Tag Archives: Potato

Where the Magic Happens

Posted on January 31, 2012 | 5 comments

In true MTV cribs fashion, I’m going to let you in on where the magic happens…But not that kind of magic.  After all, a Bite-Sized lady doesn’t kiss and tell…My kind of magic is made in the kitchen.  And magic, is exactly what’s on the menu today.  Magic Sauce get its name because, well it’s really magical.  It has the ability to transform something boring into some seriously divine.  Think Fairy Godmother, but edible.  One day you’re Cinderella, the next day you are a princess.  And by you, I mean your food.

This sauce is great for dipping, think crunchy bread.  It’s also great for eggs, potatoes, shellfish, chicken, steak and vegetables.  Really, it’s good for anything and everything.  Which is why it’s magical.  The recipe makes about ½ a cup of Magic Sauce.  But the way I use it, and the way you are sure to use it, it’s best to double the recipe right away.  The sauce, like a fine wine, also gets better with age.  So, make a batch, or two, and let the magic happen.

Magic Sauce
Ingredients
½ cup of good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 medium cloves of garlic, smashed into a paste
1 well-crumbled bay leaf
pinch of red pepper flakes
¼  teaspoon + fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions
Gently warm the olive oil over medium-low heat in a skillet or pan, until it is just hot. When hot remove from heat.

While the oil is heating, lightly pound the rosemary, thyme, and oregano in a mortar and pestle.  If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can chop all of the ingredients together.

Stir the paprika, garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and salt into the oil. Then add the bruised herbs and lemon juice.

You can use this now, but know – the oil just gets better as it ages over a few days. Keep it in a refrigerator for up to a week/ten days-ish. It thickens up when cold, so if you need it in a liquid state, place it in the sun or in a warm place for a few minutes.

Recipe from: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/magic-sauce-recipe.html

101cookbooks.com is a great collection of recipes and beautiful food photography.   If you are ever looking for inspiration, make sure to visit this site!

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Chipfaced

Posted on December 25, 2011 | 2 comments

I may be a girly girl, ya know pink birthday cake to match my pink manicure, and long blonde curls for days, but I bleed orange and blue. I am a tried and true Knicks fan, always have been always will be.

I look forward to Fall solely for the return of basketball season, and brunch in the city. But mainly basketball season. So, the NBA lockout was tortuous for me. But now, the NBA is back and I am back in my Knicks gear. But, a simple Knicks tee isn’t enough to show my pride today. Today, I sport my excitement with food. Blue and Orange Potato Chips. Genius right? I know, they should totally sell these at The Garden. But hey, MSG, if you do, please name them after me? Thanks!

And what would chips be without dip? Lonely, that’s what. So, I’ve made a Homemade Caramelized Onion dip to go alongside the chips.

Homemade Knicks Mix Chips
Ingredients
1 large sweet potato
1 24 ounce bag of assorted tricolor baby potatoes (blue,  red, yellow)
1 large bottle of vegetable oil
Kosher salt

Directions
Add the vegetable oil to a fry pan and heat over medium to high heat. Wash and peel your potatoes.  Then, using your mandolin, carefully slice the potatoes thinly.  Place the sliced potatoes in a bowl of water until you are ready to fry them.

Once all of the potatoes are sliced, the oil should be ready.  If you have a thermometer, check to make sure the oil is around 325 degrees.  If you don’t have a thermometer, the best way to check the oil is by frying a potato.  Just use one slice as a test.  Place it carefully in the oil.  The oil around the potato will begin to bubble.

The potato will begin to brown.  You know it is down when the oil stops bubbling.  It’s like nature’s own alarm clock.  If the test potato comes out well, fry up the rest! Make sure not to overcrowd the pan or the temperature of the oil will go down, leaving you with mushy potatoes.  Once the potatoes are golden and crispy, remove them from pan and place them on a paper towel lined sheet tray.  Dust them with kosher salt.  Place in a bowl to serve.  Enjoy!

Caramelized Onion Dip

Ingredients
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
3/4 cup of reduced fat sour cream
3/4 cup of 0% plain Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
Kosher salt

Directions
In a large killet, heat olive oil over medium to high heat.  Add the onions and a few pinches of salt and saute until the onions are caramelized.  This should take approximately 40 minutes.  Then, set the onions aside to cool.  In the meantime, mix together the sour cream and yogurt.  Add the garlic powder and a pinch of salt to taste.  Then, add the onions and mix to incorporate. Chill until you are ready to serve!

Caramelized Onion Dip recipe inspired by 101cookbooks.com

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One Hell of a Chanukah Party

Posted on December 24, 2011 | 2 comments

Last night, I had one hell of a Chanukah party.  The champagne was flowing, the caviar was chilled, the latkes were piled high.  It was a great night with great friends and family.  So great, in fact, that I dreamt about it.  So, when I awoke, I was still thinking about latkes.  But isn’t that truly the test of deliciousness? When you dream about your food.  Sure is.

Leftover latkes are incredible.  If you have a lot, you can pop them in the freezer and defrost at your leisure.  Or, if you are like me, and eat 15 at a time, you probably won’t have any latkes for the freezer.  I never do, because I eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.   Breakfast Latkes are some of my favorites.  The latke is like a hash brown, but better, because it’s a latke.  So, it’s an egg-cellent base  for eggs.  Get it? Happy Chanukah!

 

 

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Menorah Blahnik

Posted on December 24, 2011 | 7 comments

So, last night was the night, the big night. And by big night, I mean my big Chanukah party.  I’d prepped all week.  After you saw my Thanksgiving prep, did you really expect anything else? Right. So after a week of prep work, I was finally ready.  While there was lots of yummy stuff on the menu, there was clearly one leading lady and that leading lady was the Latke. 

Although I celebrate Chanukah with the 3 C’s, champagne, caviar and chocolate, none of these means of celebration would exist at my party without the latkes.  My latkes, like many of my other recipes are easy.  Well, easy with a food processor. If you are grating potatoes by hand, and make it through 10 lbs. without fainting, well that’s really a Chanukah miracle in itself. 

Latkes (10 servings)
Ingredients
5 lbs.of baking potatoes
5 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
15 tablespoons flour
2 tbsp. kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable Oil
Butter

Directions
Wash and then peel the potatoes.  Grate them lengthwise. Place the potatoes in a colander or kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. (Potatoes hold a lot of liquid!)

Combine the potatoes in a bowl with the egg, flour, salt, and pepper. Mix well.  I recommend using your hands.  It’s fun, it’s messy and it’s really the best way to get all the ingredients incorporated.  

Add oil and a little butter to a skillet over medium to high heat. Drop a heaping tablespoon of the potato mixture into the sizzling butter and oil.  I like big, thick latkes while my Dad likes them to be thin and crispy.  So I change up the amount of potato mixture I add the pan to create different size latkes. Feel free to play around! 

Flatten the latke with a spatula and cook for approximately, 2 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown. Flip the latke and then flatten again. Cook for approximately another 2 minutes, until crisp on the outside and golden brown.

Remove from the pan and set aside on a paper towel absorb some of the excess oil.  Serve with apple sauce, or the Bite-Sized way, with a dollop of sour cream and a touch of caviar!

Happy Chanukah!

Recipe inspired by Ina Garten
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/potato-pancakes-with-caviar-recipe2/index.html

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Dreidles to Play With and Latkes to Eat

Posted on December 21, 2011 | 3 comments

Chanukah is my favorite holiday, well really second favorite.  Obviously because Halloween is my first.  But I guess if we are only talking holidays in terms of religion, Chanukah is my number 1.  Wait, who am I kidding? Candy is a religion. Halloween is still my number 1.  But I really do love Chanukah.  Now, I know what you are thinking; Chanukah is my favorite because I get eight presents.  Well both my parents can attest to the fact that that’s just not true anymore.  So what makes this holiday so special? Everything, that’s what.  But, if I had to narrow it down I could choose 3 choice words to describe this holiday: champagne, caviar and chocolate.

I bet that’s not what you were expecting me to say.  But since when is this Bite-Sized Blonde predictable? While predictable I’m not, I am traditional.  And I mean that in the sense that I create traditions and then follow them.  So, for me, Chanukah tradition is all about the three C’s.

Champagne is somewhat obvious.  I told you once, a party just ain’t a party without a little of the bubbly stuff.  And Chanukah is one hell of a party.  You certainly cannot celebrate, especially a miracle, without champagne.  I think that’s considered sacrilegious.

Caviar – also a celebratory food, but that’s not the reason you’ll find it at my Chanukah table.  Caviar is salty, which offsets the greasy latkes perfectly.  With just a hint of sour cream, it’s really the perfect pairing.  If this tasty treat sounds awfully familiar, it’s because it’s kind of like a blini, but better.  And in case it didn’t sound familiar at all, and know you’re wondering what a blini is, I’ll tell you.  A blini is a pancake typically topped with crème fraiche and caviar.  What makes my Chanukah blinis great, is a great latke as a base.

Now chocolate.  Chocolate is as much a part of Chanukah as dreidles.  Hello…gelt.  But, if you’re anything like this Bite-Sized Chocoholic, gelt isn’t enough to calm your cravings.  So, we end our Chanukah celebration with even more chocolate.

I hope your mouth is watering.  I know mine is.  But what I really also hope is that you have a wonderful Chanukah!

Stay tuned this week for recipes, and of course, a photo recap!

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Foto Friday

Posted on November 25, 2011 | 6 comments

Ughh, that’s the only sound I can make right now.  Probably because I am still so full.  Oh, the beauty of stuffing your face for 3 straight hours.  Well, one more thing I’m thankful for this year, is that this feast only happens but once a year.

I have been promising you photos all week, and boy do I have a lot of them! I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as much as  I did.  And if you are still hungry for more, I have serious leftovers.

Thanksgiving Photo Recap…it’s right about now I wish this was a slideshow…

Baked Brie 

Autumnal Salad

Turkey Breast 

Drunken Cranberry Sauce

Coconut Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Apple Pie

Brownie S’mores Pie

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As Feast Week Continues…

Posted on November 23, 2011 | 10 comments

Twas the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the house,  were scents of sweet dishes that were sure to arouse…Seriously though, my apartment smells fantastic!! Today was my first official day of cooking and baking in preparation of the feast, excluding the ice cream making I did last week.  And man, am I ready for tomorrow or what.  I mean mentally ready, cause damn I’m tired.  But I still have a few more dishes to finish off tomorrow.

In the meantime, here are a few more recipes to get your juices flowing…

Cranberry sauce is a staple at the Thanksgiving table.  But, it can be kind of boring.  So, I put a Bite-Sized spin on this classic dish and added alcohol.   Now the dish is delish and has it’s own catch phrase: “Cranberry sauce you can get sauced from.”  Okay, I’ll work on the catch phrase, but this cranberry sauce really is spectacular.

Drunken Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
1 12 ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup of orange juice
¼ cup of water
1 shot of orange liquor (Grand Marnier)
1 orange

Directions
Place all of the ingredients, except the orange, in a sauce pan and cook on medium – high heat for about 15 to 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced, stirring occasionally. You will hear the cranberries pop, which is a good thing! Once most of the liquid has been reduced, remove from the heat and let cool.  While the cranberry sauce is cooling, segment 1 orange.   To segment the orange, slice off the top and bottom of the orange.   This will give you an even surface for cutting.  Cut off the peel, including the white pith.  Try not to remove too much of the orange along the way! Cut the orange between the membranes and remove the fruit.  Then, cut into quarters and add to the now cool sauce.  Cool the sauce in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve.

Presentation is 9/10ths of the law, the law of eating that is.  So to make this sauce look even better, I brulee a couple orange slices to add to it.   First, thinly slice half an orange.  Lay out a few slices on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle liberally with sugar.  Using your kitchen torch, brulee those babies and add them to your sauce as a garnish!

Another Thanksgiving staple, that is totally one of my favorites, is Sweet Potatoes.  But like I told you before, I’m not adding any marshmallows to this dish.  Instead, I’m making Coconut Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes.  Sounds a little funky, but I promise this dish will be huge hit around the dinner table.  Trust me, and if you don’t trust me, then trust Heidi Swanson, author of www.101cookbooks.com, where I found this intriguing recipe.

Coconut Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes (serves 6)
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup raw, unsweetened grated coconut
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
1/3 cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Pierce each sweet potato numerous times with the tines of a fork and wrap in foil.  Place in the oven for somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half, until each is baked through. Times vary greatly depending on the size of your sweet potatoes – in the end you should be able to cut through the center flesh as if it were soft butter. Remove the potatoes from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, and cut each sweet potato in half. Scrape the flesh into a medium mixing bowl. You should have about three cups of sweet potatoes. In a large bowl mash the sweet potatoes with the coconut milk. Stir in the ginger, maple syrup and salt. Let it sit for a few minutes, stir again and taste – adjust the seasoning if you need to.

Spoon the sweet potato mixture into a large baking dish, sprinkle with coconut, drizzle with olive oil and bake uncovered until warm and the coconut golden roughly 30 – 40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with the toasted macadamia nuts.

To see the recipe by www.101cookbooks.com, click here:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-sweet-potatoes-recipe.html

Still waiting on that Turkey recipe, huh? Well, guess what? You are going to have to wait one more day! Tomorrow wouldn’t be Turkey day without a Turkey, now would it?

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Feast Week

Posted on November 21, 2011 | 9 comments

Today begins Feast Week, like Fleet Week – but think less sailors, more stuffing – face stuffing to be exact.  The eating doesn’t start today, but the preparation sure does.  And since it would be totally selfish to prep my feast and not help you prep yours, I’m going to share my Thanksgiving menu with you.

The Bite-Sized Thanksgiving Menu, which is anything but Bite-Sized includes… in serving order:
Baked Brie
Autumnal  Salad
 Turkey Breast
Drunken Cranberry Sauce
Coconut Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Apple Pie
Brownie S’mores Pie
Vanilla Gelato

I’ll start by sharing my dessert recipes, partly because I have already shared these recipes and partly because pies can be made in advanced…like the day before.  Any earlier and you risk having a stale pie – uncool, totally uncool.

Apple Pie is a classic Thanksgiving dessert, and the classics are classics for a reason.  This is the pie that the phrase easy as pie was born from.

Click here to see the recipe for Easy Apple Pie.

Brownie S’mores Pie is another dessert I’m serving for Thanksgiving this year for a couple reasons.  This pie was a big hit at last year’s Thanksgiving, and it’s a perfect use for marshmallows, since I’m not using them on the sweet potatoes.

Click here to see the recipe for Brownie S’mores Pie.

The only dessert recipe you haven’t seen from the Bite-Sized Blonde yet is Vanilla Gelato.  Sure, you’ve seen Ice Cream recipes, but we all know Ice Cream is not the same as Gelato the same way College Ball is not the same as the NBA.  So, without further ado, I give you…

Vanilla Gelato*
Ingredients
1 ¼ cup of whole milk
1 ¼ cup of heavy cream
6 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean
½ cup sugar

Directions
Whip the heavy cream until it becomes whipped cream.  Then, place in the refrigerator.  Add the milk and vanilla bean to a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Heat the mixture until it starts to bubble along the edges.  Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool down for approximately 10 minutes.  Once cool, remove the vanilla bean.  Cut the bean in half lengthwise and scrap out the black seeds using the back of a knife.  Add the seeds back into the milk mixture and discard the now empty vanilla bean shell.

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  You will be using this to heat the custard mixture you are about to make.  Make sure the water does not come up too high, because it cannot touch the bottom of the bowl.   In a large, heatproof bowl (typically glass), whisk the egg yolks and sugar until creamy.  Once the pot of water is boiling, place the bowl on top of the pot.  Add the now cool milk and vanilla mixture to this bowl and continue to whisk.  Once the mixture is incorporated, stop whisking and begin stirring with a wooden spoon.  Stir this mixture until it becomes a custard – which means that it should be thick enough to coat the back of your spoon.  Be careful with the heat as this custard should not simmer! Once the mixture is thick enough, remove from the heat and let cool.  Once cool, fold in the whipped cream.  Transfer to your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Still craving more dish on Bite-Sized Thanksgiving dishes? Check in each day of Feast Week for more recipes.

*Pictures will be displayed at the end of the week, so stay tuned my Bite-Sized readers…

Recipe by:
Alex Barker, 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets & Gelatos

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