Potato Gnocchi

These are exceedingly simple little pasta-like dumplings. The only hard part is deciding how you want to shape them. Serve them with any sauce you would normally have with pasta: pesto, marinara, oil and balsamic vinegar, etc. We had them with an exciting dandelion-greens sauce that Jennie made.

2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 c unbleached white flour

Bake, boil or steam the potatoes until they are all soft. Make sure they cook evenly (we had problems with some less-cooked chunks sticking around).
While they are still hot, mash potatoes with salt and pepper.
Gradually add flour, stirring until you have sticky blob (sounds tasty, eh?).
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead dough for about 3 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky to handle.
Pat dough into a rectangle, cut into long strips about an inch wide.
Roll strips into thick ropes (like you're playing with clay), cut into 1/2 inch thick cylinders.
Now the really fun part: decide how you want to shape the gnocchi. We followed a cookbook's directions and pressed the dough between a thumb and fork. They turned out a little funny looking, but that didn't stop them from tasting good!
Drop gnocchi into a pot of boiling salted water in batches small enough that the pot won't be too crowded.
Gnocchi are done when they float to the top.
Drain cooked gnocchi in a colander. If you're making a big batch, you may want to pour a little oil over the waiting gnocchi to keep them from sticking.

This recipe served three of us, but should be good for at least four if Branden isn't there.

crisp potato cake with herbs.

this is a slightly altered recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's "world vegetarian"

Ingredients:
2 & 1/2 pounds baking potatoes
about 6 table spoons olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano



Instructions:
peel the potatoes and keep them in water.
preheat oven to 400F.
in a large oven proof pot or casserole dish pour 4 tablespoons of the oil and place on medium-low heat. at the same time pick up a potato dry it and then slice it in to 1/8-inch-thick slices. lay the slices in a slightly overlapping layer, starting at the outside working toward the center in a spiral. continue until you cover the bottom of the pot. lightly salt and pepper the potatoes. sprinkle some of the herbs and dribble some of the olive oil over the potatoes. continue making layers the same way until all the potatoes and seasonings are used up. sprinkling seasonings over each layer and dribbling olive oil over every other layer. press down on the top with a large spatula. if you fell tat the potatoes ave browned a bit at the bottom(the edges will show this), cover with a lid or tin foil and put the pot in the oven. bake for 35 to 40 minuets, or until the potatoes are tender. uncover and put the pan under the broiler briefly to brown on top.

loosen the sides and bottom gently with a spatula, thenslide the cake out on to a large round plate. cut into wedges and serve.

Signature Breakfast Potatoes

Fantastic with scrambled tofu.

6 small-medium potatoes, cubed
1 onion, chopped
Half a bell pepper, chopped
1 t dill
1 t basil
.5 t garlic powder
.5 t oregano
1 t paprika
2 T fresh parsley
Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
Olive oil

Boil potatoes until just barely done.
Fry onion and potatoes until browned, adding seasonings as they cook.
Add bell pepper and fresh parsley during the last 5 minutes.

potato salad

1 jar of veganaise(the smaller one).
5 pounds of red potatos.
2 teaspoons of mustard.
a dash of yellow mustard powder.
garlic powder, how ever much you want(i like alot).
dill weed, how ever much you like.
salt.
1 qutar cup red onion.(optional)
3 or 4 pickels.(optional)
black pitted olives.(optional)
parsley.


Instructions:------------------------------------------------------steam the potatos for about an houar, or untill tender.
mix the veganaise,2 teaspoons of mustard,a dash of yellow mustard powder, garlic powder, dill weed and salt in a bowl untill well blended togeather.
slice up onions, pickels and black olives.
and put them in little bowls for a garnish.
put the potatos in a bowl and put them in the fridge for an houar or 2, or untill the potatos are cool.
when the potatos are cooled down, slice them up in to cubes and put them in a big bowl, scrap the mixed veganaise,2 teaspoons of mustard,a dash of yellow mustard powder, garlic powder, dill weed and salt out of their bowl and mix it in with the potatos.
put the done potato salad in the fridge untill your ready to eat it or eat it when your done making it.
when you eat it garnish it with the parsley.


enjoy
-morgana

Chinese potatoes

This is not your ordinary potato dish. It is also not quite like the potatoes I had in China, being not nearly as oily and containing no MSG. It is scrumptiously interesting.

4 medium potatoes
1 T. soy sauce
2 t. apple cider vinegar
1 t. brown sugar
1/3 head garlic, roughly chopped
1 t. fresh ginger, grated
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Cut the potatoes into matchsticks.
Rinse the chopped potatoes in cold water.
Put potatoes in a bowl with soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar.
Let marinate for at least half an hour.
Drain (saving marinade).
Fry potatoes in a little oil with garlic and ginger.
Add extra marinade as needed to keep potatoes from sticking.
When potatoes are just done (still firm, not mushy!), add cilantro.
Cook for another five minutes.