fried potatoes with other stuff

I love potatoes, and I don't believe any negative hype.  When I worked in a stressful job in another country, on particularly difficult days friends and I would go to a hotel restaurant to eat. We would have the chocolate lava cake but I never felt better afterwards.  What did make me feel better?  A big plate of fried potatoes.  "Potatoes, not Prozac," a friend would say, quoting a book she liked.  I believe it. 

This is closer to what I'd like, though still not quite there.  Ideas from here.

- Steam some potatoes 10-20 minutes.
- Chop them into 1/2" pieces or so.
- Heat a skillet with butter and oil.  Cook onions, garlic, pepper, etc. if desired.
- Add potatoes and saute them. 
- Add sausage if desired.
- Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika.
- Let them cook until crispy on the outside.
- Turn off heat and add in mizuna or similar green.

sourdough bread with oats

This was super hard to work with because it's SO high hydration.  I mean SUPER hard to work with.  I wasn't sure I'd make it again.  And then I ate it and ... it's really really good.  Super tasty.  So, I'll keep making it.  Though, it was a bit on the sweet side so I'll probably usually make it without any honey.

Ingredients

• 120 Grams Rolled Grains 3/4 Cup
• 200 Grams Bread Flour 1 1/2 Cup
• 200 Grams Whole Wheat Flour 1 1/2 Cup - I use a Triple 200
• 90 Grams Raw Honey 1/4 Cup - Dark honey works well here
• 12 Grams Salt 2 Teaspoons
• 400 Grams Water 1 2/3 Cup
• 250 Grams Starter 1 Cup - 100% hydration - Stirred down

Instructions

The Night Before

1. In a large glass bowl mix all ingredients into a wet and sticky dough. I use my dough whisk for this step because the dough will stick to your hands. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
2. Using the dough whisk do a round of stretch and fold. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Repeat this stretch and fold process up to 5 more times.
3. Cover the dough and place it in a warm area of your kitchen. Ferment the dough overnight.

The Next Morning

1. Uncover the dough and wet your hands. Do a stretch and fold in the bowl to deflate the dough and start the shaping process. Let the dough rest 5 minutes.
2. Spread a handful of oats out on your work surface. Small rolled grains work well. Turn the dough out onto the oats. Make sure the dough lands seam side up on the oats. Quickly shape the dough into a round so that the oats are covering the dough. Place the dough seam side down and shape it further using your hands and the tension of the surface. Leave the dough seam side down on the work surface for a few minutes.
3. Let the dough double at room temperature.
4. Preheat oven to 450° with Dutch oven inside. 
5. Cut a square of parchment paper and turn the dough out onto it so the seam side is now down.
6. Score the dough with a sharp razor blade. The oats can make it a little tricky to score so I use a nice wide cross pattern instead of something more elaborate. 
7. Remove the hot Dutch oven from your oven and take the lid off. Carefully pick up the dough using the corners of the parchment paper. Lower the dough into the Dutch oven and replace the lid. Place the Dutch oven back into the oven and bake covered for 25 minutes.
8. After 25 minutes remove the lid and continue baking for 15 more minutes. This bread should bake for 40 minutes total.
9. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and parchment paper. Place the boule on a cooling rack and let it cool completely before slicing.

sourdough banana muffins

These were tastier than I expected! 

From here. I liked them with some chopped pecans sprinkled on top before baking.  I would like to cut the sugar, so it's worth playing with that.  Also could be at least partially whole grain flour.  I did put a little (maybe 1 T) worth of whey drained from yogurt in for a bit of moisture but it probably wasn't necessary.  Interesting that there's no fat but the texture is still good.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar (or 1/3 c. honey?)
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• pecans to sprinkle on top of each 

Instructions:

1. At least 12 hours before you wish to bake them, combine sourdough starter and flour. It will make a very thick dough, so do not be alarmed. Cover and place in a warm spot to culture for 12 to 24 hours.
2. After 12 to 24 hours, preheat oven to 375°F. Combine sugar, banana, and egg in a small bowl. In another small bowl combine salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
3. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the cultured dough. Gradually add the liquid ingredients, stirring just to combine.
4. Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 375°F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.