Crazy Cooking Challenge - Mashed Potato Spring Rolls

Sometimes we will hit the target but miss the self. At other times we will miss the target but hit the self. Our purpose, though, is to hit the target as the self and hope that the sharp sound of arrow penetrating paper will awaken us from the so-called 'dream of life' and give us real insight into the ultimate state of being.

~ Hideharu Onuma sensei, Japanese Kyudo archery

It seemed like I had simply disappeared over the past week or so, but in reality, I am still here. Just holding off on blogging while tending to my (rather neglected) life. That's the trouble with passion sometimes, you can get so thoroughly consumed by it at the expense of everything else in your life. Okay, when I write "you", who I'm really talking about is myself. I went off to tend to my garden because the weeds had started to overrun my beautiful patches and it was time to pull them out and discard them. Yes, metaphorically speaking :-).

So to start off this week, I'm back for another Crazy Cooking Challenge, this time sharing a recipe from Momofuku for 2 blog. Tina of Mom's Crazy Cooking, as host of the challenge declared this month's theme to be "Mashed Potatoes" and I thought....wow, what a breeze! Well, I couldn't be more wrong because there are thousands (if not more) mashed potato recipes out there and it proved really hard to decide which one to showcase for this post. 

In the end, I settled for this Mashed Potato Spring Rolls recipe posted by Steph of Momofuku for 2. In case you haven't come across her blog, this is a woman who has cooked and eaten her way through all of David Chang's Momofuku Cookbook and this recipe was adapted out of that book. Steph has no official association with the Momofuku brand, chain or David Chang, but she'a a huge Momofuku fan and enjoys cooking their recipes at home for her and her husband (who's the 'for 2' person).

I, on the other hand, chose this recipe not because it was created by food Sifu, Chang but due to a variety of other reasons which I shall list here:

1. It contains mashed potato (right on theme).

2. It includes bread (we all know carb on carb = sinful, but oh-so-irresistible!).

3. There is frying involved (I know, it's starting to sound bad but bear with me).

4. There is 'spring roll' in the recipe title (although I just realized that mine looked more pop-tartlike than cylindrical).

5. It contains some heat and a green vegetable (which to me negate 1-3 above).

In case you're wondering, yes, it does taste as lovely as it looks....great as a snack or appetizers. Although after you've finished two, you probably won't want to eat anything else because of the thought that it'll take roughly 200 hours on the treadmill to work all this off! 

For a mashed potato overload, head over to the blogs listed in the linky below. Go on, show them some love and oh, don't forget to vote for your favorites.

Mashed Potato Spring Rolls
(recipe from Momofuku For 2)
Serves: 2

4 slices white bread
1/4 cup mashed potato
2 green beans, cooked and sliced in two
pinch shichimi togarashi
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg yolk

oil for frying
sriracha for dipping

1. Trim the crusts from the bread and using a rolling pin, roll out each bread slice to a thin 3-by-5-inch rectangle.

2. In a bowl, combine the mashed potatoes and togarashi; season with salt and pepper. 

3. Brush the edges of 4 bread rectangles with the egg yolk mixture. Shape 1 tablespoon of the potato mixture into a log along a long edge of a rectangle, leaving 1/2 inch on each end. Top with half a green bean. Tightly roll up the bread to form a cylinder; press the ends together to seal. Repeat with the remaining bread and potato mixture.

4. In a skillet, heat the oil on medium high. Add half of the rolls and fry, turning occasionally, until well-browned, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels. Repeat with the remaining rolls. Serve with sriracha.