notes, quotes & anecdotes of a year fast passing

i made these two sides alongside the lemon cucumber dill salmon i did earlier this week, as you might remember from the map of my dinner plate. they were both so simple and pretty hands off - perfect for when you’re entertaining!

i was a little scared to make mashed potatoes for the first time because i’ve heard horror stories about how they can get gluey and gross if not made right. but feat not, this batch came out great. i love leaving the skin on with red bliss potatoes because it looks prettier.

as for the veggies, they are my favorite summer side dish, either on the grill or roasted in the oven. maybe i made them so i could pretend it was summertime and feet of snow weren’t still covering the ground? wishful thinking.

in other news, i woke up this morning singing, “‘you see,’ said she, ‘he’s as tame as tame can be. i’ll ride him down the nile.’ the crock winked his eye as she waved them all goodbye, wearing a happy smile. at the end of the ride, the lady was inside and the smile was on the crocodile.” …what?? i know it’s a catchy children’s song, but that doesn’t explain what it was doing in my dreams! i’ll have to look up crocodiles in the dream dictionary. i’ll keep you posted on any revelations!

SIDE NOTE: what the heck. i just started singing this song to the three people i share an office with and NONE of them knew what i was talking about. PLEASE TELL ME YOU ALL KNOW WHAT SONG I’M TALKING ABOUT?!? i feel sorry for their childhoods.

anywho, let’s have a look the veggies first. these pictures came out way prettier. also, i don’t even really consider this a “recipe” as much as an assembly. i decided to throw it in just in case the potatoes couldn’t hold a post all on their own.

zucchini

summer squash

bell pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt

pepper

[this serves about six, but can easily be bulked up to make way more]

first, preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

chop vegetables to a fairly uniform size and put in a large bowl. toss with the olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. then pour the goods into the baking dish and pop into the 400-degree oven for 25-30 minutes until everything is tender but not mushy.

serve them hot or cold - either way is just fine by me!

now… let’s get to the real treat: garlic smashed potatoes! one thing to note about the picture below: i had the intentions of using the light butter spread (pictured) but then i got some sense knocked into me. i used real butter, in moderation and it was just so much better. do yourself a favor and do the same.

4-5 medium red bliss potatoes

3 cloves of garlic (peeled and halved)

2 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup skim milk

salt and pepper

to prep, scrub your potatoes clean and remove any blemishes on the surface.

then, cut your potatoes into eighths by first quartering them and then halving each piece. don’t worry, i’m not questioning your ability to do math here, i just mean you don’t want eight slices.

make sure they’re pretty evenly cut so they take the same amount of time to cook.

fill a medium to large pot with water and salt it. add the potatoes and garlic with about an inch or so of water above the potatoes.

cover and bring to a boil. let them boil for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender (stick them with a fork to test it out).

drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. add the butter and skim milk, mashing them together with a potato masher, slotted spoon or whatever you can get your hands on. (i highly recommend investing a couple of dollars in a potato masher, though. i use it when i’m making guacamole, banana bread and banana scones. totally useful!)

serve ‘em up and enjoy - i think you could always add more garlic if you’re looking for more of a PUNCH but this was a happy balance of creamy potatoes and a nice garlic flavor. if you want it to be more like GARLIC with some creamy potatoes, go ahead and do a big clove for each potato you’re using.

it was nice the way i made them, though, since everyone at the dinner table could speak to each other without offending one another with their breath.

click here for a printable version of the recipes!

sometimes you’re having a sandwich or a burger or heck, just a craving and you NEED french fries. it’s not that you could just go for some. you need them. ever feel that way? no? just me? weird.

well, we all know that french fries are pretty greasy, salty and unhealthy. now this creation certainly isn’t a french fry but almost more like a steak fry. equally satisfying (if not more) and totally delicious. i could have these for dinner and be totally fine with that. in fact, i think i did that on friday…

by the way… somehow, my lovely ingredients photo didn’t make it from my roommate’s camera to my computer before i deleted them all. so i’ve decided to draw you a picture rather than forcing you to use your imagination. it’s very lifelike and accurate.

in case you couldn’t tell from my picture, here are the necessary ingredients per potato. i’d say if you’re going to eat THIS for dinner, one potato per person. but if you’re into that whole having a balanced meal thing, then 1/2 or 3/4 of a potato is enough for someone. trust me, this is a filling side.

1 large russet potato, unpeeled

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dill weed

done collecting? fab. let’s start doing!

preheat your oven to 400 degrees and then scrub and dry your potato.

now, cut the potato into eight wedges. slice it lengthwise in half and then quarter each half, lengthwise, as well.

drop the potato wedges into a bowl and drizzle the olive oil, tossing them around so they’re coated on all sides. once they’re coated (read: everything will stick to them), sprinkled the pepper, half the salt, garlic powder and dill on top. toss some more so everything is evenly distributed.

then, lay them flat down on one of the white, cut potato edges onto a baking sheet in a single layer. no need to use parchment or spray the sheet because there’s already oil on the potatoes.

bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. after that, take them out and flip them so the other “raw” side is face down and the dark, just cooked side, is face up. cook for another 10-15 minutes.

sprinkle the remaining salt on top and let them sit on a paper towel-lined plate before serving. this will get rid of any excess oil.

i now realize this is probably a lame excuse for a “recipe” and it’s more of a how-to. but they’re delicious, i love the dill and garlic combo and i’m sure there are ways you could prep these wrong. so just follow these steps and they’ll come out great :)

click here for a printable version of the recipe!