And now I’m blogging a baked potato.  It seems like too simple a dish to be worthy of a blog post, but let me tell you, if you’ve ever struggled with sub-par potatoes, this recipe is life changing.  Well, life changing in the portions of my life that intersect with russet potatoes.

It seems a bit unconventional but you end up with the crispiest, most flavorful skin and fluffiest of spuds.  Please PLEASE try this recipe.

The Best Baked Potato (adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen)

Elly’s blog was one of the first I started following way back in the day and I remember witnessing the event back then and wanting to participate but being blogless at the time.  By the time I created a blog where I could showcase recipes for such an event, Eat to the Beat had gone to the wayside.

I wish I had kept a running list of all the dishes I’ve made in the past 3 years that would have fit so perfectly into that event!  There were so many that could have fit the bill.

The one I present to you today is a for a Tortilla Espanola.

It is inspired by one of my favorite songs “Holiday In Spain” by Counting Crows.

I may take a holiday in Spain
Leave my wings behind me
Drink my worries down the drain
And fly away to somewhere new

The Counting Crows are one of those bands that just speaks to my soul.  The lyrics of so many of their songs mean so much to me.  Sometimes I, too, dream of dropping everything and flying off with no agenda and no one to answer to.  That, of course, is never going to happen in the life I lead, but for the 4 minutes I listen to this song, the daydream makes it seem almost possible.

This breakfast made great leftovers and is awesome served cold, warm, or room temperature.

Tortilla Espanola (seen on Paved with Good Intentions)

“Can’t you ever make anything with white flour and butter?”

“This has SmartBalance Buttery Spread in it!”

“That’s not butter.  And why is it orange?  Squash?”

(during dinner)

“This is such an amazing recipe.  It is going to be on FoodGawker.”

“Well, that’s mostly about the pictures but thanks for the compliment.”

Seriously.  One day he’ll realize that I’m not in the business of making meals that I think he won’t like.  And we both really, really liked this meal.  The crust was subtly pumpkiny and the tarragon flavored filling was perfect.  Just wonderful.

The recipe originally called for the addition of precooked turkey, so feel free to add 1.5 lbs of turkey or chicken to the filling.  We really found it wasn’t necessary, though.  The original recipe also called for neither potatoes nor peas, but I felt those were standard in pot pies.  Carrots were called for in the recipe, but we’d fed our stock to the horses so I left them out.

Vegetable Pot Pie with Pumpkin Whole Wheat Crust (inspired by Clean Eating Magazine)

In theory, I’m sort of against magazine subscriptions.  They use a lot of paper.  They are a very temporary source of enjoyment.  Usually all the information you see on the magazine ends up on the internet in a very short while.

I like to read my magazine while I’m on the treadmill.  I plan interval workouts and alternate busting butt on the treadmill with reading articles about running and recipes about food.  And then I try really hard to pass the magazines on to other readers when I’m done with them.  It sort of soothes my guilt.

The magazine from which this recipe comes is one that I’ve subscribed to for awhile now.  I vaguely remember glancing at the recipe for sweet potato samosas in the middle of a 5:00am treadmill workout.  It wasn’t until I saw this recipe pop up on a blog that I follow, though, did I pay the attention this recipe deserves.

The Omnivore got very excited when he noted the phyllo dough in the grocery cart.  Only good things come wrapped in phyllo.  This is a good trick to know, now that I think of it.  If I’m unsure as to whether or not he’ll enjoy it, wrap it in phyllo (formerly my tricks were to cover it in cheese or breadcrumbs or bacon or all three).

These samosas were excellent.  They’d make a fantastic appetizer but we ate them as a main course.  They were a tad bit labor intensive but the recipe makes enough samosas to freeze for future quick dinners.  To shorten the preparation time, I roasted sweet potatoes a day before I planned to make these samosas.
Sweet Potato Samosas (adapted from Clean Eating Magazine)

We’d gone together to the grocery store specifically to pick up kale.  He’d commented that we should rename kale to kaleb because it just sounds nicer.

We’d fed the stems and ribs of the kale leaves to the horses.

But, somehow, it was only when he saw the giant bowl of salad at the dinner table, he put kale and dinner together.

I had a back up plan, though, for when he balked.  And he did.  The magazine had printed a statement, in italics, that said your kids will love this salad! I plopped that magazine in his lap and grinned.  I’d won.

“I’m not a kid,” he said, and he made for the refrigerator in search of leftovers.

But let me tell you: I am so glad he hated this (well, hated the idea of this salad, he never actually tasted it).  I adored this salad.   I ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the following days.  It was crunchy (kale and almost), but soft (roasted potatoes), and juicy (orange segments, brilliant!).

This will make a fantastic winter salad when lettuces are out and greens are in.

One Year Ago: Black Bean and Turkey Burgers
Two Years Ago: Burrito Baskets

Crunchy Kale Tahini Salad (adapted from Vegetarian Times)

Sleep.  That’s what we do.

Just kidding.  I, for one, do have hobbies outside of the Branny Boils Over.  I guess the hobby that takes most my time is my animals.  Can animals be a hobby?  Ugh, yeah, they are our lifestyle. We even relocated to another state for our animals.

While I try not to think of us as crazy pet people, we will show up any place that is pet friendly with our two dogs in tow (it helps that they are TDI, International certified therapy dogs and very well trained).

Our cat has his own bedroom that he doesn’t even get kicked out of if guests visit.

So,  you see how I feel about my pets.  So, with hesitation, I post a picture that you’ll either be grossed out by or smitten by (I was smitten).

Obviously, with 5 permanent pets and various fosters, I’ve always got animals underfoot.  You either learn to accept it or you drive yourself crazy.  Sure, a stray kitty hair may have landed on my sandwich, but whatever! I got to spend a sweet bonding moment as I whisked him out of the kitchen and shut him in his room after he invaded my photo shoot.

Sometimes, with all these animals, a sandwich is all we have time to prepare when it comes to dinnertime.  And if we’re going to settle for a sandwich for dinner, it isn’t going to be a ham and cheese or spam sandwich.  We at least deserve some interesting options.

And the ingredients here were interesting for sure.  The mustard scared me for a second, but it was perfect.  Please give this a try!

Sweet Potato and Avocado Sandwich (adapted from Five and Spice)

I’m not sure why I keep it there, because obviously I’m in charge of all the edible comings and goings in the house.  I used to ask my dear husband’s opinion about what he’d like to eat during the week, and he always returned things like tomato sandwiches in December and cauliflower curry in June.  I would smile and move right along in my meal planning – those request could never be met.

So we have this dance: he adds items to the grocery list and I ignore them.  Most of the time.  I have a soft heart when the items he suggests are actually in season and available.

My problem is that I don’t account for his request while doing my menu planning.  So Saturday I was grocery shopping, and I ran across “new potatoes” written on the grocery list.  And there was a bag of them at the farm stand, calling the Omnivore’s name.  So I bought it.  And I came home. And I made all the meals for the week.  And the potatoes sat in the dark cupboard.  I had not added them to the grocery list; I had not accounted for them in my menu planning.

Because summer is the season for potato salad, I decided that I’d make a batch of the stuff for the Omnivore to eat along side his sandwiches at lunch time.  I didn’t have celery on hand (because this dish WAS NOT PLANNED FOR!), but be sure to include it if you please.

The potato salad was the best I’ve made.  It was creamy and tangy and just darn good.  It didn’t include tossing a whole bunch of fat mayo into the pot, which makes it even better in my opinion.

One Year Ago:  Peach Pie
Two Years Ago: Homemade Grape Nuts

Potato Salad (adapted from Vegetarian Times)
a mayo free potato salad

Omnivore: What would Branny say you said is the one dish your wife just can’t get right in the kitchen?

Omnivore: My wife knows that the one thing she can’t get right in the kitchen is POTATOES.

Announcer: 10 points to the Branny team!

Now, we aren’t in agreement that I can’t cook potatoes.  I think I can cook them just fine.  The Omnivore, however, is always complaining that they’re bland, undercooked, and lacking olive oil/butter.

This recipe, however, garnished none of those complaints.  And because the potatoes are cut so thinly on the mandoline before baking, they cook up quickly on a weeknight, unlike most other potato recipes.

One Year Ago: Italian Bread
Two Years Ago: Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread and Cucumber Sandwiches

Lemony Potato Rounds (adapted from Clean Eating Magazine)
Potato rounds seasoned with oregano and lemon zest

I just thought I’d show you right off the bat what we’re working with.  I’m talking perfectly sliced sweet potato fries, coated in crunchy peanut butter with a pinch of salt, cooked until crispy on the edges but soft on the inside.  I’m talking about a paradigm shift from the usual baked french fry motif.  I’m talking about fries that McDonald’s can’t even attempt.  This will satisfy your craving.  This will spice up your life.

Baked on a cooling rack, these fries don’t need flipping.  Of course, you’ll be sitting on your hands waiting to throw open the oven as soon as the 20 minutes of baking is up.  You probably wish they required a flip just so you could be a little more involved during the cooking process.  Believe me, you won’t risk wandering away from your kitchen on this recipe.

Don’t do what I did: make half a recipe.  Go big or go home.

One Year Ago: Turkey and Bean Picadillo
Two Years Ago: Vegan Mac and Cheese

Peanut Crusted Sweet Potato Fries (From FakeGinger, seen on OhSheGlows)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into thin fry-like strips
3 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Preheat oven to 400F.  In a medium bowl, microwave peanut butter 20 seconds until easily stirred.  Add olive oil.  Using your hands, mix fry strips with peanut butter coating until all potatoes are thoroughly coated.  Arrange on a cooling rack and sprinkle with salt.

Bake 20 minutes or until crisp on the outside and soft on the inside

The day I published my last post, my site crashed, so please go back and visit it!  BrannyBoilsOver will be improving in the very near future.  I haven’t hired some fancy blog designer or techie blog engineer so this is all being done by myself.  Blame me and only me for the crash and burn.

But if I have to take all the blame, I’m going to take all the credit, too, for introducing you to this delicious salad.  Throughout this entire ordeal, this very meal kept my eye on the prize.  I wouldn’t allow the blog to fail because I needed to share this with you!  (okay, that’s way too serious, but I’m trying to be emphatic about how much I liked this recipe).  I ate it warm and cold.  Both were great.

Marinated Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli (from Moosewood)
3 medium-sized sweet potatoes or yams (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
1/2 cup walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 bunch (1 1/2 pounds) broccoli–cut into 1-inch pieces and/or small florets
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional Garnishes:
Thin slices of green apple
Chopped toasted pecans

Peel the sweet potatoes, cut them in halves or quarters, and dice into chunks. Cook them in a steamer over boiling water while you prepare the marinade. Do not overcook.

In a medium-large bowl, combine the oil, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, mustard, and honey, and whisk until well-blended.

As soon as the sweet potato slices are tender (but not mushy), add them, still hot, to the marinade. Mix to combine.

Steam the broccoli spears until bright green and just tender. Rinse under cold running water to stop the cook, then drain and dry the broccoli pieces completely. Lay them carefully on top of the salad (If the broccoli comes into contact with the vinegar too soon, its beautiful green color will fade.)  Cover tightly, and marinate for several hours. (Chilling is optional. This dish tastes good cold OR at room temperature.)

Within about 15 minutes of serving, mix in the broccoli from the top of the sweet potatoes.  Season to taste with black pepper, and serve garnished with thin slices of green apple and chopped, toasted pecans, if desired.