TIP: When you need to mix butter into a dry mixture, FREEZE
the butter and grate on a large-toothed grater. Mix with your fingers until it’s
like coarse meal, or whatever the recipe calls for. How can a person live this
long and not figure this out? No more sticky gooey or hard lumpy butter. Cool.
For a quickie omelet that you can cook in the microwave:
Break egg or eggs into a microwave safe bowl. (I use a
little individual glass casserole with a lid for one or two eggs.)
Beat the egg with some kind of emulsifier. Water or milk
will do (a couple of tablespoonsful) or I prefer a heaping tablespoon of
cottage cheese and some green salsa. Add any extras such as chopped green
onion, chopped cooked ham or bacon or sausage, cheese, etc. Sprinkle in
seasoning if you wish – salt and pepper, or I like to add some spicy red pepper
mix.
Dribble enough olive oil into the dish to coat it lightly,
bottom and sides, and pour in your mixture. (Or save time by oiling the dish
and then mixing the whole thing in it.)
Cover and microwave for about 40 seconds at 70 percent.
Uncover and lift cook portions to middle of dish, recover, and start cooking on
high in 10-second increments, gently stirring each time if there is uncooked
egg in the dish – the is why I prefer clear glass, so I can see the bottom. (Cook
for slightly longer times if you have more than one or two eggs or depending on
amount of add-ins.) Keep an eye on it – it will suddenly rise in the dish and
be ready.
A PIP OF A BAKED POTATO
As for baked potatoes: Sure, you can cook potatoes in a
microwave and called it “baked,” but it’s more like steamed. Yukon Gold or red
potatoes are good for this because they have more moisture and they come out
creamy and smooth.
But if you want a real, earthy-tasting spud with genuine
potato flavor, fluffy mealy interior, and crispy skin, you gotta go with a Russet. A
large one that has well-developed flavor. Russets are drier and better for
frying as well.
But back to the baked version:
Use medium-to-large sized potatoes. I get some whacking big
russets at Costco. One provides a substantial side dish for two people, or if
you stuff them they’re a good lunch or supper meal by themselves. In any case, thoroughly
scrub and clean and then cut the potato in half lengthwise, whether you are
using one for two people or one potato for each person. (See notes below)
Preheat your oven to 375.
Sprinkle the bottom of a baking dish or pan - large enough
to accommodate your potatoes - with olive oil. Smack a little butter on that
and put it in the oven until the butter melts, then remove the pan and sprinkle
the bottom with coarse sea salt. Rub the skin side of the potatoes with butter
and place them cut-side-down in the pan. (See NOTES below.) Shake coarse sea
salt over them, making sure to get some all around. (The coarse salt is going
to give them extra crunch.) Bake until very fork-tender, about 45-minutes to an
hour, depending on size.
Now you can just mush up the insides and add butter or sour
cream or whatever you like. Or you can scoop out the meat, mash and mix it with
cooked veggies (broccoli is especially good), cheese, crumbled cooked bacon, or
whatever grabs you and season to taste, then fill the potato shell and call it
a meal. Some people like to pour chili into the mashed interior, and add
chopped onion and grated cheese.
There is very little chance that the skin will not be eaten –
it’s the best part!
NOTES:
You can substitute olive oil for butter if you absolutely
must.
You can use kosher salt instead of coarse sea salt if you
absolutely must.
If you are going to cook the potatoes whole, be sure to
pierce them with a fork so that they don’t explode in your oven! Oil or butter
them, salt them, and place them on a rack with a baking sheet underneath the
shelf to catch drips. (This will crisp the whole exterior. Putting the skin on a baking sheet or pan will make it soggy.)
