French fries are my weakness. My guilty pleasure. The one item on my plate that I will always eat every last bite of, even if I still have half my sandwich/steak/burger left. I am totally, madly, completely in love with and addicted to french fries. And these… well, these are fries on crack. 

What starts out as just a plain baking potato turns into nirvana on a plate (or in a bowl, in this case).

Cut into matchsticks and smothered with truffle oil, garlic, parmesan cheese and thyme, these french fries are a godsend. 

Parmesan Truffle Fries with Thyme & Garlic

Serves 2

What You Need:

• 2 Idaho/baking potatoes
• 1 tablespoon truffle oil, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons

What You Do:

1. Take your potato and slice it in half lengthwise. Then slice that half into thirds, lengthwise. Layer the potatoes up evenly again and slice the opposite way, lengthwise, creating matchsticks.

2. In a large bowl combine potatoes with truffle oil, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and parmesan cheese. Toss to combine

3. Spread into an even layer on a baking sheet. Bak at 425 for 45 minutes, tossing halfway.

4. Drizzle with more truffle oil and parmesan cheese and serve immediately, preferably with lots of ketchup (my other guilty pleasure). 

{Recipe by Kate Parham}

For Christmas, my parents gifted Matt with a grill: Smokey Joe.  We don’t exactly have what you would call…well, space on our “patio”, so this grill is perfect for us.  We finally got it all set up this past weekend and suffice it to say, we cooked every meal we possibly could on ole’ Smokey Joe.  

To christen ole’ Smokey, we went with none other than Garlic Crusted Steak (duh!), a recipe I modified from the most amazing grill cookbook on the planet: Weber’s Way to Grill.  

Served with a baked potato and roasted asparagus.  Pure heaven!  If someone would’ve told me that all you needed to make out of this world asparagus was olive oil, salt & pepper (ok and maybe some form of garlic), I would’ve laughed in their face.  But those 4 ingredients, roasted at 400 for 30 minutes = perfection!  

This meal may just become our signature Friday night dinner.  Stay tuned for more grill recipes, including Orange-Honey-Habanero chicken and Asian Turkey burgers.  Oh yeah.

It started with Parsnips.  Lately, it seems like every cooking show I watch, they’re doing something with parsnips.  I’d never even heard of parsnips before last month, and now they’re everywhere. I suppose that’s how it always goes.  So what is a parsnip? Parsnips are a root vegetable; they look like white carrots, only less sweet. So, I decided that for my first parsnip dish, I’d go with something I mastered long ago, to ensure that I didn’t screw it up:

Mashed potatoes.  Yes, that’s right.  I made parsnip mashed potatoes.  And they were delicious.  Who knew?  

To start the dish, simple peel and quarter your parsnips and potatoes (although I usually leave the peel on half of the potatoes— that’s where all the nutrients are!) Throw your vegetables into a big soup pot and cover with water.  Cover your pot, bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes.  

Meanwhile, I needed to come up with an entree.  I had chicken… I had no ideas.  What do I feel like, What do I feel like?  Ahh yes, how about extreme garlic, lemon chicken with a light breading?  Perfection!

Take some panko bread crumbs, add lot-o-chopped garlic, salt, pepper and some fresh thyme.  Mix in a small bowl.  In another bowl, beat 1 egg with a tbsp. of water. Grab your chicken breast.  Coat in flour, dip into egg wash, coat with garlicky bread crumb mixture.  Repeat for as many chicken breasts are you plan to cook.

Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a large skillet, add some olive oil and throw in another tbsp. of chopped garlic.  I told you this was going to be extreme.  Add your chicken breast to the pan and cook about 4 minutes on each side.

You want the outside to get nice and crispy.  When your chicken is done, squeeze half a lemon’s juice over the top.  

Your potatoes and parsnips should be just about ready now.  Drain them first, throw them in a big bowl and add:

butter, heavy cream (just a touch), milk, salt and pepper, and a little bit of freshly grated cheddar cheese.

Mash em’ all up.

And voila.  Extreme garlic chicken with mashed parsnip potatoes and balsamic spinach*. A simple dinner with extraordinary flavors!

*To make the balsamic spinach, heat oil in a large skillet, add some freshly minced garlic and spinach.  Season with salt and pepper and add a touch of balsamic vinegar.  

{Click here for the Tastebook Recipes}

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