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ByAlisonLadman The Associated Press To be honest, it's hard not to get inspired by has- selback potatoes, those de- liciously crisp and creamy potatoes that are thinly sliced so they fan out accor- dion-style during roasting. The edges take on lovely french fry qualities, while the insides stay moist and tender. Add a serious splash of butter or oil and they can be pretty heavenly. But we decided to take them in a different direc- tion for grilling season, starting by swapping out the potatoes themselves. Instead, we slice (some- what thickly) sweet po- tatoes. But where classic hasselback potatoes get just butter or oil drizzled between those slices, we smeared a blend of butter, goat cheese, orange zest and fresh thyme between ours (which is why we slice ours thicker). Wrapped in foil, the sliced and smeared sweet potatoes land on the grill for about 20 minutes. When they come off, they are sweet and tender and richly creamy. If you'd like to get a bit of crisp to the edges of your sweet pota- toes, just open the foil on the top of each after about 10 minutes of cooking. These sweet potatoes also are easily prepped ahead of time. Just slice, smear and wrap them up to a day ahead, then re- frigerate until ready to grill. Goatcheese-stuffed grilledsweetpotatoes Starttofinish:40minutes Servings: 4 INGREDIENTS 4-ounce log goat cheese 2tablespoons butter, so - ened Zest of 1orange 1teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1teaspoon ground black pepper 1tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 2cloves garlic, minced 4medium sweet potatoes Olive oil Kosher salt Heat one side of the grill to medium. DIRECTIONS Inasmallbowl,mixtogether thegoatcheese,butter,orange zest,1/2teaspoonofthesalt, thepepper,thymeandgarlic. Setaside. Oneatatime,cutdeepslits crosswiseintoeachsweetpo- tato.Theslitsshouldbespaced about1/2inchapartandcut downtowithinabout1/4inch ofthebaseofthepotatoes. Don'tcutallthewaythrough; youwantthepotatoslicesto remainattachedatthebottom. Microwavethepotatoesfor5 minutesonhigh. Useathinspreadingknifeto carefullyspreadasmallamount ofthegoatcheesemixturebe- tweeneachoftheslicesinthe potatoes.Brusheachsweet potatoalloverwitholiveoiland sprinklewiththeremaining1/2 teaspoonofsalt.Wrapeach potatoinfoil,thenplaceonthe coolersideofthegrill.Cook, movingthemoccasionallyto preventburning,for25to35 minutes,oruntilthepotatoes aretenderallthewaythrough. Allow to remain wrapped and rest for 10minutes before serving. THYME FOR SUMMER Heavenlytots Try this grill-friendly approach to hasselback sweet potatoes MATTHEW MEAD — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS These grilled sweet potatoes are smeared with a blend of butter, goat cheese, orange zest and fresh thyme. When they come off, they are sweet and tender and richly creamy. By Aarti Sequeira The Associated Press T he most popular plantain dish might be tostones, a fritter with a fry-like crunchy exterior and a fluffy, faintly sweet interior. They couldn't be sim- pler to make: 1-inch wide slices are fried once, smashed, then fried once more. They make a delightful change from your regular starch, and on Mother's Day, when you're looking to spoil the woman who once worked her magic on you, it's a sweet way to celebrate. Tostones eggs benedict with cilantro sauce Start to finish: 30minutes Servings: 4 INGREDIENTS 4large eggs 2small cloves garlic, finely minced 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup finely minced cilan- tro leaves and so stems Pinch of sugar Kosher salt and ground black pepper Canola oil, for frying 2large green, firm plantains DIRECTIONS Heat the oven to 350F. Add 1tablespoon of water to each of 4cups in a stan- dard muffin pan. Break one egg into each of the cups. Set aside. Meanwhile, to make the sauce, in a medium bowl combine the garlic and lemon juice, then let stand for 5minutes. Whisk in the olive oil, then the cilantro, sugar and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Set aside. To make the tostones, set a medium skillet over medium heat. Add enough canola oil to fill the pan with 1/2 inch. Heat the oil to 325F (use a thermom- eter to monitor it). While the oil heats, prepare the plantains. Slice off the ends of each plantain, then run your knife down the length of each, cutting just through the skin but not through the flesh. Repeat on the opposite side of the fruit. Carefully pull away the peel in 2large strips. Do not discard. Slice the peeled plantain into 1-inch-thick oblongs. Line a plate with a double layer of paper towels. Fill a large bowl with water and salt it generously. When the oil is ready, bake the eggs for 12to 14 minutes (12minutes for a cooked white and runny yolk, 14minutes for a firmer yolk). The water will rise to the surface and look like the egg hasn't cooked, but it has. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, carefully add some of the plantain slices to the oil, work- ing in batches. Cook for 1 to 2minutes, or until very lightly golden brown, then flip. Cook another minute, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the paper towel-lined plate. Increase the heat to medium-high. Place a fried plantain on a cutting board. Place a plan- tain peel on top, green side facing up. Gently push down with the palm of your hand to flatten the fried plantain until it is 1/4 inch thick. Re- peat with remaining slices. When the oil is 350F, one at a time quickly dip each plantain slice in the salted water, tap off the excess, then use tongs to carefully place in the skillet of oil. Be careful of splattering oil. Cook for 1minute, or until golden brown, then return to the paper-towel lined plate. Season immediately with salt. Repeat until all plantains have been fried a second time. Place 3tostones in a circle on each serving plate. Care- fully spoon a poached egg out of a muffin cup and place on top. Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle the sauce around the perim- eter of the plate and a little over the top of the tos- tones. Serve immediately. RECIPE Lo ok s li ke a b an an a, b ut e at s li ke a p ot at o! I t' s a pl an ta in PHOTOS BY MATTHEW MEAD — AP PHOTO Top: Plantains are related to sweet bananas, they are much starchier, less sweet and unpleasant to eat raw. Once their peels turn first yellow, then black (or maduro, as it's known in Spanish), they do begin to sweeten, but still need to be cooked. Middle and Bottom: Tostones eggs Benedict with cilantro sauce is a spin on one of the most popular plantain dishes. Tostones are a fritter with a fry-like crunchy exterior and a fluffy, faintly sweet interior. ForadsstartingMay30orearlier! 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