For Dinner Last Night

I had no idea what to make. I knew we didn't have any major proteins in the house ( I know, I'm a slacker because I haven't gotten to the grocery store in a couple of weeks) so on my way home I picked up a steak from Price Chopper. Yum!! I just got a generic boneless chuck steak, but hey, it was extremely tastey! Didn't know what to do for a side dish though, so I rummage through the freezer and came up with a bag of hash browns.....I was thinking of doing steak and eggs, but didn't think the hubby would appreciate that as much as I would. SO I made a potato pancake.

Potato Pancake:

2 eggs
"House" seasoning to taste (recipe to follow)
2 cups shredded frozen potato hash browns
1 T water

Mix the eggs, seasoning and water together in a bowl. Add in the potatoes and mix very well. You want all of the potatoes covered in eggy goodness. While you're doing all of this, like a good chef, you have a frying pan heating over medium heat with 3 T of olive or canola oil.

Put the egg/potato mixture into the frying pan and pat it down until it's flat. Cover and cook for 6 minutes.

Ok, so here's the tricky part. I learned this trick from watching Food Network, so no credit is due here. Take the cover off your frying pan and replace it with a heat-safe plate. Careful to watch your fingers, flip the frying pan over. Your pancake should fall right out. Place the pan back on the heat and add in 2 T more oil. Slowly slide your pancake back into the frying pan. (Slow is key here folks, otherwise the oil splatters. Big mess.) Cook uncovers for 4 more minutes. Viola, potato pancake.


"House" Seasoning:

This is just a combination of spices that I use regularly. Kind of my go-to for pumped up flavor.

1tsp onion powder or flakes (note: powder, NOT salt....ewwwww)
1tsp garlic powder (see above note)
1tsp paprika
1tsp Celtic salt (way better for you than table salt. This stuff has good minerals in it)
2tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Now some of you may think that I have the salt/pepper ratio backwards. This is not the case. ***slight rant warning*** I find that in today's cooking style many people over salt their food and call it well seasoned. Salt is not a flavor I enjoy. I use very little salt when I cook. I want to actually taste the FLAVOR of my food, not a salty interpretation of it. That being said, I am not against salt entirely. I just use it in very moderate portions. Salt should be an accent to the food, not the first thing you taste. Rant over.