Tag: Russet potato

Categories
Breakfast Main Dish

Oh, baby, are you going to love this Mexican-Dutch fusion

A Mexican Dutch baby combines the traditional puffy pancake with lots of great south-of-the-border flavors, like chorizo and salsa, to make a meal that’s great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
A Mexican Dutch baby combines the traditional puffy pancake with lots of great south-of-the-border flavors, like chorizo and salsa, to make a meal that’s great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Sometimes I feel like I must try a recipe, just because it sounds too ridiculous or strange to ignore.

In this case, it was finding a guy online making a “Mexican Dutch baby.”

If you’re not familiar with a traditional Dutch baby, it’s basically a large, puffy pancake made in an already preheated pan in the oven.

I have generally only seen Dutch babies filled with fruit and powdered sugar once they come out of the oven, so the idea of a savory one—and a Mexican one, at that—intrigued me.

Now, I will warn you that I probably ruined this from being a true Dutch baby, because I beefed it up quite a bit, making it pretty impossible to puff up as much as a traditional one would, but just trust me that having this as a hearty, filling meal is totally worth whatever puffiness sacrifice you’re making.

I found this recipe on the YouTube channel @yaydadcooking. I doubled the recipe for my version, increased the amount of chorizo and paprika and also added garlic, onion and bell pepper.

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Mexican Dutch Baby

A Mexican Dutch baby combines the traditional puffy pancake with lots of great south-of-the-border flavors, like chorizo and salsa, to make a meal that’s great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Main Course
Keyword bell pepper, chorizo, Dutch baby, fresh garlic, garlic, minced garlic, oaxaca cheese, paprika, potatoes, queso fresco, Russet potato, salsa, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 9 ounces chorizo
  • 1 large Russet potato diced
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1 bell pepper diced
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • Oaxaca cheese or queso fresco to taste
  • Your favorite salsa for serving

Instructions

  • Place a large, cast iron or oven-safe deep skillet in the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. (Mine is a 13-inch pan.)
  • While it preheats, heat a skillet over medium heat, and add the chorizo. Saute until it’s cooked through, and remove it from the pan, setting it aside.
  • In the leftover grease from the chorizo, saute the potato, onion and pepper until everything is cooked through (if there isn’t enough oil in the pan, add a little canola or vegetable oil to supplement). Add the garlic and saute for just a couple minutes or until it’s fragrant. Remove it from heat and stir the chorizo back into the mixture.
  • Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk or fork, and then stir in the flour, milk, paprika and salt and pepper. Whisk it some more until the mixture is lump free.
  • If the oven is preheated, carefully remove the hot pan and add the butter, letting it melt and swirling it to coat the bottom of the pan. Pour in the chorizo/veggie mixture and spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan, and then pour the batter mixture over the top of that.
  • Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the batter is golden brown and set.
  • Top the Dutch baby with cheese and salsa, slice and serve immediately.

This was really tasty, and it reheated extremely well out of the fridge the next day.

This would make for a good dinner or breakfast, either one, and the neat thing is you can really control the spice level, based on what salsa you choose. We went with a spicy green salsa, and it was delicious.

And I’m pretty excited to see this Dutch-Mexican fusion. It combines the best of both types of recipes into one, and that’s the kind of culinary world I want to live in.

This piece first appeared in print March 5, 2026.

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
Main Dish Soup

With fall ‘fest’ approaching, it’s time for some stew recipes

Oktoberfest stew includes all the flavors of the traditional celebration, from beer and sausage to cabbage and potatoes. Paired with a thick, crusty slice of bread, it makes for a cozy, warming dinner.
Oktoberfest stew includes all the flavors of the traditional celebration, from beer and sausage to cabbage and potatoes. Paired with a thick, crusty slice of bread, it makes for a cozy, warming dinner.

I’m constantly amazed at how quickly we transition from pasta salad to thick, warming stew weather in Kansas.

I can always tell when other parts of the country are starting to move into whatever the next season is, because my Pinterest suggestions suddenly begin showcasing a totally new genre of food. Right now, with Canadian Thanksgiving behind us, temperatures starting to dip and Halloween on the horizon, my feed is punctuated by lots of soups, pies and spooky treats.

I was glad for that shift this week, when I decided it was time to make my first soup of the season: an Oktoberfest-inspired stew that did not disappoint in the least.

This comes from the blog “The Cozy Apron” by Ingrid Beer. You can find her post at https://thecozyapron.com/oktoberfest-stew/. I swapped out the sausage and added extra garlic in my version below. I also doubled what is listed below, and that gave us plenty of leftovers to store in the freezer, too.

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Oktoberfest Stew

Oktoberfest stew includes all the flavors of the traditional celebration, from beer and sausage to cabbage and potatoes. Paired with a thick, crusty slice of bread, it makes for a cozy, warming dinner.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine German
Keyword beer, beer brats, bratwurst, cabbage, caramelized onions, caraway seeds, dunkel, fresh garlic, garlic, German stew, lager, marzen, minced garlic, Octoberfest meal, Oktoberfest meal, onion, parsley, potatoes, Russet potato

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion sliced thinly (I used white)
  • 16 to 19 ounces beer brats cut into half-inch rounds
  • 1/2 head cabbage thinly sliced or 10 ounces coleslaw cabbage
  • 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds ground or whole
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup Oktoberfest style lager like a marzen or a dunkel
  • 2 large Russet potatoes cut into one-inch pieces
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven with a lid over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, and saute until it is soft and starting to caramelize.
  • Add the sausage, and saute until there is no pink left (no worries about internal temperature, it’s going to get plenty of cook time).
  • Stir in the cabbage, letting it cook until it’s wilted down and starting to lightly brown.
  • Add in the caraway seed, salt, pepper, and the garlic, letting the garlic saute for a few minutes, or just until it starts to smell nice.
  • Add in the lager and stir, letting the mixture marry for about five minutes to let the beer reduce just a smidgeon.
  • Add the potatoes and stock, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring regularly. Once the stew is boiling, turn the heat to low, and place the lid slightly askew on the pot, letting it cook for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally while it simmers.
  • When it’s done, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the apple cider vinegar and dried parsley. Serve alongside a slice of crusty bread.

This stew was delicious. The flavor combinations were out of this world, with the starchiness of the potatoes, the maltiness from the lager and the slight sweetness of the cabbage all complimenting the sausage. I baked a loaf of beer bread to go with our stew, and it paired beautifully.

And with the temperatures dipping just enough to let us turn off our air conditioner and open our windows, we enjoyed a great meal.

I can’t wait to savor this season of recipes for the next few weeks, at least until somebody somewhere starts posting about Christmas.

This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 17, 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
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
Main Dish Side Dish

Onion soup-inspired baked potatoes will have you crying with joy

French onion baked potatoes combines the rich flavors of French onion soup with the heartiness of a twice-baked potato to create a magnificent meal or side.
French onion baked potatoes combines the rich flavors of French onion soup with the heartiness of a twice-baked potato to create a magnificent meal or side.

There’s that famous quote from Ecclesiastes that “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

That phrase is especially applicable when it comes to recipes, it seems. Any time I wonder if anyone has actually accomplished some weird idea, a simple Google search tends to find me a recipe to try.

With that said, I’m still regularly surprised with the recipes I find and the ideas people have when it comes to combining ingredients.

The recipe I found this week for French-onion-soup-inspired baked potatoes was one of those. They sounded delicious, and I knew I just had to try it.

This recipe actually ended up being an amalgamation of three different ones as I searched for the flavor profile I was after. First from the blog “12 Tomatoes” by Kristy Norrell at https://12tomatoes.com/french-onion-stuffed-potatoes. Second, from the blog “Simply Recipes” by Elise Bauer at https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/french_onion_soup/. And finally, from the blog “The Cookie Rookie” by Becky Hardin at https://www.thecookierookie.com/cook-perfect-baked-potatoes/.

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French Onion Baked Potatoes

French onion baked potatoes combines the rich flavors of French onion soup with the heartiness of a twice-baked potato to create a magnificent meal or side.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Keyword baked potatoes, bay leaves, beef stock, French onion soup, garlic, gruyere, pinot grigio, Russet potato, thyme, white wine, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 4 large Russet potatoes
  • Olive oil to coat potatoes
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 medium yellow onions thinly sliced
  • 8 cloves garlic minced
  • pinch of sugar
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine I used pinot grigio
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 10 to 12 ounces gruyere shredded
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  • While it preheats, wash your potatoes and prick them all over with a fork. Fill a large bowl with warm water and dump in a healthy amount of salt. Place your potatoes in the bowl to soak.
  • Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining it with foil and placing a baking rack on top.
  • Once the oven is preheated, remove the potatoes from the water and place them with space between them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes.
  • Remove the sheet from the oven and carefully brush the potatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Place them back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
  • When your potatoes are about 20 minutes from being done, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and let them saute, stirring regularly, until they are a deep, golden brown. (This will likely take at least 20 minutes. Be patient.) When the onions are nearly done, add in the garlic, sprinkle in the pinch of sugar and add salt and pepper to taste. Saute for a couple more minutes and then add in the white wine, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get up any stuck-on bits.
  • Add in the beef stock, bay leaves and thyme, and let the mixture come to a very low boil, stirring regularly.
  • Once the liquid is completely reduced, remove the skillet from the heat and discard the bay leaves.
  • Cut about one-half inch off the tops of your baked potatoes and scoop out the insides into a mixing bowl, being careful to leave just a bit of the potato attached to the skin so it will hold up to being stuffed.
  • Smash the potato you scooped into the bowl a bit and then add in a handful of the shredded cheese and all but about 1/2 cup of the onion mixture. Stir it well.
  • Scoop the mixture back into the potato shells, and place the filled potatoes on the prepared baking rack from before. Evenly distribute the rest of the onions on the top of the filled potatoes and top with as much cheese as you can balance on top of that. (I highly recommend putting some cheese on the potato tops you cut off earlier and putting those on the sheet, too.)
  • Turn the broiler on low and place the potatoes back in the oven, keeping an eye on them. When the cheese is melted, turn the broiler up to high, and once the cheese is browned to your liking, remove the potatoes from the oven and serve.

These were fabulous and filling. You could eat these as a side dish, but I found large enough potatoes that we made a meal out of them. The caramelized onion flavor along with the cheese and potato was a fantastic combination. And even though these take a bit of a time commitment to create, I would say it’s worth it.

I have to admit that combining French onion soup with a twice-baked potato is a new one for me, so maybe there are a few exceptions to that phrase from Ecclesiastes. Of course, I doubt that the biblical author was considering spuds when creating that line.

This piece first appeared in print on Jan. 5, 2023.

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
Main Dish Soup

Recipe proves that, actually, it is easy bein’ cheesy

This cheesy Italian sausage potato chowder comes together easily and will warm you down to the tips of your toes.
This cheesy Italian sausage potato chowder comes together easily and will warm you down to the tips of your toes.

Is it summer yet? I’m in need of some serious sun and some serious warmth right now, and I can’t wait to toss my sweaters into a plastic tub and forget they exist for awhile.

I know I still have time, but I am so ready.

My only consolation this time of year is warm, comforting food, and this week, I found a chowder recipe that almost makes me glad it’s winter.

Almost.

This recipe comes from “A Night Owl Blog” and was published by Jenny Bullistron. You can find the original at http://www.anightowlblog.com/2015/10/cheesy-italiansausage-potatochowder.html. Rather than using Italian sausage as her ingredients list calls for, I put all the spices I listed below in my version, and I also felt no Italian soup was complete without garlic, so I tossed that in, as well.

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Cheesy Italian Sausage Potato Chowder

This cheesy Italian sausage potato chowder comes together easily and will warm you down to the tips of your toes.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Italian
Keyword basil, cayenne, celery, chicken stock, Italian sausage, minced garlic, oregano, paprika, potatoes, red pepper flakes, Russet potato, spicy soup, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon oil I used olive
  • 1 pound sausage I used mild
  • 4 to 5 cloves of garlic minced
  • a liberal pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon
  • cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 4 cups potatoes peeled and diced (I used Russet)
  • 3 cups chicken stock or broth
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 cup milk I used whole
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • In a pan, heat the oil over medium and add the onions. Saute until they are translucent.
  • Add in the sausage and break apart while cooking.
  • When the sausage is almost done, add in the garlic, red pepper flakes, cayenne, paprika, basil, oregano, black pepper and salt. Continue cooking until the sausage is cooked through, and drain off any grease that accumulates in the pan.
  • While the onions and sausage are cooking, place the chicken stock, potatoes and celery into a Dutch oven and bring to a slow boil. Turn the heat to medium, and let the vegetables simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
  • Add the sausage to the Dutch oven, along with the milk and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve once all ingredients are warmed through.

Joey praised this recipe as one of the best things I’ve ever made, and I did spice it up enough that it has a bit of a kick to it, so if that’s not your style, you might leave out the pepper flakes and cayenne. It will still be delicious.

And as for winter, I suppose I’ll just hunker down and deal with it for a few more months.

At least I have some leftover chowder to keep me warm for the time being.

This piece first appeared in print Jan. 28, 2016.

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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