Swing Eats

As an Irish girl, I love potatoes. When presented with this week's sensational sides theme of mashed, I knew was going to make potatoes. Italian smashed potatoes have become one of my favorite way to mash potatoes. It's just boiled unpeeled red potatoes with Italian parsley, a good Italian hard cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Remember, all those nutritional goodies are in the skins. They go with everything. So simple. The amount of these ingredients listed below is a mere suggestion. Ingredients: 2 pounds of red skinned potatoes 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped 1/4 pound of really good pecorino romano or Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese, grated salt and pepper to taste Directions: Rinse, clean, and cut the potatoes into roughly equivalent chunks to ensure even cooking. Place them in a medium to large sauce pot with salted water. Bring to a boil on medium high heat. Boil under fork tender, about 15 minutes. Remove a

When I think of brownies, I think of dense, fudge-y, chocolate "cake" with that thin layer on top. I love that thin layer on top. So in developing a recipe for a complex brownie, I made sure nothing would be on top. What is that thin layer? People call it a meringue layer: the proteins from the egg whites combining with the sugar and migrating to the top during the baking process. However, I have seen this with vegan brownie recipes I have made. Maybe in general, a film of protein and sugar forming on top. A syneresis as I would call it as a scientist. (A good example is the liquid whey that separates out on top of yogurt.) I decided to go the Mexican spiced chocolate route, using cinnamon, chili powders, coffee, nuts, and seeds to add depth and complexity. But at first, I pondered, "How am I going to incorporate the seeds and nuts?" I know, make a crust. This will give a unique texture to the brownies without interfering with that special thin meringue layer and

I'm a sucker for bar food. Admit it, who is not? My favorite menu item is the loaded potato skins. Problem is, I cannot eat them safely as a celiac. Turns out they deep fry them before stuffing them with cheese and bacon before broiling and topping with sour cream and scallions. Wow, it's probably a good think I can't eat them - far from the healthiest menu choice. At the same token, I never considered making a homemade version of potato skins, since scooping out the baked potato seemed like a waste. Another favorite unhealthy potato recipe of mine is twice baked potatoes. The portion alone is twice too big. Ah, I know, split them in half, stuff with tasty healthier options and bake until crispy. The ultimate potato mash-up: a twice baked potato skin. This version I stuffed with some of my tasty favorites: Gorgonzola cheese crumbles (a blue cheese), Greek yogurt, scallions, parsley, chives, olive oil, garlic salt, and black pepper. Get creative and try with