4th of July - Star Spangled Cookout

In case you missed my 4th of July post - on Sumo’s Sweet Stuff! , here it is again!  I really enjoyed this activity & appreciated the help from my handsome husband to pull it off.

On to the good stuff! I’ve cooked up something really great for you today in honor of Independence Day! Many people will be warming up their grills in anticipation of the fireworks and festivities, so I focused on bringing a little bit of the celebration to your table, with the help of my handsome and super-talented husband. Let’s get started, shall we?

It’s a simple meal – inspired by the American Flag. I used red hot dogs and white buns for the stripes (obviously), and a small blue plate filled with star-shaped Microwave-potato-chips.

These potato chips are the real star of the show. They are not only tasty; they are also quick (Ready in 5 minutes), easy and not fried! ;)

I used this recipe for Uncle Bill’s Microwave Potato chips on Recipe Zaar. Recipe Zaar has millions of recipes, and is easy to sift by ingredient. I’ve used it over and over again with great results every time (so far!).

The low-down for my Star-Spangled Hot Dog Platter follows:

Gather the following:

For Star Potato Chips:

 - 4 large potatoes (russet, yellow gold, white or red potatoes)

 - Seasoning for your chips: Feel free to be creative with your spices (sea salt, granulated garlic powder, seasoning salt, cayenne pepper, dill weed, etc.)

- Vegetable oil

- Food Processor

- Good knife

- Microwave bacon tray (or microwavable casserole dish)

- Parchment Paper (can also be done without)

- Blue plate, bowl, napkin or tissue paper

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For Stripes: 

Hot dogs - (red for extra emphasis)

Buns 

Square dish

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What I Did:

1. Wash and peel potatoes

2. Cut angles into potatoes to form points of star. (My husband is demonstrating!)

3. Pull out your handy-dandy food processor or mandolin slicer and slice thin. (The original recipe recommends 1/16”, slicing across the potato.)

4. Oooh & aah over your cute little star potato slices & get your grill fired up!

6. Remove in batches onto paper towels and pat dry

7. Sprinkle with your choice of herbs or spices. (Mine were very lightly salted). 

8. Rub, or mist, your microwave bacon tray, microwavable casserole dish, or Parchment Paper with vegetable oil. (I used parchment paper.)

9.Place a single layer of the towel-dried potato star slices on your choice of the above options, cover with heavy cover or parchment paper and microwave for approximately 5-6 minutes on HIGH until slightly brown & crispy. (No turning required).

10.Plate them on a blue plate, surround with grilled hot dog & bun stripes, and enjoy the star-spangled tasty goodness with your friends and family.

Thanks again to Summer for having me! Hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July!