Leftovers from... leftovers?

One thing I am getting used to (and, don't tell Stephen, seeing the excitement in the challenge of it) is planning out meals and getting the most out of the ingredients we buy. Thankfully, we have a car, but our grocery shopping is nothing like it was when we lived in Huntsville. Stephen worked at an all natural grocery store that was less than a mile from our apartment and always on the way home from work for me. I loved it because it meant grocery shopping on an almost daily basis. We got what we needed for the day and not much else, and I could always count on things being fresh and healthy (for the most part).

Here in NJ, the closest all-natural grocery store is about 20 minutes away. We have a conventional store close by that we go to on Stephen's day off (i.e. when I can use our car), and I can honestly tell you I'm not tempted to buy lots of crap (corn, sugar, soy- that's all I see when I go to the grocery store now!) when doing my weekly grocery shopping. So, it's still weird to only go to the grocery store once a week, but I'm relishing the challenge and already seeing how it will force me to be a little more creative in the kitchen. And I like that.

So, today's recipe is 1. delicious and 2. leftover from leftovers... which may sound gross, like it's just been sitting around for a week or so, but I promise you that that's not the case and I just ate a lot of potatoes over the course of 3 days.

Recipe #1:
Perfect breakfast potatoes
I originally made these for brinner (breakfast for dinner) one night. And had LOTS of leftovers. Also, it should be noted that usually I put butter in my perfect breakfast potatoes (right?!), but this particular time I didn't because I was using so much butter for the rest of brinner. So, that being said, I thought these potatoes were delicious as is.

4-5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and diced
Cooking Spray (I used the Olive Oil variety)
1- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
1/4- 1/2 (depending on your preference) yellow onion, finely diced
1/4 tsp. Garlic powder (I hate using it, but the truth is I didn't have any garlic and it worked just fine. There. I said it. Whew)

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Give your cast iron (yes, the perfect potatoes are made perfect by the cast iron) a good spray. Then dump your potatoes and onion in and drizzle them with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Give them a good toss to ensure every last potato gets a little bit of seasoning.
3. Roast at 425 for 30 minutes or so. Check 'em every 10 and make sure they aren't burning and they're cooking evenly etc. etc.
4. Serve 'em hot with a fried egg on top!


So, I reused these potatoes when I made some veggie burritos and they were just delicious. But, alas, I still had more potatoes...

And I really enjoy potatoes and Tex-Mex flavors, so I kind of went that route with my leftover leftovers...

Leftover Tacos
Gross... this recipe needs a new title. No one will want to make something called Leftover Tacos. Hah.

1-2 cups leftover breakfast potatoes
1/2 andouille sausage link, diced
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup of diced kale
1/2 chipotle in adobo sauce, finely diced
1 cup beans of your choice (I had some leftover pintos, rinsed, drained and then cooked in some spices)
salt and pepper to taste
fresh or jarred jalapenos
2 flour tortillas, warmed

1. Heat your trusty cast iron skillet that's been oiled up already over medium heat.
2. Toss in the andouille and onion and cook for 5-10 minutes, making sure neither burns.
3. Throw in your leftover potatoes and chipotle, turning to coat.
4. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, then add kale and cover with a lid.
5. Heat flour tortillas and beans in microwave.
6. Check potato/andouille for seasonings, add salt and pepper if needed.
7. Spoon evenly onto flour tortillas and jalapenos.


This was a quick, easy and delicious lunch the other day and I'm definitely making it again... the next time I make way too many potatoes.

Until next time.
-Amanda