Side Dishes!

Welcome back! Or for you new comers, Hi!

I decided to write this blog on "Side Dishes". Every party I have gone to as of late, has had way to many "Main Dishes" and no thought of or cared about the "Sides". So I pulled out one of my old dusty recipe books from the shelf and decided to put some of my own favorite "Sides" in a blog. Also they go great with beer! They are all pretty easy to make and taste wonderful.

German Fried Potatoes with Bacon

(Serves about 10 people)

10 med. Potatoes cubed into 1 inch cubes.
1 Sm. Onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 lb. Bacon cut into small 1 inch pieces
1 Tbsp. Dill, fresh preferable
1 tsp. Cracked Black Pepper
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp. Butter

Place potato cubes on a flat baking sheet in a 350 degree oven under the broiler, for 1o minutes.

While that is broiling, cook the bacon until almost crispy, in a large sauce pan, (which should be enough to fit all the potatoes in). Remove bacon bits from the sauce pan with a strainer and drain out most of the fat into a cup. You want to leave a little bit of the fat in the pan to coat it. I usually save the left over fat to fry my eggs in for breakfast, but you can discard it as you please.

Take out the potatoes from the oven and set aside. The should be a nice light golden brown on the edges.

Add the 2 Tbsp. of butter into the sauce pan with the one clove of minced garlic and diced onion. Cook until the onion gets opaque. Then add in the potatoes and mix. Mix every half minute on the stove top for about 3-4 minutes.

Plate it up in a home style bowl. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top, then add the dill.


Captain Morgan Spiced Carrots

(Serves 6 to 8)

2 lbs. Baby Carrots
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar
1 Tbsp. Light Brown Sugar or Extra Light Malt Extract
1 pinch Salt
1 pinch Ground Cloves
1 pinch Ground Cinnamon
2 oz. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1 cup Dark Raisins (Optional)

Boil baby carrots in a pot of water just enough to cover them, for about 5-8 minutes from boil. They should feel a little tender but not all they way cooked. Drain liquid, (Be Careful the water is Hot), and set aside.

In a sauce pan, melt the butter, and then add the sugar and 1 oz of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. When the sugar melts, add the baby carrots, and dark raisins. Mix to coat the carrots for about a minute. Add the pinch of salt, Cinnamon, clove, and 1 oz. Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. Mix for about one more minute. Serve in home style bowl or what ever you have in the kitchen that it will fit into.

Now for my favorite and "Oh so simple" recipe yet. I'm not kidding. My mom used to make this when I was a kid and I still make it to this day.

Green Beans with Fried Bread Crumbs

2 lbs. Green Beans (strings Removed)
1 cup Bread Crumbs (you can use Panko Crumbs, but they are a little hard)
3 tbsp. Butter
1 Pinch Salt
1 Pinch Black Pepper

Boil green beans in a pot until tender. About 10-15 minutes. While that is boiling, melt the butter in the sauce pan. Add bread crumbs and mix. Depending on how dry the bread crumbs are you might need a little more butter. When the bread crumbs are golden brown, and you have a little foam on the top, remove from the heat. Strain the green beans and add to the bread crumbs. Mix well and plate. Then sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Serve warm.


So there you have some of my favorite "Sides". Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. As always "Be Well, and Drink Well!", or in this case, "Be Well and Eat Well!"