Recipe #24: Potato Leek Pizza

Recipe: Potato Leek Pizza
Source: Pioneer Woman Cooks
Time: 45 min (if you have a ready pizza crust)
Ease: 6
Taste: 7
Leftover Value: 4
Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Keep it in the Strainer!

When I must face vegetables like leeks, I always wonder who it was that first decided that a leek was food.  Who was it that observed this strange green plant and imagined that it might be worth eating?  And who later realized that it was a great flavor inducer for meals like soup and apparently pizza, too?

I'm pretty sure if I belonged to the people of the ancient days, the guinea pigs as I like to call them, I would have been one who had a very limited diet.  I would have refused to try something different for fear that it would be inedible and either taste horrible or kill me.

That said, the star of this meal is the leek.  A strange, seemingly worthless bunch of green.  The hidden star, however, is the potato.  Hubby didn't even realize there were potatoes on the pizza until he was half way through his first slice.

I, however, was more excited about the bacon.

Bacon on pizza...can life get any better?

The reason I gave this pizza a '6' for ease is because there are a lot of prep steps.  The leeks need to be sliced and fried, the bacon needs to be fried then chopped, the potatoes need to be sliced (into thin slices with a mandoline), the cheeses need to be sliced, shredded, and crumbled, and that doesn't even include making the pizza crust and pressing it into the pan.  

Needless to say, it's a lot of work! 

Though red potatoes are my favorite, I went with the Yukon gold ones because that was what I had on hand.  I scrubbed the five small potatoes the recipe called for, but only needed two to cover the dough, so that is something to watch for with this recipe.  There is nothing worse that scrubbing down a potato that isn't going to be used, do you know what I mean?

If you don't, you must be much better at planning and organizing than I am.

Good for you.

Slicing the potatoes should be saved for last to prevent them from turning color.  

Though I doubt I'll ever have interest to seek out a recipe with leeks in it again, I will admit they had a very appealing aroma as I fried them in the pan and then scattered them on top of the cheese.

Then again, so did the bacon.  I had to restrain myself from nibbling the especially crunchy looking pieces.

From this pizza and this recipe that you might remember from summer, I have determined that I do not prefer goat cheese.  It isn't unbearable, but it isn't a flavor which I prefer.  It is a little too strong for me and I always find in recipes that call for it, I wish in the end that I had used half the amount called for. 

Parmesan, on the other hand, I can never have enough of.

More than likely, I won't make this recipe again, but I would certainly eat it again.  Reason being, it was simply too much work for pizza only.  I might even say it falls into the fried chicken category.  I'd love to eat a gourmet pizza of this sort, but I don't find the need to spend my own time making it.  I'd rather pay for it.

Or have a good friend cook it for me.

However, I do think I will experiment in the future with potatoes on my pizza, sans leeks, sans goat cheese, perhaps with the addition of ground beef and a white or pesto sauce.

Sliced Baked Potatoes

Recipe: Sliced Baked Potatoes

Source: Great American Recipes

http://www.recipelink.com/msgbrd/board_31/2006/OCT/41248.html

Time: 1:15

Ease: 3

Taste: 5

Leftover Value: 2

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Down the Drain!

I love potatoes.  I have always loved potatoes.  I remember telling my second grade teacher that I wanted to eat mashed potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  She told me that I would get tired of eating them after a while.  I didn't believe her.  I couldn't imagine how anyone could ever tire of the buttery goodness that is mashed potatoes.

But just in case she was right, it's a good thing I never tried it.

Because I still love potatoes, and my heart would be broken if I didn't.  

Mashed.  Baked.  Scalloped.  Smashed.  Fried.  

It doesn't matter.  They all make my heart sing.

This particular potato, of this particular recipe, sadly left a little more to be desired.  It is my future hope to come up with a fabulous rendition of this "Down the Drain" recipe that will transform it into a "Keep it in the Strainer" option.

*And perhaps, this is the sparking of a new idea for this blog: "Down the Drain" recipes become "Keep it in the Strainer" ones?  I'm loving the sound of it.

The start of this recipe makes it seem a rather serious task.  After cutting or peeling off undesirable parts of your potatoes, make slices across the short side of the potato spacing them only about a quarter of an inch.

While I disliked this recipe, it did teach me how to make this slicing action happen.  Whenever I learn something that I can use in the kitchen, success has been found.

Place a spoon face down on your cutting board and its handle will act as a stopper for the blade.  This way you don't end up cutting your potato into chunks instead of a still attached sliced potato.

There were a few slices that went a little too far, creating hinged pieces in my potato (see following picture).  Next time I'm going to try sliding the highest point of the spoon's handle with me as I go along with the knife.

Place the sliced potatoes into a baking dish.  Open them up a little, but not too much or the areas you cut too far in will stick out like a sore thumb just like.....oh yes, the potato that is front and center in this shot.

Here's a mini confession: I love red potatoes.  Sometimes, I will just completely ignore all other potatoes in the grocery store.  I know, I need to broaden my horizons, but red potatoes have never steered me wrong.

Sprinkle the potatoes with a little salt.

This part.  Ah, this part.  It makes me wonder how these potatoes didn't instantly transform into delicious mountains of goodness.

Drizzle 2-3 T of melted butter over each potato.

The recipe gives you the option of sprinkling 2 to 3 T of chopped fresh herbs or 2-3 tsp of dried herbs.  I went with a dried mixture because I didn't have anything fresh on hand.

Bake in a oven that has been preheated to 425 for 50 minutes.

Then sprinkle with 4 T cheddar cheese and 2 T Parmesan cheese.

Hello fresh Parmesan cheese.  I love you.  I'm sorry I wasted you on this recipe.  But it was for the sake of experimentation.

My gut says, 'We need more cheese'.  Definitely.  We will have more cheese next time around.

Place potatoes back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes.

If I was rating this recipe on looks alone, I'd give myself a 10 for delicious looking factor.

Maybe it was a bad batch of potatoes.  (But they're red, so how could it be?)  But maybe not.  There is a future for this recipe, just not the one that currently exists.  Keep your eyes open for its come back.

Not So French French Fries

Recipe: French Fries

Source: The Orange Strainer

Time: 50 minutes

Ease: 2

Taste: 8

Leftover Value: No leftovers, ever!

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Keep it in the Strainer!

I have a strong dislike of buying frozen french fries.  They never taste the way I expect french fries to taste.  So, in my five years of marriage, I think I can count on one hand the number of frozen french fry bags that I have bought.

Instead, I have chosen to make my own as long as I have potatoes on hand.

And I see to it that I always have potatoes on hand.

I love my starch.

Making your own french fries is a simple task.  The only difficulty is the length of time your potatoes need for cooking.  Potatoes can be just like people.  Some are easy going and work well with you, others are stubborn and take a long time to get where you want them.  The potatoes I used here are California White Potatoes.  They are extremely tiny, not very hard, and have a very thin skin.  Because of this, I didn't need to fry them as long and I chose to not peel them.  (If they had been larger potatoes, I probably would have peeled them, and they would have taken years to cook).

Start by cutting the potato in half.

Then cut the half into quarters.

Slice your quarter up into four or five pieces.

Then cut those pieces in half.  The point here is to get nice thin fries.  (Although, if you like nice thick fries, stop before these last two steps).

Repeat with the rest of your potatoes.  I always make too many.  But I've found that with french fries that whole "one potato per person" rule does not apply (especially if they are tiny potatoes).

So, you be the judge of your family's appetites.  I'm busy enough dealing with mine.

Pour about a quarter cup into a frying pan and let it heat up over medium high heat.  I used a little bit more than a quarter cup.  There's no problem with this, especially since I just used the leftover to fry the corn dogs that I made that night too.

I just don't want you judging me when you see how much oil is in the pan in these next pictures.

I can live with it, so I hope you can too.

Toss your potatoes into the hot oil.

Fry the potatoes in the oil for 5-10 minutes.  Make sure to flip them over every minute or so.  Again, if using a harder potato, you may need to fry them about 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 at this time.

After the potatoes have gotten a light tan, take them off the stove.  Try to drain off as much oil as possible before spreading them out onto a baking sheet.

Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes.  Then take them out, flip them over, and shake a little salty goodness on them.  Bake for 15 more minutes, or until that tan has become a little more prominent.

Toss some more salt on them and divvy them up between your family members.

Seriously, divvy them up.  Because if you don't you might not get any.