My take on Izzy's Potato Pancakes

Mar 19 2016

We ate at Izzy's Deli, in Cincinnati, OH about 8 years ago. They are famous for their Rueben’s and potato pancakes, (latkes). I was looking for their potato pancake recipe. I found one I liked plus added some touches from looking at Izzy's Deli Facebook page.

They show making up the pancakes, they use Kennebec potatoes from Maine, chop some into a batter, shred some and then just add flour and their seasoning then shallow deep fry. In their video it looks like they just have enough oil to cover the pancakes and fry without turning.

3 large potatoes, peeled

1 large onion

3 eggs

3 heaping Tbs. Flour

salt and pepper to taste, I used Penzey's sandwich sprinkle

I chopped 2 potatoes and the onion in my Ninja and shredded the third potato. I mixed those together and stirred in the 3 eggs until well blended, added the seasoning and stirred it in then added the flour and stirred it in.

I was having BLT's with these so I cooked my Kah's bacon on my Traeger and had it ready with tomatoes and lettuce.

I had a little over ¼ inch of olive and veggie oil in my skillet. My new Maverick infrared thermometer gun worked great keeping my oil at 350 deg. I fried larger ones about 5 inches around for each of us one at a time as the wife and daughter made up their sandwiches. After I got them served I made mine up and my sandwich was mustard on the bottom bun, comeback sauce on the top one, some thin sliced ham, bacon, lettuce and tomato. I had a HAMBLT

We all had applesauce with the pancakes. Sure was good! After I got my pancake ate and half my sandwich ate I fried up the rest of the pancakes. I made them a little smaller, abojut 4 inches and they were easier to flip. I had 9 more and we ate all but 2.

Now that was not a true recipe of Izzy's Deli pancakes but my take on them and pretty darn good.

It looked like Izzy's Deli does not us eggs in theirs so I plan to try that the next time and see how it goes. It has been so long since I ate there I don't remember how they tasted.

Bacon on the Traeger

Ready for sandwiches

Potatoes and onion for the pancakes

Grated potato

Chopping in the Ninja

Chopped potatoes

Added in the shredded ones and eggs

Seasoning added

Flour stirred in

Frying first one

My supper

Frying up the rest

3rd Try at IPA Beer Brined Pickles

Mar 16 2016

Sometimes the 3^rd try is a charm. My first 2 tries they came out too sour for me. I was trying to duplicate some that are on the menu at J Maries; a local restaurant. His was mildly sour and a mild IPA beer taste.

I reread my posts on the first two tries and thought I had just cut back on the vinegar for the second so I cut it some more this time and cut the beer some too. After I had them made I reread my first two attempts and realized I had left the vinegar out altogether. I figured this batch would be too sour too.

After just two days setting at room temp I just tasted them and I thought they were just right. I will put them in the fridge now and let set a few days.

Click Here for printable recipe

Smoked Chicken Fajitas and Lime Corn

Mar 16 2016

For last night’s supper we had chicken fajitas, some lime corn and avocado. For my chicken I spatchcocked and brined overnight. My brine is half gallon of water and ¼ cup kosher salt. I usually always brine chicken; it insures a moist meat. I did it on my Traeger, a half hour on smoke 200 deg. Then went to 280-290 deg. grill level. It took a total of 2 hours and 15 minutes to get to 170 deg. IT. The last 20 minutes I did go to 320 deg. grill level. After cooling I pulled all the meat for the fajitas and saved the skin for a cooks treat.

For the fajitas I used McCormick’s fajita sauce; it’s all natural no preservatives and no MSG. It is fairly new and it’s along with their dry packets. I have also used the sloppy joe sauce. It is about as good as I can make quick and easy. For another time saver I used some Birds Eye sliced peppers and onions. The only disadvantage to using frozen ones is they give off a lot of water so I sauté them until most all the water is gone before adding the chicken and sauce.

I had two avocados; just chopped with some lime juice. My other side was Birds Eye lime corn cooked in the microwave. They also have some BBQ corn, both of these would go with any Tex-Mex or BBQ.

Our son was away on business so the daughter in law and grandson came for supper. As soon as our daughter got home from work after 6:00 I started supper. I had everything ready so didn’t take long. I had to heat up some of the plain chicken for the grandson and I heated a can of baby corn for him too; he loves it.

Everyone thought the fajitas were good and all loved the lime corn. I had shredded cheese, sour cream and some lime wedges for the fajitas. I browned the tortillas on a Lodge round griddle. I had wanted a nice shot of the stove with the last tortilla on the griddle but got caught up and most had made their fajita before I thought of it. The close up of the chicken was to show how moist it was.

Chicken after brine and air dry

Chicken about done

Resting

The moist chicken

All pulled

For the fajitas

Serving

My fajita

My supper

Lemon Pepper Chicken & Beer Brined Fries

Mar 12 2016

I had some lemon pepper boneless skinless chicken breasts thawed from my butcher. He makes these up in several flavors and freezes 2 breasts to a pack. I was all set to pound them out some and do skewers on my Lodge hibachi. By 3 in the afternoon it was cloudy and some rain headed this way so I had a change of plans.

I had peeled and sliced some potatoes for fries, they were in a bottle of beer with a tablespoon of salt for a little over 3 hours before I drained, rinsed and dried well. They were coated well with some olive oil and Penzey's sandwich sprinkle. Placed them on a sheet pan with non-stick foil and in a 400 deg. oven for 20 minutes, stirred, and back in another 10 to 15 minutes.

I did some bacon on my Traeger to top the pea salad. The pea salad is my wife and I's favorite. Pretty simple and easy. You thaw a 16 oz. bag of frozen peas in a collander by running hot water over. When thawed rinse in cold water then place in a bowl, stir in a ¼ to a 1/3 cup of sliced green onions, ¼ cup of sour cream and ¼ cup mayonnaise and ¼ to 1/3 cup crumbled bacon. Salt, pepper to taste and a few shakes of dill weed. I like to add the bacon at the table, so it stays crunchy.

The chicken breast went on the Treager on smoke mode, 190 deg. for about 40 minutes and I brushed on some brown butter. After the 40 minutes, I double wrapped them in foil with a coupled tablespoons of the brown butter. Another 30 minutes they were at 165 deg. IT so I pulled it and checked on my oven fries. They were about right so I let the chicken set a few minutes then slice up the breast and served all.

The wife and I had the pea salad, the daughter will not eat peas so she had a broccoli slaw salad with hers. I served some of the Mississippi Comeback sauce and the daughter and I liked it with the fries and chicken.

Bacon for the pea salad

Chickens done

Chicken sliced

Oven fries

Pea salad

My supper

Burgers, Potato Cakes and Pickled Pork Pops

Mar 06 2016

I finally got a nice day to cook out on my new Lodge Hibachi. I had seasoned the inside and grates with lard in the oven. I sprayed the outside with Pam before cooking.

It was 60 deg and cloudy today, some sprinkles delayed me getting it all ready until after 3:30. I had a pound of ground chuck from my butcher for 3 burgers and had some shredded potato cakes to fry.

I had about a half pound of pickled pork I needed to use or vacuum seal and freeze. I thought they would be good cut bite size and wrapped in bacon. Some Super Pig would add a little sweet and heat to balance the sour some. I made them and the burgers up ahead and in the fridge.

I figured I would do up the pork pops first and then into my Traeger at 200 deg. to hold. They browned up pretty fast and then in the Treager. Next I toasted the buns and they went inside.

I added about a tablespoon of lard to my10 inch round griddle to fry the potatoes cakes. They are fried from fozen so wanted get them going before I put the burgers on. I don't think I ever got my griddle hot enough.

I put the burgers on and checked the pork pops; I set the Traeger to 250 deg. about 275 deg. grill level.

I got it all served, we all had lettuce and tomato on the burgers. The brugers were med. rare; mine a little rarer since it was thicker, tasted good. The potato cakes I didn't get browned, crisp, enough. The Pickled Pork Pops were a hit with all of us! I will be making more of them and next time a little heavier on the Super Pig. If you want a great tasting appetizer guys you have to try this,

I used Stubbs charcoal briquettes and lit 40 in the chimeney; I saw that in a video for the Hibachi. That was about 2/3 full in the chimeney. Next time I think I will use a full chimeney. For the potatoes I could have pre-heated the griddle inside.

Sorry I missed getting a shot of my plate.

Making up the Pork Pops

Getting my grill ready

Pops ready to move to my smoker

Burgers and potato cakes

Pickled Pork Pops

Chops, Fried Potatoes and Applesauce

Mar 04 2016

One of the top meals around here over the years has been pork chops, crispy fried potatoes and applesauce. I was never crazy about applesauce, I think my wife turned me on to them with the potatoes. The crispy fried potatoes just seem to cry out for applesauce along with them and some salt over both.

I let my wife fry the potatoes, she fries thin sliced potatoes a lot better than I can and gets them nice and crispy! I peeled and sliced the potatoes thin on my mandolin, added them to a pan with a bottle of lager beer I had stirred in a tablespoon of kosher salt. They went in the fridge an hour then drained well before frying. I let them set in the collander and then use some paper towels to dry them more right in the collander.

Our grandparents grew up using lard, rendered pork fat, to cook with. I grew up with foods fried in crisco in the 50's. I don't know why they switched to crisco instead of lard. It was either cheaper or the government said it was better for you; then they changed their mind and said crisco was bad for you. Well I am 74 now and my Mom who used crisco is 94 now!

I remember quite a few years ago I bought a pound of lard from the grocery; I don't remember what I used it to cook but I didn't think it was very good. I just bought a 2 pound tub of lard from my butcher and used it for tonights cooking; it is just pure lard. I imagine what you get in the grocery has some peservatives in it.

I had three nice center cut porkchops from my butcher. I sprinkled them on both sides with some kosher satlt; then on a rack in the fridge for an hour before frying. I wiped them off and then seared in a medium hot skillet with a tablespoon of lard for 3 minutes per side; I added  alittle cracked pepper. They went into a pyrex casserole dish, a splash of Worcestershire sauce and about a half cup of water. I covered and in a 350 deg. oven. They were in fo a half hour.

I then turned my kitchen over to the wife and said fry the potatoes! She used the lard and made some great crispy fried potatoes! The daughter, wife and I all loved this meal. Nothing tasted too greasy or fatty; I think I will be using lard more often!

The chops

Pure Lard

Chops browned

Wife's fried potatoes

My supper

My New Lodge Sportsman Hibachi

Feb 26 2016

I turned 74 yesterday but when I got my new Lodge Sportsman L410 Hibachi grill today I was like e little kid with a new toy. I don’t feel too well, have a cold; but that didn’t stop me from getting it assembled and in the oven for a seasoning before using.

That cast iron grill is a piece of artwork; just 6 pieces plus the bail and only needs two bolts to assemble.

I could not find much history on this grill but it looks like Lodge Bought out Sportsman. I did find a video of someone who had an original Sportsman and compared the Lodge to it. The casting is a lot cleaner and they improved the pockets where the cooking grate legs set.

I run hot water over the cooking grate, brushed it well and dried. I then brushed lard on the inside, the two grates, the access door and damper. It was set on a sheet pan and into the oven. I set it at 350 deg. and a half hour later turned the oven off. It will set there until cooled. I had wanted to do the outside too but it was too hard to handle on top of my cupboard. I will coat the outside on my first cook.

Now all I need is some decent weather to try this thing out. I plan on doing some pork burgers, sausage, for my first cook.