I am a very visual person. I love to have recipes with photographs… it makes the recipe that much more tempting and desirable. Often times, I will be flipping through a magazine and will fall in love with a photo of a recipe, only to take a look at the recipe and realize that I really don’t care for some of the ingredients in the dish. This does not happen very often, as I am not a very picky eater, but when it does sometimes I am still lured in just enough by the photo to throw out my picky qualms about an ingredient and to try the recipe anyway.
This happened recently when I was flipping through June/July 2008 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. A photograph for an appetizer called “Sky Blue Potatoes” caught my eye and I immediately was intrigued. Then, I took a look at the ingredients and noticed that the “Blue” in the recipe title actually came from the fact that Blue Cheese is one of the prominent ingredients. I have never been a fan of Blue Cheese. I have always wanted to be, but each and every time I try it it just does nothing for my tastebuds. I was still being tempted by the photo, so I decided to make this appetizer anyway.
This appetizer was not a huge amount of work, but to do all of that work only to discover that you still do not like blue cheese is a little disappointing. I don’t know what I was expecting my tastebuds to do…did I really think they were going to make a big whopping change, just like that? Actually, yes… yes I did. I just thought that I’d make the recipe, take my first bite, and suddenly be in love with blue cheese! It didn’t happen, folks. In case you are wondering, I still am not a blue cheese fan.
This appetizer got a thumbs up from the Blue Cheese lovers who tried it. If you are of the Blue Cheese loving group, you’ll love this appetizer. If you are not, I’ve done the work for you and can tell you… blue cheese still tastes like blue cheese no matter how tempting the photograph!
Sky Blue Potatoes, from Everyday with Rachael Ray, June/July 2008
| 24 | red potatoes, halved lengthwise |
| 2 | teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 1/2 | cups sour cream |
| 1 | cup crumbled blue cheese |
| 1/2 | cup crumbled cooked bacon |
| 1/4 | cup chopped flat leaf parsley (for garnish) |
| 1/4 | cup green onions, finely chopped |
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil.
- Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake until the skins are crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Let them cool.
- Scoop out the center of each potato half and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the sour cream, blue cheese, bacon, and green onion.
- Fill each potato skin with the sour cream mixture and garnish with parsley.
LyB says:
I’m the same way, I love looking at photos in food magazines. Sometimes, I’ll look at the table of content and see such and such recipe and think: “That’s not in there…” Just to realize, there’s no picture so I didn’t notice it! I actually like blue cheese when combined with other ingredients so this sounds real good to me!
June 17th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Megan says:
[long time reader, first time commenter!]
I am not a fan of blue cheese either, but these potatoes look too good to not make! I’m going to try this with feta instead of blue cheese and throw in a little Greek seasoning
June 17th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Sandie (Inn Cuisine) says:
While I can definitely empathize with your predicament, I like blue cheese and think these Sky Blue Potatoes sound terrific (although I thought you were going to write that they were made with real, blue potatoes - which would have blown me away as I’m always tempted by the unusual, especially when browsing food photos!)
June 17th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Peter says:
I’m glad you revisited blue cheese. I think most use too much of it, it becomes overwhelming and poof, there goes the dish.
I’m making a spud dish with some blue cheese this evening…think alike?
June 17th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Les in NE says:
I’m not a blue cheese fan either! Wonder if something else might work as a substitution?
June 17th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
peabody says:
I do love looking at photos of food. I would gladly eat the blue cheese for you.
June 17th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Erin says:
I am a fan of blue cheese, so I’d have to say this sounds like a great appetizer! I know what you mean about pictures, though… that’s how you know they’re a good photographer!
June 17th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Kathy says:
Hey, I love that plate under yesterday’s cake!
June 17th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says:
I love blue cheese! I make an appetizer “pizza” with scallion pancakes as the base, topped with chopped cooked potato and melted blue cheese on top.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
CountryGirlCityLife says:
I am honestly surprised that you don’t like blue cheese because you have such a palate and great taste. I rank blue cheese up there with great taste, adult taste. I didn’t love it until a few years ago and now I can’t live without it. I will def try making this, seems fairly easy!
June 17th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Lisa says:
Hmm, I don’t think I’ve ever had blue cheese. The pic is pretty–it does make me want to snatch that tater!
Totally with you on needing pictures to go with the recipes!!! Not only does it help whet my appetite, but it helps my need to know how a dish *should* look if the directions were followed properly.
Not that my creations ever really come close to the pics….
June 17th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
noble pig says:
Hey I made these too. Check mine out under I Don’t Like the Rules under appetizers. Great minds thing alike! But I love blue cheese.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Shalee says:
I was never a huge fan of blue cheese until I was in my 30’s. I would take bites of Mr. Right’s wedge salads and like them. Then I had a steak with blue cheese on it and there was no going back after that.
I’ll make these, and I bet they’ll be a hit around here. I mean there’s bacon involved so it can’t be that bad… :o)
June 18th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Steph says:
I do the same thing. I fall in love with the pictures just to get turned off by the recipe.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:43 am
My Sweet & Saucy says:
MIni spuds…I love them!
June 18th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Deborah says:
I am a blue cheese fan, and I keep turning to this recipe in my magazine. Good to hear the blue cheese lovers liked it!
June 18th, 2008 at 10:52 am
lululu says:
I’m not RR fan, but this simple + yummy dish really got my attention.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Trysha says:
I am so often enticed by food photos that I really don’t like when a photo doesn’t accompany a recipe. I can’t imagine myself making whatever it is because I have no photo evidence it can happen.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Meeta says:
Kristen - I am a visual one too and droll over the pictures first and then realize the recipe is not exactly what i had in mind. But I do enjoy experimenting to get something that looks equally good. This recipe really sounds great - unlike you I do like blue cheese so i will certainly try this out!
June 18th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
matt wright says:
Great photo! its funny, I too am very visual but my favorite cookbook doesn’t have a single picture in it.
Funny, I just found this blog, about 2minutes after I bought that exact same glass dish..
June 18th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
The Food Monster says:
http://thefoodmonsterblog.blogspot.com
I am a big fan of twice-baked potatoes, and need to pull out the old recipe book for Blue Cheese and Chives baked potatoes. I had them for last Christmas dinner and they were to die for. The extended length of cooking helps dull the pungent flavor that many people don’t like about Blue Cheese allowing my crowd of non-Blue cheese eaters to enjoy them as well. Great photo!
June 18th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
sireesha says:
Lovely MINI SPUDS…….
June 19th, 2008 at 2:11 am
Patricia Scarpin says:
I wish I could have been around these, since I love blue cheese, Kristen!
June 19th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Mrs. L says:
I have the same problem with blue cheese. No matter how hard I try, I just don’t like it. But I continue to make it because everyone else seems too!
June 20th, 2008 at 12:41 pm