This meal was inspired by having waaaaaay too much frozen shrimp in the freezer (we always buy it when it goes on sale), red potatoes on the counter, and Tom catching a couple minutes of the new show on Food Network: Cooking For Real with Sunny Anderson:
Spitfire Shrimp (Rachael Ray)
Ingredients:
1 lime, juiced
2 ounces (1/4 cup) hot cayenne pepper sauce , Frank’s Red Hot is the best!
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 pounds jumbo shrimp peeled and de-veined
12 to 15 blades fresh chives, chopped, for garnish
Directions:
1) Preheat large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
2) Combine lime juice, hot sauce, cumin, red pepper flakes and seafood seasoning blend.
3) Quickly saute garlic and shallots in oil and butter for 1 minute, add shrimp and cook 3 minutes, tossing and turning frequently. Dump pink, firm, cooked shrimp from hot pan into hot seasoning blend and toss in seasoning mixture to coat shrimp evenly.
4) Garnish with chopped chives. Serve warm or chilled.
Hasselback Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream
Ingredients:
16 ounces red new potatoes
3 to 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Using a wooden spoon as a cradle, place each potato in the spoon and make several parallel slits into each potato top making sure not to slice completely through.
3) Place 3 garlic slices between slits at the crown of each potato.
4) Toss in a medium bowl with butter and olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
5) Bake until tops are crispy and potatoes are cooked through, about 1 hour.
6) Combine sour cream, garlic powder, and parsley in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7) Top potatoes with sour cream.
The shrimp were good, and spicy, but nothing to really rave about. The potatoes though, yum. Tom and I think that is probably the best thing to happen to potatoes lately and they will be showing up on our plates somewhere in the very near future!
