BBQ pork stuffed sweet potato

This recipe is super easy - only 3 ingredients and it cooks in the crock pot while you are at work.  What could be easier than that.... Delicious!

Source: Adapted from The Novice Chef Blog

Ingredients:
2 lb pork loin
1 jar Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce
4 large sweet potatoes

Instructions:
Put the pork loin and the BBQ sauce in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

While pork is cooking, bake your sweet potatoes:
Preheat oven to 400°. Scrub potatoes under water and wrap in foil. Bake in oven for about 1 hour.  Remove pork from crock pot and shred the meat.

When ready to serve, cut a a slit in the sweet potato, lengthwise. Grab the potato from both ends and press together to open the sweet potato up. Fill each sweet potato with a generous helping of pulled pork and top with an extra drizzle of BBQ Sauce. Serve immediately!

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

Made this for a family BBQ and it was a hit!

Source: Food Network 50 Potato Salads

Ingredients:
2 pounds boiled cubed red potatoes
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 chopped scallions
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
4-6 slices of cooked chopped bacon (I cheated and used bacon bits on top)

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients (except bacon) and refrigerate until ready to serve and put the bacon on top when you are ready to eat!

Fingerling Potato Skins

Who doesn't love potato skins?  These are really just a smaller version of the real deal and they can be served hot or room temp.  I put a plate of these out for my parents and they disappeared in minutes!

Source: Tillamook Cheese Website

Ingredients:
16 large fingerling potatoes
¼ cup (2 oz) extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup (4 oz) cheddar cheese
½ cup (4 oz) sour cream
1 lb smoked bacon, diced very small and cooked until crispy
¼ cup (2 oz) chives, cut into very small rings

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out flesh inside potato while still leaving a solid piece (about 1/16” in thickness). Heat olive oil in frying pan until hot, and then toss potatoes in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place cut side down on a metal baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until browned on edges and cooked through. Let cool to room temperature. Fill each potato with sour cream, chives, cheese, and bacon bits.

Gnocchi with Roasted Vegetables and Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

One of my favorite local restaurants (Venice) serves "Gnocchi au Gratin - Potato Dumplings, asparagus, roasted mushrooms and roasted bell peppers and gorgonzola cream sauce"  It is a seriously decadent dish.  I set out on a mission to try to recreate it. 

Gnocchi - Here is a link to the best recipe I have found - Bev cooks

* 2 russet potatoes, rinsed and scrubbed
* 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 egg
 

After you have rolled out your gnocchi, drop in boiling water and remove when it starts to float.  Place in an oven safe dish. Below is a picture of my cooked gnocchi.

Roasted Vegetable & Gorgonzola Sauce
* 1 pint heavy whipping cream
* 1/4 cup gorgonzola crumbles

Place the whipping cream in a heavy skillet on med/high heat and reduce to about 1/2.  Add the gorgonzola crumbles and stir to melt.
* Roasted garlic, chopped - 2 tbs.
* Roasted red pepper, chopped - 1 pepper
* Roasted mushrooms, sliced - approx. 2 mushrooms
* Roasted asparagus, chopped - approx. 4 spears

I found all of my vegetables at the olive bar in my local grocery store roasted and ready to use.  You could also roast fresh vegetables.  Add the roasted vegetables to the cream sauce and pour over the gnocchi.  See picture below.

For the last step top with grated Parmesan and broil until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.

Homemade Cheese Fries

Something about football and fries just goes together.  I saw the picture of this recipe and it made my mouth water and knew I had to try it!  Here is a link to the original recipe - click here

I cut the recipe roughly in 1/3 and it still made a 9x13 pan of fries (not layered).  Here is my version:

Fries:

2 Potatoes

2 T. Olive oil

salt & pepper

Cut potatoes into wedges and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake on a foil lined pan for 40 min. at 400 - or until cooked through

 

Ranch sauce:

1/4 cup sour cream

1/8 cup ranch dressing

2 T milk

Put most of this sauce on the bottom of a 9x13.  Layer the potatoes on top and drizzle with remaining ranch sauce

 

Toppings:

1/3 cup cheddar cheese

1 slice of mozzarella chopped into shredded size pieces

2 T real bacon bits

1 green onion chopped

 

Broil until the cheese is melted.  These remind me of the Aussie Cheese Fries at Outback Steakhouse.  So Good!

 

 

 

Chicken, Potato and Leek Pie

 

It has been so hot this summer that I turned up my AC, burned my pumpkin scented candle and cooked true fall comfort food today! 

 

This recipe is from the August 2012 Cooking Light magazine - for the full recipe click here

 

I made individual size potpies versus the one large one pictured in the magazine.  My plan is to freeze a few of these for a quick and easy dinner...when it actually feels like fall.