Homemade Tater Tots
Crisp, fluffy homemade tater tots: russets parboiled whole, grated, squeezed dry and seasoned, shaped into small logs, chilled, then fried golden. They freeze well for later.
- Total time
- 2 hr
- Yield
- About 50 tots, serves 6
Frying
Shallow, deep, and everything that spits.
Shallow, deep and everything that spits. The temperature is given for every one of these, because it is the single thing that separates crisp from greasy.
Too cool and the coating drinks oil before it sets. Too hot and the outside is dark while the middle is raw.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Southern fried green tomatoes: firm, tart slices salted to draw out water, dredged in seasoned flour, buttermilk and a cornmeal crust, and pan-fried golden. Served with a quick remoulade.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Yield
- Serves 4–6
Scrambled Eggs with Sausage and Biscuits
A full plate timed so everything arrives hot. The biscuits go in the oven first and the eggs are cooked last.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Yield
- Serves 4
Breakfast Grilled Cheese with Scrambled Eggs
Soft-curd eggs folded into melted cheddar between buttered, mayonnaise-crusted bread.
- Total time
- 22 min
- Yield
- Makes 2 sandwiches
Corned Beef and Sauerkraut Egg Rolls
A Reuben sandwich in a fried wrapper. The sauerkraut has to be wrung dry or the whole thing bursts.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Yield
- Makes 12
German Potato Pancakes
Kartoffelpuffer: lacy, deep-golden, crisp to the edge. The trick is wringing the potatoes dry and reclaiming the starch.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Yield
- Makes 12 pancakes
Black Bean Burger
Beans dried in the oven first, so the patty holds together in a skillet and browns into a real crust instead of collapsing into paste.
- Total time
- 1 hr 20 min
- Yield
- Makes 4 burgers