Okra & Potatoes
1 large potato, cut into fairly small cubes*
1 lb of fresh okra, sliced fairly thinly into rounds
1/4 C.-ish of cornmeal (not cornmeal mix, just plain yellow, or, as my southern relatives would say "yella" cornmeal)
salt to taste
2-3 TB. oil for frying
Toss the sliced okra in the cornmeal, discarding any extra. (Or just tossing exactly the right amount. It's a knack that you acquire after you acquire the deep-seated loathing of throwing food away. NO THROW AWAY! MUST NOT WASTE! Sorry, I'm turning into my Grandmom.) Heat the oil in a large skillet or fry pan over medium-high heat. Add in the potatoes and okra all together. Cook longer than you think you ought to, until the potatoes are cooked through and browning. on the side nearest the pan. (About 10 minutes.) During this process, you can push the okra and potatoes around in the pan if you're afraid they'll burn. It doesn't really do a whole lot, but it makes for peace of mind. And cooking is supposed to be peaceful and relaxing, right? When done, salt them in the pan and then remove them from the pan and drain them on paper towels or disposable napkins.
________
Ever think, "Wow, I might love/like okra more/hate okra less if it weren't so slimy"? Well, this recipe is the answer. Somehow the combination of potatoes and cornmeal causes the okra to be crisp without being sunk into a Fry Daddy covered in fish fry breading. It's nummy. (Not that I'm biased or anything.) Also, feel free to experiment with your okra : potato ratio. My version is pretty heavy on the potatoes, being slightly more than half potatoes, because, you know, I love potatoes. But I love okra too, and I've had this dish with way more okra and it was still good.
*How to Make Small Potato Cubes:
1) Wash but do not peel the potato. (It's not really necessary, as most of the potato cubes will be from the interior of the potato anyway and therefore naturally will be skin-free. Plus the skin on the pieces that do have it will be relatively small and also make those pieces prone to extra-crispiness.)
2) Slice your potato longways into 4-5 slices. How I do this is hold the potato awkward-side up. That's the best way I can describe it. The side that the potato wants to roll down onto to lay flat. That's the side you want pointing up. Now make slices that are about 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick.
3) Cut each slice into strips about 1/2-inch thick. (Like thick-cut french fries.)
4) Cut each strip into cubes 1/2-inch square. The easy way to do this is to keep all the strips together after you slice each section from step 2, turn them as a unit like you would a deck of cards (aka still keeping the slippery little boogers all together) and then slice them into cubes end-on. I'm obviously not a perfectionist. Who cares if you have a few triangular pieces that are not exactly the same size or shape as the others? They'll all fry up pretty much the same.
1 large potato, cut into fairly small cubes*
1 lb of fresh okra, sliced fairly thinly into rounds
1/4 C.-ish of cornmeal (not cornmeal mix, just plain yellow, or, as my southern relatives would say "yella" cornmeal)
salt to taste
2-3 TB. oil for frying
Toss the sliced okra in the cornmeal, discarding any extra. (Or just tossing exactly the right amount. It's a knack that you acquire after you acquire the deep-seated loathing of throwing food away. NO THROW AWAY! MUST NOT WASTE! Sorry, I'm turning into my Grandmom.) Heat the oil in a large skillet or fry pan over medium-high heat. Add in the potatoes and okra all together. Cook longer than you think you ought to, until the potatoes are cooked through and browning. on the side nearest the pan. (About 10 minutes.) During this process, you can push the okra and potatoes around in the pan if you're afraid they'll burn. It doesn't really do a whole lot, but it makes for peace of mind. And cooking is supposed to be peaceful and relaxing, right? When done, salt them in the pan and then remove them from the pan and drain them on paper towels or disposable napkins.
________
Ever think, "Wow, I might love/like okra more/hate okra less if it weren't so slimy"? Well, this recipe is the answer. Somehow the combination of potatoes and cornmeal causes the okra to be crisp without being sunk into a Fry Daddy covered in fish fry breading. It's nummy. (Not that I'm biased or anything.) Also, feel free to experiment with your okra : potato ratio. My version is pretty heavy on the potatoes, being slightly more than half potatoes, because, you know, I love potatoes. But I love okra too, and I've had this dish with way more okra and it was still good.
*How to Make Small Potato Cubes:
1) Wash but do not peel the potato. (It's not really necessary, as most of the potato cubes will be from the interior of the potato anyway and therefore naturally will be skin-free. Plus the skin on the pieces that do have it will be relatively small and also make those pieces prone to extra-crispiness.)
2) Slice your potato longways into 4-5 slices. How I do this is hold the potato awkward-side up. That's the best way I can describe it. The side that the potato wants to roll down onto to lay flat. That's the side you want pointing up. Now make slices that are about 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick.
3) Cut each slice into strips about 1/2-inch thick. (Like thick-cut french fries.)
4) Cut each strip into cubes 1/2-inch square. The easy way to do this is to keep all the strips together after you slice each section from step 2, turn them as a unit like you would a deck of cards (aka still keeping the slippery little boogers all together) and then slice them into cubes end-on. I'm obviously not a perfectionist. Who cares if you have a few triangular pieces that are not exactly the same size or shape as the others? They'll all fry up pretty much the same.
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