Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips with Chipotle Ranch Sauce

Ok so I can hardly contain my excitement for the Super Bowl tonight, and I decided that a special weekend like this deserves a double post!

Mr. Vittles and I had an appetizer similar to this at a restaurant recently, and I thought I might be able to replicate it at home.

Well, all I can say is - sorry if you had any health-related New Years resolutions, because I'm pretty sure you will not be able to keep them with these puppies around.

The dipping sauce really takes things to the next level.  But if you don't like spicy dips, start with just a tiny bit of cayenne (or none) and adjust from there.

Also, feel free to use more cheese and/or bacon to your taste.  Never hurt anyone except their pants size.

Now... LET'S GO BIG BLUE!

Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips 

• 1 large, uniformly-shaped russet potato, scrubbed well and sliced into 1/8" rounds*
• cooking spray
• 3/4 C. shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 T. crumbled bacon (about 2 slices) - I used real bacon bits
• chopped parsley or chives, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bring sliced potatoes to a boil in cold, salted water to cover for 5 minutes.  Carefully drain, and transfer slices to a paper-towel lined countertop or cutting board.  Pat to dry.

Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray, and lay out potato slices so they are overlapping on it.  Spray lightly with additional cooking spray, then sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.  Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese & bacon.  Bake 12-14 minutes in preheated oven until cheese is melted & bubbly.  Serve with chipotle ranch sauce (recipe below).  Serves 2.

*You can use 2 medium-sized potatoes rather than 1 large.  Also, I like to leave the skin on but you can peel the potatoes if you prefer.

Chipotle Ranch Dipping Sauce

• 1 T. ranch dressing
• 3 T. sour cream
• 1/4 t. chipotle chili powder
• 1/8 t. cayenne (adjust more or less depending on how spicy you want).
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1/8 t. garlic powder

Place all ingredients in a small bowl, and stir to combine.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

Original Recipes

Snack Mix Roasted Potatoes

If you've ever read my post on homemade Chex Mix, you know that I have a very specific method for eating it.

My friend Natalie was the best person for me to share a pre-made bag with because I only like the Chex & pretzels, and her favorite was the bagel chips & breadsticks.

So when my mom started making her own Chex Mix, I saw no reason for her to put in those silly little pale breadsticks & disgusting rye bagel chips.

And seriously - wheat Chex?  Please.

For the birds, I say.

But she flat out refused, claiming plain corn Chex & pretzels was far too boring.

There had to be variety.

So.... I just continued to pick out the pieces I liked, and left whatever I didn't want.

(I used to do this with other things too.  I was always getting yelled at for picking out all the M&Ms and raisins from a jar of Costco trail mix she kept in our kitchen).

Then my birthday came around.

My mother asked, "What kind of cake do you want?"

"Whatever - something chocolate.  But I also want Chex mix - with only corn Chex.  Not even pretzels."

She shook her head.  "I wouldn't exactly call that a mix, but hey - it's your birthday."

Yep.  Chex 'mix' with just corn Chex.  She and my stepdad never let me live that one down.  (Mr. Vittles eventually joined in on the fun as well, as it became a birthday tradition).

But I ate the entire batch by myself, and loved every second of it.

Only recently did it occur to me that the seasonings of Chex mix would probably transfer well to roasted potatoes.

But these aren't technically a 'mix' either .... I guess if you're feeling crazy you can throw in some bagel chips?

Snack Mix Roasted Potatoes

• 1 1/2 lb. russet or yukon gold potatoes, skinned & cut in 1" dice
• 2 T. canola oil
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 t. kosher salt
• 1/2 t. onion powder
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. smoked paprika (or regular, is fine)
• 1/2 t. seasoned salt
• dash cayenne pepper

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

Combine oil with Worcestershire and spices in a small bowl or measuring cup.  Skin & dice potatoes and place in large bowl.  Cover with oil mixture, and toss to coat.

Spread out potatoes on a baking sheet greased with nonstick spray, and bake in preheated oven 45 minutes to one hour, stirring carefully with a heatproof rubber spatula every 15 minutes until done.  Adjust seasonings to taste, and serve immediately.  Serves 3-4

Original Recipe

Oven-Crisp Garlic Potato Wedges

Some nights you run out of time to cook something nice, and out of convenience you're forced to have hot dogs.

Other nights you want to have hot dogs... because there's just something about weird meat scraps shaped into a log that's downright delicious.

In college, I did an "off-campus study" my junior year at New York University, and my friends discovered this nearby hole-in-the-wall cafe called Westville that served the best hot dogs.

There were plenty of other things on the menu but we would go there and order two Hebrew Nationals and french fries... and sometimes snow peas & carrots to share too.

If we were feeling crazy we'd get mac & cheese to share.  But always hot dogs.

The best part was that in the winter Westville had a huge velvet curtain up by the door to block the cold air from coming in... like a nightclub or something.  So my friend nicknamed it 'Club Frank.'

(Get it, Club Frank? Because hot dogs are called franks?  Ok, just making sure :)) 

The second best part was that they sprinkled parsley on the fries so it made it seem like you were eating something much more sophisticated than hot dogs & french fries.

I googled the place for kicks today, and I saw that they've opened up not only a second location on the other side of town, but also a third... which is literally a block from my old office in Chelsea.

Umm thank goodness that wasn't there five years ago, otherwise I would have consumed enough nitrates by now to last me a lifetime.

Anyhow, my point in all this is - when you want hot dogs for dinner, you need something sassy to go with them.

Enter oven-crisp garlic potato wedges.

Over the years I have tried sooo many different recipes for baked french fries, and they just never come out well.  They're always edible, but rarely can they hold a candle to deep-fried, restaurant-style fries.

But these bad boys are a happy medium between fried and baked - you cook them in a little bit of oil that's been pre-heated in a very hot oven, so the outside gets crispy but the inside stays fluffy.

Mmm... crispy yet fluffy.  Potato wedge perfection.

Mr. Vittles really liked them too... although he asked if they were St. Patty's Day fries because of the parsley on top.

Ah well.  It seems the sophistication of Club Frank has been lost on my husband.

Oven-Crisp Garlic Potato Wedges

• 2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
• 6 T. canola oil, divided
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1/8 t. cayenne pepper
• 1/8 t. chili powder
• 3/4 t. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Prepare heavy-duty rimmed metal baking sheet with 1/4 C. oil, tilting to coat pan, and set aside. 

Place potato wedges in a medium microwave-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Microwave 3-5 minutes until translucent around edges, shaking bowl to redistribute potatoes halfway through. 

Line a large cutting board or your countertop with paper towels.  Remove potatoes from microwave and place on paper towels.  Blot dry with additional paper towels.  (If the wedges are wet, they won't crisp well, so try to get rid of as much moisture as you can.)

Meanwhile, place baking sheet with oil into preheated oven, for 5-7 minutes until just smoking.  In large bowl, whisk remaining 2 T. oil with cornstarch, salt, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.  Add potatoes and toss with rubber spatula to coat. 
 
Remove oiled pan from oven and place potatoes on sheet in single layer, with flat sides down.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy,  flipping to other flat side halfway through.  Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and blot with additional towels.  Serve warm.
 
Recipe Adapted from Cook's Country

Garlic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

So I think you guys will be proud of me.  For the first time since my foot surgery a few weeks ago, I made a home-cooked meal!

Turkey meatloaf & garlic buttermilk mashed potatoes... Mmmm :)

Although, as I was just telling my mother-in-law, I had to move a chair into the kitchen so I could stop and rest while I was cooking!  I also peeled and cut the potatoes while sitting.

"Aww, like an old lady!" she exclaimed.

Yikes... so true!

I'm an old lady right now.

Man, it will be good to walk & stand normally again.

It will also be good to shower & drive a car.  I miss those things!  Next Tuesday, I'm supposed to be able to do both, and seriously -  it can't come soon enough.

Really, I wish I had more exciting things to tell you. 

But when your day consists of rolling out of bed, taking a bath, and hobbling to the couch what is there really to tell?

However, I did get pretty excited about these mashed potatoes because this is the first time I've ever cooked the potatoes in anything but water.  Apparently, the buttermilk slows the cooking time so that's why you add baking soda.

I think I like this way better, because then you can keep all the garlic in the pot without dumping half of it down the sink when you drain the potatoes.

Right now... it's the little things, people.  Just humor me, ok?

Garlic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

• 2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, peeled & cut in 1/2" pieces
• 6 T. butter, cut into pieces
• 1 C. buttermilk*
• 6 T. water
• 1/8 t. baking soda
• 2 T. minced garlic (10-12 cloves)
• 1/2 t. salt
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3/4 t. seasoned salt (or plain, if you prefer)

Add potatoes, 2 T. butter, 3/4 C. buttermilk, water, baking soda, garlic & 1/2 t. salt to large pot.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low.

Simmer, stirring occasionaly, until potatoes are nearly tender (20-25 minutes).  Remove lid and cook over medium heat, until liquid has nearly evaporated (about 3 minutes).

Off heat, add remaining butter to pot and mash with potato masher until smooth.  Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining buttermilk until absorbed and potatoes are creamy - mash more if desired.   Season with pepper and seasoned salt to taste, and serve.

*Note: If you're like me & don't have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute by putting 1 T. of white vinegar into a liquid measuring cup & filling up to 1 Cup line with milk.  Let sit a few minutes before using.

Recipe Adapted from Cook's Country online

Garlic & Herb Roasted Potatoes

I have made some good new recipes lately, but today I want to post one of my old favorites. 

These are my go-to potatoes when I'm looking for a side that's delicious but doesn't require a ton of work.  As long as you use red, white, or yukon gold potatoes, you don't have to peel them.

This makes me happy ------> :)

Because I do not like peeling potatoes!  Just make sure you give them a good scrub to get the dirt off. 

Garlic & Herb Roasted Potatoes

• 3 lbs. small red or white potatoes (or, yukon gold)
• 1/4 C. good olive oil
• 1 1/2 t. kosher salt
• 1 t. freshly ground pepper
• 2 T. minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
• 1 T. Italian seasoning*

Preheat oven 400 degrees.  Cut potatoes in quarters (or smaller, if you prefer) and place in bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, & seasonings.  Toss until potatoes are well coated.  Transfer potatoes to sheet pan & spread out into 1 layer.  Roast 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until browned & crisp.  Flip twice with spatula during cooking to ensure even browning.  Serve hot and season to taste.

*Italian seasoning is usually some type of a mix of dried thyme, marjoram, basil, oregano & rosemary.  If you don't have it in your pantry, use whatever of those spices you do have (including dried parsley, if you like) to suit your taste.


Recipe slightly adapted from Food Network's Ina Garten

Turkey Shepherd's Pie with Yukon Golds

I have two announcements and one recipe.

Announcement 1: I officially have a sponsor.  If you live in NJ, check out Taskmasters Handyman Services.  For all those jobs that are too small for a contractor but too big to fit on your husband's to-do list - they're da bomb.

And... I just said "da bomb."  Yikes.  Don't ever let me do that again.

Announcement 2: V&B has it's own official EMAIL ADDRESS!  I noticed a few readers have left comments that probably would be more appropriate in email format (not that commenting is bad - keep 'em coming! Lets me know you are reading :)) So if you have any questions, comments, advice, pictures, whatevs - email away at vittlesandbits@gmail.com.  I may not check it every single day but I promise I'll respond to you at some point.

And lastly - on to the recipe. 

For someone who used to think it was a mild catastrophe to have different foods touching on my plate, eating Shepherd's Pie is equivalent to man landing on the moon. 

Alright so that's a slight exaggeration.  But if you like your meat, potatoes and vegetables segregated, I will flat out tell you this is not for you. 

For whatever reason, men seem to love dishes like this though.  So when I make things like Spinach & Feta Rigatoni, I have to throw Mr. V a bone every now & again.

A bone that just happens to look kinda like something in your 4-month old's diapers, and for that I apologize. 

This and the meatloaf could seriously stand to take some modeling lessons.  I mean, it's downright brutal to snap a good pic.  But hopefully by now, at our six-month anniversary as blog friends (yay!), you know I would not steer you wrong.


Turkey Shepherd's Pie with Yukon Golds

Turkey Base:

• 1 1/3 - 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/2 large sweet onion, minced
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 3/4 t. each of dried thyme and sage
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1/4 t. celery seed
• 1/4 C. all purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 C. chicken broth
• 1 1/2 C. frozen mixed vegetables, drained (or 1/2 C. each of carrots, peas, & corn)
• 1 t. Worcestershire sauce
• salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Potato Topping and Optional Garnish:

• 2 1/2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, peeled & quartered
• 1 heaping t. minced garlic
• 1/3 C. milk
• 1 T. butter
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 t. seasoned salt (or regular salt)
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• optional - grated cheddar cheese & paprika for garnish

Grease a 9x13 baking pan and preheat oven to 375.

Boil quartered potatoes and garlic in large saucepan until potatoes are soft. Drain water and mash.  Add beaten egg, butter, milk, salt and pepper and mash (or mix with hand mixer) until well blended.  Set aside.

While potatoes are cooking, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-low/medium heat.  Add onions and saute until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add ground turkey and, stirring occasionally, cook until no longer pink.

Stir in flour, thyme, sage, cumin, celery seed, and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Add mixed vegetables and Worcestershire sauce, and season with salt & pepper to taste.

Remove from heat & place in prepared pan.  Spread mashed potato mixture over the top evenly, then rough up the surface with a fork.  Garnish with a sprinkling of grated cheese & paprika, if desired.

Place in oven and bake 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted & potatoes are golden brown in color.  Let rest for about 10 minutes after removing from oven before serving.  Serves 6.

Note: You can substitute russet/white potatoes and beef for the yukon golds & ground turkey if you prefer, I just happen to be partial to those ingredients.

Recipe adapted from RecipeTips.com

Warm Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

When I started this blog, I knew I would have fun trying the recipes and writing about them.

But I couldn't help but wonder- would anyone bother to read it?

Or, perhaps more importantly- would anyone like it?

And after writing for over 2 months now, I can proudly say 'yes' to both of those questions.

So thank YOU for reading my blog.

And if you are one of the ones that also likes it, thank you for that too :)  I could not be more flattered than when people tell me they are enjoying the blog.

But one pleasant surprise to me was that friends and family members started requesting that I post their favorite recipes I've made for them in the past.

Or, equally as exciting & fun, people have started offering their own favorite recipes for me to make and write about (such as the rice recipe from Aunt Michelle Vittles).

This is also one of those recipes :)

A friend of mine, Kristen Vittles, was reading V&B and noticed that (much like her own husband) Mr. V loves anything with bacon.  So she passed on this recipe, originally from Food Network.

Which was actually even more appropriate for Mr. V than she probably intended, because for as much as he loves bacon he HATES mayonnaise - typically a main ingredient in potato salad.

So I was excited to try this recipe out as an alternative to mayonnaise-based potato salad - and we both enjoyed it!

Well, perhaps me more so than Mr. Vittles, though.  While he conceded that this was better than ones with mayo, he was a bit of a pain in the patootie about the vinegar.

He hates that, too.

Ugh. I guess I can't win with the potato salads.

Although I found one from America's Test Kitchen recently that has a ranch dressing-type coating, which is another favorite of his ... so maybe I won't give up on them just yet?

I mean, we're going in the right direction.  He liked this one more than ones I've made in the past. 

Baby steps, people.

Warm Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

• 2 1/2 pounds red new potatoes
• 1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into lardons and cooked until golden brown and crisp, 2 tablespoons drippings reserved
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain, let cool for a few minutes and quarter.

While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together the drippings, vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, and then stir in the chopped basil and parsley.

Add the warm potatoes and the bacon to the vinaigrette and gently fold to combine.


Recipe from Food Network, by Bobby Flay