Potato Chips are definitely Irish...even with chocolate on them

Every St. Patrick's Day I make Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. There's not really a great story behind it except for the fact that they remind of the very first St. Patrick's Day I saw my husband completely wasted. We ended the night almost having the cops called on us for doing the Irish jig in my sister's apartment. He had also been a declared "straight edge" for several years, only being 20 at the time, so this was quite the scene....many car bombs later.

I don't use fondant. I don't eat fondant. It just tastes too artificial for me. Each year I make these cupcakes, I try to think of a good decoration which must be edible. This year I thought, "What goes better with beer and booze than a potato chip?!"  I also got the idea after enjoying a late night snack of Lay's chips and on the bag it specifically read "Recipe for a perfect night: 1)Handful of Wavy Chips; 2) Sprinkle of Chocolate Chips; 3) 20 seconds in the microwave. Instant sweet and savory satisfaction."  Who in their right mind would ever question why this would be good and why would it be on a cupcake?!?!  My brother did. I replied, "Jeff are kidding me?!?  It's a CHOCOLATE COVERED POTATO CHIP! It's amazing by itself then when you put it on an Irish Car Bomb cupcake....Oh Man!!....so good!" He said again, " Yeah, but why a potato chip?" I told him " Duh, beer and chips!"  As I told this story to my friend the next day, it occurred to me that potatoes are totally an Irish staple and somehow subconsciously I knew this, which is why I also knew it would be amazing on an Irish Car Bomb cupcake. Which, of course, it was.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Make 24

Cupcakes:
3/4 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
2 cups flour
3/4 cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
3/4  tsp baking powder
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup Guinness

Filling:
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 heavy whipping cream
4 TB whiskey

Frosting:
4 stick butter
4 cups powdered sugar
4 TB Bailey's Caramel Flavor

Preheat oven to 350.

For cupcakes:
Cream together butter and sugar.  Crack open eggs in a separate bowl to come to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda.

When sugar and butter is combined, add eggs and vanilla. Be sure to use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Measure milk and beer.

Slowly add dry ingredients to the sugar and egg mixture, alternating with the milk and beer.

Bake for bout 18 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. 

For the Filling:
Over a double boiler or in the microwave, melt chocolate and 1/4 heavy cream together. Add whiskey. You may want to add more depending on how strong you want it to be. Set aside to cool.

In a separate bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of heavy cream on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Once the chocolate is cool to the touch, fold a small amount of whipped cream into it. Gradually add the rest and refrigerate for at least one hour.

For the Frosting:
Beat 4 sticks of butter in your mixer until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and Bailey's until smooth.

For the Chocolate Covered Potato Chip:
Buy a bag of Lay's Wavy Potato Chips. Read the back of the bag and follow those directions.
Or you can dip your chips in your melted chocolate for the filling before, or after you add the whiskey!

Assembly:
Using a sharp paring knife, carve out small quarter sized holes in the cupcakes. My husband love snacking on these later.  If you want more Guinness flavor in your cupcake, brush the tops with some beer.
I usually use a pastry bag but you can use a spoon to fill each cupcake with the whiskey mousse filling.
Pipe frosting on and top with a chocolate potato chip.
Enjoy immediately and with friends over a pint of Guinness. Then repeat.

So yes...potato chips, especially covered in chocolate, make the perfect decor for an Irish Car Bomb cupcake, Jeff! Or any cupcake for that matter!

Oh and they were devoured by several crew members from  WPLR Chaz and AJ morning show!!! I even got a shout out on the radio the next day...but I missed it $%#@^*!

The Potatoes Have Eyes...

Photo www.newlifeonahomestead.com

White potatoes have gotten a pretty bad reputation I feel like and honestly, I kinda miss eating them. They're known as being really starchy, filling and just not nutritionally beneficial to you. Sweet potatoes have become the only "good" potato....I personally LOVE sweet potatoes, especially with lots of brown sugar and butter! But how good can that be?  I recently bought some Russet potatoes because sometimes you just need a loaded baked potato with butter...and sour cream...and cheese...and bacon...and a lil broccoli. My plan was to cook a nice London Broil with a baked potato on the side. However, my husband's stomach decided to take a vacation from eating and feeling good, landing him in the emergency room two times in one week. His diet has consisted of bland, dairy free low carb, non fatty foods...served with a side of Nexium. So my "lowly" and lonely potatoes sat on the counter untouched and ignored for many days.

I hate wasting food, plus potatoes have a pretty good shelf life...until they start to grow eyes...those little green sprouts that begin to creep out of the skin (The photo is from another page I like, as I didn't take photos or expect to blog about old potatoes). Other people would probably look at them with disgust and toss them in the trash...sounds kinda like my Save the 'Nanas post. My husband wanted to put them in the garden but it being March, the ground is still frozen.  Me with my make do with what you have mentality said "Why don't we make home fries?! BUFFALO Home Fries!" Uh YES!  We love going out to breakfast and haven't been for some time. One of the places we go to has Buffalo Home Fries on the menu and they are AMAZING! I'm pretty confident I can make them at home just as good, if not better. My husband is finally feeling like he can eat real food again! I am so relieved to able to go back to normal with my cooking or even cooking at all!

I do have to give my husband credit for being the one to actually cook these up because my breakfast, as I have stated in previous posts, is coffee...with a side of more coffee. He is the one to cook breakfast 9 times out of 10.  But I have made these home fries before for him so I talk him through the steps as I drink my breakfast in front of the laptop.

Buffalo Home Fries
Makes about 2-3 servings

2 large Russet potatoes
Half of a white onion
Half a stick of butter
Olive oil
Frank's Red Hot Sauce
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Bacon

The potatoes have to be partially cooked before entering the pan. I have a handy little button on my microwave strictly for cooking potatoes. Pull off the eyes, pierce them with a fork a few times and pop em in for about 5 minutes. You want them to be somewhat soft but not completely cooked or else they will turn to smashed potatoes in your pan.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat a skillet on medium heat.

Dice your onions. As ridiculous as you will look and as silly as it sounds, wearing sunglasses while you chop onions usually helps prevent your eyes from watering. Add 2 TBS of butter to your pan. Add the onions.

When the potatoes are done, chop into chunks discarding any brown sections or parts that don't look good. Toss them in the pan with the onions.

While the potatoes and onions are cooking, make your bacon and set aside. I have a few different methods to cook bacon. My husband prefer the stove top way, but I kinda like the microwave method.

1. Stove Top- Cook in a separate pan over medium heat, flipping a few times. Place on a paper towel to absorb excess grease.
2. Broiler- On a tin foil lined pan, place strips of bacon under the broiler for about 8 minutes.
3. Microwave- Line a microwaveable dish with a paper towel and place strips of bacon. Cover with another paper towel and microwave for about 3-4 minutes until bacon is crisp.

Add the rest of the butter to the pan of potatoes and put the heat on medium high. Drizzle some olive oil if the pan gets too dry. To get a nice crispiness to the potatoes the pan should be moist and on a higher heat. Toss and flip your potatoes often so they cook evenly on all sides.

Add some sprinkles of paprika and garlic powder, maybe about 1/4 tsp.  Squirt as much or as little hot sauce on the potatoes still in the pan. We likes things super spicy so I do about 10 shakes of the bottle then add more once they're on my plate.

My husband's breakfast

Once the potatoes are brown and crispy, crumble your bacon on top and serve with a side of Ken's Blue Cheese dressing...or Ranch works too.

I think potatoes will reenter my kitchen again. They really aren't all that bad for you and do have great health benefits...I mean they grown under the ground and absorb all kinds of nutrients from the soil. I kinda feel like I'm eating the Earth when I have a potato. Can't have them all the time with heavy toppings but there are sooooo many other things you can do with with them.

Instead of potato "flakes" make some real effing mashed potatoes!!!

My breakfast