Don’t think they’re ‘just’ beans and ‘just’ potatoes. After they cook up in a seasoned smoky broth these seasoned green beans and potatoes aren’t ‘just’ anything, they’re amazing. Heck, I’ll admit it. The broth was so good I had to lift my bowl and drink it. No messing around with a spoon. There’s not time for that. Just go for the gusto. The broth is really fantastic stuff. So are the green beans and potatoes, of course!
Shanks. Hocks. Either Way.
Although the original recipe called for using smoked ham hocks, I’m a huge fan of using smoked pork shanks instead. The shanks are meatier, which means they also add more of a smoky flavor. To get the same effect with ham hocks, you’ll either need bigger hocks or just add more of them when you cook these seasoned green beans and potatoes.
I like to cook this wonderful side dish in my trusty ole Dutch oven.
I used to buy frozen garlic bread from the grocery store. Regularly. And on occasion I’d make it from scratch. I was looking for something better and easier. This make-ahead garlic bread makes sure I always have great garlic bread on hand and for a better price. And it tastes a whole lot better too! Oh, and even better, I can make it as buttery and as garlicky as I want!
Perfect From The Freezer
I was afraid that all the buttery goodness in the topping would make this make-ahead garlic bread stick together. I feared I’d open the door to a huge block of bread stuck together. I’d be unable to even chisel a single piece away. But no! The pieces are frozen individually first, making sure they don’t stick. I keep them in a large one gallon freezer bag, always on hand for dinner!
In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic, olive oil, salt and parsley using a fork. You want the mixture to form a paste.
Cut the bread into 1" thick pieces.
Using a knife or spoon, place 1/2 tablespoon of the butter mixture onto each slice of bread. Spread it out edge-to-edge, covering the bread completely.
Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 15 minutes or until the butter isn't tacky.
Transfer the slices to freezer bags and freeze until ready to use.
Baking instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 F.
Place frozen bread slices on a baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes or until nicely browned.
Polenta. Just the saying the word makes me happy. Creamy. Pleasantly filling. Great plain but also a great base for many different of flavors. Polenta is and always be my favorite side dish. I consider it to be decadent even though it’s history is more as a peasant dish. The roasted red pepper in this polenta doesn’t over-power that great corn flavor, but it’s there, lightly smoky, lightly sweet.
Quality Broth Makes Great Polenta
I always make my polenta using homemade chicken broth or stock. I believe it makes a really big difference in the richness of the dish. You can substitute water, but you’ll find chicken broth or stock to be much, much better. This roasted red pepper polenta deserves only the best ingredients to make it truly great!
I use Bob’s Red Mill Polenta, which is found at just about any grocery store around us. On the off-chance you can’t find Bob’s, follow Chef Vivian Howard’s rule: don’t buy a polenta with more than one ingredient on the label. Bob’s has just one, corn.
Place peppers into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Add the broth to a medium pot along with the salt and red pepper puree. Bring to a boil.
While stirring, slowly add in the polenta.
Reduce heat to a simmer and stir continuously for 3 minutes.
Cook the polenta for 35-40 minutes, stirring often, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. I use a flat wooden spoon for this. If the polenta starts to splatter you can place on lid on the pot, but put it on loosely so moisture can still escape.
Oh me. There are few things as dangerous as a plate of bacon and blue cheese French fries. If ever there was something that causes my self-control to go totally out the window, this is it. It all starts with perfectly crispy, delicious French fries. Homemade. Hot out of the deep-fryer. Then comes the blue cheese sauce. That wonderful funky cheese flavor. Creamy with hints of garlic and shallot. Delicious. And finally, bacon. Crispy, smoky, perfectly-cooked bacon. These are the fries dreams are made of.
Crazy Good Fries Like No Other
If I’m cooking these bacon and blue cheese French fries for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
If you’d rather not make fries from scratch, you can use frozen ones instead. Just bake the fries per the package instructions, making sure you get them good and crispy While they’re baking, make the sauce and cook the bacon. Serve hot-out-of-the-oven.
For the blue cheese sauce (make first and keep warm while making the fries)
Add butter to a small skillet over medium heat.
Add shallot and garlic. Saute for 4-5 minutes or until just starting to soften.
Add the cheese, milk and pepper.
Stirring constantly, raise the heat to medium-high and let the mixture get to a simmer. The cheese should be melted and the sauce will start to thicken.
Remove from heat and cover until ready to use.
For the fries
Fill a large bowl with cold water.
Slice the potatoes into thin, 1/8″-1/4″ sticks. Try to keep them the same thickness.
Place fries into the water. Add more water if needed to keep them full submerged.
Add the oil to the fryer and plug it in according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Drain the fries. Refill with more cold water. Stir the potatoes. Repeat this step (draining, refilling) until the water is no longer cloudy. This usually just takes me two times.
Drain the potatoes well and transfer to a large kitchen towel. Pat dry. Make sure you get them dry or they will splatter when you add them to the hot oil.
Working in batches if needed, fry the potatoes until just starting to turn a light brown. You are not cooking them fully, you do not want them to be golden brown yet. Do not over-crowd the fryer.
Remove the fries from the fryer using the slotted spoon that comes with the unit. Place on a wire rack over a baking pan to drain. Spread them out evenly.
Let the fries cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
Working in batches if necessary, return the fries to the fryer and finish cooking them. You want them nice and lightly golden brown. I’ve found that you can actually crowd the fryer a little more than usual for this step. The fries are mostly cooked, you’re just crisping them up and giving them some color so a little extra potatoes in there isn’t going to hurt. Just don’t over-fill the fryer.
Remove the fries to the wire rack again to drain. Season well with salt and pepper. I prefer to transfer the fries from the rack to a large bowl, sprinkle them with the seasonings, and toss to season evenly.
Transfer the fries to a serving dish and top with the cheese sauce and sprinkle with the bacon.
Rodney’s Scott’s cookbook World of BBQ: Every Day is a Good Day is one of the best BBQ-themed cookbooks I’ve ever read. And I do mean read. I didn’t just turn the pages looking at the great recipes (and there are tons of them). I read it. Like a novel. But… yes… oh, the great recipes! Like this pimiento cheese. My wife proclaimed this to be the best pimiento cheese she’s had. That surprised the heck out of me. Not because it isn’t great, but because until this recipe came along everyone, and I do mean everyone, thought her mom’s was the best.
The Steps To Cheesy Greatness
There are two things (I think) that are key to this being one outstanding pimiento cheese. First, you have to use block cheese and then shred it manually. Don’t use that pre-shredded stuff. Yeah, it takes a few minutes to shred it by hand but it’s worth it. Second, you have to use a great BBQ seasoning. It’s up to you whether you use a spice seasoning, a sweet seasoning, or whatever you prefer. We went with a sweet rub, and wow what a mix did it ever make. This is great stuff here.
I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.
Shred the cheese using the medium holes on a box grater. This step is important. Do not use pre-shredded cheese. Shredding your own makes a world of difference.
In a large bowl combine the cream cheese and mayonnaise and mix well.
Add the pimientos, BBQ rub, mustard powder and onion powder. Mix well. Gently stir in the cheese.
Pile high on toasted bread for the best pimiento cheese sandwiches ever!
It’s summer time. And summer is good. Summer is better, though, with a big ole plate of spicy barbecue-and-bacon baked beans. These are some of the most flavor-packed beans you’ll find. And talk about easy to make, too! It’s not quite as easy as open a bunch of cans and heat, but it’s close to being that easy. A little time in the oven and you’re ready to devour some tasty beans. Double, triple or quadruple the recipe and you’ve got a great dish for a picnic or family get-together!
Ranch Beans For The Win
Much of the flavor in these spicy barbecue-and-bacon baked beans comes from the Ranch style beans. Then along comes a bit of jalapeno spiciness. And just a hint of sweetness. For the BBQ sauce I went with a nice hickory BBQ sauce to add a bit of that outdoorsy flavor.
Ah, glorious sweet corn. It makes me happy whenever corn is in season. I love it any way you can cook it. This slow cooked jalapeno corn version adds a bit of heat (though really, it’s quite tame) from jalapenos. It’s tremendously creamy and sweet. It’s also perfect for a get-together since it makes a pretty good size batch. You can halve it if you need, or double it for an even bigger crowd.
Light On The Heat. Heavy On The Flavor.
You can leave out the jalapenos. But I think you’ll want to add something in place of it, like minced sweet onion. Don’t go crazy with it. I think you need just a little something for a little bite in this slow cooked jalapeno corn. I mean, it does have ‘jalapeno’ in the name!
Although I slow cooked the corn in my oven, you can also cook it on a grill or even a smoker. Just keep your temperature around 250 F and the corn will come out delicious.
Ah, glorious sweet corn. It makes me happy whenever corn is in season. I love it any way you can cook it. This slow cooked jalapeno corn version adds a bit of heat (though really, it’s quite tame) from jalapenos, and tremendous creamy sweetness.
Yep, you’re right. It’s nothing fancy. Nothing fru-fru. But boy, can I put a hurt on a batch of these spicy bacon cheese fries. Crispy fries. Spicy peppers, Smoky bacon.. Ooey-gooey cheese. I really don’t need anything else. Heck, serve it to me as dinner and I’m happy! Specially in my younger days, where I might have found myself at a sports bar or two, I’d call these fries dinner and then some!
Get Creative With It
Oh sure, you can make these spicy bacon cheese fries a hundred different other ways. You can add chili. Throw on some cheese curds. Squirt on some sour cream. Or you can keep them OG and just enjoy the heck out of a simple plate of fantastic fries!
I do strongly recommend that you hand grate or shred your cheeses in this and any other recipes. The difference is noticeable. There are no ingredients in there that keep the shredded cheeses from sticking. Those same ingredients also make it hard for the cheeses to melt.
I prefer to deep-fry my pre-made frozen fries. Yeah, you can bake them. But that takes longer and let’s face it, the fries never, ever come out quite as good as they do deep-fried. I don’t do it every day, mind you, but sometimes you gotta treat yourself!
I’m always up for a quick side dish that lacks in effort but does not lack in taste. These herb roasted potatoes are a great go-to recipe. The potatoes have a wonderful light herb flavor. They’re creamy buttery inside (you can also use fingerling potatoes for even more buttery creaminess!). And they have one of my favorite things: crunchy skin.
Consistency Means Better
Make sure your potatoes are pretty much all equal in size when you make these herb roasted potatoes. You don’t want a bunch of big pieces mixed in with small ones or the cook times will vary. You’ll end up with big not-quite-done-potatoes and little over-done ones. You don’t want that. So if you have to, halve them or even quarter them to get them all the same sizes. You can also make this dish with either baby red potatoes or fingerlings.
Grab A Grill Basket
I also like to make these potatoes on my grills, either gas or charcoal or even electric. I use a grill basket like this one. It makes cooking them super easy, and I don’t have to worry about anything falling between the grill grates. Clean-up is also super easy. Grill baskets are a win and a must-have for grilling!
One of my favorite side dishes to make are crispy homemade French fries. The thin ones. The kind with crunch on the outside and fluffy yummy inside. I like to season my fries with something tasty, something a bit different than salt and pepper or adobo seasoning (actually a big favorite of mine). This copycat Freddy’s fry seasoning is perfect on hot-out-the-fryer fries. I mean like crazy good. The added sweetness and earthiness of the seasoning adds a totally different flavor than if I’d just used salt and pepper. I go heavy on this seasoning, it’s really flavorful!
Make A Batch. Keep It On Hand.
There’s only one thing I’d do differently next time I make this copycat Freddy’s fry seasoning: make a bunch more. It’s great on burgers. Baked potatoes. Cottage cheese. Just about anywhere that you think you should be using salt and pepper, use this instead.
I didn’t have turmeric on hand the first time I made this. A good substitute is dry mustard, which is what I went with. It’s a perfect replacement. You can also use cumin if you don’t have turmeric, but I’d use a bit less than the recipe calls for for the turmeric.
If I make a big batch of seasoning I like to keep it in these big spice bottles. I use blue painters tape to write the contents on the bottles. The tape comes off easily when if used up the seasoning!
