Help me with a side dish

[saraha]

Our heating element died last night in the middle of dinner prep. This evening, dd’s bf is coming for dinner and meeting dh’s parents. She had requested ranch chicken sandwiches (hot shredded ranch flavored sandwich filling), homemade fries, crudités and a fruit salad. What should I replace the fries with? 
My crockpot is full of chicken, but I have a griddle, the stove top and a George Foreman grill.

thanks!

Edited January 1, 2022 by saraha

[ScoutTN]

Can you do skillet fried potatoes? We make them often. Par cook/boil, allow to dry and cool, brown in a nonstick skillet in fat of your choice just before serving. 
 

We use russets or gold potatoes with a 1” dice. 

Edited January 1, 2022 by ScoutTN

[itsheresomewhere]

You can do fries on the griddle.  We do it often. 

[katilac]

You can truly pan fry them, but it's messy and time-consuming. We like what we call pan-fried potatoes, but it's not the kind where you are actually frying them in a shallow amount of oil. We just put enough oil or butter to coat them and cook (we like them roughly diced). Sometimes we sautee onions and bell pepper first and then add the potatoes, sometimes not. 

Of course, that might be just close enough to home fries to be disappointing, lol. If you want to use them but go a bit different, smothered potatoes would be a good choice and don't require much babysitting. 

 

[saraha]

Thanks for the ideas! The side doesn’t have to be potatoes, just something easy so that I am cooking as little as possible during the visit so everyone will be more comfortable with the next step of meeting the family.

[Toocrazy!!]

McDonald’s fries😀 store bought potato chips? 

[Toocrazy!!]

Potato soup? Coleslaw? Pasta salad? 

[Carol in Cal.]

I know this one.

You parboil potatoes whole until they are sort of half done, not crunchy but not dead soft either.

Then you slice them into 1-2 inch slices (skin still on).  Then you marinate them in Italian salad dressing, turning regularly, for as long as possible but up to a full day.

Then you barbecue them, turning occasionally, until dead soft with partially browned outsides.

These are absolutely amazing.

Edited January 1, 2022 by Carol in Cal.

[mathnerd]

28 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

I know this one.

You parboil potatoes whole until they are sort of half done, not crunchy but not dead soft either.

Then you slice them into 1-2 inch slices (skin still on).  Then you marinate them in Italian salad dressing, turning regularly, for as long as possible but up to a full day.

Then you barbecue them until dead soft with partially browned outsides.

These are absolutely amazing.

I do a similar procedure but bake it on a sheet pan and they come out crispy as well.

[Carol in Cal.]

6 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

I do a similar procedure but bake it on a sheet pan and they come out crispy as well.

Well, their oven is out.

[Dianthus]

Cut potatoes in wedges, don't par boil. Fry in generous olive oil, with salt and pepper or a seasoning mix or however you want. Fry over med heat and they will crisp up by the end. I have never par boiled and they always cook through. This is one of our go to potato dishes. Takes about 20 min and you must stir frequently

[Drama Llama]

I'd do potato chips.  Chips go well with sandwiches, and you want your focus to be on your guest.  If I was going to add something, I'd add nice guacamole to go with the chips and crudites.

Or I'd do pasta salad.  

[mathnerd]

37 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Well, their oven is out.

Oops! Didn't realize what heating element meant!

[Catwoman]

If you don't mind spending a little money, an air fryer is great for making fries, and you can use it for lots of other things later, as well. 🙂 

[KungFuPanda]

potato polpettes are delicious and easy.  Cook the potatoes whole in boiling, salted water.  When a knife goes through easily, pull them out, peel them, mash roughly, and mix with seasoning and an egg.  Then, dredge in flour and fry in olive oil until golden on the outside.  My favorite thing to put in them is green onion, dill, and feta.  With ranch chicken, I might go with different flavors; maybe cheddar and parsley?

[Frances]

9 hours ago, Baseballandhockey said:

I'd do potato chips.  Chips go well with sandwiches, and you want your focus to be on your guest.  If I was going to add something, I'd add nice guacamole to go with the chips and crudites.

Or I'd do pasta salad.  

I agree. A chunky guacamole and a dill dip are my favorites to make for guests. 

[katilac]

4 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Cook the potatoes whole in boiling, salted water.   

Is there a specific reason to cook them whole? 

[KungFuPanda]

7 hours ago, katilac said:

Is there a specific reason to cook them whole? 

I think it preserves flavor, texture, and nutrients. It also makes them really fast and easy to peel. Mostly, though, I do it because that’s the way my polpettes recipe is written.