How to Make the Perfect Crispy Home Fries

• Cut the potatoes into even pieces to ensure even cooking
• Boil in heavily salted water. Boiling the potatoes makes them fluffy on the inside. Salt water is essential to get flavor into the potato itself. Do not overcook the potatoes. They should be JUST cooked/tender when you take them off the heat and drain them.
• Shake the boiled potatoes vigorously to create a layer of soft potato fluff. When this is shallow fried in the oven, that will create a beautiful crispy crust.
• Use lots of oil so roast the potatoes in the even. You are essentially shallow frying the potatoes in the even so enough oil is necessary.

Serve these crispy home fries with my classic garlic herb prime rib or orange glazed miso salmon.

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Crispy Home Fries

Crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside, the perfect crispy home fries

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine American, british

Keyword british roasted potatoes, crispy home fries, home fries

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 4 Russet potatoes peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 5 quarts water
• 1 tbsp salt for salting water
• 1/2 cup neutral oil
• 2 tsp salt for salting potatoes

Instructions

• Bring a 6 quart pot of water to boil. Then add in 1 tbsp of salt. Add in cut potatoes. Boil for approximately 8-12 minutes, or until just fork tender. Do not overcook the potatoes. You want them to stay intact.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and add in 1/4 cup oil.
• Once potatoes are just tender, drain all the water from potatoes. Cover the pot with a lid and shake the potatoes vigorously for 10 seconds, or until there is a layer of fluff surrounding each piece of potato.
• Then place the potatoes onto one layer on the baking sheet. Make sure each piece of potato makes contact with the baking sheet and oil. The potatoes should be sitting in a shallow pool of oil. Add more oil if necessary as they will be frying in the oven.
• Roast potatoes for 40 minutes or until the underside of the potatoes are golden brown. Once the underside is golden brown, flip the potatoes to allow the other side to brown for another 15-30 minutes, depending on your oven. This is assuming your heat source is at the bottom.
• Once potatoes are golden brown on both sides, remove from oven and onto paper towels. Immediately sprinkle remaining 2 tsp of salt on the potatoes. Serve immediately.

How to Make the Best Mashed Potatoes

Ideally you would use a food mill or potato ricer to process your boiled potatoes, before hand mixing with the cream and butter mixture. But this process is laborious and tedious, and not ideal for most busy home cooks. So if you are pressed for time, I find that whipping the mashed potatoes with a hand mixer yields very creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes. Using a handheld blender is another option, but will often lead to gluey mashed potatoes because it easily leads to over mixing.

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Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Creamy, cheesy garlic mashed potatoes. The perfect side dish.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cheesy garlic mashed potatoes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 6 Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
• 6 quarts water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Then add in salt and potatoes. Allow to boil for 15-20 minutes, or until fork-tender.
• While potatoes are boiling, put a large sauce pan on medium high heat. Add in butter and minced garlic. Saute until garlic is golden brown. Then add in heavy cream, milk, and garlic salt.
• When potatoes are tender, drain the water completely, leaving potatoes in the pot. Add in butter and cream mixture into the potatoes. Add in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
• Using a hand-held mixer, mix on low until potatoes have been incorporated into the cream mixture. Slowly increase the speed and whip potatoes until they are completely smooth and creamy. Do not overmix or potatoes will become gluey.

  Optional: For best results, you can use a food mill to process the potatoes, and then use a whisk to incorporate the riced potatoes into the cream and butter mixture. But for most home cooks, a hand mixture should yield good enough results.

Have you ever made a layered potato casserole using raw, but the potatoes took forever to become tender? The solution? Par-boil your potato slices before putting them in the casserole. This will cut down on oven time and let your mind rest at ease that the potatoes will come out tender and soft.

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Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Tender thinly sliced potatoes swimming in a cheesy sauce. The perfect side dish.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cheesy scalloped potatoes, potatoes au gratin, scalloped potatoes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 3 red potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 quarts water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese grated
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to boil. Then add salt. Boil potatoes in salted water for 5 minutes. Remove from water and drain.
• Take out a small casserole dish and rub the surface with butter.
• Put 1/4 of the cream at bottom. Then lay down 1/3 of the potatoes. Season with black pepper and sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat until all potatoes are used up. Top with cream and another layer of cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes.
• Then broil at 400 degrees for 5 mins until the cheese is golden brown at the top.

If you have 10 minutes to spare, then you can make pan seared zucchini. Drizzle a little bit of Lawry’s garlic salt and you’re set for your veggies for the evening.

Food does not have to be complicated to be delicious and satisfying. The best part? This side dish is a healthy vegetable. That’s a winning combination for most working adults, especially those with little ones.

Feeding pan seared zucchini to babies/toddlers

For all the young mommies and daddies out there: this zucchini dish can also be served to babies who are eating solids, about 6 months or older. Just make sure to give them the middle parts of the zucchini, which are soft. Edge pieces are usually too hard so make sure to eat those yourself.

For baby-led weaning, make sure you read up on what sizes and shapes are appropriate to feed your baby based on their age and finger grasping abilities. If your baby does not have good finger grasp, then you can give him/her long strips of the soft zucchini. But if your baby does have good finger grasp, cut the zucchini up into chickpea-sized pieces to reduce risk of choking. I found out the hard way because my 6 month old had much better grasp than I realized, and giving her long pieces was a choking hazard.

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Baby Food Roasted Zucchini

Roasted and steamed zucchini for babies

Course Baby Food

Cuisine Baby Food

Keyword baby food, baby led weaning, zucchini for babies

Prep Time 3 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 18 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Cost $5

Ingredients

• 1/4 zucchini cut into thin 1 inch strips for babies with poor pincer grasp, cut into chickpea size pieces for babies with good pincer grasp
• 1/2 tsp canola oil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place zucchini on a roasting pan. Season with oil and garlic powder, mixing thoroughly.
• Roast zucchini for 4 minutes at 400 degrees. Then cover zucchini with another piece of foil, and place back into oven at 350 degrees. Allow to steam for another 7-10 minutes until zucchini is completely soft. Test the zucchini by smashing a piece with your thumb and forefinger. The zucchini is ready when it can be easily smashed.
• Allow to cool completely, then serve.

For more veggie dishes, check out my balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon.

Crave different flavors?

That may be a sign that you’re in a bit of a salad rut. I’ve been there.

Enter a delightful Chinese salad recipe to relieve your taste buds. Give it a try and see if it gets you out of your food rut! Add some chicken and you’ve got a tasty Chinese chicken salad.

Let’s be honest. This is not an authentic Chinese recipe. But it does represent a delightful fusion between Asian and Western cuisines.

Asian salad toppings

• citrus fruit (orange and tangerines)
• furikake
• sesame seeds
• cilantro
• green onion
• shredded carrot
• shredded red cabbage
• mint
• cucumber
• boiled or grilled chicken

Using Oranges in Asian Salads

Oranges, mandarin oranges, and tangerines are a delightful addition to Asian salads. They bring a burst of sweet, zesty juice to balance out the saltiness of dressing.

How to make an Asian salad dressing

Depending on what kind of Asian food you are going for, your Asian salad dressing recipe will be different.

Chinese

• soy sauce
• orange and lemon
• sesame oil
• ginger
• sugar
• rice vinegar or white vinegar

Vietnamese/Thai

• lime juice/lemon juice
• fish sauce
• garlic
• sugar
• rice vinegar or white vinegar
• lemongrass
• Thai bird chile
• shallot
• kaffir lime leaf
• basil

Japanese

• soy sauce
• miso paste
• sugar
• rice vinegar or white vinegar
• sesame oil
• grated onion

This Asian salad recipe is more of the Chinese influence. Which is why I used a Chinese salad dressing recipe with soy sauce and sesame oil as a flavor base.

How to Cook with Sesame Oil

Sesame oil provides a rich and unctuous earthy flavor to Asian food. But it needs to be used wisely. It should not be used thoughtlessly because it can easily overpower a dish.

Use only a small drizzle at a time, and then continue to taste and add little by little. Sesame oil adds a nice richness to this Asian salad dressing recipe.

For other salad ideas, check out my delicious Healthy Caesar Salad.

Price Comparison

How much did this Chinese salad recipe cost? This is how much I spent on the ingredients: butter lettuce ($1), tangerine ($.50), cilantro ($.20), orange juice ($.50), sesame oil ($.50), soy sauce ($.15).

Restaurant ($10-13) vs. Home-made ($1.45)

It’s definitely more economical to make this salad at home.

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Chinese Salad with Tangerines

A tangy and sweet Chinese inspired salad with tangerines. Perfect side dish.

Course Salad

Cuisine American, Chinese

Keyword Asian salad dressing, Asian salad recipe, Chinese salad, Chinese salad dressing, Chinese salad recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 head butter lettuce
• 1 carrot grated
• 1 handful cilantro chopped
• 1 tsp sesame seeds toasted
• 1 fresh tangerine peeled

Chinese salad dressing

• 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1 orange juiced
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp water

Instructions

• Chop up lettuce, grate carrot, and chop cilantro. Peel tangerine and separate into sections. Mix all salad ingredients together.
• Mix together minced ginger, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, sesame oil, and water. Whisk together until incorporated.
• Dress salad and mix thoroughly but gently.
• Top with seame seeds and serve.

Tag me on Instagram @jennskitchendiary to share your version of this recipe.

This salad with apple and craisins is so satisfying. It has a sweetness from the apple, tartness from the craisins, sweetness from the dressing, saltiness from the blue cheese, and richness from the sunflower seeds.

You can grill your own chicken or use store-bought grilled or whole-roasted chicken to add to this salad for some protein.

What apples should you use in cooking?

Depends on what flavor profile you are trying to achieve. Also depends on the texture you want.

Granny smiths (sour & crisp): good for baking because they hold up when cooked and give a tart sourness to contrast in desserts; also great for salads because of their tart flavor

Honeycrisp (sweet and sour and crisp): great for serving fresh/raw in salads because of their crisp texture, juiciness, and strong sweet and tart flavor. Also great for cooking because of their strong flavor profile.

Fuji (sweet and crisp): great for serving fresh/raw because of their crisp texture and juiciness. Fuji apples have a milder flavor profile, so they would not hold up as much in desserts.

For other salad ideas, check out my delicious Healthy Caesar Salad.

Using soft cheeses in salads

Soft cheeses are very creamy and delicate. Make sure you toss your salad with dressing first. And then add in pieces of your soft cheese. Otherwise, the cheese will smear into your salad and dressing.

How to spice up a salad

Spice up your salads with a variety of:

• cheese (feta, brie, blue cheese)
• fruit (apple, peach, pear, raisins, dried cranberries)
• nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts)
• protein (chicken, shrimp, steak)
• vinegars/acid (Champagne, balsamic, citrus, red wine, mulberry, lemon juice, mustard)

That way, you won’t get bored as easily.

Price Comparison

How much did this salad with apple and craisins set me back? This is how much I spent on the ingredients: mixed greens ($1), blue cheese ($.50), mulberry vinegar ($.50), honey ($.50), walnuts ($.50), apple ($.75).

Restaurant ($10-13) vs. Home-made ($1.88)

There is a steep mark-up when you buy salad from a restaurant vs. making it at home. It’s definitely more economical to make salad at home. Be a smart shopper and consumer.

Make your salads at home if you can and splurge on eating out for items that have less of a mark-up or are more difficult to make at home. With salads, it is easy because you can get pre-washed and pre-bagged mixed salad greens and have dinner ready in a jiffy.

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Mixed Green Salad with Apple, Crasisins, and Blue Cheese

A refreshing salad with sweet apple, tangy cranberries, and funky blue cheese.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword mixed green salad, salad with apple, salad with blue cheese

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 3 cups mixed green salad
• 1 honeycrisp apple cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup blue cheese
• 1/4 cup craisins
• 2 tbsps sunflower seeds toasted

Mulberry dressing

• 1 tbsp mulberry vinegar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

• Prepare apples by removing their cores and cutting them into thin slices.
• Prepare dressing by mixing together mulberry vinegar, salt, honey, lemon juice, and olive oil.
• Gently toss mixed greens with apples, craisins, sunflower seeds, and dressing. Then gently sprinkle with blue cheese and toss gently until evenly dispersed in salad.

Tag me on Instagram @jennskitchendiary to share your version of this recipe.

I’ll be posting more and more salad recipes on my food blog as it is summertime in the Los Angeles area now, and I am in great need of refreshment and hydration. Thus, salads are my go-to quick and easy lunch or dinner during summer. And one of my favorites is this healthy caesar salad, with its garlicky creamy yogurt dressing. We are experiencing a bit of a heat wave this week, so the last thing I want to do is fire up the stove or oven for my meals. You can grill your own chicken or use store-bought grilled or whole-roasted chicken to add to this salad for some protein. For a delicious Asian salad, check out my Thai papaya salad.

Few salads deliver such unctuous satisfying colors, textures, and flavors like a good caesar salad. I especially love the powerful umami that you get from the Parmigiano Regianno and the anchovies in the dressing. The garlicky herby croutons also offer a nice rich buttery flavor as well as crispiness. I’m drooling just thinking about it.

What is a healthy caesar salad?

As much as I’d love to eat a classic caesar salad on most days, I am trying to be kind to my body and my waistline. So I have developed a healthy caesar salad recipe that definitely does not lack at all in flavor. The creaminess comes from the full-fat yogurt, and the zinginess comes from garlic and lemon juice.

You’ll have to trust me on this and take a leap of faith when trying this recipe. It will definitely fool most taste buds and make you think that you are eating the real thing.

Can I use Parmesan Cheese?

Always invest in a good quality Parmigiano Regianno. Costco has a fantastic aged version that is already pre-grated. But if possible, always grate your parm fresh. The flavor is incomparable. Please never ever buy the crumbled ones that are in the middle aisles of a grocery store. You know what I’m talking about.

How to pack a salad for lunch

If you are packing a lunch, put the dressing on the very bottom of the container.

Then add something to cover the dressing, like sturdier veggies (tomato, onion, cucumber, radishes), dried fruit (dried cranberries, raisins). Proteins, and cheese (e.g., blue cheese crumbles, feta crumbles) to create a buffer between the dressing and the leafy greens. Then add the leafy greens at the very top. That way, you can just shake and mix, and you have a perfect salad for lunch. And you don’t have to fuss with a separate dressing container.

How to spice up a salad

Spice up your salads with a variety of:

• cheese (feta, brie, blue cheese)
• fruit (apple, peach, pear, raisins, dried cranberries)
• nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts)
• protein (chicken, shrimp, steak)
• vinegars (Champagne, balsamic, red wine, mulberry)

That way, you won’t get bored as easily. Blue cheese, apple, and walnuts are a classic combination for a spring mix salad. Or you can also do feta, peach, chicken, and sunflower seeds.

Price Comparison

How much did this healthy caesar salad set me back? Keep in mind I made 4 servings with this. Romaine lettuce ($1.5), Greek yogurt ($1), garlic ($.25), lemon ($.50), Parmigiano Reggianno ($1).

Restaurant ($8-13) vs. Home-made ($1.06)

Wow. Just wow. There is a steep mark-up when you buy salad from a restaurant vs. making it at home. If you are in a time crunch, I would recommend getting pre-made salads from a grocery store. That would be around $4-6, which is much better than the $8-13 price range when you order a salad at a restaurant. Be a smart shopper and consumer. Make your salads at home if you can and splurge on eating out for items that you cannot make well at home.

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Healthy Caesar Salad

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword healthy caesar salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 head Romaine lettuce washed and cut
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp pepper to taste
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tsp sugar or to taste
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1 cup Parmigiano Reggianno grated

Instructions

• Wash and cut romaine lettuce into 1-inch thick slices and allow to drain.
• Meanwhile, prepare dressing. Add yogurt, garlic, pepper, salt, sugar, and lemon juice into a blender. Blend until smooth and adjust seasonings to taste.
• When ready to serve, toss salad in dressing and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Tag me on Instagram @jennskitchendiary to share your version of this recipe!