Home fries

This is a recipe chosen for the Sunday Game of the Week that I play on the Cooking Light Boards. I loved it although it didn't fit into my cast iron skillet and aggravated me for a while- DH has good cooking sense and helped to solve the problem. Threw half the batch in a bigger skillet and with a little patience, this dish came out great. What I discovered was that I loved it without the browning and I really loved the flavor. I can see making this with just onions for a side dish. I think the dill was the secret ingredient.


Tex-Mex Homefries
Horn of the Moon Cookbook

1 quart water
4 cups cubed unpeeled potatoes (I have 2# very small Yukon Golds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed (I used Penzeys)
3/4 cup diced green pepper (I left this out cus of DH)
1 medium sized red tomato, coarsely chopped (I subbed halved grape tomatoes)
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (3 onions) I left the slices large so that DH could pick them out and I'm so glad that I did!
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (on DH's serving!)
1/2 cup sour cream (didn't use- a no- no for me and DH doesn't like)
1/2 cup salsa (I used Amy's Black Bean and Corn- my new fave)

(This is a description from the book) I've added a few more veggies, spices, and some hot pepper to the basic Home Fries recipe. Patti, a breakfast cook at the cafe, came up with the idea of topping home fries with cheese, salsa, and sour cream one morning. Everyone had it for breakfast that day and loved it.

Bring water to a boil in 3-quart saucepan. Add potatoes and cover. Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are just tender and a fork goes into them easily. Drain.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix potatoes with salt, pepper, cilantro, dill weed, green pepper, and tomato. Stir well. Preheat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet; add oil. Saute garlic, hot pepper, and onion over medium heat. When onions begin to brown, add potato mixture. Continue to cook over low heat until potatoes are nicely browned. Sprinkle grated cheese over potatoes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and serve with sour cream and salsa on the side.

4 servings

A bit about the cookbook- Horn of the Moon- my first vegetarian cookbook that I bought for myself right after I was married. I didn't have very much money but something about this book caught my eye and I splurged. I am so glad that I did. I did my first tastings tofu, tempeh and just having tasty meals without the meat. The author is Ginny Callan who move to Vermont from NYC to attend college. She became a vegetarian and then launced a natural food sandwich company in 1976. Then she opened the Horn of the Moon cafe. I've made the Tofu Mushroom Stroganoff (which is when I discovered that DH hated mushrooms and couldn't even stand the smell of them- and it was a small apt too!) and Marinated Tempeh Burgers (which he actually liked). I went out later and bought her second one Beyond the Moon which has two excellent salad recipes that I still make- a potato salad with no mayo plus green beans and a cashew rice salad. I've posted both of those on these boards a while ago. The recipes are very delicious but I haven't cook from it in a very long time. Thanks,cookiee (the mc for the SGOTW) for helping me blow the dust off this tasty cookbook.

I forgot to take a pic!!!