Scrounge Dinner - Stuffed Hash Browns

On a recent Friday night, I found myself just home from traveling all week and in the midst of a strict Gluten-Free trial run and had "no food" in the house.  As we know, that's when I tend to shine...

I knew I couldn't fall back on any of my quick pasta creations thanks to the GF trial so it was time to scrounge.

I cooked up a few slices of bacon in a non-stick pan. When thoroughly crispy, I pulled the bacon out of the pan and drained it on a few paper towels.

Added about 2 cups of frozen shredded potatoes (Gluten-free!) to the pan with the bacon drippings and started cooking over medium-high heat.  (A number of companies make prepared frozen shredded potatoes now. Mine happened to be from Trader Joe's.)

While those were starting to cook, I beat one whole egg and mixed in some Parmesan cheese (about 3 Tbs), very similar to what I'd do for Spaghetti Carbonara. I wasn't looking to scramble the eggs but make them act as a binder for the potatoes. I poured the egg over the potatoes and continued to cook.

I'd pushed the potatoes all towards the middle so it was looking like one big panake.

After a few minutes, I was able to flip the whole thing but in about 3 sections.

I squirted a healthy amount of Sriracha sauce on top of the potato/egg mixture (Sriracha is a type of hot sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. You could use Tobasco or any other favorite hot sauce)

I flipped the potato "pancake" one more time, crumbled the bacon on top and covered the top with shredded cheese (I used a mixture of cheddar, monterey jack and mozzarella) I found a cover from a pot large enough to over the "pancake" and continued to cook covered until the cheese melted.

Slid the entire thing on a plate and ate it too fast to remember to take a picture. If I'd had some sour cream or Greek yogurt and a few scallions, it would have been a perfect version of a stuffed potato skin. That's certainly what it tasted like! So they became Stuffed Hash Browns. YUM!

A Glimpse Into A Food-Obsessed Mind

It's been awhile since my last post. I've been busy preparing for my big move back into Manhattan after a 9-year hiatus. Anyone who has downsized knows that you can't just pack. You have to study every item and think to yourself, "do I really need this?"

During this process, I came across a scrap of paper. It is obviously a brainstorm session I had with myself on meal ideas, but I have no idea when it was written nor do I have any recollection of writing it, but it's definitely my handwriting. There are actually some really good ideas on the list (some of which I've made before, some I haven't played with yet). I thought I'd share them here not only for your benefit but so I have an electronic version of this list. I guarantee you'll see some of these show up again here.

The List, exactly how it appears on the piece of paper...

Ahi Poke (tartare): sesame crackers - Eda puree

Sesame crusted tuna: lemon, wasabi, sesame oil, soy sauce

Swordfish: tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, olives, garlic

Fish Tacos: lime juice, ancho chili powder, jalapeno, cilantro

Shrimp: black bean puree / tequila lime avocado

Fava bean salad

* Pesto

Gazpacho - salad

Mixed clams/mussels

Pork tenderloin: garlic/rosemary/balsamic

Chicken curry coconut soup - ?

lemon herb chix - potatoes - salad

avo + chilis + tomatillos, onion, cilantro, lime - blender/process
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My abbreviations I used: eda = edamame, chix = chicken, avo = avocado. I wonder why I used certain notations like the question mark and asterisk. I like that I explained to myself that Ahi Poke is like a tartare since I've made this particular dish many times and even talked about here! The plus signs instead of commas is fairly amusing to me. That's not something I normally use in my ingredient lists.

Feel free to run with any of these ideas. If you do, I'd love to hear about it!