Wednesday’s Helping: What to do with fingerling potatoes

Small tubers that can deliver

Fingerling potatoes are primarily just smaller in size compared to their larger cousins.  So what do we recommend them for in cooking?  Fingerling potatoes can make for more elegant presentations in plating and serving of meals.  Create more visually appealing potato salads or steamed veggie and potato medleys with fingerlings.  Use them instead of regular potatoes in preparing fillings and dressings without handling clunky pieces of large potatoes. If you're one of those people who enjoys being a little OCD once in a while, make mini baked potato appetizers with them. Just put a small dollop of sour cream on top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese or else any of your favorite seasonings.

Tuesday’s Cupful: Background on Fingerling Potatoes

Miniature doesn’t mean less tasty

These smaller potatoes sometimes get confused with new potatoes.  The latter are harvested before they have a chance to grow larger.  Fingerling potatoes, however, are naturally miniature when fully matured and ready for picking.  All fingerlings tend to have stubby or narrow appendages so hence the designation: "fingerling."  Look for smaller versions of Butterfinger, Purple Peruvian, and Red.  Fingerlings can be starchy or buttery like their larger counterparts.  Cooks can bake, boil, fry, and sautee fingerling potatoes.

Monday’s Bread Bowl: Fingerling Potato Bake

Unwrap little potato bites

The elegance of this dish stems from its simplicity.  Plus the fingerling potatoes are packed with flavor enhanced by the olive oil and added seasonings.  Here’s the recipe:

What you will need:

1 metal baking pan

Aluminum foil
1 lb to 2lbs fingerling potatoes

3 tbsns Olive oil

2 teaspoons, dried oregano

1 tbspn, coarse sea salt

2 teaspoons, garlic powder

Pinch of black pepper

Cooking & Directions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.  You need TWO lengths of foil to wrap the potatoes in to ensure none of the oil or juices escape. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and seasonings then wrap foil to make a pouch that’s sealed.  Place potatoes in oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Friday's Last Spoonful: Food Surf

Three cookbooks to cherish

Food Surfing will feature fun food links from around the Blogosphere, including leads to hardcover helpers. These recommended links may give you other interesting ideas for making your life taste better. The Mixed Stew crew likes hunting through cookbooks for a good recipe or three.

We recommend The 15 – Minute Single Gourmet by Paulette Mitchell. This book includes advice for single ladies and men to stretch their meals and grocery shopping for one. The curried corn and pepper chowder, baked salmon with goat cheese, romaine spring rolls caught our eyes.





Winnie-the-Pooh’s Cookie Book is a guaranteed hit for kids of all ages. This collection of cookies was inspired by A.A. Milne. Look for yummy recipes, like Maple Syrup Cookies, Snowballs, and Trigger-Stripped Shortbread.






Lastly, The Foods of Thailand contains spicy ethnic favorites, such as sliced beef salad, crayfish in chili-basil sauce, and panaeng curry with prawns. Wanphien Heymann-Sukphan wrote the recipes while Lotti Bebie’s photographs are stunning.





Note: If you order via the links above, The Mixed Stew creators will get a tiny referral fee.

Thursday’s Side Dish: Tastykake Spicekake Krimpets

Frosted fall decadence

We bought a pack of these prepackaged spice cakes after noticing they’re a limited edition variety.  Expect the strong flavors of cinnamon, all-spice, and clove in every bite of soft cake.  We also love the rich, sweet, and white frosting that tops each piece of cake.   We paid $4.99 for a box containing 6 individual packs of 2 spice cakes.  Look for Tastykake spicekakes at most major grocery stores.

Wednesday’s Helping: Kicking Up Chili Cinnamon Bake

Add some more heat

What can you do to spice up this seasoning blend?  Dried pepper flakes, ground paprika, and even a splash of Tabasco hot sauce can add addictive heat to the original rendition.  Meanwhile, we suggest freshly minced cilantro, chopped basil, or diced Thai basil to give this mix a minty spin.  Finally, a dash of Worcestershire sauce or light soy sauce can also make a tasty difference in the end result.  

Tuesday’s Cupful: Cinnamon in savory dishes

Roll out flavor

This popular spice for sweets and desserts possesses a warm flavor profile that can also impact savory dishes.  Add a pinch of cinnamon to your favorite beef, lamb, or pork stews for a warmer kick in every spoonful.  Also, sprinkle cinnamon into beef chili or the meat filling for shepherd pies and meat pies.  Cinnamon provides a comforting contrast to smoked meats and bacon.  Lastly, some spaghetti bolognese recipes do call for cinnamon.       

Monday’s Bread Bowl: Cinnamon Chili Baked Chicken

Spicy and sweet to taste

The Mixed Stew Crew likes the contrast in flavors in this baked chicken dish.  We think it’s better than the usual bland baked chicken recipes.  Here’s the recipe:

What you will need:

8-10 bone-in chicken thighs

4-5 Cloves chopped Garlic

1-2 tblspn Cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon

1 tblspn Garlic powder

half cup brown sugar

2 tbspn coarse salt

1 tbspn chili powder

Couple of dashes to 1/2 tsp nutmeg, depending on how much you like

Large baking pan

Baking rack to place in pan

Foil

Cooking & Directions:

Thaw and then pat dry chicken parts and set aside on dish while you mix the other ingredients into a large plastic resealable bag (gallon size).  Making sure the chicken pieces are as dry as possible, toss them into the bag with the dry rub. Coat all of the chicken as much as possible. Set bag at coolest area inside refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight. When you are ready to start baking, set oven at 375 degrees F. Let it heat up. Take large baking pan and line bottom with foil (it makes cleaning easier later on). Place rack in pan and then place chicken pieces on rack, leaving space between pieces to allow for airflow during baking. Place chicken in oven for 50 minutes to one hour until skin crisps. Remove from oven and set aside for at least 10 minutes to rest. Serve with rice, quinoa or mashed potatoes.