.)
12 strips of Bacon, cooked well and crumbled
1-1/4 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used 8 oz. shredded)
1 cup (8 oz) Sour Cream
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper

*I used 4 large baking potatoes (6" long or so) makes about 8 cups, cubed. I baked the potatoes after oiling and putting foil around them, cooled them and removed the foil, then put in the fridge overnight in a covered dish, before peeling and cubing them. They stayed cubed and had a nice toasted bit under the peel.

In a large soup kettle or dutch oven, melt the butter over low heat. Take off the stove and blend in the flour until smooth; return to heat and gradually stir in the milk. Stir constantly until slightly thickened. Add potatoes and onions.

Bring to a boil (just starting to bubble), stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. (I still stirred constantly.) Add remaining ingredients; stir until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8-10 servings. Recipe from Taste of Home's Big Book of Soup. Page 92.

Rich and delicious. My husband only could make yummy sounds as he ate. (grin)

Debra
(4/21/08)

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Potato Casserole

Potato Casserole

My Grandmama made this every holiday, and I miss it SO much:

1) Slice baking potatoes to fill a large casserole when layered. I usually use about 3 pounds. This really depends on having good potatoes. The potatoes can be peeled (pretty) or unpeeled (better for you).

2) Butter the casserole dish, and heat the oven to 450° F (if you aren't already cooking something).

3) Spread 1/2 (or 1/3, if you are going to make this gooey) of the potatoes in a layer in the casserole dish. It is really pretty to overlap them in concentric circles.

4) The next step is to layer sauce. When I was really little, she made a white sauce with cream and butter, and added a jar of sliced mushrooms. As my Grandfather got diabetic, she changed the sauce to Campbell's Cream of Mushroom. At Thanksgiving,m there might be sliced mushrooms and slivers of butter in the layer as well. (Healthy Choice works fine.)

5) Spread with shredded cheddar. We liked it best when this was SHARP.

6) Repeat steps 3-5 once (or twice if company is coming).

7) Be sure to top with cheese (and if you have dried onions, add some now).

8) Bake until golden brown and the potatoes are cooked. For an 8" by 8" dish, at 450° F, I tend to need 40-50 minutes. If I am cooking at 400° F, maybe 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Shelly P.
(11/22/07)

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Green Chile Stew

This recipe is from the Santa Fe School of Cooking Cookbook by Susan Curtis. It is similar to some green chile stew I ate in a Los Alamos diner a few years ago.

There are so many recipes and adaptations for green chile stew that it is impossible to list them all, and local cooks usually add what they have on hand. The following recipe consistently produces a rich, hearty stew. The piquancy of the stew depends upon the heat level of the chiles used, so choose the chiles that suit your taste. (They recommend roasted green chiles, a mix of hot and mild for a balanced flavor.) We use a tender cut of meat in classes due to the limited time frame. However, simmering a less-tender cut of meat prior to adding the vegetables will work perfectly well. This recipe is actually better when made a day ahead. Serves 8.

Green Chile Stew

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1-1/2 pounds beef sirloin or pork butt, cut in 1" cubes
1-1/2 cups diced onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
6 cups chicken or beef broth
1 pound red or white potatoes, cut in 1" cubes
2-3 tsp salt, to taste
3 cups roasted, peeled, chopped green chilies
3 tbsp diced red bell pepper
2 tbsp chopped cilantro, or to taste

Heat the oil in a 6-quart pot over high heat and brown the meat in batches. Set aside. In the same oil, saute the onions until golden. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Return the meat to the pan along with any juices that have accumulated. Add the broth, potatoes, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender. Add the green chiles and the red bell pepper, and cook 15 to 20 minutes more. Add the cilantro, stir, and serve.

jp
(11/29/06)

---

Here are a couple of websites that have recipes for green chile stew. Most share the New Mexico sensibilities.

http://www.vivanewmexico.com/food.recipes.cocinas.html
http://www.santafe.com/history/green_chile_stew.html
http://www.premiersystems.com/recipes/mexican/green-chile.html
http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/nmcuisine.asp

You can see a lot of the variations that creep in, depending on the cook and the local style. I'm looking forward to seeing Jen's version of this dish.

jp

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Irish Cinnamon Potato Candy

I was going to make one with sweetened condensed milk, but I didn't get around to making them until the day of the party, and they were supposed to dry overnight, so I found this recipe online, sounded easy enough for even me. Took me 3 hours to roll all the 'tiny taters'.

Irish Cinnamon Potato Candy
(From Carroll Pellegrinelli)

1/4 cup (60 ml) mashed potatoes
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
3-1/2 cups (825 ml) sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
1 cup (225 ml) shredded coconut
1 tbsp (15 ml) butter
cinnamon

Put potatoes in large bowl (one can use instant potatoes to make 1/4 cup). Add salt, sugar, vanilla, coconut and butter. Mix well. Knead several minutes, adding more sugar, if necessary, to make a stiff dough.

Tear off a teaspoon of dough and form into a small log shape. Roll in cinnamon.

Lay on wax paper for 1 hour to dry. Store in air tight container. Makes way more than you'll ever want to eat. Really.

Brenda, I used a flat toothpick to poke 'eyes' into them, and I ran the coconut thru the vitamix so the coconut strands wouldn't make them crack. It's a weird combo, coconut and cinnamon, but they sure were popular. And cute, if I say so myself...although one comment was,' they look just like baby potatoes...no- like EMBRYO potatoes!' lol. Kinda grossed me out there for a minute!

Eileen
(4/3/06)

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Great Grandma's Spudnuts (Idaho Donuts)

Spudnuts. Doughnuts with a potato thrown in. Seriously!

I googled for a recipe (notice how many servings!)
http://www.recipelink.com/ch/2005/january/101thingspotato3.html
(Link is still viable in 2016)

Great Grandma's Spudnuts (Idaho Donuts)
Recipe from: 101 Things to Do With a Potato (this is on Amazon)
by Stephanie Dircks Ashcraft

Makes 12-15 servings

2-1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup mashed potatoes, unseasoned*
2 cups warm milk
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
6 cups flour
vegetable oil, for frying
1 can (16 oz) white frosting
chocolate syrup, maple flavor, to taste

*Do not use instant mashed potatoes for this recipe.

Mix yeast, water, potatoes, and milk together.

In a separate bowl, combine shortening, sugar, eggs, and salt. Stir mashed potato mixture into bowl with egg and shortening mixture. Stir in flour one cup at a time. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise 45 minutes.

Roll out dough to 3/4" thickness and cut with donut cutter.

Fry dough in hot oil. Turn once, making sure donut is golden brown on both sides.

Divide frosting into 3 small bowls. Add chocolate syrup to one and maple flavor to another. Dip hot donuts into flavored frostings.

For more variety, dip some into a mixture of cinnamon and sugar or powdered sugar.

Ruth
(3/3/06)

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Gnocchi

Gnocchi

I have made awesome gnocchi from the Italian cookbooks of Biba Caggiano.  I have all her books, and *love* her restaurant in Sacramento.  The key is to used baked potatoes.  Here is the basic Potato Gnocchi from Trattoria Cooking:

Gnocchi de Patate
4 medium sized russet or Idaho potatoes (about 2 lbs)
1 tbsp salt
1 lg egg yolk, lightly beaten, or a whole beaten egg
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Wash and dry the potatoes.  With a knife, make a long incision in the potatoes lengthwise, about 1/2" deep.  Put the potatoes in the oven and bake until they are tender, 45-55 min.

When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and puree them through a food mill or a potato ricer, directly into a large bowl.  Add the salt, egg yolk, and 1-1/2 cups of the flour.  Mix it all together with your hands until the dough begins to stick together

Transfer the mixture to a wooden board and knead lightly, gradually adding the remaining flour if the dough sticks heavily to the board and to your hands.  (The making of the dough should take no longer than 4-5 minutes). The dough is ready when it is soft, pliable, and just a bit sticky.

Cut the dough into pieces the size of an orange.  Flour your hands lightly. Using both your hands, roll out each piece of dough with a light back-and-forth motion into a roll about the thickness of your thumb.  Cut each roll into 1" pieces.

Hold a fork with its tines against your work board,the curved part away from you.  Starting from the outside bottom of the curve, press each piece of dough with your index finger firmly upward along the length of the tines. Let the gnocchi fall back onto the surface. Roll out the remaining pieces of
dough.  Place the gnocchi on a lightly floured platter or baking sheet.

They can be cooked immediately or be kept in the refrigerator uncovered for several hours or overnight, until ready to cook.

Makes 4 servings.

Katie H.
(9/9/04)

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Drunken Sweet Potatoes

And while you're at it, forget about the mini-marshmallows (yuck) and make:

Drunken Sweet Potatoes

Topping:
1 cup chopped walnuts
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp melted butter
pinch of ground cloves

In small bowl, combine topping ingredients and set aside.

Potatoes:
4 Lb. sweet potatoes

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)

2 tbsp. bourbon (must be bourbon, thankyewverymuch)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. grated orange peel

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

In large pot, put sweet potatoes with enough salted water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and peel. (Note: you can wimp out and buy canned sweet potatoes, but drain them well first.)

In mixer bowl beat potatoes until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Spoon in potato mixture and sprinkle with topping. Bake at 350°F with lid on dish or a foil covering. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer.

Notes:

• The recipe says it serves 16.
• I've also made this by cutting up the taters in small chunks, 1" or so, rather than mashing them. I
• like it better that way.
• I served this at a church potluck once. The former Baptists did have a bit of a problem with it. (vbg)

Sockie, who really is on the way out the door to change that lightbulb
(11/16/03)

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Gnocchi de Patate

Gnocchi de Patate
(Potato Gnocchi)
Makes 4 servings

I have made awesome gnocchi from the Italian cookbooks of Biba Caggiano. I have all her books, and *love* her restaurant in Sacramento. The key is to used baked potatoes. Here is the basic Potato Gnocchi from Trattoria Cooking:

4 medium-sized russet or Idaho potatoes (about 2 lbs)
1tbsp salt
1 lg egg yolk, lightly beaten, or a whole beaten egg
1-1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Wash and dry the potatoes. With a knife, make a long incision in the potatoes lengthwise, about 1/2" deep. Put the potatoes in the oven and bake until they are tender, 45-55 min. When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and puree them through a food mill or a potato ricer, directly into a large bowl. Add the salt, egg yolk, and 1-1/2 cup of the flour. Mix it all together with your hands until the dough begins to stick together

Transfer the mixture to a wooden board and knead lightly, gradually adding the remaining flour if the dough sticks heavily to the board and to your hands. (The making of the dough should take no longer than 4-5 minutes) The dough is ready when it is soft, pliable, and just a bit sticky.

Cut the dough into pieces the size of an orange. Flour your hands lightly. Using both your hands, roll out each piece of dough with a light back-and-forth motion into a roll about the thickness of your thumb. Cut each roll into 1" pieces.

Hold a fork with its tines against your work board,the curved part away from you. Starting from the outside bottom of the curve, press each piece of dough with your index finger firmly upward along the length of the tines. Let the gnocchi fall back on to the surface. Roll out the remaining pieces of dough. Place the gnocchi on a lightly floured platter or baking sheet. They can be cooked immediately or be kept in the refrigerator uncovered for several hours or overnight, until ready to cook.

Katie H.
(5/7/02)

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Chipotle Pot Roast

Chipotle Pot Roast

• one large beef roast -- whatever is on sale, about 4-5 lbs, not too fatty
• half a can of chipotles in adobo sauce, chop the chipotle peppers
• onions (3 or so), coarsely chopped
• garlic
• salt
• pepper
• cumin (about a teaspoon)
• oregano (about a teaspoon)
• potatoes (one per person, plus a few for the pot)
• about a half can of beef boullion or a half a can of beer, or some wine

Put roast on rack-- you can sear it first, but if you are in a rush, it won't matter too much. Smear the roast with the chipotle and adobo, sprinkle salt (liberally, there is nothing worse than undersalted pot roast), pepper, oregano and cumin all over. Scatter onions and halved potatoes all around (quarter them if they are very large). Add liquid of choice. Cook all day.

When ready to eat, pour gravy into a large cup, drain off fat, and pour hot gravy over sliced meat (you can thicken with a little flour cooked in butter if you are fussy, or not, if you are really pressed for time).

Carolyn D.
(2/10/02)

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Mashed Potato Bread

Mashed Potato Bread

The mashed potato bread I made last night was sublime. I had some leftover mashed red potatoes, and I put them in a saucepan and covered them with milk and simmered for a bit. Let it cool, added yeast and salt and butter and an egg, proofed, then did the flour thing. Lovely bread...

("philip is asking "how much mashed potatoes?")

My typical recipe for two loaves of bread, and when I used to fuss with such things the loaves weighed 1.25 pounds each when placed in the pans to rise:

2 cups liquid (in this case, scalded milk)
2 tsp. yeast (in this case, scant 2 tsp yeast plus a glob of starter)
1 tbsp. sugar (or honey)
1 egg
2 tbsp. olive oil (3 tbsp butter this time)
scant 2 tsp. salt
flour (in this case, sub about 1 - 2 cups mashed potatoes for part of the flour)

My mashed potatoes were just that, plain boiled red potatoes (with skins), mashed. Simmering them first in the milk hydrated them thoroughly and made a truly luxurious bread.

Sylvia beadlizard
(1/1/02)

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Crique Stephanoise (Potato Latkes with Smoked Salmon)

Crique Stephanoise (Potato Latkes with Smoked Salmon)
Adapted from Daniel Boulud
Time: 45 minutes

For the Latkes:
1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes, (approximately 6 small potatoes), peeled and grated
1 extra-large egg
3 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp fresh finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped black olives (optional)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 to 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus oil for greasing ring molds.

For the Topping:
Coarse salt to taste
2 tbsp sour cream
4 oz smoked salmon, cut in strips
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp finely chopped chives
1 tsp finely chopped
black olives
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp finely chopped parsley
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling on the plate.

Put the grated potato in a medium bowl. With a wooden spoon, stir in the egg, chives, parsley and olives. Season with salt and pepper, and stir well to combine.

To make large criques, warm 1-1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium nonstick pan over high heat. With your fingers, scoop out one half of the potato mixture, squeeze out the excess liquid between your hands and drop in the center of the pan. Using a fork or spatula, flatten the mixture firmly. Cook the crique over low to medium heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, until golden brown. Flip and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until the exterior is crisp and golden brown and the interior is tender. Repeat using the remaining olive oil and potato mixture.

To make small criques, lightly brush the insides of three 3-1/2"-diameter ring molds with olive oil. Heat the pan with additional oil, and place the molds into the pan. Squeeze the excess liquid out of the potato mixture between your hands, and place 1-1/2 tablespoons inside each ring. Proceed as above, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side. Using tongs, remove the molds from the criques and gently press with a spatula. Flip and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until the exterior is crisp and golden brown and the interior is tender. Set the criques aside. Repeat until remaining olive oil and potato mixture are used up.

To serve, sprinkle the criques with salt and top with a dollop of sour cream. Place a small mound of the smoked salmon on top, and drizzle some of the lemon juice over the salmon. Sprinkle with the lemon zest, chives and black olives, and season with pepper. Garnish with parsley, and drizzle some olive oil around the plate. Serve immediately.

Yield: Approximately 2 large criques or 10 small criques.
(12/12/01)

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Ellen's Potato Latkes

Ellen's Potato Latkes

1 medium onion
6 medium potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp matzo meal
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Applesauce
Sour Cream

Coarsely shred onion into a large bowl. Shred potatoes into bowl with onion, stirring occasionally. The onion will keep the potato from browning. Stir in eggs, matzo meal, parsley, salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add potato mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into oil. Fry until crisp and golden; turn and fry remaining side until golden--about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to platter and keep warm.

Repeat until all potato mixture has been used, adding oil as necessary.

Serve with applesauce and sour cream. Makes 6 Servings

Ellen
(12/12/01)

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Deb's Latkes

Deb's Latkes

Okay, since it's officially latkes season, I will share my mom's recipe.  Mom developed this before she was married, as a way to produce enough latkes in a reasonable amount of time for herself, her parents, and her 13 assorted siblings.  Four burners going at once was a given.  (The purists will scoff, as there are no scraped knuckles included.  There is, naturally, the obligatory oil splattering of the entire kitchen, however.)

Peel and quarter an onion, and place in (gasp!) a blender container.  Add in one largish egg.  Peel three or four potatoes (whatever you've got, depending on size), and quarter or eighth them.  Put a handful of potatoes into blender and blend on "grate" briefly, just until no big chunks are visible.

Pour half the blender contents into a very large bowl, replace blender on base and add another handful or two of potatoes, grate as above, stir half into the bowl, and repeat over and over using the same proportions (more or less) until you've gone through 5 to 10 pounds of potatoes (depending on  how many are home for dinner).

It helps to cover the bowl in between batches to keep the potatoes from blackening.  Stir it all together, add enough flour to make a batter that is still pretty sloppy, and salt and pepper to taste.

Heat up as many cast iron pans as you can handle with a 1/4" layer of  vegetable oil in the bottom of each (I use canola, mom usually used Wesson).  Fry up pancakes over medium high heat and keep
dishing them up till everyone is too full to move.  (If, when the batter hits the pan, it spatters into a thousand droplets, either your batter's too thin or your oil's too hot.  Try again.)

Serve with applesauce and sour cream, plenty of salt, and you're set.

Debbie
who remembers peeling five pounds of potatoes and keeping them submerged in a bucket of water for latkes nights growing up (we only had 7 kids)
(12/10/01)

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My Quick and Easy Latkes (from Mary)

 My Quick and Easy Latkes (from Mary)

All this straining of potatoes is new to me, but I've tried it anyway. Don't see a hell of a lot of difference.

One large onion, diced.

Beat two very large eggs (ours are very large because our happy chickens make them that way LOL), or three smaller ones, and mix with the onions. Add salt if you like salted pancakes, or sprinkle it on later. Add flour to the eggs, maybe a third of a cup.

I prefer diced rather than grated onion because I think the onion flavor comes out more, and I like those little bits of darkly fried onion.

Mix egg/flour with onion.

3 very large potatoes, or more smaller ones, peel or not peel. I use whatever potato I have on hand, cuz when I want potato pancakes, I want them NOW, and I'm not running out to the store.

Cut potatoes into cubes. "Grate" in food processor til of grated consistence. I've made them by grating by hand, and have had many skinned knuckles, so I'm experienced, so I think the food processor does just fine.)

Strain or not strain. I've tried it both ways. Maybe it doesn't matter because I use a lot of eggs.

Mix egg/flour/onion with potatoes. Add more flour if they seem too runny.

Fry in canola oil in your grandmother's cast iron fry pan.

Actually, I use that fry pan, plus a griddle and another fry pan, having three electric stove burners going at once. Don't think I'm ready to cook on all fours.

Accompaniments. Apple sauce. Cottage cheese. Blackberry preserves. Piccalilli. Yogurt. The piccalilli (sp) is Bob's addition, him being of New England extraction (IOW, half WASP and half northern Italian).

Mary P.
(12/10/01)

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Vegetable Latkes

Vegetable Latkes

This was in yesterday's paper, a recipe by someone who'd won some sort of prize. I saw the paper in a coffee shop and only ripped out the recipes, not the start of the article. (Giving the general idea, hoping this doesn't violate somebody's copyright)

Idaho potatoes, onion, grated and strained.

Grated zucchini and carrots.

Grated sweet red pepper, and grated skin side down, discarding the skin.

Eggs, matzoh, salt, pepper, nutmeg, fresh parsley.

Put the potato starch back into the bowl with all the ingredients. Fry in a mixture of schmaltz and oil.

Personally, I'd not dignify this recipe with the term latkes, but would call them veggie fritters. They're served with a sour cream raita made with minced onion, cucumber, lemon, and mint. Sounds like cultural clash to me.

Mary P., a latkes (potato pancake) purist.
(12/6/01)

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Alfred's Latkes

Alfred's Latkes

Grate three or four big unpeeled-but-well-scrubbed Idaho potatoes over a sieve which has been placed over a bowl.

Keep pressing the pile of grated potatoes in the sieve so that the liquid drains into the bowl.

Grate a yellow onion intermittently so that it is mixed in with the grated potatoes.

Take squeezed grated potato/onion mixture and plop it into another mixing bowl.

Add one egg. Mix.

Take the bowl into which the potato liquid has drained. Pour off the clear portion of the liquid, leaving the starch behind. Add this to the grated mixture.

Salt and pepper.

Mix well again. Add a scant tablespoon of wheat flour or about one fourth of a matzoh, crumbled fine.

Put on an apron.

Heat a deep skillet with about an inch of vegetable oil in it, with a small amount of chicken (or duck!) shmaltz for extra flavor.

When the oil begins to 'talk', but before you see any smoke (!), take a blob of the potato mixture and plop it in. Press gently with spatula so that it is flattish.

Repeat until there are three or four latkes in the pan.

Fry them until they're golden brown. Serve immediately. This means that you have to keep cooking selflessly while your family/guests inhale the latkes. You can have some of the last ones. The important thing is to keep slinging those latkes until no one can eat any more. Latkes can be kept warm in the oven, but they're not the same. Serve them with a bowl of applesauce and a bowl of sour cream.

Make sure that you skim the oil with a slotted spoon or with one of those clever oil skimmer you can buy in Asian cooking stores. Otherwise errant bits of one latke batch will begin to carbonize in the oil and smoke, making the subsequent batches taste burned even if they're not.

One option is to use vegetable oil that you've already fried something in, as the reused (and strained) oil will make the latkes crunchier.

Scrub the oil off every surface in the kitchen, including your eyeglasses, which will need to be soaked in Dawn®. Take a shower to remove the grease from your pores. Clean the blue and white wax drips off the menorah. Put the cat out. Pour yourself a glass of port from the bottle you tell everyone else is for company only. Fall asleep in the chair. Wake up at 4:00 ayem, crabby that your spouse didn't  notice that you aren't in bed and didn't come and get you...

alfred
(12/6/01)

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Avital's Latkes

Avital's Latkes

Wow. I wonder what Martha Stewart's latkes recipe looks like...

fantasizing...

2 pounds premium King Edward potatoes, finely grated and soaked in icy
                 spring water drawn by Estonian maidens
1 Vitella onion, minced
3 shallots, finely diced
5 leeks, chopped and sauteed in butter
2 tbsp. finely minced parsley
2 tsp rock salt, ground fine
1 tsp white pepper, ground
pinch of nutmeg

(No cooking instructions were included...)

Avital
(12/5/01)

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Joan's Leftover Mashed Potato Soup

Joan's Leftover Mashed Potato Soup

Couple of weeks ago I way overestimated the mashed potatoes - so I made the most delicious soup out of them.

Sauteed a bunch of leeks, shallots and garlic (onions and garlic would work fine, or just onions) in butter, sprinkled them with a little flour, added plenty of pepper, stirred in the mashed potatoes and enough milk to the right consistency, then added some grated cheese at the end.

Very satisfying, and the best potato soup I ever had.

Joan
(11/25/01)

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