the beauty of sharing: vinegar

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips ~ Baked

The other night when I made Zuppa Toscana I got a little carried away when shredding potatoes. That's happened to me a few times when using my oh-so-handy Kitchen Aid slicer. In about 7 seconds flat, I've sliced through a 5 lb bag of potatoes... oops. So I decided to whip up these yummy Salt and Vinegar potato chips that I saw on my cousin Emily's blog, My Nutritious Dish a few months back. Did I mention I have a slight salt addiction, oh and I love anything sour? I steer clear of the potato chip aisle at the grocery store, waaaaay clear so as not to provoke my weak self control. Funny how people crave different tastes. I would much rather have these tangy, salty chips than chocolate any day! What do your taste buds long for?

SERVES 4 TIME 30 MINUTES

You Will need:

4-5 medium potatoes sliced very very thin.

4-5 cups Distilled Vinegar

Kosher or Sea Salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Putting them together:

Wash potatoes well. Preferably using a Food Processor or slicer attachment, slice potatoes very thin leaving peel on. Rinse again under cool water.
In a large stock pot, put potatoes and cover with vinegar. Yup, straight vinegar. Trust me, would I lie to you?
Bring to soft boil and cook for 10 minutes.
Drain vinegar. Spread potato slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with just a little bit of vegetable oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt.
Bake at 400F for about 15 minutes or until brown and crispy, tossing once with spatula!

Serve alongside sandwiches, chili, hot dogs, hamburgers chicken or bring on a picnic!

This post is linked to

Mom's Crazy Cooking's 'This Weeks Cravings'

for Super Bowl Potluck!

Toasted Ravioli Caprese #RecipeRedux #NationalPastaMonth

Finger size, four cheese ravioli's dipped in buttermilk and coated with Italian bread crumbs then baked to a golden, crispy perfection. Throw them on little toothpicks along with Heirloom cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls and a basil leaf for a unique and delicious party favor.

“By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the National Pasta Association and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

Pasta comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes and ravioli is one of them. I love ravioli for it's simplicity, it's mysterious filled center and of course it's classic comfort food appeal. Mushrooms, butternut squash or an assortment of cheeses, biting into one is as satisfying as it gets. Toasted four cheese ravioli turns your traditional caprese salad into a filling and fun little appetizer. Who says football food can't be fancy?

I made the first batch by frying them and they turned out a bit dry for my taste and not very cheesy.

The second batch, I coated the same as the first and baked on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. They puffed up nicely and turned out fantastic!

You Will Need

20 oz package of (refrigerated) ravioli of your choice
2 cups Italian Panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk (or heavy cream)
30 cherry tomatoes
2, 8 oz packages of fresh mozzarella balls
30 fresh basil leaves (I used Thai basil leaves from my garden which is why they are purple)
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar for drizzling
parchment paper or a silpat mat
baking sheet
tongs

Preheat oven to 400F
In a medium sized bowl whisk together egg and buttermilk. Sprinkle breadcrumbs onto a plate and add salt. A few at a time, dip ravioli into buttermilk bowl to coat thoroughly. Using a fork, place the ravioli onto the breadcrumbs and sprinkle with more to lightly coat them patting gently to adhere. Place coated ravioli onto prepared baking pan. Working in small batches, continue until all of the ravioli are coated. You may need to change your bread crumbs half way through as they will become soggy.
Bake at 400F for 6 minutes, using tongs flip the ravioli over and bake another 5-6 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool a bit. When cool, place a tomato then a mozzarella ball and ravioli onto toothpicks. Place on top of a fresh basil leaf to serve. Drizzle a bit of good quality balsamic vinegar onto plate around the ravioli caprese.