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Mandoline Plays Role In Dish That Slices Calories

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By JADEN HAIR

Tribune correspondent

Published: May 6, 2008

I'm sure that a vow to eat healthfully was at the top of most New Year's resolutions lists. Sigh. It certainly was on mine, but I've been doing a lousy job of fulfilling my goal of losing 15 pounds.

I even made it super-easy by limiting myself to just ONE resolution. I typed in my journal that if I could get there by the end of the year, I would pamper myself with a spa day at The Met in Sarasota.

It's May, and I'm so not there yet. Maybe I need to re-evaluate my prize because, as we all know, a change in behavior is only sustainable with a promise of good loot at the end. The words "losing 15 pounds," even the thought of a haircut and four-hour massage, is not enticement enough to turn away that decadent swirl of chocolate frosting or the irresistibly curious bacon toffee. Sugar? Butter? Bacon? Cannot resist.

So I'm thinking that my newly revised prize should be grand, like one in which hordes of people are holding me accountable for my success. Hmmm ... maybe a massive food/wine/music-filled block party to which you are all invited? You're welcome to e-mail me ideas as long you're not selling me diet pills.

But, hey, I did find a nutritious recipe for Potatoes Anna from Cooking Light magazine that I simply love. The super-thin overlapping slices of potatoes are baked in a skillet. The top and bottom layers peel off like crisp potato chips. I've seasoned my version with a combination of ground cinnamon and coriander. At 200 calories per serving, I could almost eat, like, the whole thing.

Having a mandoline slicer really helps with cutting the potatoes into thin, even slices. My favorite is one by Pampered Chef (www.pampered chef.com) for $60. It's beautifully designed for the clumsy in mind, with a food holder on safety rails and an unexposed blade.

You know those thin, plastic Japanese style mandolines by Benriner? I wouldn't recommend them unless you are adept at handling juggling knives on a unicycle. Without a stand that holds it erect, you will be balancing the mandoline with one hand at an odd angle and sliding the food back and forth with just a plastic holder doohickey the size of a credit card.

Spend $10 more and get a good quality mandoline. I think Zyliss makes one, too.

Cooking Light magazine gave me three cookbooks to give away! Would you like one? Come over to steamy kitchen.com/blog/2008/04/ 25/grapesgrappa/ and enter. The random drawing takes place Saturday morning. The book, "Cooking Light Complete Cookbook" (Oxmoor House, $34.95), has 1,200 recipes with 630 color photographs and a companion DVD.

It is an awesome book, and my copy is littered with Post-it notes of recipes I want to incorporate into my, ahem, healthy lifestyle.

POTATOES ANNA WITH CINNAMON AND CORIANDER

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon coriander

21/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine salt, pepper, cinnamon and coriander. Melt 21/2 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch cast-iron or ovenproof heavy skillet over medium heat. Arrange a single layer of potato slices, slightly overlapping, in a circular pattern in the pan; sprinkle with 1/4 of the salt and spice mixture. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of the melted butter over potatoes. Repeat layers 5 times, ending with butter. Press firmly to pack. Cover and bake 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until potatoes are golden. You can serve the potatoes in the skillet or loosen edges with a spatula and turn over onto a plate. Sprinkle with parsley.

Makes 8 servings at 208 calories each.

Source: adapted from "Cooking Light Complete Cookbook"

Jaden Hair is a cooking instructor and author of the blog Jaden's Steamy Kitchen at steamykitchen.com.

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