Birthday Dinner: Homemade Buffalo Wings & Twice Baked Potatoes

This meal was my son's request for his birthday dinner.  His favorite dish that I used to make for him all the time is Buffalo wings.  He loves the stuffed potatoes as well but the wings are king to him.  I made my favorite blue cheese dressing (bomb.com) to serve with them.  In the 80's, I lived in Ontario for a while.  I even had a boy in Buffalo that I was seeing who took me to where the infamous "Buffalo Wing" originated.  Those weren't my favorite though...I had a chef friend who worked at a pub in Ft. Erie (directly across from Buffalo but in Canada).  She taught me how to make wings and hers were my favorite.  It's the way I've done them since I've learned.  I never change, I do it the same every time as to me, it's perfect.  I don't use the deep fryer any longer though.  It's a simple recipe.

• Cast iron skillet filled 1/3 full with avocado oil
• 2 lbs wings, cut in half at joints, tips removed, patted dry and seasoned with S&P
• Fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for each batch of wings
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar, for each batch of wings
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste for each batch of wings

Over med-high heat that has come to temperature, these take about 15 minutes a batch, flipping every couple of minutes until golden brown.

I did them in 3 batches so I didn't overcrowd the pan and lower the oil temp too much.  While the wings were frying,  I got a container with a lid - like Ziploc/Tupperware and got it ready.  Getting ready meant putting in a pat of butter, the vinegar and the Tabasco.

When the wings came out (I used a spider strainer to remove them), I dumped them immediately into the container, covered with a tight lid and shook until all the wings were coated.  And voila!  Wings are done.  Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese.  My son passed on the celery stick part.  Below is his plate:

Twice Baked Potatoes:

I baked the potatoes the night before and got these stuffed and ready for the oven.  When the potatoes (I used 3 russet bakers) came out of the oven and cooled down, I sliced the potatoes in half and scooped the filling to a bowl.

Then I added the other ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 cup old cheddar cheese, grated, 1/2 cup left out for topping
• 1 cup of sour cream (I used no fat)
• 1/4 cup of butter (I used Becel margarine tonight)
• 4 or 5 or 6 strips of crumbled bacon
• 4 green onions chopped
• 3 or 4 dashes of Tabasco sauce
• Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients together and mix well until everything comes together as one.  Stuff the potato skins and put on a baking sheet.

Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

(I covered with foil here and put in the fridge last night.  I used cooking spray on the underside of the foil so the cheese wouldn't stick to it).  Tonight, I brought them to room temperature, removed the foil and baked them in a preheated 350°F oven for about 40 minutes until heated through and cheese was melted.

My plate is below:

There is no complaining at all to do about this dinner!  We rarely eat like this now, but it was soooo worth it.  Delicious with the capital D.  Wings were exactly as he remembered as a kid and I felt like I was back in Ft. Erie, where I'd eat them for 10 cents a piece and order 50 for $5!  Awesome meal.  And now, back to healthy crap...