Potato Soup

This is the perfect solution if you have potatoes that you need to use pretty quickly.  I had about five pounds of russets that were approaching expiration and I’m not a fan of throwing food out.  I can tell you that they were quite happy to become soup instead of trash.

Here’s what you need:

Potatoes

Chicken broth

Water

Onion

Garlic

Salt

Chives

Flour

Milk

Sour cream

Peel and dice the potatoes.  Heat the chicken broth and water in a large pot on the stove.  The mixture should be at least half water, more if you want to go easy on the broth.  Add the potatoes to the water/broth mixture and bring them to a boil.  Lower the heat and allow the potatoes to cook until they are soft, stirring occasionally.

When the potatoes are soft, return them to a boil.  Begin sprinkling flour into the pot a little at a time.  After each addition, stir well to ensure that the flour is dissolved before adding more.  Continue adding small amounts of flour until the soup reaches the desired thickness.  Keep in mind that it will continue to thicken after it has finished cooking.

Add fresh garlic (or garlic powder if you don’t have fresh), chives, finely chopped onion and salt to taste.  Finish up with a splash of milk and a big dollop of sour cream. 

Combine everything thoroughly and let the soup cook on the lowest setting for another half hour.

Suggestions: If you don’t have chicken broth, use beef or vegetable.  You can also skip the broth entirely, if you want.  Try serving it with crumbled bacon on top to jazz it up a little.

Serve with a simple salad and some crusty bread for a complete meal.

Panko Crusted Flounder For Two

Let’s talk about random afternoon McGuyver style meals.  Michael and I were set to leave for vacation in two days so I intentionally skipped my weekly visit to the grocery store.  I figured we probably had enough stuff to make do and I didn’t want anything going bad while we were gone.  Then Michael got hungry and I realized that we didn’t have quite as much stuff as I thought.

What I found in the kitchen was a potato, two pieces of flounder and some panko crumbs.  Talk about turning lead into gold – or miscellaneous craps into what just might be my new favorite fish dish.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 flounder fillets (about 4 oz each)

1 really big baking potato

½ tbsp butter, plus extra

Garlic powder to taste

Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt to taste

Peel (or don’t peel) your potato.  Cut it into bite sized pieces and put the pieces in a steamer.  I have a steamer basket for one of my larger sauce pans.  You can also use an electric steamer (I have one from Black & Decker).  Either one works perfectly well.  Sprinkle garlic powder and Jane’s over the top of the potatoes.  Drop small pieces of butter in several places across the top of the potatoes.  Go ahead and start steaming the potatoes while you prepare the fish.

Pour enough panko crumbs onto a plate to cover your fish well.  Sprinkle each side of the fish with salt and pepper then place the fish into the crumbs.  Turn them over a couple of times to make sure they are completely covered.

In a non-stick skillet, melt ½ tablespoon of butter.  If your fish fillets are larger, you might want to use a little more.

Watch your potatoes.  When they start getting soft, it’s time to cook the fish.  Place the fish into the non-stick skillet with the melted butter.  Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on each side until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the crumbs are golden brown.

Before serving, toss the potatoes just a bit to spread the butter and seasonings. 

Serve the fish with lemon wedges and/or homemade tartar sauce (mayo, dill pickle relish & a squirt of lemon juice).

Just a little hint: you might want to think about making extra.  This stuff is super tasty!