Tag: cornstarch

Categories
Air Fryer Appetizer Snack

Have a ball in the kitchen with a new potato dish

Garlic potato balls are made in the air fryer and are a wonderful texture, with a crispy outside and a mashed-potato-like inside.
Garlic potato balls are made in the air fryer and are a wonderful texture, with a crispy outside and a mashed-potato-like inside.

I love watching cooking shows when I have a free moment.

One of my favorite TV chefs is Lidia Bastianich. She specializes in all kinds of Italian dishes that look positively amazing. Going to her restaurant in Kansas City someday is definitely on my bucket list.

I have only tried making a couple of her recipes over the years. Honestly, I’m a little intimidated by her ability to make even complicated food look effortless.

That being said, I rarely have the same hangups when I watch videos on social media from amateur cooks. I figure if they can do it, I can do it.

Well, I was humbled a bit with this week’s recipe, because although I made something delicious, it wasn’t nearly as pretty as the product the influencer managed to create.

This came from a TikTok user, “PlanetFood.” I added extra seasoning in my version and eliminated a garlic butter sauce, just to try to cut down on the mass of calories in this dish.

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Garlic Potato Balls

Garlic potato balls are made in the air fryer and are a wonderful texture, with a crispy outside and a mashed-potato-like inside.
Course Appetizer, Snack
Keyword air fryer, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, potatoes, Russet potato

Ingredients

  • 2 large Russet potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

  • In a large pot, boil the cubed potato they are fork tender.
  • When the potatoes are done, drain them well and add them to a large bowl. Add the garlic powder, onion powder and paprika.
  • Mash the potatoes with a masher or fork until the mixture is smooth.
  • Incorporate the cornstarch until it forms a thick mixture that you can easily shape with your hands. If it’s still too sticky or wet, add more cornstarch, a little at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
  • Roll the mixture into packed, one-inch balls.
  • Add the balls to the basket of an air fryer (you could also fry these the old-fashioned way in oil), and spray them lightly with cooking spray. Try to space them apart. You might have to fry them in batches.
  • Air fry the potato balls at 200 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until they are golden brown.
  • Serve immediately.

These were tasty. They are crispy on the outside and like mashed potatoes on the inside. That also means you should be careful about how quickly you pop them into your mouth. They get pretty hot on the inside.

Mine kind of deflated a bit, and they stuck together more than I expected. I should have given them a better spray of cooking oil and maybe made sure the mixture was packed a little tighter.

Regardless, I really liked these, and I think I might have to give them another try sometime to share on a snack table during a football game.

And I learned my lesson about not being too egotistical about which recipes seem “easy” out there online. I need to keep reminding myself that I’m no Lidia, even if sometimes I play her in the newspaper.

This piece first appeared in print Sept. 26, 2024.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Put this ‘four’midable cake on your list for this week

This cake is made with only four ingredients—yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract and cornstarch. It’s a lightly sweet dessert that pairs well with fruit, honey or maple syrup and has a consistency a bit like a custard.
This cake is made with only four ingredients—yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract and cornstarch. It’s a lightly sweet dessert that pairs well with fruit, honey or maple syrup and has a consistency a bit like a custard.

I was recently given the opportunity to speak to the Newton Kiwanis about the many projects I have been working on at the newspaper.

We enjoyed a great lunch and good conversation before I spent a bit talking about my job, including my over 10-year expedition into writing this column.

I noted to them that sometimes the recipes I try these days get a little weird, because I often feel like I’m running out of ideas for something new each week.

This week was definitely one of those weeks, but it was also one of those recipes that once I saw it online, I had to try it. It’s a cake that is billed as having only three ingredients. It actually has four, though, if you don’t count the toppings, so I decided to change the name. (See? There is accuracy in journalism.) Regardless, the combination sounded super strange, and I couldn’t resist.

This recipe comes from the blog “The Modern Nonna.” You can find the original post at https://themodernnonna.com/3-ingredient-yogurt-cake/. I doubled the vanilla in my version below.

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Four-Ingredient Yogurt Cake

This cake is made with only four ingredients—yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract and cornstarch. It’s a lightly sweet dessert that pairs well with fruit, honey or maple syrup and has a consistency a bit like a custard.
Course Dessert
Keyword cornstarch, easy dessert, eggs, low-calorie, low-fat, vanilla, yogurt

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 5 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Optional toppings: fruit honey, maple syrup, powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Line a nine-by-five-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the edges a bit so you can remove the cake easily when it’s done.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a mixing bowl, whisk the yogurt and eggs until they are smooth.
  • Whisk in the vanilla and cornstarch, and continue stirring until everything is well combined.
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool, gently remove it from the pan using the parchment paper, and transfer to a serving plate. Top with fruit, honey or maple syrup and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Slice and serve.
  • Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container.

This. Was. Weird. It had a bit of a custard consistency, but it was firm enough to slice easily, too. I opted for honey and powdered sugar on mine, and it was very lightly sweet. Joey and I agreed it would have been even better with some fresh berries on top. The flavor profile reminded me a little bit of tapioca pudding.

Also, be ready for this to puff up a whole lot and then fall to being about two inches tall.

The recipe’s author also noted that you can use any other flavor of yogurt that sounds good, too, so if you’re in the mood to experiment even further, you have tons of options.

I really enjoyed my time with the Kiwanis, although no one seemed particularly excited by my explanation of this week’s weird recipe.

To each their own, I suppose.

This piece first appeared in print on March 14, 2024.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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