Foodgasm: spice rub

Phil has been cooking a few nights a week. And as much as I love to cook and have what some might call "control issues" in the kitchen, it has been so nice to have a few days a week where I don't wake up thinking about how I am going to turn nothing into something called dinner.

Monday Phil decided to try a few recipes from the Burlington Free Press, our local daily. The menu looked like this...

First, a "tex-mex" spice rub for chicken thighs. Next, coleslaw. And finally, potato chips.

The Rub:

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

rub meat (in our case chicken) with rub. Phil fired up the charcoal grill. cooked thighs over direct heat for 3 minutes on each side and then moved the chicken to indirect heat for another 15 minutes. keep the top on grill for better cooking, says grill master Phil.

The Slaw:
1 green onion (all of it, diced)
1 shredded carrot
1 small head broccoli, broken into small pieces
1/2 small head of purple cabbage, shredded

4 tbsp red vinegar

2 tbsp course ground mustard

2 tbsp tamari

chop, dice, shred veggies. mix wet ingredients in a small jar with tight lid. combine. letting it sit out of the frig for a bit will allow for veggies to tenderize a bit.

The Chips:

4 potatoes (we used Idaho)

2 tbsp salt

4 cups peanut or canola oil

using a mandolin, slice potatoes thin. rinse with running water, then soak in cold water and 2 tbsp salt for 30 minutes. use towel to dry slices before frying. Add oil to pan, heat to 325. add slices in batches. cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. remove slices with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. We added salt and pepper at this point, but you could add any spice.