McAlister Potatoes

During this Thanksgiving break, Alex and I have found ourselves staying up late-night, watching cooking shows. Our favorite right now is Restaurant Impossible.
A program with Guy Fieri came on after that and this potato recipe seemed irresistible, we had to try it! In fact, it is! One thing we found is that the crispy potatoes, onion and bacon stand on their own. You don't need to add parmesan or the peppadew sour cream. Maybe a small bit of sour cream, but the peppadew is overpowering to the other flavors and the parmesan just added fat, in our opinion.
Alex came up with an idea for leftovers: use the potatoes in place of english muffins for eggs benedict tomorrow morning! We also had leftover steak tips and they will go along nicely.

McAlister Potatoes
Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

Prep Time:
25 min
Inactive Prep Time:
1 hr 0 min
Cook Time:
30 min

Level:
Intermediate

Serves:
6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup peppadew peppers, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
3 pounds baby Yukon potatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
3/4 pound bacon, diced
2 yellow onions, diced
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Directions

In small mixing bowl combine sour cream, peppadew peppers, and white wine. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In large stock pot cover potatoes with water and add 2 tablespoons salt. Set heat on high and boil until fork tender.

In a large saute pan over medium heat cook bacon and saute onions until caramelized. Transfer bacon and onions from pan on to a paper towel to absorb grease. Distribute evenly on a platter and keep warm. Leave remaining fat in pan.

When potatoes are fork tender, drain, and with a clean kitchen towel, palm smash the hot potatoes to approximately 1/3-inch thick.

Reheat fat in saute pan and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Heat to oil medium heat and place potatoes in oil. Season with salt and pepper and brown on both sides, then transfer to onion and bacon platter. Repeat, adding more oil, until all potatoes are cooked crispy.

Top potatoes with Parmesan and then with sour cream mixture.

The Portlander Breakfast Sandwich

Alex and I were up late recently, watching a food truck show where The Big Egg was featured. While the numerous creations were being made, we obsessively kept rewinding and watching it again, determined to make one for breakfast the next morning.
We decided to try The Portlander, our way:

Two eggs (I opted for one, Alex had two but said one would be preferable)
Stone ground mustard on grilled brioche bread (or in our case, hearty white)
Top with thick-cut bacon, Gorgonzola and chives (or green onion)
Return to griddle to help melt the cheese.

If you check out their menu, you will see that this sandwich has many options: the eggs can be made easy, medium, hard, or scrambled. The cheese choices include Fontina, Tillamook White Cheddar, or Gorgonzola. Meat choices are thick-cut smoked bacon, Black Forest ham, or house-made vegetarian sausage.

Breakfast Sausage Patties

Breakfast sausage patty recipe:

1 pound ground pork

1 Tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped (fresh from the garden, even though it's beginning to freeze)

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon granulated onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix your spices then gently incorporate into the meat. Form meat into patties the size of your liking. Flatten to no more than a 3/8" thickness. Have two plates handy on which to place formed patties.
Cook over medium-low heat.
Pack the extra patties amidst layers of parchment in a covered container and freeze. They easily reheat in the microwave for quick breakfasts. Reheat at 75% power, wrapped in paper towels, for 1 1/2 minutes.
Spice heat is on the high side (not for me) so cut back on the cayenne and red pepper flakes, if you must.