Summer is just zipping by! I usually start the summer by going away on vacation in late May to early June. By the time I get back to the city I feel refreshed and ready to enjoy the summer in Montreal! My weekends have been filled with fun get togethers with friends and family. I've been trying to take advantage of the summer outdoor festivals and I've enjoyed the food truck scene too. I had the most amazing spa day with my sister and spent a few weekends poolside with my little nephews. I've also had lots of birthday suppers and summer BBQs over the past few months that I've had to balance all of that eating with lots of running for my upcoming half marathon.
So all in all, I've been so busy that I haven't had too much time to cook. Although when I do cook, I try to get my boyfriend to help me out on the grill. When I was watching America's Test Kitchen a few weeks ago we saw these two recipes and we said that we absolutely had to try it. It was one of the most memorable meals of the summer. These sweet potato fries were phenomenal!! I served it with a spicy fry sauce and it was addictive! There are a few steps to follow but it will be really worth it!
The sweet potatoes are simmered with baking soda and salt. This step partially cooks the sweet potatoes.
Then the wedges are drained and mixed into a cornstarch slurry. This gives them a nice coating.
Afterwards they are fried into the hot oil.
Once a batch is done, it is seasoned and left on a wire rack in a warm oven until ready to be served.
Here are the shrimp burgers before they were grilled.
And here they are off the grill. Don't they look tasty?
Southern Shrimp Burgers
Makes 5 Burgers
Note: Be sure to use raw not cooked, shrimp here. Dry the shrimp thoroughly before processing, or the burgers will be mushy. Handle the burgers gently when shaping and grilling; if overhandled while being shaped, the burgers will be dense and rubbery, and if handled roughly during cooking, they will break apart. Serve with spicy fry sauce, sliced tomato, lettuce and artisanal burger buns.
Ingredients
1.5 slices of hearty white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces
2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and patted dry
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 scallions, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pulse bread in food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
Pulse shrimp in now-empty processor until some pieces are finely minced and others are coarsely chopped, about 7 pulses. Transfer shrimp to large bowl.
Combine mayonnaise, scallions, parsley, lemon zest, cayenne, salt, and pepper in large bowl until uniform, then gently fold into processed shrimp until just combined. Sprinkle bread crumbs over mixture and gently fold until incorporated.
Scrape shrimp mixture onto small baking sheet, divide in into 5 equal portions, and loosely pack each into 1-inch-thick patty. Cover and refrigerate the patties for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat gas grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high. (Adjust burners as needed to maintain a medium-hot fire.)
Clean and oil cooking grate. Lightly brush tops of patties with oil, lay them on grill oiled side down, and lightly brush other side with oil. Cook patties, without pressing on them, until lightly browned and cooked through, 10 to 14 minutes, flipping them halfway through grilling. Transfer burgers to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Source: Slightly adapted from America's Test Kitchen
Thick-cut Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 4 to 6
Note: If your sweet potatoes are shorter than 4 inches in length, do not cut the wedges crosswise. We prefer peanut oil for frying, but vegetable oil may be used instead. The fries can be served with spicy fry sauce (recipe below).
1/2 cup cornstarch
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges, wedges cut in half crosswise
3 cups peanut oil
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Whisk cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water together in large bowl.
Bring 2 quarts water, 1/4 cup salt, and baking soda to boil in Dutch oven. Add potatoes and return to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until exteriors turns slightly mushy (centers will remain firm), 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk cornstarch slurry to recombine. Using wire skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to bowl with slurry.
Using rubber spatula, fold potatoes with slurry until slurry tuns light orange, thickens to paste, and clings to potatoes.
Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat to 325 degrees. Using tongs, carefully add one third of potatoes to oil, making sure that potatoes aren't touching one another. Fry until crispy and lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes, using tongs to flip potatoes halfway through frying (adjust heat as necessary to maintain oil temperature between 280 and 300 degrees). Using wire skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fries to prepared wire rack (fries that stick together can be separated with tongs or forks). Season with salt to taste and transfer to oven to keep warm. Return oil to 325 degrees and repeat in 2 more batches with remaining potatoes. Serve immediately.
Source: America's Test Kitchen
Spicy Fry Sauce
Makes about 1/2 cup
Note: For a less spicy version, use only 2 teaspoons of Asian chili-garlic sauce. The sauce can be made up to four days in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce
2 teaspoons white vinegar
Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl.
Source: Cook's Illustrated
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