Chocolate-dipped Potato Chip Cookies

Yield: About 24 cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup reduced fat potato chips, crushed fine (put them in a zippered plastic bag and roll them with a rolling pin to crush them

1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped very fine

1/4 teaspoon salt (yes, really! Don't leave it out.)

8 tablespoons butter, cut into 8 pieces and slightly softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

10 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine potato chips, flour, pecans and salt in a bowl.

3. Beat butter and both sugars in a mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes.Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

4. Slowly add flour mixture until completely combined.

5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Flatten dough balls with your fingers until they are 1/4 inch thick.

6. Bake for 5 minutes, rotate cookie sheet and bake for another 5 minutes, watching the cookies during the second 5 minutes to make sure they don't get too brown. Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then cool completely on a rack.

7. Melt the chocolate slowly in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Dip each cookie almost halfway in chocolate, place on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper and refrigerate until chocolate has hardened.

Patriots' Potato Pizza

1 pound pizza dough
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 shallot, sliced
¼ cup shredded part-skim milk mozzarella cheese
2 small potatoes of your choice, preferably a firmer variety
¼ cup crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash potatoes and pat dry. Microwave the whole potatoes for 2-3 minutes until soft enough to handle but firm enough to cut so they won’t crumble. Cut into ¼ inch-thick slices.

Heat half the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; add shallots; cook 4-5 minutes until slightly browned.

Preheat oven (see temps below). Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper (if using a stone) or to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush dough lightly with remaining olive oil. Place a thin layer of shredded mozzarella on the dough, then arrange potato slices on top. Season well with salt and pepper. Add crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese, and lightly press it down with your hands.

For a pizza stone, bake at 500 degree for about 10 minutes, or until both the top and bottom of the crust is brown and the cheese is melted.

For a baking sheet, bake at 450 for about 20 minutes, or until both the top and bottom of the crust is brown and the cheese is melted. Let it cool for a couple of minutes before slicing.

Before serving, sprinkle pizza slices with chopped fresh rosemary and a bit more fresh ground black pepper.

TIP: Boiling the potatoes makes them too moist which leads to a soggy crust. Ugh. Microwaving or baking them are better bets. Also, adding the fresh rosemary after removing the pizza from the oven helps to maintain its color and flavor.