Thursday, December 15, 2011

French Fridays with Dorie - potato chip tortilla

Did you know that I'm a tennis player?  No???  Well I am.  Not a great tennis player, and many days not even a good tennis player.  But a tennis player I am.  When we moved to Coronado, my first order of business was to find some folks to play tennis with.  I pursued this with a vengeance.  Eventually, my persistence paid off and I was able to join a weekly round robin women's event.  16 to 20 women play each week.  There's a good mix of talent and a great mix of personalities. Many weeks, after we play, we share some food.

Each week, this is a chance for me to make something fun and impress my fellow tennis players.  Most weeks, this has actually worked.  At one point, the organizer informed me, it's ok if you can't play this week, just come for the lunch...with something you've made.  I laughed out loud.  I know the way to any one's heart is through the stomach.  And while I might play a game where love is part of the score, I get to show the real love by providing a home cooked treat to my fellow tennis aficionados who are from Coronado (hey, it rhymes!).

So, 9 long weeks ago, I injured myself on the court.  Leading to my inability to play the game I love.  Leading to great sadness on my part. While each week I've been hoping to resume my game, my body is not cooperating.  Oh well, the ladies still invite me to the weekly celebrations, so I get to cook and visit.

I decided that Dorie's potato chip tortilla was the perfect appetizer to bring to our holiday tennis luncheon.  Easy to make, easy to serve, hopefully tasty.  (I think St. James actually doesn't like the fact that I'm quite willing to try a new recipe out for the first time for an event or a get together or a party...although the other night I heard him bragging to some of our guests about that exact fact.  There is always a risk of serving a new recipe to guests...but I can always order pizza...right?  And given that there are about 85,689 recipes that I want to try, I don't really like to cook the same things over and over (except for Jacques Torres' chocolate chip cookies and King Arthur's no-knead bread, which I would make daily, if allowed to).

The secret ingredient to this egg casserole is potato chips...although it's not much of a secret...cause it's in the name!  It becomes a secret if you don't tell those you are serving the dish to what the name of the dish is, because when you try it, you cannot tell that there are potato chips in it.  It just tastes like potato.


All the herbs I used in this "tortilla" were from my herb garden, as well as one lone jalapeno that has been wondering when it was going to get picked.

I'm going to confess, I must have over-cooked this a bit.  It was a tad dry.  Also, I didn't use enough salt, as I thought the salt from the potato chips would be more than enough.  If I were to make this again, I might add a bit of cheese (maybe even cream cheese) to add a bit of creaminess.  For my tennis lunch, I cut it into bite-sized pieces and served with toothpicks.  The plate was empty at the end of the party...so I'm hoping folks liked it.  To see how my on-line friends fared this week, click here.  Have a great week and take time to enjoy the holidays.

18 comments:

Cher Rockwell said...

We must be twins seperated at birth & in time & space. I am THAT person who's holiday meals are usually a collection of recipes that have never seen my table before - there are just too many out there to have more than a handful of keepers...
Hope your arm recovers.
I am with you on the salt - I thoroughly expected the chips to have a greater influence on the seasoning level.
Have a good weekend!

KarenP said...

We came to the same conclusion as you about this dish - a little dry and bland and could use some cheese.

Elin said...

Yours looks delish ! Mine was not bland but flavorful because I bought the chips that was flavored hot and spicy :) I added scallions and parsley and reduced the amount of chips so the tortilla turned out just great :) Merry Xmas to you and family and have a great day !

Anonymous said...

Hope you are able to get back on the court soon, it's no fun to sit on the sidelines. But it's nice to hear that you have such a willing group of guinea pigs to try your recipes out on!

Unknown said...

I loved how your tennis club has sneaked in their food request, lol. I'm sure they'll be overjoyed with this offering of potato chip tortilla. You've just given me an idea for the next time I make this - use cheddar cheese flavored chips!

Anonymous said...

Love your determination and team spirit!
It doesn't matter what form it takes, being on the court or feeding the team! You are there contributing!
And they are incredibly lucky to have you! Sounds like the tortilla was a hit and I also agree with you regarding the salt!

SoupAddict said...

Ditto on some of the other comments. Needed additional ingredients to help with flavor. Needed salt (!). But, it's an egg and potato dish, so, no surprises there. Quick and easy.

Ei said...

I'm with you--for better or worse, i'm always serving people first-time recipes. I'm so surprised to hear everyone complaining that this wasn't salty enough. I haven't made it yet, so I'll keep that in mind. I was sure it would taste salty, or at least salty enough. Weird!

Christy said...

I thought it was bland too. Hope your injury is healing and you can be back on the court in no time! Only 2 1/2 months until the BNP Paribas tennis tournament in Indian Wells! Can't wait to see Rafa & Roger back in our town again. PS, I also try things for the first time at dinner parties, etc. much to the frustration of my sous chef.

amanda @ fake ginger said...

Looks lovely! I thought it could've used some cheese as well. Still fun to try!

Anonymous said...

I am totally with you! I am forever making something new for guests - I guess it makes it more exciting (and less boring for me!!).

What a great tennis group. Used to be my game as well, it's nice that you have such a terrific group to share your energy (of lots of varieties!) with!!

Anonymous said...

I understand exactly how frustrating injuries can be when it prevents you from doing things you love! I pray everyday that I don't get injured in training. Speedy recovery and keep those treats coming (that's what my friends always say to me)!

Unknown said...

Tennis is a great game but I have never become very proficient at it...no one would want me in their group:) Its fun to have a group to play games with, though. I also felt that salt was needed which surprised me too!

Betsy said...

I like to try new recipes on unwitting guests too. Usually it comes out fine, as if I'd been practicing. Hope your injury heals soon.
I was surprised about the need for salt too. The potato chips are so salty on their own. What a winner recipe though.

Frankly Entertaining said...

I completely agree with you about making new recipes. I remember when I realized that I had way more recipes than I have days left on this earth (and I'm not really that old!). There's not a lot of time for repeating yourself!
I hope you're able to get back to tennis soon!

4pure by Andrea said...

It's always tricky to try à new recipe to people who do not belong to your own family, but the recipe is, with a little extra salt quitte good.hope your injury geta better soon.

4pure by Andrea said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Adriana said...

You are brave! I know I have a few friends I can pull new recipes off with, but if it is a larger gathering I'll stick to something tried and true. I didn't enjoy this one, but it is so easy to make that I might have to give it a second try.