What to buy (or how much can two people eat anyway?)

Recipes: Oven Fries, Turkey Burgers, Sauteed Wild Mushrooms, Red Coleslaw

Figuring out how much food to make is probably the biggest challenge for those of us who cook for two. Most recipes in books and magazines are for four or more. Glossy photos show gorgeous food on a table for eight. What's with that? How can you make it work for two without having mountains of leftovers? Don't worry, it's logical, more-or-less.

First, think about this: Chances are you know the person you're cooking for, and of course you know yourself. You know whether one of you is a big eater, and whether one of you picks at your food like a tweety-bird. You know who won't touch leftovers, and you also know who likes to have a little something in the fridge to make into a sandwich or to heat up for a late-night snack. All this helps!

Next, breathe a sigh of relief that some food makes choosing for two easy. You can go with two pork chops or two half-chicken breasts. You will probably need four chicken thighs or four small sausages, but you'll only need two sausages if they're big. Two lamb shanks are made for two. Two people can do fine with one moderately large piece of fish, or two small-to-medium filets. Where it gets harder, meatwise, is when you're not dealing with individual items. For instance, three pounds is about the right size for a pork shoulder roast for two, plus a little leftover pork for sandwiches. A whole roasted three-pound-plus chicken will definitely feed two, plus leftovers to put in tacos or on a salad.

Vegetables and starches follow the same general rules. Two baked russet potatoes, or four medium roasted red potatoes are plenty for two. Two large carrots, two ears of sweet corn, or two medium artichokes are perfect. Pasta? Now you have to get creative. A half-pound of dried pasta is about right for two, unless it's noodles served with a meat dish or something like that. Then 1/3 pound is enough. OK, some of this is trial and error, but a lot of it is common sense.

You're probably dying to know how to alter real-life recipes for more to fit two, and we're going to do that in a later post. Soon. I promise. It's not hard, and it's built on exactly what we've been talking about here - logic and common sense. It's definitely a skill you'll perfect with a little practice. More on that later.

So, you ask, you haven't mentioned hamburger. What about ground beef? I have to say right here that I don't eat much beef, so you'll see me using ground turkey instead. They're really interchangeable for making most recipes. Why don't I eat beef? Well, it's not a moral or a religious thing at all. I just think beef is hard to digest and it's more fatty that ground turkey so it has more calories from fat. If I go out to someone's home and they cook beef for me, I eat it and enjoy it because it's a treat I don't often eat. Anyway, enough about that. Feel free to use ground beef if you like.

When I cook for two at home, I often use a pound of ground turkey for the burger recipe below. However, the other person I'm cooking for really really REALLY likes leftovers, especially meat leftovers, so a pound makes more than I'd need for two. In this recipe I'm going to say 3/4 pound, because that's a good number for two and you will probably still have a little left over. Let's cook some dinner.

Oven Fries

Bring enough water to cover your potatoes to a boil in a pot on the stove.

Turn the oven on to 400. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut two russet potatoes, four medium red potatoes, or two medium garnet sweet potatoes into wedges. For the russets and the sweet potatoes, cut each one in half and then cut each half into fourths. For the medium reds, cut each potato into fourths. You can also mix colors to make an equal amount (two reds and a garnet sweet, or one russet and one garnet sweet).

Drop the potatoes into the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain them in a colander and pat them dry with paper towels.

Put the potatoes into a large bowl and add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you want to spice things up!) Toss them with your hands and lay them out on the prepared baking sheet. Put them in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes.

Take the sheet out and turn the potatoes over with a big spoon. Put them back in for 10 minutes more. You're done. These are great with catsup or sour cream for dipping. Be sure they're not still too hot before you bite!

Turkey Burgers (or Beef or Lamb)

Form 3/4 pound ground turkey into 4 patties. Compress them with your palms so they're not too thick. Sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on one side. If you wish, sprinkle a little granulated garlic (not garlic salt) or dried oregano on too.

In a heavy frying pan, preferably a seasoned cast iron pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. (If you're using beef, you won't need any olive oil). When the oil is hot, put all 4 patties in the pan seasoned side down. Season the up side of each patty with salt and pepper only. Fry for 4 minutes. Do not press the patties down with a spatula at any time. This dries them out.

Turn the patties and fry for 4 minutes more. See "Do not press the patties" above.

Take the patties out of the pan and put them on a plate to sit for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, toast your buns if you want. Assemble crisp lettuce, a slice of onion, dill pickles, slices of tomato if they're in season, catsup, mustard, mayonnaise, and whatever else you want on your burger. Put it all together when the potatoes come out of the oven.

You're done. Unless, of course, you want to...

!!!Step it up!!!

and turn your burger into something sensational. Keep on reading for two easy and oh-so-worth-it ways to beautify that burger. If you've got a Burger Lover in the house, you could be a Hero!

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms

Buy 1/2 pound of any fresh mushroom or a mixture of  mushrooms. Be adventurous...of course stick to the supermarket or the farmers' market offerings - don't pick these out of your lawn. Hmmm. Some suggestions: Baby Bella, Crimini, Maitake (also called Hen of the Woods), Shitake. These are delicious and commonly available.

Brush them off and slice them. If the ends of the stems are hard, cut those off.

Melt one tablespoon butter in a 12-inch skillet. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When it's heated, put the mushrooms in with a good pinch of sea salt. Move the mushrooms around the pan so they all get some butter. Add a little more sea salt as you go.

Saute until the mushrooms give up their liquid, and then keep sauteing until the liquid disappears. You're done. Sauteed wild mushrooms are heaven on a burger, possibly instead of onion, and maybe with a slice of provolone cheese melted briefly under the broiler.

Red Coleslaw

From Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food
Remove any tough outer leaves from 1/2 of a small red cabbage. Cut it in half and cut away the core from each half. Turn cut side down and slice crosswise into thin shreds.

In a large bowl, mix together 1/2 small red or yellow onion, sliced very thinly and sea salt to taste. Add the shredded cabbage.

In a separate small bowl, mix together 1 scant tablespoon cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to mix well. Whisk in 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Taste for salt and tartness.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage and onions and toss to mix well. This slaw is especially good if you can let it sit for an hour or two before using. However it is also excellent used right away. You're done. Creamy, crunchy coleslaw lifts your burger to a new level when piled on instead of lettuce, onion, and mayonnaise.