American Fries Market Style Food

AMERICAN FRIES-MARKET STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Wash potatoes and poke with fork.
• Bake potatoes, with skins on, for 25 minutes on top rack of oven.
• Allow potatoes to cool.
• Slice into pieces or slices. Slice very thin for chips.
• Squirt 2 teaspoons vegetable into hot cast iron fry pan; season and fry potato pieces until golden crust on each side.
• Season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne (known as Dale's Luv).
• Remove to a dish with paper towels to drain excess oil.
• Serve with whatever condiments or toppings that "trips your food chain cravings".

RACLETTE AMERICAN STYLE

Steps:

• TO DO AHEAD, steps 1 - 5 (about 30 - 45 minutes prep time: Cut rind off Raclette cheese and slice about 1/4" thick and in a size to fit your raclette trays. Slice the cheddar cheese the same way. Arrange on a platter, cover and refrigerate.
• Slice the Portobello mushrooms 1/4" thick, (or buy already sliced). Slice the peppers in long strips. Put mushrooms and peppers into a Ziploc bag. Mix or preferably emulsify together Good Seasons Italian dressing package with balsamic and olive oil. Pour into the Ziploc, close and gently shake to coat everything. Marinate for no more than half a day. Arrange on a platter, (We put it on an oval one, red pepper strips in the middle and mushrooms on each end - pretty!), cover and refrigerate.
• Brown the sausages on all sides in a skillet. When nice and browned, boil them until just done, still a little pink in the middle. When they are cool enough to handle, slice them about 1/4" thick and on a slight diagonal. Arrange on a platter with the ham slices, (step 4).
• Separate the proscuitto and ham slices. Cut them in half and arrange them on a platter - we took each slice and made a sort of rosette out of it so they were easier to pick up and put the sausages in the middle with the hams on either side.
• Put shaved beef in a Ziploc bag. Pour in your marinade of your choice, close the bag and shake to mix well. (We emulsified together some olive oil, bourbon, a garlic clove, about a T. of Grey Poupon mustard, a splash of balsamic and black pepper.) Marinate for an hour to several hours. Drain the marinade off the steak; try to separate the slices, make "rosettes" and arrange on a platter BY ITSELF since it's a raw meat; cover and refrigerate.
• AN HOUR BEFORE EATING, step 6: Take everything out of the refrigerator (at least an hour before eating) so they're room temperature.
• ABOUT 20 MINUTES BEFORE EATING, steps 7 - 9: Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the potatoes till just done - fork tender but not falling apart. Drain and place in a covered dish.
• Put your greens in a salad bowl. No more than 20 minutes before eating, toss with your favorite vinaigrette (we made our own with wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, pinch of sugar and dried dill), orange sections and walnuts.
• Turn on your Raclette grill. I taped the grill's electric cord to the table so it wouldn't be accidentally jerked off if someone tripped over the extension cord. Of course, I tripped over the cord - thank GOD it was taped down!
• DINNER'S READY!!: Put everything on the table and enjoy! We used sandwich plates instead of dinner-size plates and everyone had their own salad bowl, which we dished up and took to each person at the table. We also used fondue forks for stabbing and grabbing. DELICIOUS!!! And a lot of fun!
• For those of you who've not done this yet: Each person takes the cheese they want and what they want to grill on the top of the raclette maker and then"cooks" his own meal. The Raclette (or cheddar) cheese is melted in small pans underneath the grill top. When the cheese is melted it is poured over the potatoes. The meats and veggies are grilled on the top of the appliance. DELICIOUS!!

AMERICAN FRIES

Steps:

• Scrub potatoes clean.
• Cut in 1/4-inch thick slices.
• Pat slices dry with paper towels.
• Combine onion powder and next four ingredients in a large ziplock bag.
• Add potato slices and shake to coat.
• Arrange potato slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
• Bake at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

FRENCH MARKET DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• scald milk, cool to lukewarm and add yeast to dissolve.
• add oil, egg, water, nutmeg, sugar and salt blend well with spoon.
• add flour gradually, beating well. cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in size.
• turn dough onto floured surface, knead gently.
• roll into 18"x12" rectangle, cut into 3'x2' rectangles. (or your favorite shape).
• cover and let rise about 30 minutes.
• fry only a few doughnuts at a time in hot oil (375 degrees F) until golden brown, turning to insure even cooking and browning.
• drain on paper towels. finish with your favorite frosting or topping. best served fresh and hot.

PLUM MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Generously grease 12 muffin cups or line with papers.
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Whisk to blend thoroughly.
• In a separate bowl. whisk milk, egg, melted butter, and almond.
• Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture.
• Blend with a wooden spoon until a moist, lumpy batter is formed.
• Stir in plums.
• Spoon into prepared cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.