Potato Chips

Potato Chips

Ingredients:

russet potatoes

peanut oil

salt or other seasoning

Instructions:

Preheat oil in fryer to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, slice potatoes very thin (I use a 1/8" ruffle cut on a mandolin).  It is essential to have them cut evenly.  Place sliced potatoes in water until ready to use to prevent them from turning brown.

Before you fry the potatoes, drain the water and place potatoes on a towel.  Remove excess water by rolling the towel.

Place a few potatoes in the fryer (be sure to not overcrowd).  I found that they cook best when fully submerged.  My fryer has a basket that has an up and down position.  When I placed the basket in the up position it was just low enough to keep the potatoes submerged.  If you don't have this option, you will have to flip as you cook.

Cook potatoes until they are slightly tanned.  They should be rigid, not soft and mushy.  If your potatoes are not cut evenly you will see that one side is rigid while the other side is soggy.

When the chips are fully cooked move them to a cooling rack topped with paper towels.  Allow them to cool slightly before adding salt or other seasoning.

Tips:

My favorite chips are sour cream and cheddar and I wanted to try to make something similar.  If I were at the store I would have bought a cheddar popcorn flavoring or something but I wasn't at the store...I had to improvise.  I took the cheese packet out of a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and sprinkled the chips with that.  It wasn't the same, but it was actually better than I expected.  

What flavors do you like on your chips?

Buffalo Burgers

Ever had a buffalo burger?  If not, you're missing out.

I saw our local grocery store advertise buffalo meat for $6.99/lb which is the same price we pay for beef off-sale (I NEVER pay that for beef as I stock up when it is on sale, but that's not the point) so I picked up a pound.  After eating this burger I wished I had picked up two pounds!

You don't need to go all crazy with spices and flavorings with buffalo.  I just sprinkle in a little salt and pepper and it's delicious!

There aren't any big secrets or special recipes to share, I just wanted to give you something different to work with.

For this meal I made homemade sesame seed buns (recipe here).  I followed the ingredient list and used the bread machine to do all the work.  Once the dough was ready I shaped it, let it double (I actually fell asleep because I wasn't feeling well and they more than doubled) and baked it.  They turned out AWESOME!  I highly recommend that recipe.

I made approximately 1/2 lb burgers for my husband and a mini-burger for my son.  Brown up the patties as you would with hamburger, add some cheese, and voila!

Juicy Lucy with Bacon

If you're looking for a healthy recipe, you're looking at the wrong post.  This is a special treat that we only make once or twice a year.  I'm not even going to calculate the P+ on this one...just know it isn't good for you, but it's amazing!  This is what I classify as a "so good you won't care how bad it is" recipes.

I don't usually give step-by-step photo instructions but in this case I think it's easiest.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 lb 80/20 ground beef

Seasoning (I used Weber Gourmet Burger but you can use salt and pepper or the seasoning of your choice)

4 oz American cheese, cut into 4 slices (I used Velveeta)

10 slices center cut bacon

4 American cheese slices

4 hamburger buns

Directions:

Prepare bacon (see Baking Bacon).  Chop 2 pieces and set the rest aside.

Season beef with desired seasoning.  Separate into 8 pieces and form into patties.  

Top four of the patties with the American cheese and bacon.  Place the other 4 patties on top of the bacon and cheese to enclose the cheese and bacon.

Ok, this is the most important part.  You want to seal the two patties together well so they don't separate when cooking.  Press down the edges of the top burger until it is completely blended into the burger on the bottom.  Flip the entire thing and form into a thick patty.  Continue until you have 4 patties.

Place a skillet over medium-high heat.  Once pan is hot, place the patties in the pan.  Once the first side has a good sear flip to sear the second side.  When second side has seared, flip again and turn heat down to medium low.  Cook and flip until both sides are done (use a thermometer as these take a lot longer than a regular burger).  Let burgers rest for 5 minutes.

 Time for assembly.  Treat the burger as if it were any other burger.  Top with sliced cheese, bacon, and and any other toppings you would like.  Serve immediately.

WARNING!  The cheese in the burger is HOT!  Be careful!

The fun of this recipe is you can use almost any kind of cheese and other ingredients.  What combinations can you come up with?  Try them out and share your ideas with us!