04/13/06 Food & Wine

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and today is Food and Wine pairing day. I am ashamed to say that I have been so busy lately that I haven't been cooking as much as I usually do. But because of that I have created a few very easy dishes. Today I will share a couple of recipes that will take an ordinary package of frozen hash browns and turn them into a great side dish for any occasion and the wines that go with them. Take a package of frozen hash browns and thaw them. Drain off any excess water and pat them dry. Toss them in enough olive oil just to lightly coat them. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and your favorite seasonings or packaged seasoning mix. Fajita seasoning is very good. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake them until they are golden brown. That's it! Serve them alongside a grilled piece of pork or chicken and serve either red or white wine. This is a dinner that the basic Merlot or Chardonnay will work just fine. Next dish, thaw and prep the hash browns in the same manner and mix them with whatever you like best on a baked potato. For me it is salt pepper sour cream and green onions. Put them in a small, buttered, deep baking dish topped with grated cheese and bake at 375 degrees until it starts to brown on the top. It is a perfect side dish for grilled tenderloin of beef or a salmon filet and a bottle of Pinot Noir. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.