5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

Ingredients

Serves: 1

4 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons butter flavour infused rice bran oil, or butter

¼ teaspoon vanilla essence or peppermint

1 tablespoon choc chips

1 large mug

Preparation method

Prep: 10 minutes |Cook: 3 minutes

1. Add dry ingredients to the mug and mix well.

 

2. Crack an egg and add it to your mug. Be sure to mix it well to avoid any pockets of flour in the corners. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the vanilla essence.

 

3. Pop your mug into the microwave & zap for 3 minutes on maximum power (1000watt). Wait until the cake stops rising, and sets in the mug.

 

4. If necessary, run a knife around the sides of the mug, and tip the still warm cake out of the mug and onto a saucer.

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Chicken and Tropical Mango on Romaine

Just four ingredients will make your taste buds happy. The beauty of this salad is in the mango: it’s so juicy, you don’t need dressing.

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped
• 1 head Romaine lettuce
• 1 mango, rough cut
• 1 big handful of cilantro, lightly chopped
• ¼ c. toasted slivered almonds

Grab a big salad bowl and add lettuce, cilantro, chicken and mango. Gently toss, just enough to mix the ingredients well. As you toss the salad, the mango releases its juice and turns everything sweetly delicious, and the cilantro adds zing. Throw some almond slivers on top and serve. Yes, it was that easy.

Tip: Do you know how to cut a mango? What may seem daunting is a cinch. Slice your mango in half lengthwise and watch out for the stone. Pull it apart, remove the stone and hold one half mango in your hand. Using a small paring knife you’re very friendly with, make diagonal cuts left to right and then repeat right to left for a cross hatch design. Now, turn the half inside out. Voila! Your mango pieces will pop up, easy to slice off into your salad (or slurp directly into your mouth!).

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Spinach and Spring Greens with Strawberries and Goat Cheese

Full of iron, antioxidants and flavor, this summer treat is perfect for a special luncheon and gives you a great excuse to have friends over (or eat it all alone!

• 1 bunch or bag of spinach, well-rinsed
• 1 big bunch or bag of spring greens
• 1 basket strawberries
• 3 oz. goat cheese
• ¼ c. pecans, rough chopped
• 3 Tbsp. vinaigrette (dealer’s choice)

Mix your spinach and spring greens together. After removing stems from strawberries, slice in half lengthwise and toss into salad. Add pecans and goat cheese. Dress with the vinaigrette you like best. Balsamic and strawberries are incredible together… champagne vinaigrette works well, too. Toss and serve.

Tip: We like to use organic ingredients whenever possible, and it’s especially important when it comes to strawberries. Why? Because they’re a flashy red that bugs adore and they soak up a lot of water. That means, without making an organic choice, strawberries have the potential to contain more pesticide than most produce, so go organic when possible. Instead of washing organic berries (and rinsing out yummy juice), wet a soft cloth and gently wipe them down, removing grit while preserving flavor.

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Lovely Lentil Salad

Lentils are so good and good for you, and this recipe is ideal for taking to parties: it travels well since there’s no lettuce involved. Lentils are easy to cook (there’s usually a recipe right on the bag) or use canned lentils, as time allows.

• 2 c. lentils, cooked and cooled
• 
  
• 1 c. celery, medium chop
• 
  
• 1 c. carrots, thinly sliced
• 
  
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 
  
• Italian dressing, bottled or fresh

Salt and pepper

Mix the first four ingredients gently. Season with salt and pepper then add Italian salad dressing to taste. Mix again and chill for an hour, if you can wait that long! It’s also very good at room temperature. If you do make fresh lentils, take care to avoid over-cooking.

Tip: Celery absorbs liquid so easily that it has a tendency to get mushy if it sits too long. You want it crunchy celery. If you are taking this dish to a party, hold back your celery until right before serving.

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Healthy Taco Salad with Black Beans and Corn

Taco salad is a huge hit in our house, since it combines great flavor with protein all wrapped up in a yummy little fiesta. This version uses ground turkey which is notoriously flavorless, so we have a few tricks to up the taste factor.

• 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. (more or less) ground turkey
• 1 onion, any color, rough chopped
• 1 or ½ Tbsp. chili powder (depending on the spicy tolerance)
• 1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
• ¾ c. grated cheddar cheese
• 2 Haas avocados, large dice
• ½ lemon
• 1 large can stewed tomatoes
• 1 can kernel corn
• 1 can black beans
• 1 bag blue corn chips

1. Drizzle olive oil around a big pot on medium heat. Add onions and ground turkey; cook until seared. Drizzle with Balsamic, add the chili powder and brown a little more. The balsamic adds flavor and colors the turkey, making it visually more appealing.
2. Next, add the canned ingredients: corn, tomatoes and black beans. Mix all ingredients together and continue cooking until it’s all hot. Meanwhile, set your table with pasta-style bowls (this is a big salad). Place a handful of blue corn chips in each bowl. When you cut the avocado, squeeze the lemon on it so the avocado won’t brown.
3. With your chopped Romaine in a really big salad bowl, add the cheese and avocado, then mix. Next, add the turkey mixture and toss gently. Serve generous portions atop the corn chips and eat immediately! Salsa and/or sour cream are optional.
4. Tip: Open cans, drain and rinse your beans while the turkey cooks. Don’t try another type of lettuce to replace romaine, it won’t hold up. This recipe easily doubles, so we often use the turkey mix for tacos or burritos the same day. Kids all ages love this!

Link to intructions through playing cooking games: 

http://www.dressup24h.com/game/1719/Summer-Salad.html

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Asian Slaw Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 firm mangoes, julienne and shredded
• 1 head of red cabbage, shredded
• 1 green papaya, shredded
• 1 bunch of bok choy, chiffonade
• 4 carrots, julienne
• 1 cup bean sprouts (250 mL)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (5 mL)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 teaspoon sweet chili sauce (5-10 mL)
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce (5 mL)
• 3 green onions
• Cilantro
• Grape cherry tomatoes, halved
• Chopped, roasted peanuts

Directions

1. Shred, julienne and mix all of the fruits and vegetables in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, lime juice, chili sauce, fish sauce and green onions.
3. Pour over the vegetables and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate and let marinate for 1 hour.
4. Garnish with grape cherry tomatoes, cilantro leaves and chopped toasted peanuts.

Link to intructions through playing cooking games: 

http://www.dressup24h.com/game/7402/Asian-Slaw-Recipe.html

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HAM AND CHEESE CALZONES

Dough:
1 1/4 c – Water (Luke warm)
1 tsp – Sugar
2 tsp – Salt
2 T – Olive Oil
3 c – Hi-Gluten Flour
1 tsp – Active Dry Yeast
Filling:
1/2 c – Bill’s Neapolitan Sauce
6 oz – Ricotta cheese
1/4 c – Grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp – black pepper
4 slices – deli ham
4 slices – Provolone cheese
1/2 c – Mozzarella cheese
Crust Glaze:
1 egg, beaten
I rolled the dough into a circle as I would for pizza, but I only spread sauce on half of the blank. I then mixed the ricotta, Parmesan, and pepper in a bowl and spread it on top of the sauce about 3/4 inches thick. This was topped with two slices of provolone and a handful of mozzarella. Finally, 4 slices of deli ham where sliced into strips and layered over the cheese. The dough was then folded over and pinched along the edge. I used the back of a fork to crimp the rim after pinching and cut 4 small vent holes in the top crust. A beaten egg was brushed over the calzone and it was placed on a stone set on the middle oven rack at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes.
This calzone was incredible! We couldn’t even wait for it to cool down before serving it. I think next time I will try a bit more sauce, but we used a bowl of sauce to dip anyway which was fine. I must say that even though it was my first calzone, I can’t think of a way to make it any better! I will be adding this to my menu for sure!
Link to intructions through playing cooking games: http://www.dressup24h.com/game/7433/Ham-And-Cheese-Calzones.html

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Marbled Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the pan
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 medium very ripe bananas
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 9-by-5-inch metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust well with all-purpose flour to cover the pan completely, tapping out the excess.
• Put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted and smooth, 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly while preparing the batter.
• Combine the bananas and sugar in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork until mostly smooth with just a few small pieces of banana left. Add the oil and eggs and stir until combined. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, mix in both flours, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla.
• Stir 1 cup batter into the melted chocolate. Fill the loaf pan with half the banana batter and then half the chocolate batter. Repeat the layers and gently swirl together using a spoon or knife. Bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
• Cool in the pan 15 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Cook's Note: To prepare your loaf pan for baking, you can also use a nonstick spray with flour already in it. Flouring the pan helps the bread rise well and prevents any collapse after it comes out of the oven.
• Per serving: Calories: 203; Total Fat 8 grams; Saturated Fat: 2 grams; Protein: 4 grams; Total carbohydrates: 31 grams; Sugar: 16 grams Fiber: 2 grams; Cholesterol: 32 milligrams; Sodium: 212 milligrams

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BANANA BREAD

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.
• Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.
• Spread slices with honey or serve with ice cream.

Link to intructions through playing cooking games: http://www.dressup24h.com/game/6702/Banana-Bread.html

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Moist and Creamy Coconut Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 Box White Cake Mix
• 1/2 Cup Cup Milk
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 2 Cup Angel Flake Coconut
• 8 oz Cool Whip

Directions:

1. Mix cake as directed on box and bake in oblong ( 9 x 13) pan.
2. Combine sugar, milk and 1/2 cup coconut in sauce pan. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer one minute.
4. Punch holes in cake with wooden spoon or straw. Carefully pour warm liquid over cake, allowing it to seep through and cool completely.
5. Fold 1/2 cup coconut into CoolWhip spread onto top of cooled cake. Then sprinkle the rest of the coconut on top of cake.

Link to intructions through cooking games: http://www.dressup24h.com/game/7264/Creamy-Coconut-Cake.html

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Veal with tomato, sage & bocconcini

Ingredients 

• Olive oil spray
• 4 (about 125g each) veal leg steaks
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp chopped fresh sage
• 1 x 400g can no-added-salt chopped tomatoes
• 500g small washed potatoes, quartered
• 2 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley
• 75g bocconcini, thinly sliced
• Steamed green round beans, to serve

Method 

• Step 1: Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Cook veal for 1-2 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a baking dish.
• Step 2: Reduce heat to medium. Spray the pan with olive oil spray. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and sage. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
• Step 3: Meanwhile, cook the potato in a steamer over a saucepan of simmering water for 10 minutes or until tender. Add half the parsley and season with pepper. Toss to combine.
• Step 4: Preheat grill on high. Pour the tomato mixture over the veal and top with the bocconcini. Cook under grill for 2-3 minutes or until the bocconcini melts. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Serve with the potato and beans.
• Accordingly, the items you can do the following through cooking games: http://www.dressup24h.com/game/7276/BBQ-With-Veal-Tomato.html

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Charlotte aux fraises

Biscuit à la cuiller
48 g	Egg yolk
35 g	Caster sugar (1)
77 g	Egg white
40 g	Caster sugar (2)
75 g	Cake flour
	Icing sugar

Italian Meringue
25 g	Egg white
45 g	Caster sugar (1)
5 g	Caster sugar (2)
15 g	Water

Strawberry Mousse
200 g	Strawberry (fresh or frozen)
25g	Caster sugar
5 g	Gelatin
150 g	Whipping cream
40 g	Italian meringue

Make the Biscuit à la cuiller

Preparation:

Pan lined with baking paper and brush with butter

Oven temperature: 220 °C

Sift the flour

Pour egg yolk and sugar (1) into a bowl, and beat until lighten in color and thicken. Set aside.

Make the meringue by beating the egg white and sugar (2) together until stiff peak form.

Fold the meringue into egg yolk mixture in 2 additions; be careful not to knock off the air.

Pour the sifted flour into the mixture and fold to combine.

Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1.4 cm nozzle (or smaller). Pipe or spoon mixture into 2 X 15 cm rounds onto baking paper-lined (or Silpat) oven trays.
And pipe the rest into close fingers. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Put the pan into the oven, bake for 12 -15 minutes for the round biscuits.
And bake for 8-10 minutes for the fingers.
Let the biscuits cool on the wire rack.

Set the biscuit in the pan

(before making the strawberry mousse)

Cut the fingers and line the mold with the finger.
Place the round biscuit into the base.

Set aside while you making the mousse.

Makes the strawberry mousse

Make the Italian meringue:

1. Put the sugar (1), water in a thick based pan, and place over a moderate heat and stir until it boils 

2. When the syrup temperature reaches 110 °C beat the egg whites and sugar (2) until stiff

3. When the syrup temperature reaches 118°C slowly whisk it into the egg whites in a thin stream taking care not to let it run onto the whisk

4. Continue beating until completely cold.

Put the strawberry in the blender or food processor and process until fine.
Mix with sugar.

Dissolve the gelatin with 2 tbsp of water, let the mixture stand for 2 minutes.
Put 50 g of strawberry mixture into a microwavable cup and heat for 40 second or until hot.
Pour the hot strawberry into the gelatin and stir to combine.
Pour the strawberry and gelatin mixture into the strawberry mixture and stir to combine.

Beat the cream until soft peak form.


then gently fold 1/3 of the cream into the strawberry mixture. 

Gently fold back the strawberry and cream mixture into the cream. The mixture will be quite loose.

Fold the Italian meringue into the strawberry mixture in 2 addition.
Fold to combine.


Pour the mousse into the prepared mold.
Cover with another round biscuit.
Warp with plastic warp and refrigerate until firm.

To Serve
Take the charlotte out of the mold.
Dust with icing sugar.

Now, let's decorate your cake: http://www.dressup24h.com/game/7375/Charlotte-Aux-Marron.html

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Southwest Chili Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 pound cubed leftover pot roast
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 cups water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (or whatever you have on hand)

Directions:

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil, diced onion and garlic and saute until the onions are golden, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, pot roast, black beans, chili powder, and 2 cups water. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the chili into serving bowls and sprinkle each bowl with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Serve hot.

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Crabcake Sliders Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb. canned or imitation crab
1 C. panko crumbs
2 chopped green onions
1 beaten egg
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tblsp. mustard
2 Tblsp. mayo
juice of 2 limes or 1 lemon
2 Tblsp. each butter and oil
coleslaw
slider buns (I like Hawaiian rolls)

Mix the crab, panko and green onions together. In a separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Add sauce to the crab mixture and form into 2 inch patties. Fry in a equal amounts of butter and oil. Put on a warmed bun and top with coleslaw or tarter sauce.

Spicy Mayo #1

4 tablespoons of mayo with a few drops of olive oil, about 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, a few dashses of tabasco, 1 clove of crushed garlic and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Spicy Mayo #2

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice (from about 1/4 lemon)
1 Tbsp. chili sauce , such as Sriracha
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Spicy Mayo #3

1 Cup Light Mayonnaise
2 Teaspoons of Sun-Dried Tomato Paste
1 Finely Minced Garlic Clove
Salt & Pepper
Dash of Hot Pepper Sauce

Spicy Mayo #4 Chuck Hughes

1 egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cups canola oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

For the spicy mayo: Using a blender or food processor, beat the egg with the Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar. Slowly add the canola oil until the mixture starts to emulsify and becomes very creamy in texture. Add water if necessary to make a thinner texture. Add the sriracha sauce. Continue to process for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

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Chicken and Pea Orzotto

Ingredients

• 1 Small onion
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp of chicken fat or butter (see note below)
• 150g, 5.5oz Pearl Barley
• 1/2 tsp White wine vinegar
• 850ml, 1.5pints Chicken stock (preferably home made)
• A bay leaf
• 200g, 7oz Cooked chicken
• 100g, 3.5oz Frozen small peas

To finish

• 2 generous tbsp Parmesan or other cheese of your choice
• Small knob of butter
• Parsley if liked

Method

If you've had a roast chicken at the weekend, this is a great way to use up leftovers.  Make stock from the bones and you will probably find once it cools there is a thin layer of fat on the surface.  Well it might sound weird but why not use this to fry your onions?  Ok, not up for that?  Use a little butter.  Anyway, peel and finely chop the onion and gently fry in a frying pan in the chicken fat or butter until softened.  Put the stock onto heat up with the bay leaf until simmering.  Add the garlic and then the pearl barley.  Stir around a bit then add the vinegar followed by a ladle of stock.  Stir around and then add the stock bit by bit as you would with risotto although as it takes far longer, I would be a bit more gung ho and add a few at a time early on to avoid extreme boredom!

Once you get to about 35 mins, slow the addition of stock and taste the barley, cooking for longer if needed.  As I said I stopped at 40 minutes but I think 45 would have been a smidge better.  Some Orzotto recipes I have seen say it takes 20 minutes but mine was still too firm by then.

Once the barley is pretty much cooked, add in the peas and chicken and continue to cook until they are hot through.  Once hot, add the butter and cheese and beat in, taking off the heat.  Leave to stand for a few minutes then serve sprinkled with parsley if liked.

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The Best Roast Potatoes

Ingredients

Floury potatoes - as many as you want but I used about 4 medium sized spuds.  This served 2 adults and a toddler.   You need to bear in mind that people really like roast potatoes.
2-3 tbsp Duck or Goose fat (or vegetable oil if you don't have either or would like a vegetarian version.  Dripping or lard is also good.)

Method

Peel your spuds and cut them into pieces of the same size.  What size you chose is basically up to you as long as you're consistent but I tend to look at the potatoes and decide once I see what size they are but it's normally bigger than an inch (2.5cm) and smaller than 2 inches (5cm).

Put into a saucepan and cover with boiling water.  Bring to the boil and boil for 7-10 minutes.  You kind of get a feel for this, how long will depend on how old your potatoes are.  Drain your spuds and put the lid back on.  Give a shake and a shimmy of the saucepan with the lid on.  Not too hard because you want the surface to be roughed up without the potatoes breaking up.  Have a look, if they're not showing any signs of roughing up, be a bit more aggressive.  If you find you've really not boiled them for long enough and they're showing no signs of being fluffy at all, you can save the day and cheat and use a fork to rough up the surface, but this takes a bit longer and doesn't quite work so well.

Put the oven on to 220oC / 450F and put a baking dish or tray into the oven with the fat or oil in it to heat.  You want the fat really hot.  While the fat is heating, leave the potatoes to cool a bit, if you have a lot in the saucepan, turn them out onto a cold plate.  Losing the steam helps them crisp up.

When the fat is hot, carefully bring out the tray or dish onto a heatproof mat and put in the potatoes, carefully as the fat can splash.  As you add the potatoes, the fat should sizzle, if it doesn't put the tray back in the oven to heat up more.  Use a spoon to poor some of the hot fat from the dish over each potato and return to the oven.  Lower the heat to 200oC / 400F and roast for 45 mins or so turning once or twice or until they are golden, crispy and delicious.  Just be aware that if you're cooking a lot of these, do use a big tray because you need space around the potatoes for them to go crispy.  Also be aware if it's Christmas day and the oven door is being opened multiple times they may need a little longer.  Remember my top tip though is to get your turkey done an hour before you want to eat, wrap it in foil to keep warm then up the temperature in the oven to get the potatoes on.  Much easier.

Best served as soon as possible after cooking to be at their crunchiest.

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