Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Spicy-cheesy Hasselbeck-style Potatoes







1 1/2 t sea salt
1 t garlic powder
1 t Hungarian paprika
1/2 t chili powder
1 t dry basil
1 t dry oregano
1/2 t dry rosemary
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 lb unsalted butter
5 lb white or gold potatoes

9x13 glass dish, well buttered
preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Place salt, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, basil, oregano and rosemary in a food grinder (I have a small electric coffee mill I use for spice blending/grinding). Process blend into a fine powder. Add grated Parmesan cheese and blend into a fine, well mixed powder. Set aside.
Wash the potatoes, cut a 1/8" slice off the widest side to form a base. Place two chop sticks in parallel and place the flat side of the potato between them. Make a series of 1/8" wide cross cuts across the potato from one end to the other, using the chop sticks as a stop. Place cut potatoes into the 9x13 pan leaving a little space between. Repeat cutting for all of the potatoes.
Melt the stick of butter in a small pan or microwave dish. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of each sliced potato, getting melted butter down into the slices.
Use a spoon to sprinkle generous amounts of the spice-cheese mixture on each potato, using your fingers to push some down into the slices as well. When all are coated, sprinkle any excess spice-cheese mixture over the top of all of the potatoes.
Optionally, you can add some additional grated Parmesan to each potato if you wish.

Right before baking:


















Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Serve immediately.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Satay Chicken with Peanut Sauce
















Satay Chicken
4 large half boneless chicken breasts
1/4 chopped onion.
1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
2 T lemon juice
2 T Thai fish sauce
1 t garlic powder
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin
2 t dry turmeric
1 T dry cilantro
bamboo skewers

Peanut sauce
1/2 c smooth peanut butter
2 T lemon juice
1 T lime juice
2 T low sodium soy sauce
1 T Thai fish sauce
1 t chili powder

Prepare Chicken - Start 24 hours before cooking.
Cut up the chicken. I prefer if the chicken is still slightly frozen because it's easier to slice consistently. For each half breast, trim off any fat, then slice 1/4" - 3/8" thick lengthwise slices. Slice up all of the chicken. Count how many strips you have and place the same or a few more skewers in a pan of water to soak overnight.

In a bowl, mix liquid ingredients and spices. Pour mixture into a large ziplock bag. Add the chopped onion. Add the chicken slices, coating each piece as it's added. Once all of the chicken is in the bag, squeeze out as much air as possible while closing the zipper. Place on a plate or in a pan in the refrigerator overnight.

Mix Peanut Sauce
Whisk together all ingredients except peanut butter. Slowly add the peanut butter a couple tablespoons at a time, whisking until the sauce is smooth. Once all of the peanut butter is added put the sauce in a bowl for serving.

Cook Chicken
I used a Panini press/Grill appliance. You can also use a gas/charcoal grill as well. You want to grill/cook at high temperature.

One by one, skewer the chicken slices lengthwise trying to keep the skewered slice as flat as possible. This is messy, but keeping it flat will make it cook evenly.

Place skewers on the grill top. Allow to cook for several minutes on the first side. You want to see the meat turning white, brown grill marks forming. When the chicken starts browning, flip to the other side. Move pieces around the grill top for consistent cooking. Move finished pieces off the grill and continue cooking through all of the skewered slices.

Serve immediately or keep warm in an oven-safe pan covered with foil to prevent drying at 200 degrees F.