Hasselback Potatoes

Doesn't the hasselback potato actually look pretty?  I have seen these potatoes all over pinterest and food blogs lately.  I finally decided I had to have one for dinner.   It's like a fancy baked potato and even more delicious.  They were surprisingly easy to make.  Since I used butter with the potatoes, I topped my potato with steamed broccoli, greek yogurt and a little shredded cheese to be somewhat healthy.  This is also the first time I have tried to replace sour cream with greek yogurt and I didn't notice a difference.  I even think the greek yogurt tastes better!  You can impress your next dinner guests by making hasselback potatoes in place of regular baked potatoes.  Enjoy!

Hasselback Potatoes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

baking potatoes, medium sized

butter (I used Kerrygold Irish butter.)

salt

freshly ground black pepper

 

Optional Toppings

steamed broccoli

greek yogurt (I used Fage Greek yogurt.)

shredded cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Clean potatoes but leave the skin on.

Place potato on a cutting board and start making slices at ¼ inch intervals, cutting almost all the way through, from one end of the potato.

I placed 2 chopsticks, one on either side of the potato to use as a guide so I wouldn’t cut the slice all the way through. 

After you finish slicing, scatter some butter in between the slices and on top of the potatoes.

Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until potatoes turn crispy and are cooked all the way through.

Top with your favorite toppings.  

 

Serving size is 1 potato per person.

Breakfast Burritos

On a weekday morning, I am usually rushing to get out the door and I never have time to eat breakfast at home.  I already try to pack my lunch (if I have dinner leftovers) and I usually bring my coffee to work in my travel mug or I might stop at Starbucks if I don't have time to make it.  The Starbucks is so convenient at work and I try not to go too often but I do have a "gold" card there with my name on it :P  However, I am usually hungry in the mornings when I get to my office, so I might eat a granola bar or sometimes if I remember to pack some cereal.  But those are not a filling breakfast, and I wanted something easy and simple too.  These breakfast burritos are filling and its easy to make a big batch of these!  After I made them, I let them cool and wrap each one in foil.  I put them in a plastic freezer bag and now I can just take one to work and reheat in the  microwave whenever I want. 

Ingredients

1 onion, diced

3 bell peppers, diced

3 potatoes, shredded (You can use premade shredded potatoes or shred your own like me.)

8 eggs

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon parsley, dried (You may use fresh.)

1 pound bacon, cooked and diced (I just cooked the bacon in the microwave.)

large flour tortillas (burrito sized)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used a mixture of mexican and mozzarella/provolone.)

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons oil (I used vegetable oil.)

Directions

Heat a large skillet with about 2 tablespoons oil.  Add in diced onion and bell peppers.  Cook until soft for a few minutes. 

 

Next, add in shredded potatoes.  You may need to add in an additional tablespoon of oil if it starts getting dry.  Cook until browned.

 

In a bowl, beat the 8 eggs and add milk, also add in salt and pepper to taste.

Pour in the beaten egg mixture to the skillet with the onions, peppers and potatoes.  

Stir until eggs are set and cooked.  Add in diced bacon and stir into egg mixture.

Meanwhile, warm tortillas according to package directions.

Spoon egg mixture down center of tortillas.  Sprinkle with cheese.   Fold tortilla into a burrito.

 Enjoy!  I was able to make 9 burritos ... you could make more if you want to use smaller tortillas.

Slow Cooker Brisket

Chag Pesach Sameach or Happy Passover!  Passover is a Jewish holiday and began last Friday at sundown and will end at sundown this Saturday.  And yes, I am Jewish :)  For more information on Passover, click here.  I think brisket for Passover is a classic dish.  This is my first time using a slow cooker for a brisket and it turned out really well.  My cousin had asked me not too long ago if I had any recipes using a slow cooker and so here you go Cathy!

Ingredients

1.5 lb brisket, flat cut

1 onion (cut into quarters or bite-sized pieces)

2 baking potatoes (cut into bite-sized pieces)

1 cup baby carrots (or sliced carrots)

1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 cup water

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon parsley, dried

1 tablespoon oil

salt

pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.   Season both sides of the brisket with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.  Place brisket in the pan and brown each side until the surface is a rich brown color, not burnt.  Remove the brisket from the pan.  In the same pan, add in the onion soup mix, 1 cup water, and 1 teaspoon parsley to create a broth.  (If you are short on time, you could skip this step of browning the brisket and just season the brisket and mix the broth in a bowl before putting it in the slow cooker.)

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, add the onions, potatoes, and carrots.  Place the brisket, fat side up, on top of the vegetables.  Pour in the broth mixture from the pan.  Cover and cook on high until brisket is fork-tender, about 4 to 5 hours.  (You can also cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.)  Remove brisket and thinly slice against the grain. 

I like to serve the sliced brisket, vegetables and broth over egg noodles or white rice.  (If you keep kosher for Passover, you could just serve with the vegetables and broth.)

 

Serves 4 or 2 with leftovers.  I froze the leftovers in a Ziploc freezer bag.  This should keep in the freezer for a few months.  Be sure to label your bag with the dish and date.