Scratch Cooking Day 12

So, tomorrow we are off into the great blue yonder. Or at least to Zion National Park in Utah. Tonight's cooking projects included deviled eggs (we mixed the cooked yolks with sour cream, lots of mustard, a little onion, salt, pepper, herbs and capers) for the road. They are pretty darn good! I am of the opinion that capers is an underutilized condiment that can make many savory things taste better.

I also wanted to use up the leftover chopped onions and tomatoes from the tacos the other night, in addition to the Swiss chard from our garden that was ready. I chopped another onion and sauteed it with the tomatoes, salt, pepper, herbs and chard. I threw in a cup of brown lentils and a cup of rice, 3 cups of water and let it cook until the water was absorbed. It was great, and we froze the leftovers so we will have some food to eat when we get back.

And finally, the project everyone has been waiting for, at least everyone in this house, potato chips! So, we started with a whole bunch of potatoes from the farmer's market. Mostly yellow ones (I can't remember the variety) and a few stray russets. We peeled them and put them in cold water so they wouldn't turn brown. Take out the trusty mandoline, my new favorite appliance, and set the blade to 1/16th of an inch and crinkle cut.  Yippee, slice away!

Throw slices back in cold water so they don't brown and then into a pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes. Take out and rinse with cold water and then into a pot of very hot organic sunflower oil and vegetable shortening. Cook for about 5 - 8 minutes or until they are starting to brown and curl. Transfer to rack covered with paper towels to drain and then add salt.

If they get soggy over night I will cry because right at this moment, they are absolutely perfect, delicious, addictive potato chips!

More to come from the road. It's looking like we will be bringing the mandoline in case the opportunity arises to make more!