I had to go to a training course for work and one of the ice-breaker questions was: what was the weirdest thing we had eaten. I won't divulge mine unless you ever meet me - but one lady said it was Dutch Slaw. Once she described it, it sounded similar to something I had seen a chef make, which was what he called German Potato Salad.
While thinking of side dishes for the What Katie Ate Next's Ribs, I suggested German Potato Salad and I got a very quick YES! I found a recipe for this on Budget Bytes' website, which I have used before for Dragon Noodles and was a great success, so I'm hoping this will be one too.
Yay or Nay: YAY!
This was delicious! I was dubious about adding the bacon fat to the final salad but I think it made it more bacon-y! I mean who doesn't love bacon?! This was tangy and not too heavy - I did smash the potatoes as I had cut them smaller to speed up cooking so they were a little on the mushy side and harder to cut. I don't think it affects the final taste too much.
I did use balsamic and regular distilled vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar like the recipe asked, but I didn't have any and wasn't about to take a trip to the supermarket to get one thing! The balsamic did have a stronger taste, but with a sweeter aftertaste. I'll have to try this with the apple cider to see the difference!
We wanted to make the most of the last good days of sunshine/summer, before the snowy, cold upstate winter settled in. Naturally, throwing some chicken on the grill/bbq was an easy decision for dinner this week. I had brought back from the UK some Nando's spicy rub and started thinking of some side options. Obviously, the Fino Sides are a complimentary accompaniment to the chicken and I love me some Spicy Rice so after some research on Pinterest I found Not Posh Food's recipe for Nandos Spicy Rice.
Yay or Nay: Undecided
It really should be either yay or nay but there were several reasons why this was a maybe. The taste was good, not dissimilar to jambalaya it was just the texture that wasn't right. Maybe it was because I used brown rice instead of white long grain/basmati or that I cooked the rice with the veggies but it was just too smushy compared to Not Poshs'. I would try this again but would cook the rice first and then add to the veggies.
Summer is officially here! The sun is out and everyone is thinking about BBQ-ing/ grilling/ cooking out/ having a braai! The best thing about whacking things on the grill is that you don't have to spend hours slaving over a stove and you can ask the other half to do it for you!! Thinking of a side dish is probably the trickiest thing for me, I usually want something healthy to counteract the unknown meat in hot dogs! In the States, it's all about adding crisps/chips and corn, and baked beans! However, baked beans here are NOT like Heinz Baked Beans of my youth! I knew I had to make my own, and where else could I look but Jamie Oliver! I got the recipe for Baked Beans from his Comfort Food cookbook but I found a similar one online.
Yay or Nay: Yay
I warn you, this is not a quick throw-everything-in-a-pan kind of dish. It is low and slow, at least at the beginning, and actually at the end too! But it is worth it - I think one bird-'s eye chili was enough as you could definitely taste the heat. Also make sure to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes as I didn't and I definitely felt the tomato pang!
My public market haul included pineapple and fresh corn on the cob so I knew I had to combine it with the pork chops and dirty rice I was making for dinner. I typed in quick corn and pineapple salsa, then waited for what the web could magic up. The first three links included Rachael Ray's recipe for Grilled Pineapple and Corn Salsa which was pretty much what I googled for - a result I guess!
Yay or Nay: Yay
I mean, I didn't even look at the recipe...I pretty much looked at the ingredients and then just made it up as I went along. I knew I wanted raw corn but I grilled up the poblano (which I had leftover from Sofritas last week), chopped everything up and mixed it together. Voila, easy peasy and a nice fresh side for dinner!
New and inventive ways of cooking a potato? Yeah not much comes to mind apart from mashing, boiling and roasting so when I saw the recipe for hassleback potatoes in April's Rachel Ray Everyday Magazine I was sold. Pimpin' up your regular potato was just what the doctor ordered! I chose the Garlic and Parm version as it was what I had left in the fridge and did not require that much cheese (yes, I'm cutting back).
Yay or Nay: Nay
When prepping for this side dish it all looked promising, from the cuts that made the potato fan out prettily or the delish combo of garlic, oregano and oil (I substituted the butter for olive oil), I was truly disappointed that it did not live up to its expectations. Yes, when it came out it smelled and looked great but the flavour wasn't full enough (I didn't have time to brush the herby oil, cook and then brush again). The potatoes didn't cook all the way through and the parm was barely detectable. Maybe it was because I used grated parm rather than shaved and different potatoes (possibly differet size too) that gave me such poor results. It'll be a while before I consider making these again.
