CRÈME FRAÎCHE AND ONION DIP

This dip is so delicious that I cannot stop eating it. With everything. Roasted vegetables are way better than a spoon or fork to deliver food to your mouth anyway, so with those, or with chips, flatbreads, crackers, in a sandwich, over salmon, with boiled new potatoes, over poached eggs... the list is long!

And, it's fresh, herb-y, and takes no time to put together. It's based on a fantastic recipe my friend Kara sent me, but I made some changes based on what I had at home. I used crème fraîche, red onion, lemon, white pepper, less sugar, and added garlic.

Crème Fraîche and Onion Dip
Makes: 1-1/2 cups

- 1 cup crème fraîche, preferably home-made
- 2-1/2 tbsp. dill, finely minced
- 2 tbsp. red onion, finely diced
- 1 small clove garlic, smashed to a paste
- 1-1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1 tbsp. lemon zest
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp. salt, adjust to taste
- 1/2 tsp. sugar

1. Put the crème fraîche in a medium bowl.
2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and stir well to mix.
3. Refrigerate for up to 3 days, or serve immediately.

Notes:

1. Although you can serve it right away, the dip will taste better after a few hours or the next day.
2. The dip will thicken in the fridge but that's ok. Just stir and serve when you're ready.

"SKINNY" FRIES: SWEET POTATO AND POTATO OVEN-FRIES

I've posted a recipe before, on what is possibly the world's best way of making "fries" in the oven. Crispy on the outside, steamy on the inside, delicious all over! This time around I added sweet potatoes to the mix.

As I've said in the earlier fries recipe, you want to use starchy potatoes rather than waxy. But really, any potatoes will be great in this recipe. Make sure to soak the cut potatoes in cool water anywhere from 2 - 24 hours, and change the water every few hours if you're soaking them longer than 4 hours.

Sweet potato fries, whether oven-baked or deep fried, don't crisp up as much as potatoes do, because of the higher moisture content of sweet potatoes. But slicing them into thin sticks and baking at a high temperature will help crisp them up considerably. Also, spread the fries on greased baking trays in a single layer without crowding.

As all respectable fries are, these are great with ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard-mayo mixed, pesto, cilantro chutney, herb dips, cheese dips, or, as I served them, with a quick creamy dip. I mixed home-made crème fraîche with some home-made chili sauce and called it all done! 

Home-made crème fraîche is so much more delicious and cleaner than buying commercially made sour cream. Besides, you can season the crème fraîche with anything: lemon, salt, pepper, honey, chili sauce, or even mix a couple of tablespoons into pesto or tomato (pasta) sauce to make a creamy sauce for your pasta.

On to the potatoes... when I refer to potatoes here, I mean sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Sweet Potato and Potato Oven-Fries
Makes: 4 - 6 servings

- 2 large russet potatoes (or 4 medium potatoes of any type)
- 2 large sweet potatoes (or 4 medium)
- 3 tbsp. oil (peanut, sunflower, safflower, coconut, olive, grapeseed)
- pepper, to taste
- salt, to taste
- 1 tbsp. oil, for greasing the baking trays

1. Scrub any dirt or soil off the potatoes.
2. Cut into thin fries and soak in cool water for 2 - 24 hours, changing water every few hours if soaking longer than 4 hours.
3. Pre-heat oven to 425 F / 220 C and grease 1-2 large baking trays.
4. Drain the potatoes and pat dry. Toss with oil and pepper, mixing everything with your hands to get the oil and pepper on all the potatoes.
5. Put the potatoes on the baking trays in a single layer - don't pile them up on the trays otherwise some potatoes will be soft not crisp. Bake in batches if you need to.
6. Bake for 30 - 35 min. (bake for 5 - 7 min. longer if you want them crisper). Ovens vary in temperature, so check the fries after 25 min.!
7. Remove the fries from the oven and add salt and toss well to distribute the salt evenly.
8. Add more pepper if you want, and serve hot, plain or with a dip!

ENLIGHTENED: HOME-MADE CRÈME FRAÎCHE (OR CREMA MEXICANA)

I find crème fraîche (aka crema mexicana or table cream) much more subtle and delicious than sour cream. Find out more about the difference between crème fraîche and sour cream here. Although it's typically made with heavy cream, half-and-half (half cream, half milk) makes a delicious light crème fraîche with a luscious creamy consistency.

Crème fraîche is delicious in cream sauces, as a dip, or over fruit and savoury dishes, and it's so easy to make at home where you know exactly what goes into it. Commercial varieties in the US have unwarranted ingredients like guar gum, carrageenan, locust bean gum, whey, modified food starch, and potassium sorbate - a totally unnecessary preservative. Why bother with (and pay for) all that when you can have something that's fresh, clean, and healthy for less?!

Home-made Crème Fraîche (or Crema Mexicana)

Makes: 16 oz./2 cups

- 1 pint (16 oz./2 cups) half-and-half or cream, at room temperature

- 1/4 cup yogurt with live cultures (full fat, fat-free, or any fat content in between)

1. Pour the half-and-half into a clean, dry, glass or plastic container.
2. Whisk the yogurt till smooth, add to the half-and-half, stir well to mix.
3. Cover partially and let it stand in a warm place for 12 - 24 hours, or until it's a consistency you like.
4. Refrigerate for up to 10 days.