Cook's Catalyst - Chapter 8 - Invite Spud to Dinner

Chapter Eight Invite Spud to Dinner . . . and other starch friends I always think in basic three when I plan a meal. There should always be a meat, starch and vegetable. Chicken adapts to just about any starch you want to put next to it on the plate. Fried Chicken in the Oven begs for whipped potatoes. Ordinary Oven Chicken needs potato wedges. Lemon Oven Chicken goes with buttered noodles. Barbecued Chicken in the Oven definitely calls for potato salad. We all have favorite recipes for the potato. Just in case you need an inspirational nudge, begin with the following and follow your inclinations. Potato Wedges are simply that! Scrub, peel and cut into lengthwise wedges, four or five russet potatoes. Wedge them between the pieces of chicken in the baking pan and brush with the same olive oil you are using for your Ordinary Oven Chicken. Don't forget to salt and pepper. Whipped Potatoes are easy. Once you make your own, you will never want to use boxed ones again! Scrub, peel and dice four to six baking potatoes. Simmer in a pot of water until the potatoes are just tender. Drain (save the potato water for your next bread baking!), place in mixing bowl with ½ cup hot milk, three tablespoons butter, salt and pepper to taste. Beat until light and fluffy. Scrape into a microwave bowl, cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve. The potatoes heat up beautifully in the microwave at high for five to eight minutes. Buttered Pasta is almost self-explanatory. Cook your chosen pasta to desired doneness. Place in heated serving bowl and toss with two tablespoons butter, salt, pepper and a bit of dill. Serve immediately with Lemon Oven Chicken. Potato Salad comes in every taste, shape and type. My favorite way is to scrub, peel and dice six to eight white rose potatoes, depending on the size. Simmer until just done, drain and place in bowl for mixing. Splash with a quarter cup of cider vinegar. Toss in a packet of dry Italian salad mix, mayonnaise, brown mustard, sweet relish and chopped, hard-boiled eggs. This is just a basis. Taste and adjust to your family's likes. You can have a picnic at your kitchen table when the Barbequed Chicken and potato salad make their appearance. While you are boiling the eggs for your potato salad, make a few extra for the next day. Stuffed eggs are an attractive lure to the dinner table. Eggs, in fact, are good budget stretchers and should be seen more often than at Easter egg hunts. I loved hunting eggs at Easter and remember my discoveries showing up as stuffed eggs, the streaks of egg coloring giving away their recent origins! In my early married life, I also discovered that stuffed eggs don't always turn out as attractively as you would like. That was when I realized you could make an appealing display of egg salad on a bed of lettuce. No one would be the wiser as to your recent kitchen disaster with the stuffed eggs. Stuffed Eggs can be made from ingredients probably already in your refrigerator. What you put into the recipe depends on what you want to taste when you are done! First I take my boiled, cooled and peeled eggs and slice them lengthwise in half. The yolks will pop out fairly easily. I mash them in a bowl, adding a spoonful or two of mayonnaise, bit of mustard, salt, pepper, and sweet or dill relish. Once thoroughly combined, I mound the yolk mixture back into the egg whites. This usually goes well but if the whites tend to crack or fall apart, this is your cue to chop them up, add to the yolks and . . . serve egg salad! Several days after Easter, the goodies were dwindling. My daughter, Julianna, desperately wanted a hard-boiled egg. I told her there was one left in the refrigerator although it was a bit smashed. She took one look at the lone egg and slammed the door saying, "I'm definitely not going to eat an egg that is hatching!" Eggs can begin your day, be a boiled one in your lunch or become dinner. When the paycheck is slow in reaching the checking account, you can always depend on eggs to stretch the week out just a bit more. Sometimes it is fun to have breakfast for dinner. If you want to be cheap and elegant, an omelet is called for here. The basic recipe for an omelet is three or four beaten eggs mixed with a splash of milk and poured into a hot pan with a pat of melted butter or margarine. Turn the temperature low and cook slowly. Before the middle of the omelet has a chance to set, grate some cheese over it, add some salsa, crumbled bacon or cooked sausage. Just before serving, try folding it in half. Don't worry about tears. The taste is what matters here. Again, these are ideas. Let them percolate and allow your imagination take over.