We Love Cooking!:
snack

I'm packing my bag this weekend so the meals are all a little light on the ground this week. For the next two weeks I will be staying in London to photograph the recipes for my new book which is out next year. It's all getting very exciting and as I am finally putting the finishing touches to the text, the next part is all fun. The photography process will take up most of the days while we're there, but I am hoping to finally get to see a bit of London. I have had loads of recommendations of places to eat, things to see and food markets to shop in so hopefully with a little bit of luck and hard work will we have some free time to see the sights!

Herby Sweet Potato Chips
These sweet and spicy little wedges knock the socks off greasy fast food chips any day. If you haven’t tried sweet potatoes before, this is a great introduction recipe, where you just can’t go wrong. Serve as a nice side dish or a quick and tasty snack!

Serves 4
5 large sweet potatoes
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons of olive oil
A good handful of fresh herbs
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5.
If I am serving these as a side dish, I generally prepare them first and let
them cook away in the oven while I get on with the rest of the dinner.
In a pestle and mortar, bash together the a little of the olive oil, the herbs, garlic and sea salt until you have a smooth paste.
Peel the sweet potatoes and slice in half lenghtways and then in half again,
then chop into rough chips. Place in a bowl and toss with the herby paste.
Place in a large roasting tin and drizzle with a little extra oil and sprinkle with ground black pepper until all the chips are well coated.
Roast in the oven for about 40–45 minutes, or until the insides are soft and
the edges are slightly charred.

Homemade Paprika Roast Potato Chips
When it comes to snack foods, everyone has their weakness, mine just so happens to be these homemade potato chips.

Makes enough for 4 portions, or one giant selfish one!
5 rooster potatoes cut into chips.
3 tablespoons of olive oil.
2 teaspoons of paprika.
1 tablespoon of ground black pepper.
1 tablespoon of sea salt.

Preheat the oven to 200oC.
Cut the potatoes into chips about 1cm in thickness. Spread the potato chips evenly over two large non stick baking trays. Try and give the chips as much space as possible, this will make them extra crispy. Drizzle the oil over the chips and toss until they are all combined. Sprinkle over the paprika, pepper, salt and toss again. Place in the oven and roast for 40-50 minutes or until crispy and golden.
Serve straightaway as a tasty snack or alongside a main meal.

There has been a few new Irish food blogs but check out the latest blog I came across CheapEats.ie which is great for spotting shopping bargains on offer across the country! Another cool one particularly for its travel pics is thefood.ie warblings check them out, it's always great to see new blogs!

This recipe is actually one I wrote for the book. I had toyed with whether or not to include a Sweets chapter, and in the end decided I couldn't do without. The cookies took a few tries to get the mix right especially using whole wheat flour, but the end result is a chewy sweet cookie which is really tasty. They literally take minutes to make and have quickly become my solution to the TV watching munchies!

Peanut Butter Cookies
These are incredibly tasty little cookies which are so easy to make. Perfect for cooking with kids!

Makes approximately 9 cookies.
4 rounded tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter.
1 large egg.
2/3 cup of dark brown sugar.
1/3 cup of whole wheat flour.
Place the sugar, and flour in a large mixing bowl and combine. With a wooden spoon create a well in the center of the bowl and add the egg and peanut butter. Beat the egg and peanut butter with the flour and sugar until a thick dough forms. If the dough is too moist simply add a little extra flour. Allow the dough to sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Remove from the fridge and place rounded tablespoons of the dough onto a greased baking sheet.
Bake in the oven at 180oC/ for approximately 15 minutes or until the cookies brown slightly.
Remove from the baking sheet and allow to cool.