Help The Students Event: Day 1

Welcome to the kick off of Help the Students event.  For the next month you will be seeing recipes that are student friendly.  Recipes that use simple, easy to find ingredients.  Recipes that are straight forward and easy to prepare.  You will also find tips, tricks, shopping ideas, economical ideas and special guest posts from fantastic food bloggers.

I thought I would kick off day one with a simple homemade oven fries recipe.  This guys are so versatile and great at anytime of the day.  Yes you read it right!  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner – these are a hit!  My Dad used to tell me growing up that fries in brown paper bags are the best.

I have had them a few times at restaurants and I do agree with him.  A fun novelty that you can for sure create at home.

Ingredients

• 3-4 Baking Potatoes (sliced)
• 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 Tsp. Garlic powder
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Tsp. Black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper
2. Slice potatoes and then rinse well and pat dry with paper towel.
3. In a large bowl add potatoes, olive oil, salt, garlic, black pepper and mix well
4. Pour out on a cookie sheet and bake 20-25 minutes turning occasionally until golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and serve on plate or in a brown paper bag.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Ensure the potatoes are very dry before starting the baking process.  If any amount of liquid is present, the potatoes will steam and not become crispy.  Once they come out of the oven and screaming hot… hit them with a little bit of salt.

Freestyle Variation: Add some heat if you are in the mood by tossing with a little cayenne pepper or a few dashes of hot sauce.  A nice finishing touch is to add Parmesan cheese with about 5 minutes to go in the cooking process.

I hope you enjoyed Day 1 of Help The Student event.  Feel free to send along your recipe or tips if you would like to be featured this month.  Students all over the world will benefit from your experiences.  Have a super Wednesday.

Take care

zesty

Growing up on PEI, potatoes are everywhere, and I have grown to love them.  Whether they are mashed, baked, french fries, scalloped, pan fried, boiled, microwaved ( umm a bit sketchy) I eat them all.  Over the years I have tested many techniques and added different flavoring to potatoes to kick it up a notch.  When looking for a comfort side dish I tend to lean towards the method seen below.

Now do not dismiss the fact I truly adore mashed potatoes with butter and cream but lately I have been all over SMASHED potatoes.  It is a two step process to make it happen but will never disappoint.

Ingredients

• Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

1. Start off by boiling the potatoes until almost fork tender.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F
3. Once the potatoes are finished boiling remove them from the water and let stand for a minute.
4. Prepare a cookie sheet or roasting pan
5. Using a heavy bottomed pot, smash the potatoes gently to just break the skin and press the potatoes down.
6. Once flat, add a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven until golden brown and slightly crispy.  About 25-35 minutes.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: In the boiling stage, be careful not too overcook the potatoes.  You just want them softened slightly so you can “smash” them with the back of a pot.

Well I hope you enjoyed the potato talk.  Do note that they are potatoes and very versatile.  Switch it up and keep it fresh.  Another great alternative is the beloved sweet potato.  All the techniques stay true to a regular potato.  As I am typing this, I think someday I should talk about all the different types of potatoes and why some are good for baking versus boiling etc.  Maybe another time!  Have an amazing Wednesday and I will talk to you on Friday.

Take care

zesty