Downhome Goodness

So I am continuing my quest in forcing myself to try new things on the cooking side of my culinary adventures. Yesterday while I was at the store I bought an absolutely gorgeous Anaheim Chili, a Sweet Potato, and the most plump and delicious looking Portobello Mushroom I have seen since I left Portland (New Seasons I miss you madly!).

So ever since last night I have been thinking up different dishes to try. A gratin? Stuffed roasted pepper? Lasagna? All of them sounded delicious, but not quite what I was craving, due to the simple fact that it is the most beautiful sunny day in weeks. And what could be better on a warm summer day than a burger?! I may not be Vegan or even Vegetarian anymore, but my diet will always lean and go in that direction when given the choice. I just naturally prefer it and I feel better eating that way. So the game plan quickly became making a Southwest Style Portobello Burger with Spicy Sweet Potato Chips!

I have got to say, it’s not often that I really knock myself over with my own cooking, but this dish today was the money maker! And I am pleased to say that 100% of the dish came from scratch and is completely healthy!

Southwestern Portobello Burger with Spicy Sweet Potato Chips (Yield 1 hungry guido)

Chips:

• 1 medium-small Sweet Potato
• 1 tsp Dark Brown Sugar, unpacked (Honey is also delicious)
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Salt & Pepper
• 1-2 tsp Olive Oil
• Optional: Fresh squeezed lime juice

1. Preheat your oven to 425F
2. Slice the ends off of the sweet potato and proceed to slice the potato into equal size rounds. It is very important to keep these uniform or they will not bake evenly.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the potato slices, sugar, spices, salt, and oil (lime juice as well if using). Toss the potatoes until they are evenly coated and spread out on a sprayed or parchment lined baking sheet. Be sure to give these guys breathing room, otherwise they will steam and not get crisp.
4. Bake for 13 minutes then turn over with a spatula and reduce heat to 350F (Lowering the temperature dries the chips out and makes them more crisp) and continue to bake for 10-12 minutes checking on the chips periodically. Remember the outer chips will cook faster so you may need to do some rearranging if you do not  like burnt chips.

Thousand Island Dressing (Vegan!)

• Eggless & Low-fat Mayonnaise (I use Trader Joe’s and I love it!)
• Organic Ketchup
• Zesty Dill Pickle Spears
• Red Rooster or Tapatio Hot Sauce

1. Forgive my measurements on this. There aren’t any! Ha! Start small and make the sauce in the storage container that you plan to keep your dressing in.
2. My Thousand Island is typically a ratio of 1:1 for Ketchup and Mayo. This time I made 1 cup Mayo, 1 cup Ketchup, 3 dabs of hot sauce, and 3 pickle spears finely diced plus about a teaspoon of pickle juice (this is the secret right here folks!)
3. This produces a lot of sauce, but if you are like me, Thousand Island won’t last long. I have an unholy obsession with this sauce. It goes on EVERYTHING!
4. Remember the longer this sits around the better it tastes.

Roasted Anaheim Chili

• 1 large Anaheim Chili

1. If you have a gas stove, awesome. Turn your burner onto a medium-low heat and rest the chili on the grate turning with tongs every so often to get an even black char around the entire pepper. I do this while I am making the dressing.
2. Once an even black char has been achieved, immediately drop the chili in a plastic bag and seal tightly. Allow the pepper to steam itself for 10 minutes.
3. If you do not have a propane stove. I feel your pain. You can put the chili under your broiler! Set the rack so the chili is 2-3 inches away from the burner and proceed to turn just like you would if it were on your burner.

Portobello Burger

• 1 medium/large Portobello Mushroom
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Optional: Light Havarti Swiss Cheese or Pepper-jack Cheese (Vegan or Cow!)

1. While you are charing your pepper and making your dressing, preheat your grill. If you have a BBQ, I envy you. I have a cast iron grill, which I absolutely adore! I may have to put a post on here just to rant about how much I love cast iron cookware. Some other time. It is very important that you always preheat your grill, just like you would your oven to ensure even and full cooking. Stove top/grill temperatures are the last thing you want to be fighting or constantly adjusting.
2. To remove the stem of the Portobello Mushroom, grip the stem with your index and middle finger and secure with your thumb (think “I’ve got your nose” game). With your free hand gently cup the cap of the mushroom as your delicately wiggle the stem in a circular motion while pulling upward. You do not need to force this too much, the stem will literally pop off when it’s ready.
3. Take a spoon and scrape out the gills on the underside of the cap and discard along with the stem.
4. Brush the mushroom with olive oil and season. Do the majority of your seasoning in the cap as the salt and pepper typically fall off when on the dome of the mushroom.
5. Place on the grill, dome side down and leave to get nice grill marks. Rotate after a few minutes to achieve a crosshatch pattern.
6. Once you notice the cap begin to flatten and moisture begin to build up inside of the cap it is ready to flip. Allow the mushroom to cook through, you may need to press down lightly to get a good sear on the inside of the cap and not just on the rims. Once cooked through, flip back over and top with cheese and allow to melt completely.
7. While the mushroom is grilling remove the Anaheim Chili from the plastic bag and using the back side of a knife scrape off the black char and discard. Chop off the top of the pepper where the stem is and remove the seeds and pod from the interior of the pepper. Slice the pepper in half so you have two flat, soft slices. I rewarmed my chili and put grill marks on mine by grilling it along side the portobello burger.

Time to Put it all together!

• Take your bread of choice (Ciabatta is optimal, I used whole wheat this time around and it was wonderful) and grill with olive oil or butter. Spread both slices with the Thousand Island and top with desired veggies! For me, I love spinach, arrugala, vine ripened tomatoes, and red onion. Place the portobello burger on top then the roasted anaheim chili.
• By now your spicy sweet potato chips should be ready to go! Place those bad boys on your plate with the burger and enjoy with ketchup or even more Thousand Island!

I had the time of my life making and eating this today! From start to finish this meal took me about 30 minutes and none of the steps are overly complicated or require too much attention. It can easily be adapted to serve one or a large crowd! Bon Appetite!