Perfect French Fries

 

Ingredients:

5 pounds russet potatoes

Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying

Sea salt

Directions

1. Peel and rinse the potatoes. Then cut them into sticks by cutting the potato in 4 or 5 vertical pieces, and then cutting each piece into sticks. 
2. Place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours. (You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight.) 
3. When you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot with paper towels to dry them. 
4. Heat a few inches of oil in a heavy pot to 300 degrees F. In 3 or 4 batches, cook the potatoes until soft, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. They should not be brown at this point! You just want to start the cooking process. Remove each batch and drain on new/dry paper towels. 
5. Once all the potatoes have been fried at 300 degrees F, turn up the heat until the oil reaches 400 degrees F. When the oil's hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again, cooking until the fries are golden and crisp. Remove the potatoes from the oil and drain on paper towels. 
6. Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy with ketchup.

Source: The Food Network

Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 c Flour (plus a bit extra for the counter)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 TB baking powder
1 stick of cold butter (plus more for the skillet)
¾ c plus 1 TB of milk (1% or more, but not enough fat in skim)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425.  While your oven is preheating, start by adding your dry ingredients to a mixing bowl.  Stir them together well.

2. Then add your stick of butter.  The colder, the better.  Cut your butter into your dry ingredients (you can use a pastry cutter like I have, or two butter knives, or even work it in quickly with your fingertips.  I say fingertips because you want the butter to be cold, and using your palms makes it too warm and melts it)

3. Once you have a dough ball, turn it out onto a well-floured counter. Then roll it out til it’s about ½” thick, and start cutting it out.

4. Smear a little butter on the top of each one, and then put them in the oven for 18-20 minutes.

Source: Mom of the South

Crispy Lemon Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ½ Tablespoon fresh parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a large cookie sheet or baking tray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine egg, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper. Whisk together.
3. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
4. Dip each chicken breast into mixture egg mixture then dip into breadcrumb mixture. Fully coating each chicken breast. Lay coated chicken in the center of prepared pan.
5. Cook until chicken reaches 165 degrees.
6. Turn on broiler and broil until nice and golden about 2 minutes. (Stay and watch the entire time so you don't burn it!) Remove from oven and let stand a couple minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

My family would rate this 3 or 4 out of 5.
Source: Life in the Lofthouse

Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.
2. Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving. 

My family would rate this 4 out of 5

Source: Food Network