Just a little chill in the air and I start pulling out the ‘big pots’.  And they stay filled with everything from chili to stew to beans to greens.  Being able to throw it all in and let it go gives a lot of satisfaction when fall finally arrives.

Cheddar Corn Chowder from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook will fill up a big pot for sure and couldn’t be simpler.  Bacon, potatoes, corn and cheddar cheese combine to make a hearty lunch or dinner.  The original recipe found here makes a giant batch, but can easily be halved, or the leftovers can be put away in the freezer.   The Barefoot Bloggers who made this previously noted that the soup comes out a little thin, so I did reduce the amount of chicken stock by about a third to give it more body, and it turned out very good.

Thanks to Jill of My Next Life for her choice of a great summer-to-fall recipe, and for giving me an excuse to bring out the big pot.

A fried potato by any other name would still taste as good.

What do you call these fried potatoes?  I always just called them homemade potato chips.  I’ve recently discovered they’re also called raw fries, wing chips and sometimes even cottage fries.  But I’ve now decided to call them BETTER THAN ANYTHING IN A BAG.

I found out the secret (well, it was a secret to me) to making great homemade potato chips in my Magnolias: Authentic Southern Cuisine cookbook, which I’ve touted in the past.  It says that you should put the sliced potatoes in a bowl of cold water and swish them around to get rid of some of the starch.  Then after you drain them, you should pat them dry – I layered the slices between some paper towels to dry while I cooked them.  They were awesome – perfectly crispy and golden.  My middle name is crispy and golden.

The husband and I like to disagree on how they should be cooked, however, so I made some for him that were not so crispy (at restaurants they always call them floppy, but he refuses to use that word).  And I filled up the ketchup squirt bottle so the kids could write on them.  At the restaurant Magnolias in Charleston, they serve theirs as an appetizer with blue cheese and scallions.  Delish.  And definitely better than anything a bag.

Homemade Potato Chips

adapted from Magnolias: Authentic Southern Cuisine

serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 gallon peanut or canola oil for frying
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, washed and sliced 1/16 inch thick
• fine sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat the frying oil to 340 degrees.
2. Using a vegetable slicer or mandoline with an adjustable setting and sharp blade, slice a few chips from a potato to get the thickness correct and consistent. (Consistent size cuts will result in consistent cooking.) Slice all the potato chips and place into a bowl of cold water. Agitate the chips lightly with your hand to release some of the starch. Drain. Pat the chips with a dry paper towel to dry off any moisture.
3. Place about 1/3 of the chips in the oil, gently agitating with a skimmer. It is important not to overcrowd the chips in the oil. Watch over the chips so they cook evenly, around 3 to 4 minutes. The moisture of the chips will slowly cook out and the chips will become crispy and golden. Any under-colored chips may by soggy. Remove the chips from the hot oil with a skimmer, shake off the excess oil, and place on paper towels. Season with salt to taste. Spread out the chips so that they can cool. Repeat this process until all of the chips are fried.

I’ve been on a little bit of a cooking world tour lately.  Kind of like my rockin’ Rock Band 2 band, Crash Warning, with whom I’ve been traveling around the world on tour this weekend (I’m just a little bit addicted to this game, okay maybe a lot).  Probably it just has to do with the fact that I enjoy experimenting with different flavors from different cultures.  So this week I am going to write about some of the recipes from around the world that have made it onto my table recently.

Scotland is one of those places for me that I haven’t yet visited, but for some reason feel a kind of connection to.  In the course of researching my ancestors I have found some sources that suggest I have some Scottish roots, so that may be one reason.  Also, a lot of the foods common to that area like potatoes, salmon, oats, and cheese, and of course, shortbread are some of my favorite things to cook and eat.

This recipe for Tattie Scones comes from my newest cookbook, Scots Cooking by Sue Lawrence.  They are made from cooked potatoes (called taters in the South, the Scottish call them tatties) mixed with flour and fried in a pan.  They’re called scones, but they aren’t big and fluffy like baked scones, they’re flattish and a little chewy.  If you have leftover mashed potatoes, this is a great use for them.  They can be eaten with jam or butter, or both and would be good with a bowl of soup, too.  Serve them with some bacon and eggs and you’ll be ready for your own world tour.  ROCK ON.

Tattie Scones

adapted from Scots Cooking: The Best Traditional and Contemporary Scottish Recipes

makes 8

Ingredients

• 1 large (about 9 oz) floury potato
• 1 oz unsalted butter
• 2 oz plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• butter for pan

Directions

1. Peel the potato, cut it into chunks, and cook in boiling water until tender.  Drain well then mash with butter.
2. Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl.
3. Add the potato mixture to the flour mixture and stir until a dough forms.
4. Using lightly floured hands, gently shape dough into 2 balls, then turn them on to a lightly floured surface. Roll each ball out gently to form two circles about 1/4 inch thick. Cut each circle into quarters and prick all over with a fork.
5. Heat a frying pan to medium-hot, smear a little butter into the pan with a paper towel, then once hot, place four scones in the pan and fry about 3-4 minutes each side, until golden brown. Repeat with rest of scones.

*If using leftovers, substitute 7 ounces mashed potatoes for the potato and butter mixture.