crash hot potatoes and the making of supper

I'm pretty organized when it comes to menu planning.  Before I go grocery shopping I sit with the grocery store flyer and plan what is for supper for the week.  I'll usually need to do one extra trip during the week to pick up something I forgot or ran out of.  My planning always changes when our weekly local food pick up comes around but my picks are always based around what meals I plan to make.  This method, one that I think a number of us use or aspire to use, is foreign to many people living in other countries.  First off, they don't have fridges to keep food for a whole week or two.  They have wonderful markets, bakeries and specialty shops right in their neighbourhoods.  Doesn't this sound romantic?  And fresh!  Most of us in North America do not buy food this way.  We're too busy working and living in suburbs.

But I had a taste of this last Sunday when I took Abigail to visit Herrle's, a local farm market in Waterloo.  I didn't know what I was going to make for supper and let myself decide based on what looked fresh and delicious (most of it!).  Here's what I bought.

All local.  All fresh.  All tasty.

Nathaniel was on board to help shuck the peas.  He also loves "cracking" the asparagus.  I told him that it was actually called snapping off the ends.  He looked at me, giggled and said "that's silly."

I also purchased some sausage for all the carnivores in my family.  Also local.

I  bought some white potatoes (US grown) to make crash hot potatoes.  Here's the recipe.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Cook your potatoes until fork tender.

On a sheet pan generously drizzle olive oil.  Place tender potatoes on the sheet pan leaving plenty of room between the potatoes.  With a potato masher, gently press down on each potato until it slightly mashes.  Rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again.

Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.  Sprinkle each potato with kosher salt, pepper and chopped herbs (thyme, rosemary, chives, whatever you like).  Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Enjoy.

This was Andrew's plate.  What a great husband for letting me take his plate outside for a quick photo!  The veggies were quickly sauteed with olive oil, butter, salt and pepper.  As a quick protein for me, I fried an egg and enjoyed this over top of the potatoes and veggies.  Yum!

Crash Hot Potatoes - from the Pioneer Woman Cooks

 Ingredients

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.