Fun Food Friday- Jo Joe Potatoes

Wow, it has been a long time since I did a food blog. Life has been, well, a bit crazy and busy. :) Honestly, I probably haven't done a ton of cooking since my last food blog. :) And I'm not promising that they will happen all that often, life is still crazy and busy, but I just really felt the need to do something that made me feel like me again. I knew that moving would be an adjustment for all of us, particularly our kids. They have adjusted great! But now it's hitting me that I'm still in the adjustment period. And it's not just the moving adjustment, but also becoming a mom of 4 kids adjustment. I remember thinking "O, what's one more kid when you already have 3?" Ha!! It's one more kid! It's one more mouth to feed, one more person to take care, bath, entertain, get to sleep. It's one more person's laundry and she may be small, but she goes through clothes!! And we just love our Anna to pieces and wouldn't trade her for the world, but it's different having 4 kids (5 and under, none in school yet :)). And so I'm in this strange time of adjustment, of figuring out who Montana Julie is (I told Steve, it's like I'm trying to figure out who I am, to which he responded, "well, who were you before?" :) you got to love how men think, so practical :)). And so while I try to figure out life here in Montana, which I have to say I do really like, I love the church and the people are so nice and inviting and it's nice having space and peace (when my kids are in bed :)), I just needed to do something that made me feel like me, so I did a food blog. :)
And to commemorate my first food blog in Montana, I made...potatoes!!! A large number of people in our church are potato farmers, so I thought it was fitting :). A couple of weeks ago a couple from church took us to this amazing steakhouse in town and with each meal came your choice of potato. One of the choices of potato were "Jo Joes." I was intrigued, what in the world is a Jo Joe? So I asked. It's a baked potato sliced, breaded and fried. Sounded good to me. So I ordered them and oh my goodness were they delicious! So now I'm trying once again to eat on the healthier side and exercise because another thing having a child does is give you a body that no longer fits into your old clothes :). But the other night I was going to make potatoes for dinner and those Jo Joes came to mind and I started thinking "Okay, is there a somewhat healthier way to make them?" I don't know that I'd go so far as to say these are healthy, but they're not horrible for you :). So of course they're not as fantastic as the ones I had at the steakhouse, but I'll admit, they were pretty good. I used whole wheat flour to bread them and fried them in coconut oil. So if you really want to go crazy, bread them in white flour or better yet, bread crumbs, and fry them in vegetable or canola oil. But I'll give you the "healthier" way to make them and let you decide how you want to try them. :)
So without further ado, here are Jo Joe Potatoes:

 

Ingredients: Baked potatoes, wheat flour, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, regular salt, pepper, garlic power, coconut oil (I also used some cooking spray)

 

To a bowl add some flour...

Lawry's Seasoned Salt...

Garlic powder...

Salt...

and Pepper

Mix together

Slice up the baked potatoes (I discarded the ends)

I sprayed them with some cooking spray to help coat (if you weren't concerned about being healthy I would definitely use butter at this point instead of cooking spray :))

Coat both sides of the potato

Fry in a pan with coconut oil. Now coconut oil is not suppose to get super hot, you fry at 350 degrees, so just be careful not so let it get too hot (on another note, don't pour it down your drain as it becomes solid at 75 degrees :))

Fry for about 30 seconds on each side

Drain on a paper towel

And there you have it, yummy Jo Joes!

I dipped mine in some plain Greek yogurt. Other choices are sour cream, ranch dressing or ketchup

So if you're looking for a way to spruce up those baked potatoes, give Jo Joes a try :)

Jo Joe Potatoes
4 Baked potatoes
1/2 cup Whole wheat flour
1 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
Cooking spray
Coconut Oil

Slice the potatoes in 1/3 inch thick slices. In a bowl combine flour, seasoned salt, garlic powder, salt and pepper. spray both sides of sliced potatoes with cooking spray. Coat potatoes with flour mixture. Fry in coconut oil for 30 seconds per side.