Saturday, November 3, 2007

PO-TA-TOES

Yes, it's time for a spud recipe. Spud being slang for potato(e). BTW, anyone in a Commonwealth country whose last name is "Murphy" will have the nickname of "spud" or "spuds" --just a tidbit from me to you.

I've had a some friends call me The King Of Potatoes. I hope it's a compliment! So here's the first of many original potato(e) dishes from Dingo Dave:


Dingo Dave's Scalloped Spuds

The amounts of each ingredient really depends on how many you are feeding, and the size of your baking dish. This'll be a good side dish for 5 hungry folks.

What you need:

2 and a half pounds peeled (or unpeeled) spuds
2 to 3 cups whole milk
3 (or so) tbsp butter
salt
pepper
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
a pinch or two of cinnamon powder
shredded cheddar cheese

What you do:

Slice the spuds into 2mm thick slices --this is easiest done in a food processor. Arrange the sliced spuds vertically in a baking dish. Pour enough milk into the dish to cover the slices 1/2 to 2/3 of the way to the top of the potatoes. Put a few "splats" of butter on, salt and pepper (to taste), then sprinkle the nutmeg and cinnamon over the top. Cover with shredded cheese.

Cover the dish, and chuck it in a hot oven for 45 mins or so --Note: if you like your spuds soft, then leave it in longer, if you like your spuds "al dente" then leave it in shorter. If you want the top crispy, then take the lid off the last ten mins.

Serve 'em up and enjoy!

You'll have a lot of sauce in the bottom of the dish; use that to ladle over the spuds and whatever main dish you are serving --very tasty stuff.

Try it, you'll like it!

Side note: pecorino cheese can be substituted for a sharper taste. And for you who like US style pizza then use mozzarella.

6 comments:

Suzer said...

Those sound much better than the boring old boiled or baked potatoes I usually make:)

Alaskan Dave Down Under said...

Everyone loves them! Once you get your food processor you'll definitely want to make them --I love my Kambrook.

Suzer said...

This doesn't really fit it with potatoes, but as you're a foodie and it sounds yum:

http://sedders.wordpress.com/2007/11/03/better-than-sexcake/

brittany said...

yum. i recently made scalloped potatoes and put parmesan cheese on top - tasty, yes, but I think I prefer creamier cheeses... at least with potatoes!! Any suggestions for good ways to get the best out of caribou roasts or steaks?

Alaskan Dave Down Under said...

Suzer: I've seen links to that elsewhere... gotta try it sometime :)

Brittany: Ah, caribou... How much of the meat did you end up with? Hopefully: LOTS!

Roo is a lot like caribou; very low fat, and slightly gamey tasting. For caribou I'd go for roasts that are steam-roasted on a low heat for a long time (seasonings are endless). If you do steaks then you'd probably want to marinate them and be very careful cooking them so they don't dry out and go tough. You can also make caribou jerky, caribou sausage (did anyone save the blood???), and you can also smoke it (if you don't know someone in the valley who has a smoker then they are easy to make, let me know about directions). Caribou burgers are very very good provided you or someone you know has a meat grinder (mine's cast iron from 1968).

The way you cook it and the seasonings you use will either augment the gameyness or make it go away entirely --your choice.

The easiest would be a roast, let me know if you'd like a recipe for a nice juicy caribou rump roast, no worries.

Alaskan Dave Down Under said...

Suzer: I've seen links to that elsewhere... gotta try it sometime :)

Brittany: Ah, caribou... How much of the meat did you end up with? Hopefully: LOTS!

Roo is a lot like caribou; very low fat, and slightly gamey tasting. For caribou I'd go for roasts that are steam-roasted on a low heat for a long time (seasonings are endless). If you do steaks then you'd probably want to marinate them and be very careful cooking them so they don't dry out and go tough. You can also make caribou jerky, caribou sausage (did anyone save the blood???), and you can also smoke it (if you don't know someone in the valley who has a smoker then they are easy to make, let me know about directions). Caribou burgers are very very good provided you or someone you know has a meat grinder (mine's cast iron from 1968).

The way you cook it and the seasonings you use will either augment the gameyness or make it go away entirely --your choice.

The easiest would be a roast, let me know if you'd like a recipe for a nice juicy caribou rump roast, no worries.