Tag: potato

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Something Good to Eat

By Fran Hill

My blog tagline has always been”my menu with a little life thrown in.” It has been relatively easy to share a simple personal anecdote and a recipe. However, I have started and discarded the draft of this post more than a dozen times. Covid-19 has turned our lives upside down, and every way that I have attempted to describe it seems so tired and cliched. Nobody wants or needs me to use those phrases that are making us all roll our eyes every time a commercial airs on television or a marketing email hits our inbox. A food columnist does not need to repeat the CDC guidelines nor cite statistics. Assurances that we are all in this together are, honestly, trite.

So with limited commentary on the status of my life, I am going to share a recipe. I can do that. I can easily do that. In a world where there is no longer a normal and everything seems uncomfortable, I am going to help you find something to eat.

Even before this chaos, Sunday brunch was a constant for my husband and me. The workload of the farm doesn’t really allow for many breakfast-y meals together, but Sundays after chores have become our time to slow down for a moment. I regularly share quick snapshots on social media and often receive interested feedback. Recently, Cheesy Hash Brown Waffles garnered a lot of justified attention.

Admittedly, I am not a hash brown fan. I tolerate this preparation of my spuds, but never request or crave them. Hubs, on the other hand, loves, loves, loves hash browns. The local watering hole knows his takeout order simply by his request of hash browns as a side with his steak or chislic. He could eat hash browns any time, anywhere. Crisping them up in the waffle maker was a no brainer for an easy Sunday brunch, and topping them with his favorite Spicy Sausage Gravy created a complete, hearty meal that could fuel whatever the rest of the day threw at us.

Cheesy Hash Brown Waffles are a comforting addition to a breakfast-y meal.

Cheesy Hash Brown Waffles

1 (20-ounce) package refrigerated hash browns (or roughly 1 pound of pre-baked potatoes, shredded)

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

melted butter, olive oil or cooking spray (for greasing waffle maker)

Preheat waffle maker. In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, eggs, cheese and seasonings. Generously grease the waffle maker and add 3/4 cup of the mixture, being sure to spread near the edges of the waffle iron plates. Press the waffle maker closed and cook until golden brown and crispy. (I have found that for the crispiest hash browns, it helps to place a heavy item {cast iron skillet, large canned good, etc} on top of the waffle maker to press it down further.)

Can keep waffles warm on a rack over a sheet pan in a low oven while cooking the remainder of the batch.

Spicy Sausage Gravy

1/2 to 1 pound bulk spicy sausage (I usually use just 1/2 pound and save the remainder for a pizza topping)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup flour

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons, or more, freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage to the pan. Using a spatula or wooden spoon break the sausage up into small chunks. Brown, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink and cooked through. Add the butter to the skillet and reduce heat. When the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour over the sausage. Stir to coat the sausage and allow the flour to absorb. Allow to cook for a for a minute or so, then slowly pour in the milk and cream, stirring constantly. Season with salt and peppers.

Cook the gravy, stirring frequently, until thickened. This may take a few minutes depending on heat level. If gravy is too thick, whisk in additional milk. If too thin, cook a bit longer. (Serves 4-6)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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Garden City’s Potato Famine

By Bernie Hunhoff

Garden City isn’t hard to find. Just watch for the 1,400-foot KELO Television twin towers that have given the town a skyline since 1956.

Dick Pederson was pulling his fishing boat down Main Street with an old Farmall tractor when we visited. He stores his 16-foot craft in a huge warehouse that once held tons of potatoes.”When we were kids and needed money to go to a dance we could always go to Garden City and pick potatoes in the fall or work in the sorting bins,” Pederson says.

“My dad started raising potatoes for certified seed,” remembers Wayne Fletcher, who lives on the outskirts of town with his wife, Joanne.”They always seemed to grow good in the area around Clark and Garden City.”

His dad, Everett, was one of the groundbreaking potato pioneers, along with Charles Blackman who is credited with raising the first crop in 1929. Blackman worked with Louisiana State University to develop a strain of spuds he called Lasoda. He coordinated efforts to find markets for the crops in southern states, Cuba and Hawaii.

Area farmers planted thousands of acres of spuds until McCain Foods closed its processing plant at nearby Clark in the 1990s, bringing on a potato famine as landowners quickly switched to corn and soybeans.

The Maynards are the last potato farmers in the county these days.”My grandfather was raising them 70 years ago or more,” says Jory Maynard, a young farmer from Clark.”I didn’t raise any this year, but my dad [Marlin] did. We’re down to about 120 or 130 acres.

“We just keep hanging on,” he says.”It’s a lot of work. It’s labor intensive and it’s hard to find help these days. But it’s part of what we do.”

The Maynards harvest about 150 hundredweight bags per acre. Their crop will be trucked to Texas, Louisiana and Kentucky in January and February, and used as seed potatoes at greenhouses and small farms.

The potato industry is shrinking, but Garden City still maintains a reputation as a broadcasting center. Wayne Fletcher remembers when KELO-TV of Sioux Falls erected a big tower on the north side of town in 1956 so the company could reach viewers in Watertown, Huron and Aberdeen. Etched even stronger in his memory is a November day in 1977 when the tower blew down.

He was in Garden City when the lights went dark.”I knew the tower had fallen, so I was in a hurry to get home to see if everybody was OK,” he says.”I stupidly jumped across downed power lines to get to my place. That’s something you just don’t do.” Fortunately, the lines were dead so he wasn’t hurt, and everyone was safe at the Fletcher farm when he arrived.

Fletcher also remembers when sulky racing was a popular sport in town, and a carnival was set up for the equestrians and their fans. Today, the horses and carts are also memories for the town of 53. However, a bustling grain business is still conducted at the Wallace Elevator, with its 10 big bins on the west side of town.

Across from the elevator, the town’s historic Opera House remains in use for an occasional wedding dance and the American Legion’s annual turkey party.

Pederson, a self-described”escapee” from California, returned to his home country to fish the lakes and restore old tractors. He recently acquired a 1945″H” Farmall that his father bought in 1945 upon returning from World War II.

A sign in the grain elevator reads,”There isn’t much to see in this town but there is a lot to hear.”

“That about says it all,” says Pederson.”That’s why I like it here.”

Editor’s Note: This story is revised from the January/February 2012 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order a copy or to subscribe, call (800) 456-5117.

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Gadgets for the Cook

By Fran Hill

I like to think that I am not a gadget person. Gadgets take up precious space, often require outlets in places that our 100-year-old home probably doesn’t have an outlet, and overall just seem like more trouble than they are worth.

This past year, I have also been working on minimalizing my…umm…hoard…err…possessions. Like many others, it seems that I just have too. much. stuff. Gadgets are some of the first things finding their way into the “donate” bins.

So, with all that being said, here I am recommending two gadgets for making things easier in the kitchen. A food processor and a mandolin slicer were key in the simplicity of prep for a weeknight meal of pecan-crusted chicken and au gratin potato stacks. Certainly, a quality knife and a steady hand could produce the same results, but with time often an issue when dinner rolls around on Monday through Friday, I am endorsing a couple of gadgets to ease the load.

A food processor creates the perfect texture when chopping toasted pecans for the chicken. Bigger chunks give substance to the breading, but the finer pieces created by pulses of the sharp blade coat the chicken beautifully in a uniform crust. The contrast of sweet, but tangy mustard and nutty pecans marry deliciously with juicy baked chicken.

I have a full-size food processor that was a Christmas gift many years ago, and have found numerous uses for it, but many smaller versions are available that would more than suit the requirement of chopping nuts for a crumb coating. Pulsing hard cheeses, homemade salad dressings, crushing spices, and even making nut butters will make the gadget more than just a one-hit wonder.

Some might scoff at the necessity of a mandolin slicer in every kitchen, but I assure you that once you have whipped out a plethora of perfect slices of potato, cucumber, onion, apple, carrot, zucchini, celery, or any firm fruit or vegetable for your waiting recipe, you will agree that mandolins are magic. In seconds…if you are careful…a large potato is a pretty stack with butter and cream. Baking time for the au gratin stacks is reduced by the personal size of muffin tin gratins making a creamy, cozy, comforting side dish that is meant for a weeknight. Do please be careful, though. Mandolins are quite sharp, and bloody potatoes are not that tasty. (Unfortunately, I speak from experience.)

In my opinion, a food processor and a mandolin slicer are two gadgets definitely worth it to get pecan-crusted chicken and au gratin potato stacks onto your plate in minimal time. What gadgets do you love?

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

Adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray

1 cup pecans, toasted
1/2 cup bread crumbs (Panko adds more crunch; regular help form a more uniform crust.)
1 teaspoon dried basil
4, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup honey mustard

Preheat oven to 400F. Using a food processor, chop the pecans into fine crumbs. Transfer to a plate and combine with bread crumbs and basil. Rub each chicken breast with honey mustard, then coat with the pecan mixture. Arrange on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake until the juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes. Serves 4.

Au Gratin Potato Stacks

Adapted from Everyday Food by Martha Stewart

2 medium russet potatoes
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease 6 cups of a muffin tin with a little butter. Thinly slice the potatoes with a mandolin slicer. Place 2 slices of potato in each cup, brush with melted butter, and season with salt and pepper. Continue adding potatoes, brushing with additional butter and seasoning every few slices, until cups are filled. Pour 1 tablespoon of heavy cream over each. Bake until potatoes are golden brown and tender, 30-35 minutes. Run a knife around each gratin to release from cup and serve. Serves 4-6.

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their two dogs ranch near Colome.


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Potatoes and Promises

By Laura Andrews

I was talking to someone yesterday about this year’s potato harvest. It must’ve been a good year for spuds — she had more than she knew what to do with. So do we. For some reason, my husband likes to plant piles of potatoes every spring in our garden north of Yankton. I don’t know why — he doesn’t even like potatoes.

Well, the joke was on him. This year, they ALL produced, giving him and the old potato fork both a good workout. I think we could’ve supplied Clark Potato Day with all the spuds they needed last month. Garden City potato farmers would be jealous of our bountiful harvest. We’ve given away buckets and buckets, eaten mounds of new potatoes, French fries and home fries, and I think there’s more lurking out in the field waiting to be unearthed.

We gave my father, Lewis Johnson, a sackful so he could recreate a taste from his boyhood near Volin. His Grandma Johnson had a delicious method for making Swedish creamed dilled potatoes. She wasn’t a recipe user, but Dad had found a similar recipe in one of his Swedish cookbooks that he was going to get to me right away. Just as soon as he got home. Honest.

Ja, sure, Dad. Three months and several promises later, no recipe. I figured I’d have to wait until he was dead and gone — perhaps bury him in a potato mound as revenge — then go through his recipes. If father’s anything like daughter, the dirtiest, messiest, stickiest pages would mark the most beloved recipes.

I decided to give Lewie one last chance. For once, it worked. It only took one more phone call to get a recipe to share with you this week. Dad says,”They’re just the way I remembered them growing up.” He says they’d be good with dried beef or rullep¯lse. (I’ll explain what that is some other day.)

If you’re feeling decadent, make dilled potatoes the way my great-grandmother would have — use all cream instead of a cream and milk mixture.”I’m sure Grandma never read the damn recipe — she probably just dumped all cream in because it was easier,” he says.

Creamed Dilled Potatoes

From Splendid Swedish Recipes

10 medium potatoes
2 teaspoons butter
1 1/2 cups of half and half, or use half cream and half milk
1 1 /2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup finely chopped dill

Peel the potatoes and dice into small cubes. Melt the butter in a pan. Briefly sautÈ the potatoes. Pour half and half or milk/cream mixture over the potatoes and add salt. Cover and cook over low heat until potatoes are soft. Add dill and serve. Serves 3-4