Copycat Taco Bell Potatoes

Cheesy Taco Bell potatoes. Couple of the potatoes got a little dark but still came out good. Cook potatoes to your liking. I didn't have nacho cheese so I used shredded cheese. 

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes, dice

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon butter

salt and pepper, to taste

handful cheddar cheese

sour cream

Directions:

In skillet over medium heat, add oil and butter. Add potatoes, add salt and pepper. cook until tender. Place in small bowl, top with cheese sour cream. 

Until next time,

Christine

 

Bacon and Potato Hash

Cheesy bacon potato hash for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Delicious and ready about 30 minutes. Your tired from working all day, you want something quick and tasty. This is your go to meal. It's filling and absolutely tasty. You may think this recipe complicated, but its not. Its one of the easy recipes I'm going to cook for you. Oh my goodness, my kitchen smells so good. You must try this recipe. 

Classic Hash Browns

There are different kinds of hash browns. Brown but not crunchy and diced. 

Cheesy Potato Wedges in Foil

Here's a mess free way to serve potato wedges to your family. Our Cheesy Potato Wedges in foil seasoned with bacon and chives. Clean up is easy.

Baked Parmesan French Fries

Tired of the same old fries, than fancy them up. You'll love our Baked Parmesan French Fries, a lot of flavor.

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Nothing like good ole classic mashed potatoes. Easy and tasty. Mashed potatoes team well with other favorite main dishes.

Smothered Potatoes

American patriot, Benjamin Franklin, and his food predilections. One of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence and a singer of the US constitution, he was also a great proponent of local American produce as a way to avoid dependence on foreign imports. 

Potato Packet

Whether mashed, baked , grilled or roasted, people often consider potatoes as comfort food. It is an important food staple and the number one vegetable crop in the world. Potatoes are available year round as they are harvested somewhere every month of the year. 

Potato Twist

Onion powder is made from finely ground, dehydrated onions, mainly the pungent varieties of bulb onions, which causes the powder to have a very strong odor. Onion powder comes in a few varieties: white, yellow, red and toasted. 

Rosemary Skillet Potatoes

You can increase the health benefits you receive from garlic by letting it sit after you've chopped it or crushed it. If you give your chopped/crushed garlic time to sit before changing its temperature (through cooking) or its pH (through the addition of acidic food like lemon juice), it will give the alliinase enzymes in garlic an opportunity to work on behalf of your health. For example, in the absence of chopping or crushing, research has shown that just 60 seconds of immediate microwaving will cause garlic to lose some of its cancer-protective properties. Immediate boiling of whole, intact garlic will also lower these properties, as will immediate addition of a very low-acid ingredient like lemon juice. 

Shepherd's Pie

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

 

Casserole cookery has been around since prehistoric times, when it was discovered that cooking food slowly in a tightly covered clay vessel softened fibrous meats and blended succulent juices...With the addition or subtractions of leftovers or inexpensive cuts of meat, the casserole is flexible and economical in terms of both ingredients and effort. The classic casserole, a French dish, was originally made with a mound of cooked rice. Fannie Merit Farmer's Boston Cooking School Cook Book (1896) had one casserole recipe, for Casserole of Rice and Meat, to be steamed for forty-five minutes and served with tomato sauce. In the twentieth century, casseroles took on a distinctive American identity. During the depression of the 1890s, the economic casserole provided a welcome way to stretch meat, fish, and poultry. Certain items were also scarce during World War I and leftovers were turned into casserole meals. The same was true during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, Andrew F. Smith editor [Oxford University Press:New York] 2004, Volume 1 (p. 194)

1912... There is no doubt that the fashion of cooking in casseroles or earthenware dishes has come to stay in this country; and it is hardly a matter of surprise when the advantages of this form of cookery are really understood, whether it be actual casserole cookery, so called, or cookery in fireproof utensils. Cooking "en casserole" is a term which signifies dishes cooked and served in the same earthenware pot or utensil, though, as every one knows, the original French word is the generic name for a stew pan or a saucepan. The old idea of a casserole was some preparation of chopped fish, or vegetables enveloped in a crust of cooked rice, macaroni, or potato. Properly speaking, however, a casserole is a dish, the material for which in many instances is first prepared in the saute or frying pan and then transferred to the earthenware pan to finish cooking by a long, slow process which develops the true flavors of the food being cooked. The sooner the casserole utensil becomes an indispensable part of our everyday kitchen outfit the better...When casserole cookery is thoroughly understood, many combinations of food and many inexpensive viands will be put to use and very palatable results obtained.
How to Cook Casserole Dishes, Marion H. McNeil [David McKay:Philadelphia] (p. vii-viii)

By foodtimeline.org/foodfaq.html#casseroles

Shepherd's Pie

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground pork

extra virgin olive oil

1 can of sweet corn, drained

1 medium onion, finely chopped

6 medium potatoes

salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

6 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Pork: Add enough olive oil to cover bottom of skillet and heat over medium high heat.  Add ground pork, break meat up while cooking. Add onions, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and garlic powder. Mix together. Cook until pork no longer pink.

Potatoes: Peel and slice potatoes 1/4 thick. Cook in boiling water for approx 15 minutes or until fork tender. Whip potatoes with electric mixer, mix until moderately smooth. Don’t over beat them, a few lumps are fine. Add 1/4 cup milk, 6 tablespoon butter, salt and pepper to taste. Whip until mixed. Adjust seasonings and milk, if desired.

Corn: Sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper

Spray a 9x9x2 inch pan, or any similar casserole dish. Add meat to casserole dish. Then add corn. Then add potatoes. Place the dish under preheated broiler, until heated through. Enjoy!

Skillet Fried Potatoes

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

When the European diet expanded to include potatoes, not only were farmers able to produce much more food, they also gained protection against the catastrophe of a grain crop failure and periodic population checks caused by famine. Highly nutritious potatoes also helped mitigate the effects of such diseases as scurvy, tuberculosis, measles and dysentery. The higher birth rates and lower mortality rates potatoes encouraged led to a tremendous population explosion wherever the potato traveled, particularly in Europe, the US and the British Empire.

Historians debate whether the potato was primarily a cause or an effect of the huge population boom in industrial-era England and Wales. Prior to 1800, the English diet had consisted primarily of meat, supplemented by bread, butter and cheese. Few vegetables were consumed, most vegetables being regarded as nutritionally worthless and potentially harmful. This view began to change gradually in the late 1700s. At the same time as the populations of London, 

Liverpool and Manchester were rapidly increasing, the potato was enjoying unprecedented popularity among farmers and urban workers. The Industrial Revolution was drawing an ever increasing percentage of the populace into crowded cities, where only the richest could afford homes with ovens or coal storage rooms, and people were working 12-16 hour days which left them with little time or energy to prepare food. High yielding, easily prepared potato crops were the obvious solution to England's food problems. Not insignificantly, the English were also rapidly acquiring a taste for potatoes, as is evidenced by the tuber's increasing popularity in recipe books from the time. Hot potato vendors and merchants selling fish and chips wrapped in paper horns became ubiquitous features of city life. Between 1801 and 1851, England and Wales experienced an unprecedented population explosion, their combined population doubling to almost 18 million.

Before the widespread adoption of the potato, France managed to produce just enough grain to feed itself each year, provided nothing went wrong, but something usually did. The precariousness of the food supply discouraged French farmers from experimenting with new crops or new farming techniques, as they couldn't afford any failures. On top of hundreds of local famines, there were at least 40 outbreaks of serious, nationwide famine between 1500 and 1800. The benefits of the potato, which yielded more food per acre than wheat and allowed farmers to cultivate a greater variety of crops for greater insurance against crop failure, were obvious wherever it was adopted. The potato insinuated itself into the French diet in the form of soups, boiled potatoes and pommes-frites. The fairly sudden shift towards potato cultivation in the early years of the French Revolution allowed a nation that had traditionally hovered on the brink of starvation in times of stability and peace to expand its population during a decades-long period of constant political upheaval and warfare. The uncertainly of food supply during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, combined with the tendency of above-ground crops to be destroyed by soldiers, encouraged France's allies and enemies to embrace the tuber as well; by the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the potato had become a staple food in the diets of most Europeans.

The most dramatic example of the potato's potential to alter population patterns occurred in Ireland, where the potato had become a staple by 1800. The Irish population doubled to eight million between 1780 and 1841 — this, without any significant expansion of industry or reform of agricultural techniques beyond the widespread cultivation of the potato. Though Irish landholding practices were primitive in comparison with those of England, the potato's high yields allowed even the poorest farmers to produce more healthy food than they needed with scarcely any investment or hard labor. Even children could easily plant, harvest and cook potatoes, which of course required no threshing, curing or grinding. The abundance provided by potatoes greatly decreased infant mortality and encouraged early marriage. Accounts of Irish society recorded by contemporary visitors paint the picture of a people as remarkable for their health as for their lack of sophistication at the dinner table, where potatoes typically supplied appetizer, dinner and dessert.

By http://www.history-magazine.com/potato.html

Skillet Fried Potatoes

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

salt & pepper, to taste

vegetable oil, enough to cover bottom of pan

Directions:

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Peel and cube potatoes. Add potatoes to skillet, sprinkle salt and pepper. Cover. Cook about 10 minutes. Remove lid. Turn the potatoes. Cook until tender. Enjoy!

Turkey Sausage With Potatoes

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

The manufacture of sausages began over two thousand years ago, and it is still a growing industry. While some of its basic practices are almost as old as civilization, the industry is constantly adopting new developments in processing in the light of later scientific and technical knowledge.

Sausage has been an important item in man's diet for twenty centuries. The first recognizable mention of this meat food is found in a Greek play called "The Oriya," or "The Sausage," written about 500 B.C. Thereafter the word for sausage occurs with frequency in Greek writings. It's also a favorite food of the Romans, at one time becoming so popular for festive occasions that it was placed under the ban of the early church.

The modern word "sausage" is derived from the Latin ~salsus~, meaning salted. The term was probably originally applied to cured or salted meat generally. In the days of old people did not have refrigeration to preserve their meat and so making sausage was a way of overcoming this problem.

Dry sausage was born as a result of the discovery of new spices, which helped to enhance, flavor and preserve the meat. Different countries and different cities within those countries started producing their own distinctive types of sausage, both fresh and dry. These different types of sausage were mostly influenced by the availability of ingredients as well as the climate.

Some parts of the world with periods of cold climate, such as northern Europe were able to keep their fresh sausage without refrigeration, during the cold months. They also developed a process of smoking the sausage to help preserve the meat during the warmer months. The hotter climates in the south of Europe developed dry sausage, which did not need refrigeration at all.

Basically people living in particular areas developed their own types of sausage and that sausage became associated with the area. For example Bologna originated in the town of Bologna in Northern Italy, Lyons sausage from Lyons in France and Berliner sausage from Berlin in Germany, in England they became associated with the county's, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Lincolnshire, Cumberland.

By www.oscarenterprises.f2s.com

Turkey Sausage With Potatoes

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) turkey smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce

olive oil

Directions:

Place olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add, sausage, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, cook until slightly brown. Add potatoes, just before potatoes are fork tender, add onions. Cook until potatoes and onions are fork tender. Enjoy!

 

Mashed Potato Cakes

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

Nothing goes to waste in my home. I'm always thinking of ways to use my leftovers. I had some leftover mashed potatoes from dinner the other night. I think for most people potato is a favorite. I love potatoes. They are affordable. Low calories, full of nutrition and can be prepared in variety of ways.

Have you ever wonder why your potatoes turn green? They turn green because exposure to light... not good eats. Potatoes should be kept in a dark cool well ventilated place.

Potatoes and onions are great friends in any dish, but they should never be stored together. They both will spoil faster. 

Mashed Potato Cakes

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed potatoes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Heat oil and butter in skillet over medium high heat. Form large patties. In a dish add flour, salt and pepper, mix. Coat potato patties in flour. Add the potato patties to skillet and reduce heat to medium low heat. Cook until patties are brown. About 10 to 15 minutes, turn and cook on the other side until brown. Sprinkle with salt and serve. Enjoy!

Note: Don't turn the potato cakes to soon, you won't get the buttery crust.

 

Parsley Dill Potatoes

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

 

The Spanish conquistadors first encountered the potato when they arrived in Peru in 1532 in search of gold, and noted Inca miners eating chuñu. At the time the Spaniards failed to realize that the potato represented a far more important treasure than either silver or gold, but they did gradually begin to use potatoes as basic rations aboard their ships. After the arrival of the potato in Spain in 1570, a few Spanish farmers began to cultivate them on a small scale, mostly as food for livestock.

From Spain, potatoes slowly spread to Italy and other European countries during the late 1500s. By 1600, the potato had entered Spain, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Holland, France, Switzerland, England, Germany, Portugal and Ireland. But it did not receive a warm welcome.

Throughout Europe, potatoes were regarded with suspicion, distaste and fear. Generally considered to be unfit for human consumption, they were used only as animal fodder and sustenance for the starving. In northern Europe, potatoes were primarily grown in botanical gardens as an exotic novelty. Even peasants refused to eat from a plant that produced ugly, misshapen tubers and that had come from a heathen civilization. Some felt that the potato plant's resemblance to plants in the nightshade family hinted that it was the creation of witches or devils.

Frederick the Great of Prussia saw the potato's potential to help feed his nation and lower the price of bread, but faced the challenge of overcoming the people's prejudice against the plant. When he issued a 1774 order for his subjects to grow potatoes as protection against famine, the town of Kolberg replied: "The things have neither smell nor taste, not even the dogs will eat them, so what use are they to us?" Trying a less direct approach to encourage his subjects to begin planting potatoes, Frederick used a bit of reverse psychology: he planted a royal field of potato plants and stationed a heavy guard to protect this field from thieves. Nearby peasants naturally assumed that anything worth guarding was worth stealing, and so snuck into the field and snatched the plants for their home gardens. Of course, this was entirely in line with Frederick's wishes.
Info by History Magazine

Parsley Dill Potatoes

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

3 pounds potatoes, unpeeled and quarter

1 stick butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried dill

Directions:

Wash potatoes and quarter, place in large pot and cover with salted water. Cook until fork tender. Drain well. In microwave safe bowl, add butter, salt, parsley and dill, melt butter. Pour over top of potatoes and gently stir, making sure all potatoes are coated. Add more parsley, if desired. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Baked Potatoe Wedges

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

 

In many countries, when the potato was introduced, it was considered weird, poisonous, and evil. Potatoes were also thought to be the source of serious diseases and early death.

Eventually, agriculturalists in Europe found potatoes easier to grow and cultivate than other staple crops, such as wheat and oats. Most importantly, it became known that potatoes contained most of the vitamins needed for sustenance, and they could be provided to nearly 10 people for each acre of land cultivated.

Although potatoes had been introduced to the US several times in the 1600's. They were not widely known until 1719 when they were planted in Londonderry, NH by Scottish Irish immigrants. From there they spread across the nation.

Potatoes are 80% water.

Info by Wikipedia.

Baked Potato Wedges

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes, unpeeled

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon steak seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Wash potatoes, cut potatoes in half lengthwise, then cut each half in thirds lengthwise. Total of 12 wedges. Place the potatoes on a sheet pan with extra virgin olive oil, steak seasoning, salt and pepper. Make sure hands are clean, toss all the ingredients together, making sure potatoes are covered with oil. Spread potatoes in a single layer with cut side up. Turn potatoes after 20 minutes. Bake until lightly brown. Serve immediately. Enjoy!