Friday, June 18, 2010

The Squirrel Can Cook – Oven-browned ‘Taters & Onions

I remember back in home economics class, how they taught us to plan out our menus, make up a shopping list based on that menu, and shop just for what we needed. "Organization is the key to a happy kitchen."

And they are right, it is good to work from a plan. You know what you are going to do and you know what you need when you go to the store. If you do that every week, you get a gold star. The rest of us live in the real world.

Sometimes the pantry is bare, and you still need something to eat. You look around; you’ve got a few potatoes, an onion or two, and some leftover ham. What are you going to do? Order out for Chinese? No, you improvise! Why not whip up a batch of the Squirrel’s Oven-browned ‘Taters & Onions?

Today’s ingredients are:
6 small (tennis ball sized) red potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 tablespoons of Olive oil
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
½ cup of diced ham (optional)

Preheat you oven to 350 degrees.


Put the olive oil and the garlic powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and onions and toss until well-coated with oil and garlic.


Spread the potatoes and onions out evenly on a large baking sheet. (A jelly-roll type pan works best. Sides are your friends.) Place on middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes.


After about 20 minutes, remove from the oven and turn everything over. (No, don’t dump it on the floor! Turn it over in the pan.)


If you are adding ham, now is the time. Place the ham evenly on top of the potatoes and onions after turning. Return to the oven for another 15 to 25 minutes, or until nicely browned.


You can serve this as a simple meal, or it is great as a side dish. Enjoy!

The Squirrel shall not live by bread NUTS alone!

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