Cold Oil French Fries

I can't remember where I first saw this idea for making french fries. It looked so much easier than trying to maintain a constant oil temperature while doing small batches of spuds that my interest was piqued enough to give it a try. I didn't have to use an oil thermometer?! I was sold.

It may seem counter-intuitive but I think potatoes fried this way even turn out less greasy than the conventional method! And they turn out delicious!

Ingredients:
Cooking oil
Potatoes
Salt

Directions:

Start by washing your potatoes (I did not peel mine) and cutting them into shoe-string slices (about 1/4-1/3 inch wide). The important thing for even cooking is that they all be relatively the same thickness.

Here is where the magic happens: Put your potatoes in an empty pot. Pour in enough oil to cover the potatoes. Make sure your pot is big enough to have 1.5-2 inches of extra room between the oil and the lip of the pot.

Here is what it will look like

Put your pot on the stove and turn the burner to high. No thermometer necessary! When the oil starts to boil (5-10 minutes later), turn the heat down to medium high. You want the oil to be at a rolling boil the whole time.

After another 5 or so minutes, use some tongs to gently stir the potatoes. This keeps them from sticking together and helps them cook evenly. Check the potatoes every 5 or so minutes and stir gently. First they will go limp. Then they will start to crisp and brown. When they reach your desired level of brownness (for me, usually 30-35 minutes after I start), take them out of the oil and spread on some paper towels to drain. Salt to taste. Let cool for a minute before eating or you will burn your mouth (and fingers)!

Yum!

Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

These are the most dense, fudgy brownies I have ever made. Topped with a marbling of cheesecake and brownie, each bite is the perfect mix of flavors.

Adapted from Here

Ingredients:
Brownie Layer:
1/2 Cup butter, chopped into pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 C flour
1/4 tsp salt

Cheesecake layer:
8 ounces cream cheese (full fat), at room temperature
1/3 C sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Line an 9 x 9 square baking pan with aluminum foil. Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave, pausing to stir every 30 seconds until completely smooth. Stir in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Stir in the flour and salt until the entire mixture is smooth and glossy (the secret to a dense brownie is to not over-mix so do this by hand, not with an electric mixer). Set aside 1/2 a cup of the brownie mixture. Pour/press the rest of the brownie mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.

In your electric mixer, begin the cheesecake layer. Whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla, and egg and beat until just smooth (don't over mix). Spread the cream cheese mixture over the brownie layer. Then add the reserved 1/2 cup of brownie mix, one dollop at a time to the top. Run a knife or wooden skewer through the batter to create a marble look.

Bake for about 30 minutes. The brownies should be set, the cheesecake should just be starting to brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs.

Let cool on a wire rack and then in the fridge until the brownies are set enough to cut into squares. You can store these in the fridge for several days. I enjoy eating mine cold with a large glass of milk!

Chocolate Mint Brownies

I made these brownies in preparation for St. Patrick's day. Who doesn't want to eat a little lucky green! The taste reminds me of Andes mints, which I love!

I had to make the brownies twice because I left out the flour in the first batch. Don't do that!

Adapted from here.

Ingredients:
 Brownies:
4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate (you can substitute 3/4 C cocoa powder and 1/4 C oil if you want)
1 C margarine, softened
2 C sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C flour

Green layer:
1/2 C butter, softened
3 C powdered sugar
2 Tbs milk, give or take
1 tsp mint extract
green food coloring

Chocolate Coating:
1 1/3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 Tbs butter
1/2 Tbs vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Melt the unsweetened chocolate in the microwave, stirring at 15 second intervals. Remove and allow to cool slightly. (If substituting cocoa powder you can skip this step). In a large mixing bowl, combine the chocolate with margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time and then add the vanilla. Stir in the flour until just blended. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sides are just starting to pull away from the pan. The center might be a little soft still. Let cool on a wire rack.

To make the green layer, beat together the softened butter and powdered sugar. Add milk as needed until it is a spreadable consistency. Stir in mint* extract and desired amount of green food coloring (I used 6 drops). Spread over the cooled pan of brownies.

Refrigerate the brownies for 30 minutes before adding the chocolate coating.

To make the chocolate coating, melt the chocolate chips and butter in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Add the vanilla and stir. Pour over the refrigerated brownies and spread quickly. Put back in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

I store my leftover brownies in the fridge and eat them cold. Enjoy!

*Make sure the mint extract you use is a flavor you like. I used McCormick's Pure Mint Extract which is a mix of spearmint and peppermint. If you don't like spearmint, make sure you use an exclusively peppermint extract.