OVEN ROASTED PARMESAN POTATOES

I found these adorable little potatoes at the store and thought they'd be perfect for roasted potatoes.  I normally just toss potatoes with coarse Kosher salt, pepper and olive oil before baking, but wanted to make these cuties slightly more exciting.  I followed this recipe except for the part where it says to only use 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese.  I used more of course!  I think it helped crisp up the outside while still leaving the inside creamy and delicious.  These were almost impossible to stop eating.

Look how small and cute they are on the big baking sheet!  Mashed cauliflower and steak came in second place to these bad boys.

CRISPY BAKED SMASHED POTATOES

This is one of the first things I learned to cook when I became domesticated.  My other half has an obsession with potatoes: baked, fried, smashed, mashed, sauteed.  The only "recipe" I knew was chopping them up, shaking them in a bag with a packet of onion soup mix, and baking them.  Which is delicious, by the way!

Anyway, I had to learn new methods to make my man's favorite food.  I came across this recipe several times on different cooking blogs.  It's simple.  Cook potatoes until they're soft.  Place them on a baking sheet, smash them flat, drizzle on olive oil, season, bake.  The first step is up to you.  Do you have time to boil potatoes, or would you rather microwave them?  I've only done the microwave method, and they've been delicious each time.  Toppings are also up to you.  Salt and pepper, seasoned salt, cheese, bacon and mushrooms are all fine choices.  This is a recipe you can truly make your own.  Just make sure you salt the potatoes well, since salt is a potato's best friend.  You can also use whatever size potato you want.  The smaller ones allow you to eat several and be able to justify it since they're so teeny.  If you go big, you'll probably only be able to eat one or two without feeling shame.  

Ingredients

3-4 small potatoes or 1-2 medium potatoes per person
extra virgin olive oil
coarse kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
seasoned salt, shredded cheese, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, whatever you want to top these babies with!

Preheat oven to 450.  Wash and scrub potatoes well.  Poke holes in each potato with a fork.  Microwave potatoes on plate covered with a paper towel for about 8 minutes, or until fork tender.  Lightly drizzle a cookie sheet or the broiler pan from your oven with olive oil, so the potatoes don't stick during cooking.  Place potatoes on pan, then smash them flat with a fork or potato masher.  The skin will crack open so you'll have yummy soft potato, but also some crispy skin.  Drizzle each potato with about half a tablespoon of oil (enough so they won't dry out, but aren't soaked; use your judgement here) then generously sprinkle on salt and pepper.  Bake for about 25 minutes, or until potatoes are browned and crispy.  Serve immediately.

SAUSAGE POTATO FRITTATA

I really enjoy quiche, but I do not like pastry crust.  I eat it like a child, managing to only get bites of filling, then throw away the crust.  Imagine my surprise when I found out a frittata is simply a crustless quiche.  Am I the last person to be aware of this fact?

Frittatas are wonderful because they are so versatile.  You can go all veggie, meaty, dairy free, light or heavy.  I chose to use breakfast sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, spinach, potatoes and a layer of cheese on top.  But really, go wild and use whatever you want!

Ingredients

7 eggs
1-2 containers sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 bag fresh baby spinach
1 roll Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage, original flavor
1-2 cups cooked diced potatoes (I sauteed frozen diced hash browns to save myself from cooking/chopping potatoes)
1 cup shredded cheddar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Saute onions, peppers and mushrooms in a large nonstick skillet until soft, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Brown and crumble sausage in same skillet, then add the cooked veggies back in.  Add spinach handfuls at a time, stirring to help it wilt.  Stir in the potatoes.  At this point you can taste the mixture and add salt/pepper accordingly.  Spray a glass dish (I used a pie dish) with Pam, then pour the meat mixture in the dish.  Beat eggs in separate bowl, then add salt and pepper.  Carefully pour eggs on top of meat mixture.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.  Bake, uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until eggs have set.