Good Friday Dinner Part 2

Along with the grilled veggies we served some hamburgers. Jarred was in charge of these, since i've never made or really eat hamburgers. He did a jerk seasoning that everyone really seemed to enjoy and added some onions, breadcrumbs and eggs to bind the mixture. I tried a teeny little piece of a hamburger when it was straight off the grill - can't say i was a fan, but that's not a slight to Jarred's cooking - everyone loved them! I guess i'm just not a hamburger kinda girl.

We also had a bag of potatoes and there was initially some talk about doing simply baked potatoes, but i thought that hamburgers deserved fries. Unfortunately the knives at Mike's cottage are pretty dull, but Jarred was a champion and cut all the fries for the oven. We put them in a large roasting pan and tossed them with olive oil and some random seasonings and baked them on low. Unfortunately mid-way though, they were really sticking together and breaking apart while we tried to toss them, so they were transferred to a larger baking tray and spread out a lot more - this seemed to be a solution, and the fries were great.

When i was picking up the veggies on friday, i also passed this lovely french bakery that i drive by everyday, and have yet to go in called Ma Maison - it was open, which i considered a sign. I popped in, and it was pretty early, so everything was still coming out of the oven which was amazing. I picked up a baguette (whole wheat) and also a apricot-almond tart, which they decorated with little bunnies and carrots for dessert.

Above:

Fries!
The table
Fries ready for the oven
Jarred making the hamburgers
Hamburgers ready for the grill
Cutting the fries (thanks Jarred)
Apricot tart

Oven fries

I know i keep claiming i don't really like potatoes, then using them, but i don't. I was so dissatisfied with my Smashed Potatoes that i was determined to buy some fresh potatoes and try again, so this weekend i picked up a small bag. I don't want to constantly ruin starches, and i was planning on consciously seeking out new ways to make potatoes and add a few dishes into my repertoire.

Recently i had been craving fries, but they really aren't good for you, and i like to eat them with mayo and malt vinegar. (i know, gross) Looking a the bag of potatoes, i couldn't resist trying to make some fries. I know sometimes when you try and make a healthy version of things like fries, they aren't very good and don't really satisfy the craving but, i thought i would try anyway. I knew they would be excellent for snacking while watching the next round of NCAA basketball.

As i mentioned i also like to eat them with mayo, and theoretically i could of, but summer was coming and a few of my things were on the tight side. I thought instead i would make a dipping sauce with a little mayo (Helmans low fat) 5% sour cream, dijon mustard and honey.

For the fries i cut them into quarters, tossed them with olive oil (a little on the generous side), pepper, finely chopped garlic and red chili pepper flakes. I put parchment paper onto the baking sheet so that it wasn't a difficult clean up. Near the end of cooking i stirred them a little as some pieces where a little browner than others. After i took them out of the oven i ground a little fresh sea salt over them and served them with my honey dijon sauce.

All in all these were pretty good, not deep fried or anything, but certainly cleared up the fry craving in a healthier way.