Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes

I love garlic and I love potatoes. So it would only stand to reason that I love garlic potatoes. Yep. I also love it when delicious things are super easy. These potatoes are super easy. It's love ^__^

Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes

1 lb red potatoes, cut into wedges

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp fresh or dried rosemary

2 cloves garlic, minced or pureed

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a bowl, toss potatoes in olive oil and salt and pepper until coated. Arrange potato wedges in a glass baking pan so that they are in one layer with no overlap - if you can, have the skin sides facing up. Sprinkle with rosemary. Cover in aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 min, depending on your wedge size (larger wedges take longer to cook). After 20 min, remove foil and flip potatoes with a spatula. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove potatoes from oven and return to the original bowl. Add garlic and mix. Serve hot and enjoy :D

Potato Soup

Tonight I made potato soup with French bread on the side for dinner. This is my very favorite potato soup recipe ever, so I must share!

Potato Soup

4 medium potatoes, peeled & cubed (bite-sized!)

1/2 small onion, diced (or 1 small shallot)

2 14 oz cans of low fat chicken broth

1 cup water

salt & pepper to taste

pinch of basil

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup flour

1 cup heavy cream

Garnish

4 pieces of cooked bacon, chopped

chives, chopped

shredded cheddar or cheddar/jack cheese

Boil potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover them for approx 25-30 min. While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the rest of the soup - the soup takes about as long to make as the potatoes take to boil. In a medium to large soup pot, melt butter - do not brown! - and sauté onion until soft. Stir in flour and mix until smooth. Add chicken broth, water, salt & pepper, and basil while stirring. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the flour does not sink and burn on the bottom. Mix in the cream. Drain potatoes (if it's been 30+ mins) and carefully add to soup. Serve with cheese, chives, and bacon on top! For super extra tastiness, add 2 more pieces of chopped bacon to the soup before you add in the cream. Enjoy :D

Shepherd's Pie (or Cottage Pie for purists)

Disclaimer: I know that Shepherd's Pie is specifically made with mutton and that it should really be called Cottage Pie since I make it with beef, but, too bad :P In Ireland they call it all Shepherd's Pie and we tend to do the same in Americaland so deal with it :D

So, I actually made this for dinner when my sister was here last week, but apparently I took a picture of it so :D Now you must suffer through hearing about it!

Shepherd's Pie is pretty easy to make, but the one thing that really makes it for me is the potatoes! If you use fake mashed potatoes for the top, it's just squishy and gross. I happened to have some left over Yukon gold potatoes that I mashed up for the top and it was divine :D The meat part was a mix of onion, carrot, peas, corn, and some other spices to give the beef a bit of kick. Topped it with cheddar cheese and baked it until it was gold - best thing to do is rough up the top of the potatoes with a fork before you bake so it gets crunchy peaks.

Fortunately I made lots, since everyone had seconds!

Potato Pancakes (Reibekuchen or Latkes)

So, it being the holiday season and also getting pretty cold this morning, I thought I would haul myself out into the coooold cold kitchen and make potato pancakes to go with breakfast this morning. I haven't made them in fiftybzdillion years, but they are just as tasty as I remember (and as messy to make!!!). I make them with onion and fry them in olive oil, then top them with butter or garlic & herb sour cream. Yum :D I like them nice and crispy, not like some of the lightly cooked 'yellow' ones you see (gross!).

In case you're interested in making these, here is the recipe:

Potato Pancakes

3 Potatoes

1 Small Onion

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Flour

Shred potatoes and onion together - pat dry with paper towels to remove extra water. Mix in eggs and flour - this will not make a 'batter' but it will make the potatoes all stick to each other when you fry them. Fry in pan until golden brown on both sides. Serve plain or with butter, sour cream, or apple sauce. Enjoy!