The Best Potatoes You Will Ever Eat, Ever (A Pin a Day #4)

So I'm sitting here blogging, and Charlie asks me what I'm going to write about. It goes a little something like this...

Charlie: What are you going to blog about?
Me: Remember those delicious potatoes?
Charlie: The really delicious ones?
Me: Yes.
Charlie: Those were delicious.

We're very articulate around here with our food.

So here's the deal. You read the blog, you know how my family has a love/hate relationship with food. They hate the healthy stuff, and love to drive me crazy reminding me of that. So when I saw this pin on the feed, I knew they would love it because it's enveloped with bacon, garlic and Parmigiano Reggiano, the undisputed king of cheese. I don't think I've ever found a roasted potato recipe that's ever been this delicious. It's a keeper for sure.

Now I'm not exactly sure if you believe me when I say that these are seriously the best potatoes ever. Because they are. The best. Really. Yes THAT good! 

You will need;

• Small to medium tender fleshed potatoes such as Yukon Gold (maybe 5 per person to be safe, cuz you don't want to run out of these!)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 thick cut bacon (the good stuff, do splurge here)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (more if you really like garlic)
• fresh rosemary
• fresh flat leaf parsley
• course salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup FRESH grated Parmigiano Reggiano (go ahead and buy the chunk of it and grate it fresh with a micro plane, you'll use the rest of it for a ton of other recipes you didn't even know you were missing out on)

Start by boiling the potatoes in a large pot of salty water. Cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes, drain and let cool.


Cut bacon into chunks and cook until about halfway done. If you over cook the bacon now it will really crisp in the oven, so just cook them until they render out most of their fat. Remove from pan and drain. Do not discard the drippings.

Preheat the oven to 450* and mince the garlic, rosemary and parsley. Set aside.

Prepare your baking sheet by brushing the olive oil on it and drizzling half of the bacon grease as well. Put into the oven to get hot.



Quarter cooled potatoes, pull out hot baking sheet and place potatoes, cut side down, on the hot pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Toss potatoes halfway through.

 Reduce temperature to 375*. Sprinkle with garlic, rosemary, bacon and cheese. Return to oven for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parsley. Serve.

Perfect Pan Fried Pork Chops

Here in our house, we love pork chops. I especially love when they are on sale and I can get them really cheap! And by really cheap I mean for like a buck each, now THAT'S cheap! I often struggle with new ways to cook an old standard, because after awhile, I just get tired of baked pork chops.

I found this recipe in the 2010 issue of The Best of America's Test Kitchen, and fell in love with it the first time I tried it out. It produces a flavorful and juicy chop, and in a lot less time than baking them. Plus! cooking it this way doesn't heat up the house in the summer. A perfect pan fried pork chop is such a staple in the south, home of comfort food, and I am always happy when I find something Charlie requests on a semi-regular basis.

You will need;

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 chops, bone in or boneless will both work, about 1/4" thick
• 3 slices bacon (or reserved drippings, about 1 tbsp)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

 Combine all the spices together to make a rub. I sometimes use this rub recipe, or I will use Amazing Taste Brand Malibu Seasoning, which is perfect for pork chops. Place flour in a shallow bowl or plate. Pat the chops dry, make 2 slits in the fatty side of the chop (to prevent chops from curling when cooking) and season with rub. Dredge the chops through the flour to coat. Let rest 10 minutes and dredge again.


Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp, or heat up reserved drippings. Discard bacon for another use later and keep the drippings in the pan. Add oil and heat over medium until just smoking. Cook chops until brown, about 4 minutes on each side.

Zuppa Toscana

Yesterday I made a pot of this tasty soup for a few reasons; 1. I LOVE this soup!, 2. I had all the ingredients on hand from an earlier meal, and 3. I was cleaning out the fridge and needed to make something before it went bad. I understand for some people that soup isn't really a summer staple (I'm in California remember? It's hotter earlier here!) but I just love soup all the time, and it's just a great and quick lunch to have on hand.

I posted this on my Facebook page and got a few comments regarding wanting the recipe, so I figured, why not? Here you go!

 Zuppa Toscana

(An Olive Garden inspired Copycat Recipe, after the cut)

Hash House A-Go-Go

If you ever find yourself in San Diego, jonsing for some amazing breakfast (or even lunch) , look no further than Hash House A-Go-Go on 5th Ave in Hillcrest, famous for huge portions and ridiculously long lines that go surprisingly fast.

Now I've been to HH a few times, and I have NEVER EVER been disappointed, not once. Not only is the food amazing, the portions HUGE, and the plating beautiful, it's a great place to take someone who's never been, just to see the look on their faces when their food comes. Honestly people, it never gets old.

Now just a heads up, the pictures below are from a few different trips over to HH, were not REALLY that big of pigs, I swear.

Charlie and I stopped in for lunch once (they serve breakfast all day), I was craving their French Toast, and I sadly found out that the French Toast is pretty much the only breakfast item they DON'T serve all day.

He wanted lunch I wanted breakfast, neither of us were hungry enough for our own plate, so we opted for the Sage Fried Chicken and Bacon Waffles, which was just recently featured on Man Vs. Food on the Travel Channel.

The plate comes PILED with bacon waffles, and TWO huge chicken breasts, pan fried golden brown, topped with fried leeks, drizzled with a maple reduction and stabbed through the center with a heftily aromatic spring of fresh rosemary. Yes, that's ONE serving. Thankfully for those of you who want this, and don't live near a HH, Food Network tackled this recipe, and I'm sharing it with you.

Another breakfast favorite of mine are their Farm Benedicts. HH's benedicts are unlike ANYTHING you've ever seen, tried or made at home. Seriously, it's pretty epic. Below is the Sage Fried Chicken Benedict.

It's served on a bed of mashed potatoes, a huge housemade biscuit, and topped heavily with scrambled eggs, fried chicken, bacon (which I got on the side) fresh spinach, ripe tomatoes and griddled mozzarella cheese then topped with chipotle cream sauce.

On our last trip, Charlie and I met Adam for breakfast since he was in town the evening before, and HH was my first choice when he asked where we should go for breakfast.

Adam opted for an Indiana Favorite, Andy's Sage Fried Chicken w/ maple reduction, 2 eggs, bacon mashed potatoes & biscuit.

I finally got my French Toast. It comes dipped in Banana Cinnamon Cream, grilled until golden brown and then topped with a griddled banana, sliced lengthwise, toasted pecans, powdered sugar and maple syrup. TO. DIE. FOR.

Kono's

My favorite burger in all of San Diego is at this tiny lil' hole in the wall at the end of Garnet Ave, just before you walk down Crystal Pier and into the ocean.



Kono's has been a staple of my families diet since I was a kid. There was a time, in fact, that for about a year in High School I was a vegetarian. It was the hip thing to do I guess. The day I walked by Kono's, was the day I crossed back over to the meat side and never looked back. I suppose it says something about the quality of the burgers here.

Breakfast is served all day and a favorite of the patrons, but I've never had it. I prefer the Cheeseburger and fries. Luckily today it was on special.

Once you snake yourself through the line outside, you'll enter to find a very easy menu. Breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, fries. It's easy to figure out what you want. Everything here is delicious.

The "Quote of the Week" blackboard is one of my favorites. I just love landlocked tourists.

They have seating inside, but one would be foolish to pass up the "secret" outdoor patio. Just outside to the left, past what used to be the shell shop, you'll find a great little seating area with an amazing view.

I've always loved Kono's because they just do good burgers, well. There isn't anything fancy schmancy about these burgers, just nice big hand packed meat patties, grilled and piled high with condiments. I got my burger pretty plain; ketchup, mustard, pickles and grilled onions.

My friend got the works, with bacon and avocado added.

We shared a HUGE order of hot crispy steak fries.

Pair the view with a Kono's burger and some of the best steak fries ever had, a beautiful 75* San Diego day, and you've got a perfect afternoon.

Father's Office.

So for years I have been hearing about the "Best Burger" East Coast/West Coast battles. Those rivalries extend past rappers, and into food you know. And since then I have also been on my own quest for the best burger ever. It's hard to decide what exactly makes a burger the best, and even then my tastes will differ from the next. All I know is I want some medium cooked juicy hamburger, some amazing toppings, and the satisfaction that I must have this again soon. I got that last night with Melissa at Father's Office. Let me share it with you.

Santa Monica Location
1018 Montana Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 736-2224

We started off with some beers. Father's Office has a at any given time at least 35 awesome craftsman beers on tap, Melissa go the Maredsous 10.

I had an Old Speckled Hen. It was nice and light, and heavenly creamy.

One of the main problems of Father's Office that I've heard and the main reason (besides laziness) that I've stayed away is the crowd partnered with the Soup Nazi style of ordering. This isn't the kind of place you would want to go on a first or second date to, in fact let's keep this place for something more along the lines of a 6th or more date.

You wait outside in an astonishingly long line, only to be slowly trickled in by the doorman into a tiny hole in the wall sized room, lined with tables, with a bar at the far end. Mozy up to the bar and wait to place your order, and don't even worry about finding a place to sit yet. Grab a beer, and just wait.

FO's is famous for its burger envisioned by Sang Yoon, a self proclaimed "chef and a beer sommelier", and what we both ordered. It comes stacked high with arugula, soft tender onions caramelized in bacon, and a blend of melted blue and gruyere cheeses piled on big burger cooked to order (anything cooked longer than medium is blaspheme.) on a soft roll. For a bit more add an order of shoestring fries with parsley garlic aioli. Don't even think about substituting anything because, well, you can't. It comes as is.

After we ordered, it only took about 5 minutes to find a place to sit, and another 10 to get our burgers despite the large crowd on a Thursday night. My burger was cooked medium, juicy and AMAZING. I'm usually a burger purist and just dig meat on some bread with light condiments, but wowee was this burger worth it. The onions were quite possibly the best thing I've ever tasted on a burger, ever. The fries were thin, crispy and tasty with the aforementioned parsley garlic aioli, which tasted like fancy ranch. I think what made Melissa the most happy is, you will not find a drop of ketchup in this place, so don't even bother to ask.

The Father's Office burger definitely ranks up there in my top 10 burgers of all time, and I will be enjoying another one very soon.

The BEST BREAKFAST in Atlanta

Every time I'm ever in Atlanta I have to go to The Flying Biscuit Cafe for breakfast. It's a rule I have. I make no exceptions to this rule. Ever. It is literally THE BEST BREAKFAST in Atlanta for the price, selection and overall yumminess of it. Even before I had ever moved to the ATL, I had friends and clients tell me that when I visited to make sure I stopped into The Flying Biscuit for breakfast, because it shouldn't be missed. Ever. They had no idea how right they were.

One of my favorite breakfasts there is the Egg-stravaganza. This time I opted to switch it up a bit and get The High Flyer instead. Oddly enough, Brian went for the Egg-stravaganza instead of his usual High Flyer. We know what we like, and we hardly stray.

The High Flyer; two eggs scrambled served with their signature chicken breakfast
sausage (OMG!), their AWARD winning grits, a FAMOUS FLYING BISCUIT...

...and an organic oatmeal pancake with warm peach compote

Egg-stravaganza; two eggs scrambled (with cheese) served with their signature
chicken breakfast sausage, crisp turkey bacon, grits and flying biscuit...

...plus whole wheat french toast topped with raspberry sauce & honey creme anglais.

ETA//
Brian reminded me that I forgot to mention those little tubs of what looks like BBQ sauce. That's their nummy Apple Butter and its so insanely good. It tastes like Christmas. I bet you're looking at the screen thinking WTF? But when you try it, you will totally agree. It's all appley, and cranberryish with cinnamon and nutmeg and all those yummy flavors of the holidays on a big giant fluffy biscuit. Mmmm!

Sammies for lunch!

I had yet another sandwich at the San Fransisco Saloon, but this time I opted for a side salad and not the black beans. I asked for a Italian or a vinaigrette but instead got some creamy mustard dressing. It wasn't bad, but unexpected. A few too many veggies on the salad for my taste, so I picked off the ones I wasn't too keen on. Carrots FTW.



Super good, as always.

Crock Pot recipe #1!

So here it is...

My first crock pot recipe!!

My dad's famous bean soup! (well *he* thinks its famous)

It's the best soup for cold days and it's really cheap to make, plus it will feed you for days and is really great reheated.

I asked him how he makes his beans and he told me he starts off by soaking pinto beans for 12-24 hours. You can use any beans you want, or even a bean medley.

The next morning, get out your crock pot (my dad says thats the trick) but if you don't have a crock pot you can use a big pot on the stove, either way use low heat.



Into the crock pot add

8-12 oz Pinto beans, soaked, washed and drained
4 carrots, cut into inch long chunks
2-4 potatoes, cut into cubes
2 onions, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed
4 stalks of celery, chopped
3 strips of bacon, cut into pieces* (or omit for a vegetarian friendly recipe)
1 can of stewed tomatoes (my dad says this cuts down on "bean farts", but I'm not sure if I believe him.)

Add some brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste and optionally, you can add some ketchup or a bay leaf, just remove the bay leaf before eating.

Give it all a good toss and stir in the pot, and then cover it with water, broth or stock. Vegetable stock can be used for more flavor.

Let it simmer in the crock pot or on the stove for a good 8-12 hours or until the beans are fork tender.**


And then eat the hell out of it.



Here I added a 1/2 chicken breast on the side for a little extra protein, but its great with corn bread, biscuits, crackers, or whatever you may fancy.


*By all means add or remove any of the above items, this is just what my dad uses. I've even used the left over ham bone from the Christmas Ham instead of the bacon, but if you do it that way, make sure you fish out the bones before you eat it.

**If you prefer your soups a little heartier, half way through the cooking process, remove a bit of the broth and put it into a bowl. Into this broth whisk in some flour, or corn starch and kinda make like a roux, which is just a fancy french word for thickener. Make sure it's smooth and free of lumps and then put it back into the pot. The flour or corn starch will cook and make the soup less brothy and more stewy.

San Fransisco Saloon

Today for lunch I walked over to the San Fransisco Saloon. It's not too far from where I work and on days where I have extra time and forgot to pack a lunch, I'll stop in for a sandwich.



I always get the Coit Tower cuz I'm a sucker for anything Turkey and Avocado, and I usually sub the ham for bacon cuz it tastes better. I also add spicy mustard and pepperoncinis. The sandwiches run about $9, but are really big and delicious, and they are really good about custom orders and not effing them up.



They have all kinds of sides, and I choose the black beans this time, and stuck them in the mini fridge at work for a snack later on. Mmmm...you know how I feel about the heart healthy effects of beans!



They have a wide variety of house specialty drinks, and a full bar, but I decided it was best NOT to drink while working.

At least not this time.