Oven-baked Fries with Garlic, Rosemary & Paprika

Ingredients:
4 potatoes, sweet, Idaho, red, anything

4 tablespoon olive oil, don’t be shy, most of it will stay in the pan

1 Tbs garlic powder

1 Tbs rosemary

1 tsp paprika

salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425˚. For crispy fries, you want a hot, hot oven.

2. Scrub your potatoes, even if they’re organic. They made their bed in the dirt. Enough said. I only peel the sweet potatoes preferring the extra crunch of the Idaho, but that’s just me.

3. Cut into ¼ inch slices. Try to be consistent. The thinner the better. You can cut off the ends and then begin slicing, but there’s no right way to do it.

4. Once all fries are cut, spread them on your baking sheet, covered in parchment. (If you have the time, you can soak them in hot water for ten minutes to release the starch. They will be much crisper.) I usually skip this step. Ten extra minutes is hard to come by in my house.

4. Add oil and spices, tossing until every piece is covered and spread in a single layer. Use your hands, easier clean up.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, flip and bake until crispy, maybe 15 minutes more. 

Enjoy!!

Sautéed Spinach and Kale

A hundred years ago, before I had kids, when I could still refuse to eat something on the basis of nothing, I was forced to eat spinach.
My husband and I were in Florence, at a small trattoria, late in the evening, the only table. Our waiter was a gentleman older than God. I'm sure we ordered something like Chicken Cacciatore and Linguini in Clam Sauce. In fact, I know we did. I remember things like that. Anyway, when he returened to our table, he had neither. He had a plate of spinach.
On the house, he said.
What could we do?
One bite and I swooned.
Spinach, sautéd in butter and garlic.
Years later, when I served this dish to my children, they did not swoon. 
They dug in.
And begged for more.
Still do.

Ingredients: 

1 pound of baby spinach, washed

1 pound of kale, washed and chopped

4 Tbs good olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 Tbs butter

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 

2. Begin adding the kale by the handful, using a wooden spoon to force the uncooked pieces to the bottom of the pan. When everything has wilted sufficiently, add your spinach, again a handful at a time. The spinach will wilt more quickly than the kale, so keep your spoon moving.

3. When both are softened, add your chopped garlic and butter, the salt and pepper.

4. Lower the heat, set down your spoon, and let it simmer. Give it another few minutes for the garlic to pop, for the butter to brown, for the flavors to mingle.
5. After a final toss, plate your dish.

Maybe you will want to shave some Parmesan over the top, few thick slices, or maybe only a small grating of Romano. Either way, do not add too much. This is a dish where you will want to taste the spinach.

I served it with a piece of sautéed swordfish. 

What could be better?