"Aim Small, Miss Small"

Sometimes the best dishes are made of just a few simple ingredients.  For me, a lot of foods really stand on their own and do not need much added to them to make a great dish.

One of my go-to recipes, a side that I happen to make nearly once a week, is my oven fry recipe.  I found a recipe from Rachael Ray years ago and modified it to use ingredients we always have in the house. 



This recipe is so simple as well as versatile that I have been able to use it on a wide variety of potatoes.  Last night, we used it for a sweet potato.

For this recipe, you will need 1 sweet potato, extra virgin olive oil and basil.  (See---simple!)  The first thing I do is preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Since sweet potatoes are pretty hard, I microwave my sweet potatoes for about 1.5 - 2 minutes in order to soften them up before cutting.  Be sure to poke holes in your potato before microwaving it so that it doesn't explode.

Once the potato has softened, you are ready to cut it.  I usually cut it into either quarters or sixths lengthwise, depending on how large the potato is.  The size of your potato wedges is really to preference.  We like ours pretty small here so, I quite often find my self cutting the potato in half lengthwise first and then cutting each half into thirds lengthwise (thus, cutting the potato into sixths lengthwise).  After that, I slice each long wedge into thin little wedges. 

After cutting the potato, I toss the mini-wedges into a mixing bowl.   Then, I throw in about 1-2 tbs of olive oil and 2 tsps of dried basil.  (I prefer to use fresh basil when available, but dry works fine for this dish.)  Then, I toss until the wedges are coated.  I place the wedges on a sprayed cookie sheet.  I spread them out so that there is just one layer and then put them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.  I usually take a peek at the 20-minute mark to see how the wedges are doing.  My husband and I like our wedges a little crusty so, I bake them until the smaller pieces are beginning to turn dark brown.

The beauty of this dish is that it can easily be changed to personal preference.  You can adjust the amount of oil to taste, adjust the size of the wedges, or add different spices.  One thing to definitely be aware of, though, is that cooking time will vary depending on how large you cut your wedges. 

This dish is an easy side dish that everyone will like.  You do not need to make an elaborate dish, to make a good dish.  I love the quote from The Patriot: "Aim small, miss small."  I think that it is so true in cooking.  You do not need to make the elaborate dishes seen on Top Chef to make a great meal.  Sometimes, less is more.