Emily 4 Little Chef!
We have big news in our house! Our daughter, Emily, is one of ten semi-finalists in the "Little Chef" contest for the Marilyn Denis Show, sponsored by The Little Potato Co. About a month ago, she told me that she had seen an ad for the contest in the Co-op grocery store and the grand prize was a trip to Paris! I always have CTV on in the morning and as soon as she said it, I remembered that I had heard the commercial many times so I thought it was time to investigate further. It turned out that she fell within the age limits and just had to submit a video cooking a dish using the potatoes from The Little Potato Co. Well, we knew she could do that! And so, Emily's quest to become the "Little Chef" began!
We brainstormed an idea and together developed a brand new recipe for the contest! This special dish had to make the little potatoes the star, be easy enough for an 8 year old to prepare, demonstrate several cooking techniques, be varied to suit a variety of kids' tastes, and look awesome on the plate. And so Emily's "Smashed Little Potato Nachos" were born and since I just recently tried to write the recipe down, I think it looks something like the one below!
Last week, we received word that her video submission was chosen as one of the top 10 submissions in the country and she was a semi-finalist! Canadians are asked to vote daily from now until November 29 for their favourite little chef, and I would recommend that you have a look at all the videos, because they are really great. And if you like Emily's the best, she would LOVE to have your support! The voting will be taken into consideration when the top 2 finalists are chosen and those lucky kids will go to Toronto in December for a cook-off on the Marilyn Denis Show! Emily is really hoping to be one of those finalists for many reasons, one of them being she will get to meet Chef Michael Bonacini who will help choose the big winner! If a trip to Toronto isn't big enough news for an 8 year old, the grand prize truly is a culinary adventure in Paris! (France, NOT Ontario!!) I am being completely truthful when I say that about a year ago she became obsessed with going to Paris. I suggested earlier this year that maybe if we saved up, we could go for her 16th birthday. I figured it was a safe offer since I'm sure she'll either forget by then, or I'll be so uncool in 8 years that she won't want to travel with me anymore.
But who knows? Maybe Paris isn't that far out of reach after all!
To view the Little Chef videos, please visit:
Whatever happens, thank you to The Little Potato Co., The Marilyn Denis Show, and CTV Bell Media for the incredible adventure she has had so far! And to her fans, thank you so much for the votes! We are so grateful for your support!
Smashed Little Potato Nachos
4 C. Little Potato Co. potatoes
1 C. ground pork or turkey
1 avocado, diced
1 C. shredded cheese
1/2 C. salsa
1/2 C. sour cream or greek yogourt
1/4 C. chives, chopped
1 C. arugula
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Bring potatoes to a simmer in a pot of salted water. Cook until fork tender, approximately 10-15 minutes. Drain and let cool. Fry pork or turkey in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Remove meat but leave juices in the pan. Place each potato between sheets of wax paper and smash lightly with palm of hand. Over medium heat, heat fat and olive oil, and then add potatoes to fry on each side until golden. Remove to serving platter and top with additional ingredients.
"Boom. Done. Pretty!"
