Ranch Crash Baby Potatoes

You might have noticed that Joe and I love potatoes. Really love them! It's a culinary fact that if there's potatoes involved, it's going to be a good dish. And if you add cheese and oil and other good things to the potatoes, it's a guarantee that there will be no leftovers in this house.

Last time I made these cheesy smashed potatoes, I looked for the leftovers that I was SURE were there. I wanted them for breakfast. But it's true that the early bird gets the - well, the potatoes - because Joe had gotten up an hour earlier and they were all gone.

He's notorious for eating odd things for breakfast, so he probably topped them with leftover marinated chicken from the stacks of BBQ chicken pizza I'd made for the homeless shelter. The BBQ chicken was gone too, you see.

Tender new potatoes, or very small ones, are perfect for smashing because they crisp up so well in the last step. If you don't like ranch flavoring, or prefer some other seasoning, add whatever snipped herbs and spices you like.

Ingredients

12-15 baby potatoes (we used 2" round ones from my mom's fall harvest)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 packet powdered Ranch dressing mix

1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

2 tbsp snipped chives (optional)

Directions

Scrub potatoes, then put them in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Drizzle a cookie sheet with half the oil. Place the potatoes on the pan, and smash each one with a potato masher or the bottom of a strong cup. The potatoes should be about 1/2 inch thick when completely crushed.

Stir together the salt, pepper, ranch dressing, cheese, and chives. Sprinkle over the tops of the potatoes, then drizzle with the rest of the oil. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until crispy and golden brown.

Serves 4-6.

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Black Bean Mango Salad with Shrimp

A few weeks ago, our friends John and Peg invited us over to dinner and a play down at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. John is a fabulous cook who was working on a tropical theme - this mango and black bean salad, chicken with mango, papaya, and coconut, and a dessert of chocolate ice cream balls coated in toasted coconut.

John peeled and deveined raw shrimp, marinated them in the lime juice, then grilled them before adding to the salad. We went a less expensive route with frozen precooked tiny shrimp, but if it's in your budget, I'd really recommend cooking the shrimp fresh for the best taste.

Ingredients

For the shrimp:

10-12 oz. cooked salad shrimp
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:

1 ripe mango
2 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
4 tbsp finely chopped mint
4 scallions, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions

Stir together the shrimp ingredients and let them marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Peel the mango and cut into 1/2" pieces. Saute the shrimp for 2 minutes, then mix into the rest of the ingredients. Let set for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

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