Baked Garlic Fries, Game 6

Posted by Judy | Bebe Love Okazu on May 31, 2010 in Blog, Family Favorites, Lakers, Vegetables & Vegetarian | 15 comments

What can I say… our Lakers ROCK!  Congrats to our Western Conference Champions!  Yay!!!  :)

Saturday night’s Game 6 of the Lakers vs. Suns Western Conference Finals had my nerves on edge, especially in the 4th quarter!  The Lakers looked good opening up the 1st quarter with a few quick shots from Andrew, Kobe and Ron, but it wasn’t until late in the 3rd quarter that I really started to get nervous. With a 17-point lead going into the 4th quarter, I was terrified the Lakers were going to have a meltdown and throw away the lead.  We all know that’s been known to happen with the Lakers in the 3rd and 4th quarters, and we could be upset at Sasha for throwing-off the Lakers momentum, but he had his moments too.  Furthermore, we don’t like Dragic, and maybe, just maybe, he deserved that elbow to the jaw.  While the Lakers did blow their lead, it wasn’t a complete disaster.  At one point they still lead by 3-points (I was freaking out) and then went on to win the game 111 – 103, thanks in large to Kobe.

While Kobe had a great game with 37 points, we expect the superstar to play at this level of excellence, averaging 30 points per game.  When he doesn’t, we just attribute this to Kobe having an off night.  Ron, on the other hand, usually plays hard, runs all over the court to defend, but he’s not always a high-scorer, averaging about 11 points per game.  Last night, Ron was THE MAN.  He scored 25 points!  He was ON FIRE! Thank you, Ron, for helping the team to win the series.  On a night when Derek and Pau were slightly off, Ron’s efforts really made a difference.  Now that the Lakers won the Western Conference Championships, I can relax a little bit… at least until Thursday when the NBA Finals begin.

For the next few days I won’t have to worry about Lakers game day superstitions, a.k.a. “my Lakers neurosis”.  Saturday morning I woke up excited about that night’s game.  I debated whether to dress bebe E in her Lakers onesie and wear my Lakers t-shirt.  The Lakers won Game 5 when we didn’t wear our Lakers gear (after two losses), so I decided to go “plain clothes,”  for Game 6 and crossed my fingers (OK, I confess I still hadn’t done laundry.) Then there was the issue of game day cooking superstitions and game night dinner…

Here are some of the questions I posed to bebe dada (BD) and our conversation about our Game 6 dinner:

• Me: Should we order take-out, hun?
  BD: Don’t we have a lot of chicken in the freezer?
  Me: Yea, we have to eat the chicken because we don’t have room in the freezer for ice cream, huh?
  Confession: I didn’t want to be cooking while the game was on since tip-off was at 5:30 PM… OR maybe I just didn’t want to cook, period. :)

• Me: Should I make dinner in the late afternoon, before the game starts?  It’s a BIG GAME tonight and I don’t want to miss tip-off, AND I want to watch the entire game.  What could I make that could be re-heated at 6:30 or 7:00 PM?
  BD:  It’s not a BIG GAME tonight.  The Lakers are up 3 – 2.  If they were tied 3 -3 and it was Game 7, THEN it would be a big game.
  ME:  No, no.  It’s gonna be a BIG GAME.  Hun, the Lakers are going to win tonight, that’s why it’s going to be a BIG GAME.  They’re going to end the series tonight and win the Western Conference Title and I need to watch the entire game.
  Confession: I was adamant about not missing tip-off.  I was also pretty confident the Lakers would win Game 6 even though it would be an away game.  FYI, I’ve missed every tip-off of the post-game series, including the 1st quarter and some of the 2nd quarter.  While we record the games, watching the playoffs on the DVR just isn’t the same and usually we just end-up deleting it.

• BD:  I don’t mind cooking.  Do you want me to make chicken?
  ME: (I think this silently to myself: “Yes, PLEASE cook, but I like my chicken better.”)
  Oooh, hun!  What about STEAKS?!?  You’ve been wanting steaks for a while now!  We could eat steaks for dinner!  And you make the BEST steaks!
  Confession: I was happy bebe dada offered to cook, and if there’s a food that I trust him with, it’s steak. His steaks are absolutely delicious!

Dinner plans – set!

Well, almost.  Bebe dada offered to make baked potatoes too, and while baked potatoes are more acceptable in my book than most any other potato dish (I’m not a fan of potatoes), if we’re going to eat potatoes, I would prefer fries.  I love fries!  Fries are practically the only potato dish that I really love, with the exception of potato chips and garlic mashed potatoes.

It was decided.  I would make baked garlic fries and I could have them ready by tip-off.  :)  In addition, garlic fries are naturally affiliated with Laker games, as we often ordered these at the Staples Center.  Unfortunately, the last time we ordered these in January, they were awful, but hopefully this wouldn’t jinx the Lakers’ game winning mojo.

M-kun, if you’re reading this post, not to worry, I haven’t forgotten, I owe you garlic fries and I promise to make these for our next BBQ!  This was my first attempt at baked garlic fries and they turned out pretty darn good, but they’ll be even better next time.  :)

Baked Garlic Fries

• 4 russet potatoes
• 5 – 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional salt to season fries after they’re baked
• Dash of pepper
• Dried parsley flakes
• Chopped cilantro and chopped fresh garlic for garnish

1)  Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.

2)  Heat oil in small pot on medium-low.  When the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic and chili flakes.  To prevent garlic from browning (and gasp – burning), shake the pan over the flame for 3 – 4 minutes until garlic and chili are infused with the oil.  Pour the oil into a large bowl.  Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper. Gently stir oil.

3) Peel potatoes, then using a mandoline, make 1/4 inch french fries.  You’ll need to work quickly so that your potatoes don’t oxidize and change color.  Gently toss potatoes with the garlic oil in the large bowl. Spray baking sheet with Pam cooking spray.  Place potatoes directly on the pan and sprinkle dried parsley flakes over the fries. I made the mistake of covering the pan with foil, and half-way through the baking process I removed the foil and baked them directly on the pan.   They crisp and brown much better without the foil.

4)   Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until golden.  I let them sit on a paper towel to drain any excess oil.  While the garlic fries are still hot, season with additional salt, and garnish with chopped cilantro and chopped garlic.  My fries look a little mangled here because of the foil incident, but don’t worry M-kun, they’ll be perfect the next time I make these for us.

The fries were garlicky, fresh, and really tasty.  Bebe dada ate A LOT of fries and big onechan said what we were all thinking, “Mmmm, these are SO good!”  The baked fries were perfect with the steak, which was also very delicious – thanks, hun!  :)   Excellent dinner, Lakers won, all is right in the world!

GO LAKERS!

Judy | bebe mama

Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger, FoodNetwork.com