Fresh Chronicles

yellow squash fries + rooster sauce dip

My friend Nick dropped by today, so I tested these yellow squash fries on him. Although on the phone he thought I said pie.

 

The recipe I looked at used zucchini, but I only had yellow squash. I think I'll use zucchini next time, since I think I like the texture better.

 
 

After trying it out, I found these fries to be pretty darn good. I would make a few changes to the original recipe, which is over at Epicurious. My adapted version is below, and I think it'll make the fries a lot more flavorful.

 

For the sauce I just combined about 1/2 cup of miracle whip (mayo would have been better, probably) with a few squirts of sriracha.

    
 
 I read a few suggestions for baking vegetables with breadcrumbs, and the general consensus seems to be that the more flavor added to the breadcrumb mixture, the better. I had plain breadcrumbs and while I really enjoyed the fries, I'm sure a little oomph in the mixture would have been great, too.

Zucchini (or squash!) Fries

4 zucchinis
1 cup bread crumbs
coarse salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
1 cup cornmeal
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Combine bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper in large bowl or ziploc bag. Beat the 2 eggs in separate large bowl and set aside. Place the cornmeal in another separate bowl.

Peel zucchini if preferred, and slice into 1/3 in x 2 inch slices. Toss in the cornmeal, then coat well with the egg. Then place in bag with breadcrumb mixture, and toss until well covered. Lay out evenly on baking sheet, then put it in the oven.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until tender and golden. Let cool for about a minute, and serve with rooster dip.

Sriracha - Mayo Dip

1/2 cup mayo
2 tbsp Sriracha sauce

Stir mayo and rooster sauce in bowl until completely combined.

hasselback potatoes

   

Cooking for one tonight. Not to sound too morose or anything, but it's also been pretty cloudy and gray all day, and it just finished raining. A peculiar way to start off August. Anyway, I recently discovered hasselback potatoes, and they've since rocketed to the top of my "favorite comfort foods" list, which is particularly impressive considering most comfort foods have some sort of personal history behind them (grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, yellow rice and chicken, the list goes on, believe me).

   

I've heard of a few different variations on this Swedish staple. You can leave the skin on or peel the top half, but I don't think it would be smart to peel it all. What I love most about this potato is the contrast of crunchy skin with soft inside, so if you peeled it all you'd be missing out on something amazing. Last time I made these I left all the skin on, and I think I preferred it that way. It's probably more visually appealing this way, but what the hell. Food is for eating, you know? When slicing the potato, you can put it in a wooden (or plastic, in this case) spoon to keep your knife from slicing all the way through the potato.

 

The fun part about making these is the garlic. After you slice the potato, take the thin slices of garlic and just slide them right in between the sections of potato. They're going to give it this awesome flavor throughout while baking. I ate these with an arugula, basil, and blue cheese salad on the side. Not too shabby, I have to tell you.

Hasselback Potatoes

2 Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 stick of butter, melted (You can use olive oil, if you prefer)
2 cloves garlic, sliced very thin
coarse salt
pepper
1/2 tsp paprika or cayenne pepper

Set rack to middle of oven and preheat to 400°F.

If you choose to peel the tops of your potatoes, do so before slicing tops with close, horizontal cuts. Use wooden spoon to prevent knife from cutting to the bottom. Slide garlic slices between pieces of potato.

Place potatoes on aluminum foil-lined baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil or melted butter, and season with salt, pepper, and paprika.

Bake for about an hour, or until tops are golden brown and quite crispy. Serve with usual potato toppings if desired (I used chopped green onions).