Q&A | with a potato bowl theme
I had a bunch of questions come in about the potato/sausage/veggie bowl I made the other night while Zoe was at work; I often make variations of this type of thing when I'm feeding just me. 🙂
So, let's start with that, and we'll also squeeze in a few other reader questions.
What kind of sausage did you use in your mashed potato bowl?
Lots of you asked this!
It was just part of a one-pound block of Italian sausage; I broke it up and browned it in a hot cast-iron skillet, and that is probably more key than choosing a particular type of sausage.
Brown things thoroughly in a hot pan with some fat, and they will usually taste good. 😉
How do you make mashed potatoes for one?
Zoe doesn't really like mashed potatoes, so if I want them, I have to make them for one!
I just peel a few potatoes, cut them into chunks, boil them until they're tender, and then add eyeballed amounts of butter, salt, pepper, and cream/milk/half and half (whatever I have on hand.)
I generally end up with several servings, so I eat one serving fresh, and then I eat the rest leftover.
Like, sometimes I will eat mashed potatoes for breakfast, topped with an egg or two, with a side of veggies.
Or sometimes I get a little fancier. 😉
I also sometimes like to eat mashed sweet potatoes; this is super easy if I have roasted a bunch of sweet potatoes; I just mash up a few, add butter, salt, and pepper, heat them up, and I'm good to go.
Do you prep veggies ahead of time for your bowls? This seems like a lot of work for one person.
I don't generally prep ahead. Sometimes I do bake a bunch of sweet potatoes at one time (as mentioned above), but usually I'm making my egg/potato/veggie bowls on the fly.
This lets me do a quick fridge scan to see what's most urgently needing to be used and then I work around that.
My skillet meals really don't seem like that much work to me; eggs cook fast, and it doesn't take long to slice up some veggies and brown them.
Even potatoes are pretty quick; getting a few servings worth of potatoes cut up for mashed potatoes goes fast, and cutting up a few potatoes to make wedges doesn't take long.
(Here's my secret for making fast potato cubes/wedges that don't burn.)
That mashed potato bowl I made was probably a 20-30 minute endeavor start to finish, which is on the longer side of things. If it's just sauteed veggies and eggs, that's maybe 5-10 minutes of effort.
If we're comparing this to takeout, I keep in mind that picking up takeout doesn't take zero minutes; it does take time to place an order and drive there and back.
Plus, most takeout I'd get would probably be a little less nutrient-dense than my potato bowl.
Also, takeout would be far more expensive, and it wouldn't help me use up my fridge contents.
One other reason I do this: I think feeding myself well is an important form of self-care.
First, it's an acknowledgment that I matter. Even if it's just me here, well, I am worth cooking for.
And secondly, feeding my cells well is gonna make me feel at least as good as other things we typically think of as self-care.
I'm not against massages or pedicures, obviously; I just think that cooking a nutrient-dense, tasty meal for yourself should also be considered a form of self-care. 🙂
(I also put sleep prioritization and regular exercise in this category!)
A roasted carrot modification
I posted a recipe for roasted carrots years ago, using a Cook's Illustrated recipe. Those carrots are super good, but I have seriously streamlined the process since then.
First, I don't use any foil or parchment paper at all now (cheaper! More green!)
Secondly, I don't mix anything in a bowl first.
I put some butter on the sheet pan, stick it in the hot oven for a few minutes to melt the butter, and then I take it out, add the carrots, season with salt and pepper, mix it all up, and put the pan in the oven.
Less mess, fewer dishes, faster carrots.
I edited the original recipe with these changes, but I thought I should also tell you here. 🙂
I recently made pizza crust using your recipe, and I want to know if the crust can be frozen prior to cooking, preferably in the ball stage. If so, at which point of prep would I do it?
-LW
I would make the dough and freeze it right after I finished kneading it.
Then I'd let it thaw at room temperature (during this time, the yeast should have sufficient time to multiply, thus compensating for the lack of a first rise), and once it's thawed and is fully at room temperature, you should be able to proceed with the recipe.
It will take a while for the dough to thaw if it's in a ball shape, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time until you figure out how long the thawing process takes at your house.
One note: I learned by trial and error that yeast dough does not keep forever; if it's in the freezer for more than a few months, you risk having dough that won't rise, and that makes for an extremely dense pizza crust.
Inedible, actually. Ha.
Here's the pizza crust recipe that I use.
In case you don't click the above link: for really awesome homemade pizza, I highly recommend getting a pizza stone and heating it up super hot for an hour before sliding your pizza in the oven to bake. It makes a crazy difference in how good your homemade pizza is.
Trust me. 🙂
Also, here are 5 reasons that your homemade pizza is terrible (plus how to fix it!)
I reread your post on how to sell books on eBay and was wondering if you know where to buy the book mailers in bulk or where they are cheapest? I want to start selling my books and know you'll steer me in the most frugal direction;)-Vicki
I think your meals don't feel like they take much time and effort because you were accustomed to cooking for a family. Way different peeling and chopping three potatoes compared to, say, a dozen. 🙂
Also, what you have done with your carrot recipe is what I do with pretty much every recipe. Especially CI recipes. I never toss anything in a separate bowl before putting it on a sheet pan to roast. There is nothing at all wrong with just making a pile in the middle of the pan to season and oil, and then spreading it out. The separate bowl thing comes from people accustomed to have others to do the dishes, I suspect.
@kristin @ going country, I agree! Kristen’s breakfasts don’t look like much work to me either, but then I cook for seven people regularly.
And add me to the list of people that just dump everything in the middle of the tray and eyeball the ingredients and mix up my roasted veggies.
CI also seems to have cake recipes that call for three or four bowls. I usually just dump everything into one bowl (or I use the measuring cup to mix the wet ingredients). No one has complained about my baking yet.
@kristin @ going country, Like mixing in separate bowls: "Whisk"ing dry ingredients together. This seems to have become a thing a few years ago.
I understand why teaspoons of things like baking soda or powder need to be well distributed in cups of flour. But I don't pull out the whisk for dry ingredients, and often not for wet, either.
@kristin @ going country, I toss it in the bowl in which I serve or store the veggies. The waste and number of dishes that CI calls for is jaw-dropping sometimes.
@WilliamB, I do the same. It’s pre-seasoned for serving or storing.
@Heidi Louise, I do whisk the fry ingredients together. Of course, when I learned to bake, we SIFTED them together - talk about a mess! Wishing is easy, and whatever doesn't get wet, gets either wiped out rinsed off - not a full wash.
@Ruth, DRY, not FRY. Good grief.
@Ruth, And WHISKING, not WISHING. Double good grief.
@Ruth, Ah, the sifter! My Mom had two, one very large and one more normal sized. As a child, I never understood why she didn't use them more than once every few years-- probably because of washing them.
Funny- when I’m asked what my last meal would be if I could choose it, I say mashed potatoes and homemade gravy. I have always loved them.
@Nan, No one has ever asked me what my last meal would be, but I would want hot egg noodles with ice cold milk poured over them. Comfort food.
@Lindsey, I have never had that! I don’t drink much milk but I like pasta and as for last meal, my family has played that ‘game’ for years. Most want a juicy steak lol.
I love your attitude about feeding yourself well. I agree that takeout is not that fast an option. Not only are you saving time, money, and eating healthier at home but it is more green as you're not driving to pick up food and you're not throwing away takeout containers.
I love bowl meals and they can be a good way to feed a crowd if you make it a build your own option, like burrito bowls.
@K D, yes! We often make bowl meals for family gatherings (taco, Asian, and southwest are 3 of our favorites). It lets everyone customize according to food allergies and preferences.
@K D, I love bowl meals,too. If my husband and I are out together on errands, we’ll sometimes get a bowl meal at Mezeh. But most often we’ll just come home and I’ll throw together a quick combo of whatever we have on hand.
I love that your idea of self care prioritizes foundational things (i.e. healthy foods, sleep, exercise) over other forms of self care (i.e. mani/pedis).
Your sausage/egg/potato/veggie bowls look delicious! Have you tried substituting the potatoes for grits, rice or even quinoa-for variety sake? If not, I recommend!
Finally, I'll echo that preheating the pizza stone suggestion. It's the only way I can get a pizza crust that is nice and crispy.
@Sarah, I'm not great at pizza crust so I take an extra step. I cook the plain crust till it's mostly done, then top it and finish the cooking. That way I know the crust is fully cooked and it's crisp as I like it.
I also agree with your self care ideas. We have to remember that so many suggestions are based on consumption/selling and spending a lot of money is not always a good way to take care of yourself.
@K D, I'm with you on the self-care options in general and the "feeding yourself well" option in particular. Speaking as a person who usually cooks for herself alone (although I often share soups, stews, etc., with the Bestest Neighbors and my next-door neighbor), I can't imagine how much $$$ I'd spend--or probably how much I'd weigh--if I did takeout all the time!
Chiquita DMed me: She's not alone, I'm here! Also, she never cooks for me and frankly I'm a little hurt.
@Rose, you are too funny!
@Rose, lol
We take the padded Amazon envelopes and turn them inside out and repack them and send!!
Love your egg bowls!!
@Stephanie, Or cut them apart and use them for packing material, or cut them smaller and save the cut-offs for packing.
I also do the inside-out trick.
Your sausage/potato bowl looks like a deconstructed Shepherd’s Pie. I can see it listed on a menu that way in a upscale breakfast spot.
I also reuse Amazon envelopes. I have friends who regularly buy from that source who supply me with these. There are several companies that sell bubble mailers online. If you buy in bulk, they cost between .50 - $1.00 each. In office supply stores, they can be more.
I also ask my friends to save the giant insulated bubble wrap pouches in which meal kits such as Blue Apron are shipped. These are wonderful for shipping breakables.
Buy Nothing is a good source for all sorts of packaging. ( Moving boxes too.) Many like to see it recycled. I picked up packing peanuts and bubble wrap last week.
@Bee, Thanks for all the useful information everyone:)
I used to beg my mother to make too much mashed potatoes, so we'd have enough for potato cakes the next day. So good.
I very rarely "cook for one" although it's just me at home these days. I cook for 2-4 servings at a time, because I count on leftovers for lunches or as dinner for the days I get home late because of visiting DH after work. I also sometimes put some in small containers in the freezer for days when I have nothing to take for lunch.
I make a lot of short cuts like Kristen. Sometimes I think these recipes are written by people sponsored by dishwashing detergent companies, or as Kristin@goingcountry says, by people who have others to wash dishes for them. I once read in a magazine a comment by the editors which said they always tried to list ingredients so that you could re-use the same measuring spoons and cups during the process. I thought that was nice of them.
@JD, I get annoyed when I read a recipe when the ingredients are out of order, though.
@JD, Anything that I use only for dry ingredients gets wiped out and reused or put away. I don't see the need to wash them.
For wet measuring I use my scale whenever possible, measuring directly into the mixing bowl. This is more accurate, less messy, and less annoying.
For small measurements such as mixing a stir-fry sauce, I measure the oil first so any sticky ingredients slip right now.
When writing a recipe, anything that's used together I list in the order I want to measure or mix them. Going back to that stir-fry sauce, I measure the dry ingredients first, then the oil, (then stir because cornstarch is a pain to mix into large amounts of liquid), then the rest of it.
That said, I want the recipe-writers to list the ingredients in the order used.
@WilliamB and Rose,
It seems I wasn't clear. They put the ingredients in the order of use, but tried to make the recipe work out so that you could re-use the utensils, whenever it was possible. Obviously, it wasn't going to work every time, but sometimes it did. They also tried to make it possible to either re-use the mixing bowls and pans or reduce the number of them needed in the first place. I wish I could remember which publisher it was that did that.
I definitely use recycled packaging (with the exception of tape, of course) for all of my eBay sales. I can't imagine trying to cover the cost of packaging in my sales - the fees and postage are already quite pricey!
Teeheehee "eggs cook fast", because yours are only partially cooked, Kristen!!
I sell a lot of books (and other stuff) on eBay, and I find Walmart shipping envelopes are relatively inexpensive. I try to wrap the book in a quart or gallon size plastic bag to make sure water doesn't get to it (also Great Value at Walmart). If you're talking serious book volume, you can't beat Uline for shipping supplies, although shipping is expensive.
@Jean, if you can stomach their political donations. I'm about out of the one supply I bought from them (in 1998 mind you). I will likely look for another source whom I'll vet thoroughly.
I use paper grocery sacks to ship books. I cut them flat and wrap the book like a present and then slap a label on it! Voila!
Amen to cooking well for one. I enjoy reading or picnicking when I have my own company for lunch, and there is no carryout place anywhere near here that cooks as well as I do in my own kitchen. A tip: if you set a timer it can be surprising how quick it can be to make a meal. I did this to get through a long streak when I got home from work so tired it didn't seem worth it. But it was actually a lot quicker than my mind had made it. And I learned that some kind of protein snack around 4 or 5 helped boost my energy for making or reheating dinner.
@Kristina, yes, always have a little baggie of nuts or beef jerky or a Kind bar in my bag is a self-care habit for me. If I’m going to be at work late, i take a break to have a bit late afternoon so i won’t be hangry before dinner.
So I love roasted carrots. And it took me this long (I'm in my 40s) to realize they roast (faster, I think) and taste just as good cut into circles (like as for soup). Cutting them into sticks always took me longer! Perhaps I don't own quality knives but I've been very happy with roasted carrots "coins". I buy this seasoning called "The Usual" from Walmart and it also takes roasted carrots to the next level (it has rosemary, garlic, pepper, lemon I think?).
I always have extra mailers, because I definitely buy more amazon things than I sell, regretably. I should save & offer on my buy nothing group more regularly.
I have ANOTHER QUESTION: I see a lot of nice sauces on your various meals.Can you do a blog on just sauces?? It looks like you keep them in squeeze bottles, and I want to make some up to keep on hand for my “bowls” etc..
THANKS!
@Madeline, I’m sure Kristen has much more creative ideas but our 3 easy favorites are:
Mayo + wasabi
Mayo + Sriracha
Mayo + TJs taco sauce
Also, I am currently addicted to the Sweet and Spicy Tabasco. I could eat it on a spoon straight out of the bottle!
@Madeline and Kristen, Ohh, count me in on the sauces question.
If you make your own and have some tasty combos, please share. A sauce takes any food to the next level. Weirdly, I always make my own salad dressings, a wide variety, but not sauces.
@Erika JS, a sauce I recently tried (I cut down the recipe as only for me but should have cut a bit more):
4 oz blue cheese crumble
1/3 c. mayo
2/3 c. sour cream
1 1/2 t. Worcesterhire sauce
Cook over low heat until all ingredients combined. Pretty tasty on red meat I must say.
I cook for one always, but I also spend a few hours doing food prep every week. I take all my produce and prepare it and put it in boxes and stack all those boxes in the fridge. Then, whenever I am making a meal I can make any type of stir fry, egg bowl, potato hash, quinoa bowl, etc etc and it only takes a few minutes! Being able to cook a highly nutritious meal in just a few minutes is a priority for me. I also pre-cook roasted vegetables, beans, and cook carbs such as pasta, potatoes, quinoa, oats etc (depending on the week) so that the bowls only take minutes to prep. This way I can vary the meals I eat but the work is always the same! I even pre-make hard boiled eggs and measure nuts into little boxes so I can grab a healthy snack faster than a treat food one.
I also start every morning with a bowl of vegetables in broth, so that's pre-made as well. It does take time to batch prep all my produce and cook my food, but I waste almost nothing because all the food is ready to eat, and I eat more vegetables and healthy meals than anyone else I know.
I know that this type of food prep is not realistic or a priority for everybody, but planning my food out and prepping it this way has improved my diet more than anything else I've ever done!
(I have chronic illness and disability, so many days I don't have energy for even short cooking. Getting it all done for a week or more at once means I can plan the big energy push one day, then not need to cook again all week. Huge win!)
@Rachel, I am very impressed with your planning to minimize waste AND maximize your energy! Well done!
@Rachel, Very interesting. Do you make your own broth for your breakfast veggie soup and is it different than if you make a soup for dinner?
@Erika JS, I buy broth since I use so much. Aldi has a really good organic veggie broth that I love, but most stores have something. I also use a lot of pre-prepped veggies when I make it, like frozen green beans and peas, and coleslaw mix goes in as well so I'm not trying to store, prep, and eat a whole cabbage.
My breakfast soup feels like how most people drink coffee, just eat it without really thinking about it, so soup for dinner (like a lentil soup) doesn't make me feel like I'm over-souped, so to speak! And it may seem strange to eat soup with cauliflower, spinach, etc for breakfast, but it's so mild that even a weird morning stomach welcomes it.
I was at a yoga retreat many years ago that served this 'simple soup' of veggies in broth at every meal and I always remembered it so fondly, and when I realized I could just do it myself I was soup converted! And then no matter what happens the rest of the day, I know I got a lot of significant nutrients already.
@Rachel, Thanks for sharing those details; that morning soup sounds very intriguing and a great way to get lots of veggies in - you've got me thinking...
@Suz, Me too, I always struggle with getting enough veggies, (no problem with fruit). I also find it difficult to smell food early in the morning but a mild broth like that could be bearable! Hmmm…
@Sue @Suz, I wish I could upload a photo! The process I use is, in a Dutch oven pot on the stove:
- sauté onion with olive oil
- add fresh carrots, celery, scallion bottoms, steam till a bit soft
- add cabbage (or coleslaw mix), fresh cauliflower, bok choy stems, etc and cook a few minutes
- add veggie broth, bring up to simmer
- add (heated) frozen veg like green beans, peas, also big recommend for Trader Joe's frozen mushrooms mix
- once back to simmer, add fresh spinach, scallion tops, bok choy tops, fragile greens
- I don't add any spices, as I want it to taste like mild veg and nothing else
- portion into individual serving bowls that soup can be heated in so there is no barrier to eating it (I use 2 cup glass pyrex).
- enjoy!
Of course you can use any mild produce, but I stay away from broccoli (can get soggy), celery leaves (too strong flavor for breakfast), and garlic (ditto). As a side note, red cabbage makes BRIGHT purple soup which is delicious and fun, but not for everybody lol.
I've served it to quite a few people, adults and children, and it's always been well received! I do eat other foods as well for breakfast (usually Greek yogurt and fruit, etc), but I always start with a soup. Good luck!!
@Rachel, this is super inspiring! Even as a vegetarian, I don't always get as many daily veggies servings as I'd like. Thanks for sharing your system!
@Rachel, I just had a cup of cauliflower soup. I get up at 4 and am usually hungry. I made this yesterday with a nice head of cauliflower I got in my farm share delivery. I steam in veggie broth- homemade or store bought- and then purée it with my immersion blender. Some times I add carrots or onion and a little almond milk.
@Rachel, Thanks so much for the explanation and the recipe!
I learned that people in Japan have soup for breakfast and it seemed intriguing. Your version sounds delish, very customizable, as well as warming on cold days. I also appreciate your background story if the retreat.
You have broadened my horizons.
@Nan, cauliflower is so good in soup, and it keeps such good texture. I also eat the stems and leaves, it's all delicious! I like to chop up the thick base of the leaves and roast them - so good!
I love blended soups but haven't tried blending this one, maybe I'll test on a bowl just to see what I think!
@MB in MN, I'm vegetarian too! I hope you are able to try the soup! <3
@Erika JS, you are so welcome! I hope you get to try it! <3
I so love your thoughts on cooking for yourself as self care!
I'm a retired nutritional professional and in my many years of nutrition counselling, I heard from so many people who felt that cooking for themselves - or even for a few people - was a waste of time and not worth it. And that sentiment is reinforced by food manufacturers and (especially) by fast food companies and all the new food delivery companies. You are such a great example of how wrong that is. The time spent in this way is an investment in your, and if applicable, your families health.
This narrative needs to be rewritten and you are helping to do that! Thank you from nutrition professionals everywhere!
I also reuse shipping envelopes - for Paperbackswap! I get many, many books free just for swapping out my own. I'm overloaded with credits at the moment because when I retired from teaching, I swapped out all of the books from my desk at school.
I volunteer at the Senior Center and they have an over abundance of mailers and such. We keep it organized in a storage closet and use it for shipping out treats to the various National Guard troops serving abroad. At our local recycling depot there is a huge dumpster full of mailers that anyone can pick up to reuse.
A little forethought when meal planning goes along way towards future meals during a busy week. One day of serious prep, peeling/chopping/roasting can yield rice/potato/pasta bowls. I always make big batches (3 heads) of lettuce, storing the pre made salads in mason quart jars with plastic lids...these will stay fresh for up to 5 days (if they last that long). I do this with cabbage, too. Onions I keep chopped and in 1/2 cup amounts in the freezer, same with fresh garlic, red peppers and roasted chiles. Chopping and roasting a sheet pan full of veggies can be used as a side, chop up a bit more and add stir fry sauce and a protein, chop up a bit more and add to fajitas or soup or veggie fried rice, top with an egg or two and you've got a 15 min meal.
I usually have batches of teriyaki, peanut sauce and yum yum sauce ready to go.
Chopped fruit, berries from the freezer, topped with vanilla yogurt makes a nice side or dessert.
I taught a newly married group at church for a decade or so. Meal planning is such a budget saver.
Best way ever to save bowl, measuring cups, etc. is use a recipe (or convert yourself) in grams with a kitchen scale. Started using a long time ago & have never looked back.
When I worked in a regular office, I found that putting up a note that I was looking for things like used mailing envelopes or glass jars always netted me an abundance of the item. People seemed eager to recycle if it was as easy as bringing something along with them to work. One time I needed wood chop sticks for a foster kid's school project and I learned that people must just keep stashing them not knowing what to do with them because I received over 100 packs of them! Sometimes I would get one or two donations that could not be recycled and I just quietly got rid of those because I did not want to discourage responses to my notes.
@Lindsey, chopsticks can be used as kindling in a wood stove. Or as stakes for indoor plants (well I suppose outdoor too until the plant got too big).
If you are planning to move, save those mailers (mailing envelopes) with the built-in bubble wrap, and put breakables such as saucers, small plates and knick-knacks inside. Also get/save bubble wrap and other padding/paper from any boxed items delivered to your place. You won't have to buy as many foam protectors from the U-Haul store, or use the newsprint paper or newspapers for the smaller things this way. Might even be able to put larger items in there, depending on the size of the mailers or padding. I saved my padded envelopes for many months prior to my move and they came in real handy, plus they were free. And no, I didn't break or chip a thing.
The links to the pizza articles are very timely for me! I've just started trying to make homemade pizza dough, having never been brave enough to bake with yeast before, and I can use all the help I can get. I've been making personal sized pizzas for the family. Tonight's tasted better than the last attempt, but the shapes are all still veeeery wonky.