Recipes

I'd love to share more recipes with you.  My problem right now is that I never measure anything when I cook.  That's how I learned to cook and that's how I still cook unless I'm trying a new recipe.  Even still, I adjust recipes to my liking.  I have a few recipes in mind I would like to share, but I need to make them again and measure what I'm putting in there before I put it so I can pass along those measurements to you.

There's one recipe I can think of right now that I can share because measurements for this dish are approximate and having a little more or a little less of anything really isn't going to change the flavor much.  It's called White Potato Stew.  I don't have a picture for you but the next time I make this dish I'll add one.  This is one that Brent likes me to cook for him from time to time and his mom really likes it too.  My mom taught me to cook this.  It was one of my favorites when I was growing up.  My mom always served it over rice, which is how I still like to eat it, but some people don't like all that starch piled on top of more starch.  Brent and his mom often eat it as a thick soup.  The flavors are there either way.  Here is my recipe (passed down from my mom).

White Potato Stew

5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into about 1/2" chunks
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. oil
Water
Salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

In a dutch oven or stock pot, heat oil and saute' onions and garlic.  When onions turn clear add potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes.  This is where I add my salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.  I just add a little at first because I don't want to over-season and you can always add more later but you can't take it out once it's in there!  Use your own judgement.  If you prefer to add them at the end, by all means do so.  Bring potatoes to a boil and add smoked sausage. 

Side note:  Some people like to lightly brown their smoked sausage before adding it to the pot.  You can do so in the oil before you add your onions if you like.  If you do, take the sausage out and set it aside before you saute' your onions.  Either way works just fine.  I don't find any difference in the flavor so I skip this step to save time.

Boil the stew for about 20 minutes on a medium to high heat, stirring occasionally.  Once the potatoes are tender they will begin to break up.  I like to speed this process up by smashing some of the potatoes against the side of the pot.  The broken up potatoes thicken this dish.  Once you have achieved your desired thickness, remove from heat and serve.

This is a nice, hearty dish that is usually welcome on cold days, but we like it year round.  And there's really no measuring involved!  That's my kind of dish!

If you decide to try it, please let me know what you think.