Food, Potatoes, Tater Talk

The Greatest Fast Food Fries

Sarah Paasch

In my expert opinion, fries make the world go round. Your burger or chicken nuggets would be NOTHING without a nice salty spud to compliment it. Obviously, some are much better than others. While I have not tried all the fast food fries in existence, I have tried enough to form an opinion on the matter. I give to you, the best of the best fast food french fries (with a few stories in between):

Hardee’s Curly Fries: a.k.a. crispy curls to uncivilized people – It’s been the best of times and the worst of times with these fries. My dad’s company did a halftime promotion during every Green Bay Packers’ home game for two years, where I got to help out with activities on the field. After halftime, my dad and I would stop at the Hardee’s Image result for hardee's curly friesright before the highway and get a soda and a curly fry. It was then that I solidified my love for curly fries. Something about the curl just makes it superior to all other fries.

Meanwhile in 4th grade, my family and I took a trip to Pennsylvania to visit the Hershey Factory and Theme Park. Naturally, we stopped at Hardee’s in Pennsylvania on the way. When I went up to the counter to place my order, I asked for a side of curly fries with my meal. To my shock, THE GIRL AT THE COUNTER HAD NO CLUE WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT. So there I was: hungry, bitter, and curly fry-less. This was easily one of the saddest times in my life, and I’m not being dramatic at all when I say that. Curly fries are the dream.

Arby’s Curly Fries – Yes I know, these are basically the same thing as Hardee’s curly fries. I promise you though, they are different somehow. I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again, fries taste better in curl form. The seasoning is Image result for arby's curly friesperfect, and honestly I’m getting hungry just thinking about them. One night, my friend and I drove up to visit my roommate and sat in an Arby’s for easily 3 hours. We probably went through 5 boxes of curly fries, but I’m unapologetic about it. They’re just too good. I may or may not have bought bags of frozen Arby’s curly fries at the grocery store just to hold me over until I could go to an Arby’s again. What a good fry.

Image result for chick fil a fries

Chick-fil-A Waffle Fries – Chick-fil-A was one of those experiences where I asked myself, “Where have you been all my life??” Waffles fries are the dream just as much as curly fries are. A restaurant serving them as their main fry is exactly what I need in my life. Chick-fil-A fries aren’t crispy, but they aren’t soggy either. They’re a perfect in-between. My only complaint? They have not yet opened a Chick-fil-A anywhere near me, so basically I’m left with a lot of hunger that I can’t do anything about. Life is so unfair sometimes.

Culver’s Crinkle Cut Fries – If you haven’t been to Culver’s, you haven’t lived. I can Image result for culver's friessay that for certain. Culver’s crinkle cuts are truly the perfect compliment to anything and everything you can order there. Crinkle cuts are amazing simply because they offer more potato for your buck, without getting crazy like potato wedges. Back in the day, my friends and I would go to Culver’s and only order a family fry, just because they were that good. Alternate these salty fries with a scoop of sweet custard and you’ll honestly be set for life. I have honestly just talked myself into eating Culver’s tonight upon writing this post. They’re that good.

Image result for mcdonalds fries

*McDonald’s Fries – I’ll be the first one to admit that I don’t care for McDonald’s very much. The documentary Supersize Me was very effective in my case. Unfortunately for my waistline, I can’t seem to kick my McDonald’s chicken nugget and fry habit. Some things just aren’t meant to be. Anyways, the fries. You may or may not have noticed the little asterisk next to this one. McDonald’s fries can be VERY addicting and yummy, pending they are not over-salted or under-salted. Too much makes me feel like I’ll become a human saltshaker. Too little and they just taste like cardboard. The secret lies in the salt. Maybe I’m just too picky, or maybe I’m just a potato connoisseur. I guess we’ll never know.

Image result for five guys friesLastly but not leastly, Five Guys Fries – Five Guys is basically heaven for me, considering they have the bags of the potatoes they use for fries surrounding the restaurant. They’ll even post on a sign which state the potatoes they’re using are from. It’s truly amazing. ALSO, Five Guys usually gives you way more fries than you could possibly imagine eating with your food. They’re the gift that just keeps on giving.

 

Food, Potatoes, Recipes, Tater Talk

Melted Potatoes – A Follow Up Post

Sarah Paasch

Hi all!

In case you didn’t follow my long, video tutorial, or wanted a more concrete recipe on how to make melted potatoes, look no further! I’m here to save the day for you.

I learned plenty of things during this melted potato video that were not shown, so hopefully this will serve as a behind the scenes look as well! I definitely didn’t do everything according to plan, and hope to translate my tips and tricks to you.

Melted Potatoes

You’ll need:

  • 3 pounds of potatoes, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon of thyme
    • I personally used half just because it looked like a lot
  • 9 tablespoons salted butter, melted
    • The recipe recommends 6 but I felt that this wasn’t enough to cover all of the potatoes fully – I also accidentally added too much pepper and this was how I counteracted that
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
    • I used approximately 2 teaspoons – use your best judgement

How you’ll make it:

  1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. This will take a while, so make sure you do it first. Then, chop off the ends of the potatoes and cut them into inch-thick discs. Mine ended up being about 1/2 inch, but I just cut down on cooking time towards the end.
  2. Toss the potatoes into a mixture of butter, thyme, and pepper. Arrange them in a single layer on a 13×9 baking pan. Avoid using a glass dish, it may shatter due to the high temperature.
  3. Roast the potatoes for about 15 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Remove the pan from the oven. Use tongs or a fork to loosen and flip the potatoes onto the other side. Pop the pan back in to roast the potatoes on the other side for about 15 minutes.
  4. Again, take the pan out, flip the potatoes again, but this time add the broth and garlic on top of the potatoes. I mixed these two together to get an even flavor, but its not necessary. After about 15 minutes (or shorter if your potatoes are thinner), remove the potatoes from the oven. Spread any remaining sauce on top of them, and enjoy!

 

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Green Giant Steamers with a Twist (Potatoes)

Sarah Paasch

Lately, I’ve been attempting to eat healthier than I have been. This has proved to be harder than I anticipated. Vegetables cannot compare to fries, chicken nuggets, and burgers. My willpower isn’t very strong, either. I’m trying, though! While I cannot kick potatoes, I can add them to something healthy and make my stomach happy while doing it.

One night, I was perusing my fridge for something delicious when I noticed that the red potatoes in my fridge were getting toward the end of their lives. In an attempt to be healthy, I decided that I would prepare a Green Giant Steamers bag and add potatoes to it! I honestly thought I was the craftiest person in the world, even if Green Giant makes a Steamers bag very similar to this one with potatoes.

ANYWAYS, I bring to you my made up meal:

Green Giant Steamers with a Twist (Potatoes)

Image result for green giant veggies

You’ll need:

  • One bag of Green Giant Steamers with Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, and Cheese Sauce
  • Approx four medium sized red potatoes (add more to the pot if you want another meal with potatoes the next day)
  • An appetite

How to make it: (Bear with me, it’s super complex)

  1. Take your red potatoes, toss them in a pot of boiling water on the stove, and cook them for approximately 15 minutes.
  2. Halfway through the cooking of your potatoes, toss the Steamers bag into the microwave and cook it based upon the instructions on the back. I believe it takes about 5 to 6 minutes.
  3. After the potatoes are easily forked, drain the water and dice up the potatoes.
  4. Open the Steamers bag, throw it in a bowl, and toss in the diced potatoes. Stir and enjoy!

Complex, right? Told you so. 

Food, Potatoes, Strange, Tater Talk

Six Alternate Ways to Use the Potato

Sarah Paasch

Although I would rather not admit this to myself, there are some people whose fancy is not tickled by potatoes. While I cannot fathom this idea, I suppose that I should be inclusive of all people on the potato loving spectrum. Maybe through this post, I can turn even the most dedicated potato hater into a spud supporter. I present to you, alternate ways to use a potato:

  1. Mail them to a friend!For the small price of $9.99 (or the price of a potato, a sharpie, and shipping if you’re into DIY things), you can send a note to a friend while also providing them a snack! In case you haven’t heard of this, there is a service called Potato Parcel that will write a note, print a picture, or make a postcard on a potato for you. This is 100% anonymous, too! I’ve had a few of these mailed to me by a good friend, and let me just say that receiving this is a dream for a girl with a potato passion. They even will send sweet potatoes to your sweetie around Valentine’s Day. Mother’s Day is May 13th, just in case you want to show your mom how much you care.
  2. Launch them with a potato launcher! While suggesting this to you all pains me, I suppose that every potato has a purpose. I’m willing to bet that certain potatoes sprout knowing their purpose in life is to be launched. If you’re looking for a way to take out your aggression on potatoes, look no further. You can even find instructions on how to make one of these bad boys here.
  3. Make a potato clock! Unfortunately for me, my science teachers never thought that I needed to learn about this potato phenomenon. Have no fear, you can learn here how to rig one up. If creating an electrical current with a spud isn’t your forte, you could always just buy one on Amazon like the one over there. Either way, I won’t judge you. If you have a clock powered by potatoes, you’re already cooler than most humans I know.
  4. Removing excess salt from soup! Are you finding that your soup is just too dang salty? Wash and cut up a raw potato and throw it into your soup or stew. After a few minutes, remove the potatoes. The potatoes should have soaked up the excess salt, leaving your soup a lot more tasty. 
  5. Keep your goggles and windows from fogging up! Do your windows, ski goggles, or swim goggles often fog up and annoy you? This problem, like many others, can by solved by a spud. Simply cut a potato in half and rub the insides on your goggles or windows, which will fix the fogging.
  6. Remove berry stains from your hands! Ever dreaded using strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries because they would stain your perfect hands? By simply rubbing a raw potato between your hands, you can remove berry stains and leave behind perfectly clean paws.

Potatoes are pretty cool, huh? I hope that someday, you call all appreciate these spuds as the main dish they deserve to be. Thanks for reading!

Food, Potatoes, Recipes, Tater Talk

Deliciousness in a Bowl: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Sarah Paasch

I’ve come to this blog today to share with you an oldie but a goodie. I found this recipe and fell in love with it after making it, as you do when it comes to anything potato related.

Growing up, my family ate most meals with some sort of potato to accompany it. Meat and mashed potatoes were our go-to, along with french fries, hashbrowns, and red potatoes to go along with everything else. Every once in awhile, I would volunteer to help make dinner. One random night, this help came in the form of the most delicious mashed potatoes (found on Pinterest, weird).

As to be expected, half of my Pinterest board is potato recipes. What can I say? I love potatoes! (This has become incredibly apparent by the fact that I have an entire blog about spuds). I have no shame.

Anyway, I tried this recipe on for size and the rest is history. I bring this to you today thanks to my sister (Hi Coley) after she made them once again for dinner. My mom suggested I share this with you all (Hi mom), so you can personally thank her when these turn out to be as good as I say. Special thanks to deliciousasitlooks.com for coming up with this greatness.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes (with the skins in them!)

You’ll need:

  • 1 1/2 pounds of red potatoes, quartered (about 8 red potatoes for those who don’t have a food scale in their house)
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream (maybe a little less unless especially like the taste)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup of salted butter

What you’ll need to do:

  1. Place potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and leave to cook for about 15-20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, place the garlic powder, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and butter in a bowl, preferably in an electric mixer. If you do not have one, just mix and mash by hand.
  3. Once the potatoes are easily pierced (not piercing their ears but piercing with a fork), remove from heat and drain. Throw (gently) together with the other ingredients and mix on medium until smooth. Mash by hand until smooth if not using a mixer.

Voila! Potatoes with the skins sure to impress anyone – except potato haters maybe, but we don’t acknowledge those people here. Enjoy!

 

Food, Potatoes, Tater Talk

Peculiar Potatoes Not Found in Your Local Piggly Wiggly

Sarah Paasch

Once upon a time, I had a brother-in-law named Geoff that loved growing strange kinds of fruits and vegetables. (Well actually, he still does it but for story telling purposes, I’ll keep the wording). Any kind of strange fruit or vegetable you could think of has probably grown in his garden. This has included but is not limited to: purple carrots, purple cauliflower, dragon tongue beans, and tomatillos. I swear these are all real.

Every year for the past three Christmases, he has given us strange seeds with specific growing instructions to follow once spring hits. Thanks to him, my attention has been called to a whole new world of potatoes that not even my wildest dreams could imagine. He hasn’t given me potato seeds yet for Christmas, but I’m hopeful. *hint hint*

While you won’t necessarily find these in your local Piggly Wiggly (not to leave out Pick N’ Save, Festival Foods, Jewel Osco, Kroger, and Wal-Mart), they do exist and deserve the proper attention that all potatoes need. If you’re intrigued, you’ll probably have to grow them to find out just how great they are. You should consult Geoff on the whole growing part though on his blog The Four Season Gardener.

Now, the moment you have all been waiting for!

All Blue Potatoes

Purple skin and blue flesh equals the prettiest of all potatoes. This potato, I’m told, is great mashed because of its meaty insides. They can also be made as baked potatoes and french fries. Online reviews tell me that they’re incredibly flavorful, and some even go as far as saying they are the best potatoes they’ve ever tasted. Unfortunately, it will turn pale when cooked. Why must heat ruin a good thing?

 

 

 

Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes

This particular potato wins the peculiar potato award for best name ever. The skin of the Russian Banana Fingerling potato is smooth, waxy, and the color of a good pair of khakis. When used, the skin is rarely peeled because of its thinness. Interestingly enough, these tubers are part of the nightshade family. Also included in the nightshade family are eggplants and petunias. These potatoes must have interesting family reunions! If you find these milling about in your kitchen, they can be grilled, baked, steamed, fried, or boiled. They have even been used as a pizza topping because of their tenderness.

P.S. They are from the Baltic region, and Russian sailors brought them to North America at the ports of Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and British Columbia. Thanks for blessing us with more taters.

All Red Potatoes

With cranberry-red skin and rose colored swirls, these potatoes could be a work of art. Great boiled, steamed, roasted, or scalloped, these potatoes will dress up any kind of dish you make. They even hold their color when cooked! Bonus right?? If you’re growing them, I even hear that they’re resistant to droughts and scabs. This potato is more technologically advanced than I am. We should all give it the respect it deserves.

Ever had an even stranger type of potato? Leave it in the comments below and it could be featured in a future post!

 

Food, Potatoes, Recipes, Tater Talk

Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie (With Potatoes!)

Sarah Paasch

Helloooooooo fellow potato lovers! This past weekend, my family and I had a shindig at my place where we tried out a new recipe. The night consisted of us eating an entire box of

Girl Scout cookies and watching the cops chase one of my neighbors across the street. You know, the usual.

Anyways, there was one more amazing thing that came out of that night. You guessed it, there was a meal made with potatoes. This recipe, originally posted by sixsistersstuff.com, was revamped by my sister and my mom to include potatoes. They must really love me, after all. Without further adieu, I give you:

Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie (With Potatoes!)

 

You’ll need:

  • 1/2 cup of chopped carrots
  • 3 to 4 cups of diced potatoes
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 regular size can of cream of chicken soup
  • 2 cups (about 1 pound) of cooked, shredded chicken
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 refrigerated package of Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (8 biscuits)

How you make it:

Preheat your oven to precisely 400 degrees. In the meantime, cook the chicken and defrost the vegetables. We used frozen vegetables, but I suppose you could use unfrozen ones too. Use your discretion. Combine the cooked chicken and veggies and leave aside.

Add butter to a large pan, and when melted, mix in the flour and stir it for one minute on medium heat. Whisk in the milk, chicken broth, and cream of chicken soup. Let the sauce simmer enough to thicken, usually for about a minute. Transfer the veggies and chicken into the sauce and stir it in. (If your sauce seems too thick, add a dash more of chicken broth and milk.

Pour this filling into a 13 x 9 inch dish and bake for 18 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven and add the uncooked biscuits on top. Put the dish back in the oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the biscuits are fully cooked. (We had a slight issue with a few biscuits being raw, so be sure to check them before taking them out of the oven completely). Let cool for five minutes and voila! A yummy dinner. (If you don’t want to let it cool, I understand. I get impatient when I’m hangry, too).

There you have it! A great alternative to chicken pot pie with the greatest food in the world, which are obviously potatoes. Enjoy!

 

Food, Potatoes, Tater Talk

The Three Best Potato Pairings

Sarah Paasch

Ever wanted to try a different type of potato and didn’t know what to put on it? Ever think a potato needed a little something extra? Look no further, we’re here to help.

I’ve found that an excellent pair with red potatoes are *drum roll please*………..packets of ranch and butter! Simple right? I present to you Ranch Packet Roasted Potatoes – created by Hidden Valley Ranch.

Start with:

  • 2 pounds of small red potatoes, washed and quartered
  • 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch powder
  • 3 tablespoons of butter

Toss them all together, stick them in a pan at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 35 minutes and BAM. Potato deliciousness. A simple yet effective way of making a good thing even better.

Say red potatoes aren’t your thing. Maybe you’re a potato chip kind of person? In any event, this information isn’t very mind-blowing. It’s a fact of life.

 

 

Image result for french onion dip

I give you the ultimate potato pairing. While Dean’s happens to tickle my fancy, I will admit that any type of french onion dip does the trick 125% of the time. Additionally, it’s multi-functional. Add it onto your baked potato instead of sour cream and watch your life change in the blink of an eye.

When in doubt, add cheese and bacon bits to your potatoes. Without further adieu, here are the appropriately named Easy Potato Skins – created by the I Heart Naptime blog.

You’ll need:

  • 4 large russet (or yukon, we don’t discriminate) potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons of melted butter
  • 1 or 2 cups of cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup of bacon bits
  • 2 teaspoons of kosher salt
  • Sour cream (if you’re into that sort of thing)

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover a pan with foil and non-stick cooking spray.

Wash the potatoes, cut off the ends, and slice into approximately 1/2 inch slices. Brush both sides with butter and sprinkle with salt. Place on the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Flip the potato slices half way through to brown each side. When they’re complete, add on cheese and bacon bits and bake for 3-5 minutes more to melt the cheese. Serve with sour cream if you so choose (I won’t judge you for it despite my hatred for sour cream).

There you have it! Three simple potato pairings to spice up your potato needs. Leave a comment below with your favorite potato pairing!

Food, Potatoes

5 Tuber Tidbits You Probably Didn’t Know

Sarah Paasch

As we’ve established, I love potatoes more than most humans. Do you really know who they are, though? I figured if me, the potato connoisseur, had never heard of these amazing facts, they were worth passing along! Since you’re probably all dying of curiosity, here they are:

 1. Potatoes were the first vegetable to be grown in space! Due to a partnership formed between NASA and the University of Wisconsin (!) – Madison, seed potatoes were  tested in space in 1995 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. NASA technology and a Chinese potato growing  technique paired up to grow Quantum Tubers. This advanced method can produce a crop of mini-tubers every  40 to 50 days, rather than taking a year to grow. One facility can produce 10 to 20 million mini-tubers a year!

2. The average American eats about 124 pounds of potatoes per year, while Germans eat about twice as  much. My German heritage probably plays an integral part in why I consume more potatoes than the average bear, and the average American.

3. The original potato chips were probably made by mistake. Before the year 1853, the world was a sad, sad place. In 1853, it is rumored that Chef George Crum created potato chips in a move to spite railroad mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt. As the story goes, Vanderbilt disliked thick-cut potatoes. One day, he decided to send his thickly cut potatoes back to the kitchen. In the midst of his annoyance with this move, Crum thinly sliced the potatoes, fried them in oil, and sent them back out to Vanderbilt. Supposedly, Vanderbilt loved them, which led to the eventual popularity of chips today.

4. Sweet potatoes are no potatoes at all. If there was ever a reason to dislike sweet potatoes even more, I believe I just found it. Sweet potatoes are actually part of the morning glory family, and are just swollen roots. They bear no relation to the actual potato, making them gross liars.

5. If you ever needed more of a reason to love potatoes, they are good for more than just eating. Rumor has it that by carrying a potato with you , you could prevent rheumatism AND soothe a toothache. They can also heal broken bones, ease frostbite, and clear up blemishes on people’s skin. People have even used potatoes to tell time, based upon how long the root took to cook. Potatoes are amazing in every way, hands down.