I’m not sure if I’ve been super-overt about this as of late, but we’ve got a lot of potatoes at the moment. As in, 45 pounds of potatoes in our house at this very time. Potato-picking at Great Country Farms took place a couple-three weekends ago, and you all know what happens when LeeLee and I venture out into the potato patch with a couple of canvas bags! Now we’ve got spuds everywhere: On the kitchen table, atop the vegetable bowl, and in multiple paper bags in a quiet, cool cabinet in the kitchen. It’s Potato City right now, and we are the mayors.
So naturally, vegan fish and chips had to come to the surface at one time or another. (And you ain’t seen nothing yet.)
The cooking was wonderfully simple – a welcome reprieve on a busy Monday! And the results were great. First, I sliced two of our larger potatoes into wedges, first lengthwise, then crosswise. Then I placed them into a shallow-sided baking sheet and added a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil, then plenty of salt, pepper, onion powder, and chili powder. I tossed everything together with my hands (it reminds me of finger-painting!) and then ensured the potatoes were laid out in one single layer. Then I popped them into the oven at 450 degrees for 45 minutes, pulling them out after 25 minutes to flip them around.
At the 25-minute mark, I also added a baking sheet of Gardein vegan fish to the oven and cooked them for 20 minutes in total, flipping them over after 10. Once the potatoes and fish were both baking, I opened a can of peas and heated them up on the stovetop for 20 minutes or so, sprinkling the pot with some black pepper for fun.
Dingaling! The oven timer chimed, I pulled the peas off the stove, and we brought our plates into the kitchen, piling them high with potatoes and peas and of course the vegan fish. We even made our favorite cocktail sauce as a dipper on the side, blending ketchup and Just Mayo together for a perennial pairing.
And what a wonderful balance this turned out to be! Maybe it’s because we went without anything remotely fishy for so long, but we can’t get enough of these Gardein fish, and tonight was no different. They matched the chips so well, too – the potato wedges were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with plenty of spice but not showy. And the peas, those creamy English peas, go well for any occasion. They’re like a good set of pearls that way.
So with that, two more potatoes have been dispatched! Half a pound down, 44.5 to go! Getting there will definitely be half the fun.
OVEN-BAKED POTATO WEDGES
Serves 2-4
What you’ll need:
2 large potatoes, washed, with skins on if you like (we do)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. chili powder
Preheat oven to 450.
Slice the potatoes into wedges, first lengthwise, then crosswise, and place the wedges on a baking sheet (preferably one with shallow sides). Next add the remaining ingredients and mix everything together by hand.
Bake at 450 for 45 minutes, turning the wedges with a spatula halfway through. Enjoy!
:)