Laptop Lunches #39

Leftover mashed potato pancakes, soy and sherry marinated chicken breast (from the Joy of Cooking), bits of an egg sheet, roasted garlic hummus with celery and carrot sticks for dipping, a wheel of Babybel cheese, and blackberries.

I had about 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup of mashed potatoes left over and really didn't want to have them as mashed potatoes, so I did this:

1/2 very small onion, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/3 to 1/2 cup mashed potatoes
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 beaten egg (see more on that, below)

Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat. Cook onions in melted butter until nicely carmelized. Add to mashed potatoes and mix with remaining ingredients. In same skillet, drop spoonfuls of mashed potato batter and brown well on both sides. (Makes about 6 potato pancakes.)

After I'd done this, I had half an egg left, and instead of sticking it in the fridge, I decided to make a tiny egg sheet. (Basically I just poured it into the hot pan,  let it set, flipped it, and turned off the fire; after it was done I sliced it into strips and stuck it in with the chicken.)

This may not be the most brilliant idea I ever had, but it took care of the half an egg.

The lesson I learned last night, about cooking the marinated chicken according to the Joy of Cooking directions, is that either I am doing something wrong, or when you do this your chicken will end up blackened. I don't so much mind a slight char on the outside of the meat unless it's overcooked on the inside, but I'd prefer it to be more attractive. Thoughts? Joy has you cook the breasts in a saute pan over very high heat for four minutes on each side. Mine weren't done by then (and were already quite dark on the outside), so I had to cook them a few minutes longer. The marinade is good, mind you, but I didn't execute this the way I would have liked. (I am no good, really, at cooking white meat--give me a chicken thigh and I can make you swoon, but with the breasts I'm kind of at a loss.)