Tag: easy

It’s Your Funeral

When in doubt, eat potatoes.

That’s the prevailing wisdom keeping Funeral Potatoes at the forefront of southern wakes. Despite the dire name, they’re not the cause of funerals, but solace for those attending them. Little more than a cheesy potato bake, they’re the epitome of comfort food. Simple flavors and soft, creamy textures make it easy to eat, especially for the bereft who may be struggling to find their usual appetite for life. Leftovers keep for days, reheat beautifully, and serve generously, which is why it’s also a favorite for meal trains, making sure everyone still eats when times are tough.

Chalk it up primarily to user error, but the first time I attempted a veganized, slightly healthier version of the concept, those poor potatoes needed their own funeral. It was essentially chunky potato soup in a casserole dish, sloshing dangerously against the sides of its ceramic coffin. Worse yet is the fact that after one bite, I knew they had died in vain. Bland as sin, unctuous in a bad way, delivering such a dish would only cause more grief rather than relieve it.

Back to the drawing board, using the basics as guidelines rather than rules, I created a version accidentally perfect for Halloween, decked out in brilliant orange and black. Sweet potatoes are the new featured spud, contrasted by the spicy kick of sriracha, enveloped in a creamy, cheesy foundation. Traditionally, corn flake cereal is sprinkled on top for a crunchy finish, but I wanted a more savory and substantial option, springing for crushed blue corn tortilla chips instead. Let’s be honest: the “blue” masa has always looked black, but it works in its favor here, at least when served as a festival fall feature.

You’ll want to be buried in these potatoes. They’re not quite spicy enough to raise the dead, but hopefully, at least buoy your spirits. Whether you’re mourning, celebrating, or just navigating the strange limbo of being alive, these potatoes are here for you.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)2 Comments

Like A Rolling Scone

In the same way that a British “biscuit” is very different from an American “biscuit,” Scottish potato scones were nothing like what I had envisioned. Scones have a good deal of natural variation to begin with; some are buttery and flaky, while others are fluffy and cake-like. A comparable pastry is what I thought would grace my plate, but what I got was something else entirely. Truth be told, I was so overwhelmed by the breadth and depth of delicious items on a full breakfast platter that I didn’t realize until recounting the meal later, beginning to describe the unusual triangular flatbread when it hit me: That was the scone.

What Are Potato Scones, AKA Tattie Scones?

Potato scones, unlike their loftier baked brethren, are unleavened quick breads cooked on the stove top. Leftover mashed potatoes are the key to their soft, tender texture, and a thrifty way to prevent food waste while stretching a limited budget. In some ways, they’re like giant pan-fried gnocchi that’s cut into wedges, though they have more in common with Bannocks, another specialty of the British Isles. Potatoes are charmingly referred to as “tatties” in Scotland or sometimes “totties,” particularly in Glasgow, to explain their more informal name.

Old World Flavor, Modern Methods

Personally, I’ve rarely been graced with leftover mashed potatoes. When I make them for dinner, they’re the main attraction. They’re barely even a memory when it comes time for breakfast the next day. When it comes to making tattie scones, it’s more efficient to simply use instant mashed potatoes; you get more consistent results in terms of texture, there’s no additional cooking required, and you can leave the masher in the drawer where it’s already firmly wedged.

Scone Your Own

As a basic subsistence food, classic tattie scones are unadorned and unbothered. I’ve laid out the essential formula, but found them much tastier after adding some mixed dried herbs. For additional richness, use melted vegan butter instead of olive oil, and you can even pan fry them in additional butter or oil for a decadent finish. I found that they really didn’t need much added fat when using a nonstick pan, and to go in the opposite direction, you could make them entirely oil-free if desired. They’re just that versatile! Naturally, you could swap in fresh mashed potatoes as well, and to that end, mashed sweet potatoes, pumpkin puree, or any other starchy vegetable you prefer. The amount of flour will vary depending on your choices, so just measure with your heart. You can’t go too far wrong.

Serving Scones With Style

Though often seen as a breakfast food, tattie scones are welcome at the table for any meal.

  • For breakfast: Enjoy them instead of toast with your eggless scramble, spread with butter and jam, or top with peanut butter and sliced bananas.
  • For lunch: Serve alongside soup, cut into croutons for salad, or fill two wedges to made a sandwich.
  • For snack: Scoop up hummus, guacamole, or dip into seasoned olive oil.
  • For dinner: Treat them like little flatbread pizzas and top with marinara sauce, vegan cheese, and any meatless or veggie toppings you like.

Mash Hits

Potatoes can do no wrong. Tattie scones may not look like much, but that modesty is part of the appeal; humble, adaptable, and deeply satisfying in a way that only comfort food can be. What started as a surprise on a breakfast plate has turned into a new staple in my kitchen. Sometimes the best discoveries are the ones you never see coming. Whether you’re rolling out a traditional Scottish breakfast or simply looking for a new way to highlight the beloved spud, these unassuming savories are well worth a spot on your table.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments

Know Your Onions

I have a question for you, and I want you to really think hard on it. Take a minute to comb through your memory archives before answering. It’s imperative that you mull it over, forward and backwards, backwards and forwards again.

Have you ever eaten a dish and thought, “there are too many onions in this.”

No. The answer is no. Unless you took a chomp out of a whole raw onion, it’s not humanly possible. Cooked onions in any form have no limit. No point of diminishing returns. Sauteed, fried, caramelized, dried, and even steamed or boiled; onions are the unassailable backbone of all cuisine.

French Onion Soup puts onions back on the pedestal where they belong. Not lurking in the shadows, hidden from the spotlight while doing all of the real work behind the scenes, it’s one of the few dishes where they get to shine. Even self-proclaimed vegetable haters will go to town on this steakhouse classic, luxuriously rich despite sporting the most basic of ingredients.

This concept is nothing new. My version isn’t special. It is, however, delicious, and delicious things are best shared. In case you didn’t already have a French onion soup in your repertoire, consider this the one to save.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Just Nuts

Simple pleasures are what feel like genuine luxuries to me. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m not a fancy person; I don’t crave fine dining and I’d rather go foraging for food than shop at Erewhon, any day of the week.

Along those lines, I think about Marcona almonds as an attainable indulgence, but only once in a while. After all, the “queen of almonds” wouldn’t taste as royal if they became a daily habit, right? Skinless, buttery, with a soft yet crisp bite, they’re just nuts like any others, yet somehow so much more. When I see a neat little bowl of these tawny gems on display, I know we’re talking real money here.

As such, I don’t make Marcona almond money. I do, however, always have a stash of standard nonpareil almonds on hand, which are easily elevated to a level of greater opulence with just a touch of olive oil. What separates these nuts from the rest of the bushel is a higher fat content, so why not give them a little boost? Briefly frying the kernels in grassy, peppery olive oil gently cracks through their thin skins to infuse the meat inside.

Sizzling and popping in the pan, they unleash a cacophony of joyful sounds as their toasted, nutty scent fills the air. Merely the act of cooking them is a pleasure, long before they ever cross your lips. The whole experience of it never fails to brighten my day.

Seasoned gently with herbaceous rosemary, sweet orange, and delicate flaky salt, there’s no secret ingredient here. No crazy technique, no surprise twist. What you see is what you get, and what you get is even better than the combination sounds on paper. Yes, you need to use a generous amount of oil, which is worth it for this snack and beyond. Save the excess for cooking later to instantly boost the flavor of your next dish!

It doesn’t take great sums of money to feel rich. The simplest things, treated with love and respect, will get you there, too.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Garlic Breath

Be it a delicate broth or thick stew, nothing completes a steaming bowlful like a hearty slice of bread. Crackling crust giving way to a spongy matrix of soft crumbs, each bite melts into submission when dipped into the soup of the day. Sometimes the soup is merely a thinly veiled excuse to reach for another helping of bread, so compellingly that fresh loaf does beckon.

Garlic Bread Soup: Quick Comfort In A Bowl

Let’s just cut to the chase here and turn the bread into the soup itself, with a powerful blast of fresh garlic to up the ante. Save yourself the hassle of peeling the cloves by grabbing a bag of prepped garlic in advance, or going straight for a jar of minced, but don’t cut back on the full measure. Garlic bread lives or dies on the pungency of that stinking rose, and once lightly caramelized in peppery olive oil, all the harsh edges will soften.

Perhaps it’s not fodder for a first date, but this velvety smooth base is just the beginning to a whole different sort of love affair.

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No Bake, No Sweat

Soaring temperatures are a given on a typical summer’s day. As the mercury inevitably pushes higher, breaking new records with every passing season, the desire to spend time in the kitchen plummets proportionally. Unfortunately, those with a sweet tooth know that nothing will quell the craving for a satisfying sweet treat. It may very well be raining fire because unless it’s an actual apocalypse, dessert still must be served- And in that case, perhaps even more so.

Why is it so hard to just get motivated and make the same tried-and-true staples that always hit the spot? Chocolate chip cookies are foolproof, but this simple indulgence takes on a greater level of complexity when you factor in the unique stumbling blocks of summer. There’s the basic issue of turning on the oven, subjecting oneself to a punishing sauna even more brutal than the sun’s rays, and the time it takes for preheating, baking, and finally cooling down draws the suffering out to an interminable torture.

It’s also been proven that we’re less ambitious and productive during these midyear months, beckoned away from work by tempting beaches, hikes, or just lazy afternoons with friends. This is when most people go on vacations, after all, whether that’s a physical journey or just a mental respite. Convincing yourself to work harder while everyone else has all the fun is a losing battle that no one really should have to fight.

Want to end any sweltering day with a flourish? Pull out a towering icebox cake, layered with ripe, lightly spiced peaches, whipped coconut cream, and softened graham crackers. Despite the name, there’s no cake here and it doesn’t come out of the freezer! Rather, this old-school moniker came from an age when the only source of refrigeration was from a poorly insulated box, much like a picnic cooler, stuffed with rapidly melting ice. This modern take on no-bake cake will come as a happy surprise when it lands on the table, ready to slice and serve with minimal effort.

So go ahead, take it easy. Escape the heat, simplify your menu, but perish the thought of skipping dessert. No-bake desserts exist for just such occasions, rewarding a minimum amount of effort with sweet gratification.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments