I'm a big fan of breakfast potatoes. Which is partly why breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. One of the first food venues I felt semi-safe eating at were diners. Although I know that cross-contamination can happen (when it's super busy, and foods a'flying), for the most part, egg and meat-based breakfasts are naturally gluten free. Having worked in a diner called Pano's during my time as an undergraduate student at Buffalo State, I know that in general the grill will be divided up into food groups. There's a square for the potatoes, a square for the eggs and meats, and one for the pancakes/waffles. When you first get diagnosed with having gluten sensitivity issues, you become afraid of going out to eat. You're paranoid that you'll eat the wrong thing, or someone will make a mistake when telling you it's gluten free, or it will get contaminated by another food in the kitchen, and you end up staying home a lot. Diners were my initial window back into the social phenomenon of communal eating. Although we all have our own tables and plates, what we really seem to be satisfying is our need of the company and energy of fellow human beings.
Feeling confident in the relative safety of breakfast foods, made traveling around the USA a lot more enjoyable as well, since I could always count on a diner being close by. Sometimes I'd eat at diners for multiple meals in a day, especially on long road trips. Lots of grits, omelets, scrambled eggs, frittatas, roasted tomatoes, bacon, ham, steak, coffee and of course BREAKFAST POTATOES. With a hefty side of ketchup, I typically take care of the potatoes first thing.
I've cooked a lot of stuff in my life, and it occurred to me about a week ago, I've never made my own breakfast potatoes! I've probably eaten breakfast potatoes thousands of times in my life, and have never learned to make my own. How pathetic is that!? Well, that had to change. I decided to use the same bag of red potatoes and make two different kinds. I cooked them at the same time, ended up with a LOT of leftovers, and absolutely loved both styles. Even so, I don't see myself cutting back on my diner visits:) Eating alone sucks!
Easy Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 medium (1 pound) red or white potatoes, or 12 tiny (1 pound) new potatoes
- 2 tblsp. extra virgin olive oil (or butter - melted)
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. paprika
Cooking Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Cut up the medium potatoes into fourths, or the new potatoes into halves
- Toss the potatoes in a cooking-sprayed 9x9x2-inch baking pan
- Mix up the oil, onion powder, garlic salt, black pepper, and paprika; drizzle over the taters, and using some tongs, toss them up.
- Bake for 45 minutes, then take them out and stir them up. Throw them back in for another 20 minutes, or until the edges are browned.
- Chow down! And be careful not to burn your tongue, or the roof of your mouth. These babies can be dangerous-hot!
Home Fried Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium (1 1/3 pound) red potatoes
- 3 tblsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tblsp. dried)
Cooking Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boiling. Gently drop in the potatoes and cook until tender but firm (about 15 minutes). Drain, cool and then cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Heat 1 tblsp. olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add the onion and green pepper and cook until soft; stirring often (about 5 minutes). Transfer to a plate for later.
- Heat another 2 tblsp. of olive oil in the skillet over med-high heat. Toss in the potato cubes, paprika, salt and black peper. Cook, stirring from time to time, until browned (about 10 minutes).
- Add the waiting onions, green peppers and parsley, and cook for another minute or so. Serve hot.
- It's breakfast potato time! Enjoy!
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