French Fries

I love potatoes! Baked, mashed or fried. Pretty much anyway you can cook the potato I love! There something about this everyday vegetable that just has a special place in my heart. On it's own its not really flavorful, but you add a few things here and there and WOW what a delicious mouthful! 

One of the best ways to enjoy the simplicity of the potato is French Fries. They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and kissed with salt! Oh so good!!! I eat fries with ketchup and sometimes I eat ketchup with fries, as my husband would say! :) You can dip these delicious golden sticks into any kind of dip. Ranch, bbq, honey mustard, sweet & sour sauce, mayo and so on. I love Campfire Sauce (this is a  dipping sauce from Red Robin), it's a mix of bbq sauce and ranch. It's is so good! I make my own at home, you just need to adjust to your taste. A little more bbq or a little more ranch, up to you.

How ever you like to dip, these fries will be just perfect!

Buen Provecho! 

Clean & Cut into sticks.

Soak for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. Can also soak overnight.

Drain and blot fries dry.

1st fry- 5-6 minutes, until soft, par-cooked

The fries should still look pale & soft.

2nd Fry - Cook until golden brown.

Crispy goodness.

Season with salt.

Dip & Eat!!

French Fries: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

2-3 large Russet Potatoes, scrubbed

Oil for frying

Salt for seasoning

Road Map:

1. Rinse the potatoes. Leave skin on, cut them into stick. 

2. Place them in a large bowl cover them with cold water. Soak 30 mins to 1 hour at least. You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight.

3. Drain off water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot with paper towels to dry them.

4. Heat a few inches of oil in a heavy pot to 325 degrees F. In 3 or 4 batches, cook the potatoes until soft, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Remove each batch and drain on rack lined with paper towels.

5. Once all the potatoes have been fried once, turn up the heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees F. When the oil's hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again, cooking until the fries are golden and crisp. Remove the potatoes from the oil and drain on paper towels.

6. Season with salt and enjoy!

Pimento Cheese Grilled Cheese

I've been in a Southern mood lately. The cuisine is just so inviting! From Fried Green Tomatoes to beignets!! Today I'm going to enjoy another Southern delight, pimento cheese. The South knows comfort!! This cheese is ridiculously delicious!! The smokiness of the pimento is so amazing. Big flavor in such a tiny diced pepper. I love the bright deep red color of the pimento, very pleasing to the eye.

This cheese is full of full fat ingredients as to why this cheese is amazing!! Mayo, cream cheese are major players in this cheese. It's really simple to make. I made it in the food processor. I added puréed 1/2 of pimentos then add the  cream cheese and pulse until blended. Then add the cheese handful by handful and pulse until incorporated. Finally add the mayo and pulse until incorporated. Pour it out into a bowl and mix in the reserved pimentos and you're done! So easy!! 

You can totally just eat the cheese with crackers, but why not make it into a grilled cheese!! I took my favorite bread, sourdough, and did just that!! 

In order to get a crispy sandwich I spread butter to the outside, works every time. The cheese was oozing out! So exciting!! 

The outcome was so GOOD!!!!! 

This dish is definitely worth every sinful bite!! It's a must try!! 

Buen Provecho!!

8oz of shredded sharp cheddar

Place about half of the pimento into a small processor and puree.

Add 4 oz of cream cheese with pimento puree and process...

...Until it looks like this

Add cheese in batches and process until....

...it looks like this.

add mayo  & process until smooth

Yummy Pimento Cheese!

Slather bread with cheese, don't be greedy! 

Add butter to the outside for a crispy sandwich.

Griddle up or Pan up1

Until bread is brown & toasty and cheese is ooey gooey!

Such beauty!!!!

Look at that deliciousness! Gooey cheese & crispy bread! Perfection!

Pimento Cheese Grilled Cheese - yields about 1-2 cups of pimento cheese

Ingredients:

8oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
4oz Cream cheese, room temp
7oz pimento jar
1/4 cup Mayo
4 slices of Sourdough Bread
melted butter for grilling

Roadmap:

1. Puree 5 oz of pimentos in a small processor. Add cream cheese and process.

2. Add shredded cheese in batches and process. Add mayo and process until smooth.

3. Pour mixture into a bowl. Add remaining pimentos and mix well with a spoon.

4. Preheat griddle or non stick pan. Add a generous spoonful to all 4 slices of bread and make sandwiches. Brush melted butter to the outside bread, to ensure a crispy exterior.

5. Add buttered sandwiches to griddle and toast until golden brown.

6. Drain on a paper towel, let sit for for a couple of minutes, until its cool to touch.

7. Store remaining pimento cheese in an air tight container. Keeps good for 1 week. Enjoy!!!