IRON CHEFS: BATTLE POTATO!!

We love IRON CHEF AMERICA on the FOOD NETWORK. Today, in celebration of our good friend Jon's birthday, we've selected the POTATO as our SECRET INGREDIENT for a cooking competition at work! Don't you just love the GIGANTIC Hannah Montana poster? Poor Jon once admitted that he liked the song "Party in the USA" and we decided to throw him a party with the very lovely Miley Cyrus. Ha ha, Happy Birthday, Jon!

The battle was tight and we ended with a tie! The 2 WINNERS WERE: Chef Renee and Chef Faye!! These vegetarian women made gorgeous food!  See below for some highlights of all of our wonderful dishes!

Renee Biss: Celebration of Potatoes
Renee overdid herself at this competition and created 3 items for her plate.

Potato Corn Chowder

A medley of Purple New Potatoes, corn, onion and peppers with a twist of Southwestern spices.

Potato Spinach Frittata

Purple New Potato combined with spinach garlic and green onion baked with eggs.

Potato Flat Bread

An Indian staple made with a Russet Potato with a small kick of spices.

Mun-chies Comments: Very nicely presented. I was especially impressed by the Frittata. It left me with a warm, comforting feeling afterward. The addition of the spicy corn chowder made it a winner!

Faye Smith: Potato Gratin

Isn't this dish beautiful? Faye's special ability to bake has always been known in our department, but man, these golden potatoes really made her shine today!

Faye: My dish is a Potato Gratin made with layers of Yukon Gold potatoes simmered in vegetable broth and cream, divided by a layer of sautéed artichoke hearts, garlic and shallots with chopped parsley and fresh thyme. It is topped with whole wheat breadcrumbs, mixed with melted butter and grated Comté cheese. It is then baked to perfection for 30 minutes, then rests for 30 minutes to allow potatoes to absorb remaining creaming mixture. Super YUM-O!

Mun-chies Comments: I'm speechless. Truly Exquisite!

Mary Ortt: Old-Fashioned Potato Casserole (aka Hangover Casserole) 

Mun-chies Comments: This dish is not old-fashioned at all! It's very comforting with a nice, sweet crunch. Perfect for all occasions. Who could not love a potato casserole like this? I can always appreciate a taste of real American food. Hash brown potatoes baked with cream of chicken soup, sour cream, cheddar cheese and topped with buttered corn flakes. Mmmmm, very delicious! Thank you, Mary!

Bryan Capstick: Roasted Potatoes and BACON!
Cappy decided to keep it simple and let the wonderful potatoes speak for themselves. These potatoes were roasted with olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper. Oh yeah, and bacon layered on top!

Mun-chies Comments: What a classic! Perfect breakfast food! The hint of bacon on the potatoes gave the potatoes a lovely, smoky touch! Mmmmmm...

Mun: Potato Cakes!  (please see my previous post for recipe)

So, here's my potato cake chopped in half before serving. A bit of Worchestershire sauce was drizzled over the pieces. All I can say is that they were good to the last bite!

Thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned. More cooking to come!