Some of my personal favorite dishes are some of the simplest recipes you can make! Good food isn’t about how complex or expensive it is, it’s about whether you know the flavors and how to combine them for your tastes.
It’s all a delicate balance of knowing whether or not more is better. Is it worth spending the effort on a more complicated dish that maybe looks nicer, or has a bit more depth of flavor, or less effort on a dish that is delicious in its own right but is much easier?
It’s like if you play on Ripper Casino and have to decide whether or not to play poker or blackjack. Poker is a more complicated game that might be funner, but you still enjoy blackjack a lot!
It’s all about finding that balance between effort and payoff. So, with that being said, here are some really simple recipes that taste great but don’t take a whole bunch of effort. I won’t tell if you don’t!
Smashed Potatos
Now you might be thinking I made a mistake here. “Don’t you mean mashed potatoes?” I hear you say. Nope! I’m talking today about smashed potatoes! The delicious fluffy yet crispy cousin to the mashed potatoes and the home fries.
Smashed potatoes are made partially the same way you make mashed potatoes. First, cut your potato pieces into big chunks. They can really be any size you want, but it depends on what your preferences are.
The bigger the chunks the more of the mashed potato like inside you will have, the smaller they are the more crispy outside you will have. So, if you are unsure I’d suggest going somewhere in the middle.
About 2 or three finger breadths wide by 2 fingerbreadths tall should be about good. Remember, they will shrink a bit in the cooking process, so you want to make them larger than needed.
Next is to boil them. You want to boil them until a fork easily pierces them. This will get you that soft mashed potato like inside that makes these potatoes so great!
After that is to set the potatoes on a tray. Here you will spice and oil them for the oven. There are a few things that you should keep in mind when it comes to choosing an oil and spices.
When it comes to oil, you can really use anything you want, but keep in mind the flavors it will give to the food. Most people probably will use olive oil, canola oil, butter, or vegetable oil when cooking.
But, if you are a healthier person, it is worthwhile to look into the healthiest oils to use, as there are some fats that are better for you, and some that are worse.
Next, oil the potatoes up, mix them up gently to get them coated, then smash them down! You can use a spatula, a fork, a spoon, or even just your hand. You just want to smash them down to expose the inside that will get crispy.
Finally, just bake them in your oven at 230 degrees centigrade or 450 degrees Fahrenheit. I would recommend the convection setting for this, but you probably know your oven best.
Cook them for about 10 minutes and check on them. They should look golden brown and crispy. Just keep adding a couple of minutes until they look done to you and boom! You have smashed potatoes for dinner.
Roasted Broccoli
As I kid, I hated broccoli. I thought it tasted nasty, and couldn’t understand why people liked it so much!
Then, as I grew older, it ended up that I tried roasted broccoli. You see, I had only ever tried steamed broccoli before then. And wow! My eyes were opened.
No more strong vegetable taste, and with a little sauce, it tasted great! Best of all, it’s healthy and super simple to make. All you need is broccoli, oil, and some spices!
First, lay your broccoli on a tray. This could be either frozen broccoli or fresh broccoli. If it is fresh, I would recommend washing it in a vinegar water solution before cooking just to clean out the little florets.
Then, with fresh broccoli, just cut it into pieces that are about the size of three fingers if you lay it on top of them. No need to be exact, just remember they will shrink a lot when cooking, so make them bigger than you want.
Next, after they are on your tray, pour some oil on them to get them coated, and the spices of your choice. I like to use black pepper, paprika, and curry powder. Be careful with the spices though, as some spices like garlic powder burn easily.
Then, just roast them on 230 C or 450 F convection for about 8 minutes. Give them a check and if they have some nice color on them then pull them on out and enjoy! If not, then just give them a minute or two more until they look done.
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