For awhile I've been trying to avoid throwing any food away, even trying to avoid any going into the compost (before the move we had chickens to feed extra scraps to, it's a bit more challenging now). We're big eaters, so there isn't usually much in the way of left overs, but we do end up with a lot of vegetable cuttings. One way of using them has been to throw them all into a pot and turn them into vegetable broth. A favorite around here is to make potato skin chips. A few Thanksgivings ago my chef brother in-law was horrified to see my mom throwing out the potato peels from the mashed potatoes. He exclaimed that that was the best part, quickly swept them aside, tossed them with some olive oil, salt and pepper and threw them in an oven. He served them crispy on top of the mashed potatoes. We love to have them as a snack any time peeled potatoes are a part of a recipe. Here is how we make them:
We take any potato peelings (yam peelings also work well) and toss them with olive oil until they are coated. Then we toss them with some dried herbs (this time we used a mix of rosemary, thyme, basil and lavender), salt and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet so they have room (but they don't have to be perfectly spaced). Bake them at 425 for about 15 min. (or until they look browned and crisp). They'll crisp up a bit more on the pan as they cool. It's important to let them brown enough or they end up tasting soggy, crispy is the key.
That's ginger beer in the background, Reeds Ginger Beer. I have had an unusual craving for this the last few months and my youngest has been right there along side me. It's pretty gingery spicy, so I'm a bit surprised he loves it like he does. He loves to take a big gulp, let out a big "ah" and exclaim "that was hot." (Yes, I feel like I'm promoting product placement right now). It's surprisingly not bad for you at all. I should take some time to look up what ginger cravings are all about. Maybe we're deficient in something critical.
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