lazy hash browns late saturday night i realized i didn't have the makings of a nice sunday breakfast. nothing. so i went to the only market opened after 11 pm and attempted to buy eggs, sausages and hash browns. yes, i could make the hash browns myself from potatoes, but i was being a lazy slug and wanted a shortcut.

because i'm not a morning person (hello! i went to art school! we have diplomas that state quite clearly we do not have to fully functional before noon on any given day) the thought of getting up before everyone to prepare potatoes just didn't sit well with me.

okay, okay, it really is because i'm lazy.

but did this store have any regular old hash brown potatoes in the freezer section? no. did they have home fries or anything of the sort? no. apparently the only kind of breakfast potato people want from their supermarkets these days are those skillet meals with potatoes, meat and other things all mixed in.

just add your own eggs! and we can charge you $5 for a package that includes less than half of a package of hash browns! and charge double for the privilege! aren't you happy for this wonderful convenience we are providing you!

honestly, are americans the dumbest consumers on the planet, or are we just treated that way?

anyway, lazy but undaunted, i decided to make hash browns out of the next best things: tater tots. the recipe follows, but i don't recommend it.

lazy hash browns (not recommended)

• 1 package of tater tots, thawed overnight in the refrigerator, chopped coarsely
• 1 onion, chopped small
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

in a skillet on medium heat saute the onions until soft
add the tater tots and let them sit a bit
add the spices, and flip to mix
let them sit until the start to brown and then flip them and cook another five minutes or so
once they are cooked through (about 15 minutes total) set the heat to low and let them sit until you're ready to serve.

problems
the problem is that the tater tot is meant to be eaten crispy on the outside, soft and potato-y on the inside. that gets messed up once you chop up the tots. once they cook they begin to crumble and then you have a sort of potato gravel that, while good, tends to get a little heavy with oil and become less distinct as potato.

no, i say if you're going to cheat on hash browns use the tater tots as-are, baked to perfection in the oven per instructions on the package. also, if you're going with tater tots for breakfast just toss a few in a tortilla with scrambled eggs and some chopped up sausage. a breakfast burrito is a wonderful thing. salsa is good with it, or just plain hot sauce, but ketchup works for me as well (you have to be a ketchup-with-eggs person, i realize). and don't forget cheese! yum!

Labels: breakfast, not recommended, potato, recipe, tater tots

  ¶ Sunday, February 25, 2007 0 comments

  potatoes would go great with that!
that's what it says on our refrigerator.

back in the late 1990's there was a campaign by some potato advisory board trying to boost their image. their attempt was to place this slogan on those advertising placards on grocery shopping carts so that no matter where your cart was parked this slogan -- with an arrow pointing to the right -- would force you to pair up potatoes with whatever you were standing next to. so there you are with a sign pointing to cake mixes, toilet paper, pet food, fruit juice... basically any number of things that potatoes would most definitely not no great with.

there may be a reason this slogan never took off the same way as, say, "got milk" did.

so a couple nights ago i made that stuffed chicken thang and served these potatoes along with. it's a martha recipe, tweaked a bit because i can't really just follow a recipe straight.

potatoes-would-go-great-with-that vinaigrette

• 1.5 to 2 pounds white new potatoes or small yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon german mustard (or similar, something with the bite of horseradish)
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• coarse salt and pepper

unless you have really tiny potatoes cut the potatoes into 1 inch pieces, quartered will usually do it. you know, potato salad size.
cover potatoes with cold, salted water and cook until just tender, say 12 to 15 minutes
drain the potatoes and set aside to cool slightly.
in a medium bowl combine parsley, vinegar and mustards; season with salt and pepper to taste.
toss potatoes into the mixture.
now...
if you'd prefer a cold potato salad, send the spuds into the fridge for at least 2 hours; then just before serving add celery and oil, toss and serve.
if you prefer a warm or room temperature salad (and i like it best this way) add oil and celery, toss and serve it that way.

serves 4 to 6
kid tested and approved
leftovers (ha!) will keep for a couple of days

c'mon, there's gotta be something asking to be served with potatoes this week!

Labels: potato, recipe, salad

  ¶ Monday, January 15, 2007 0 comments