I love potato wedges, well, who doesn’t. But I can never get them right, never. Something is always missing and that perfection I crave is never there. And for such things, there is a blessing that needs no disguise – McCain. Whoever came up with this idea of quick-cooking frozen potato wedges and snacks, take a bow, because all my potato wedges cravings would have driven me mad without you. You can store the wedges and other frozen snacks for as long as you need, so far as you maintain the temperature, of course, and then when you need it all you need is three minutes of cooking.
My friends often ask me why I always keep a few McCain packets stacked away in my freezer. The best part of McCain’s frozen goodies, is that they are easy to prepare. Since pre-packaged frozen snacks are ready to cook and are shelf stable, I can easily stock the freezer to save time, advance planning, shopping and cooking snacks which makes things so much easier each time I want to eat something delicious or have an unexpected or expected bunch of guests at my place! #frozenisfresh
McCain has a wide range of products to satiate the foodie that I am. From the spicy fries to the cheesy shots, I can choose my delight and make new recipes with it. McCain too innovates with the products and brings out new recipes, which is simply awesome, like Mumbai Chaat, Aloo Tikki Wrap, Dahi Aallo Chat, Wraps, Cheesy baked fries to name a few.
But today, I did not want to just grab a plate of wedges with my usual spice mix sprinkled on it. I am feeling inventive today, thanks to the invention test I saw at MasterChef Australia I saw earlier in the day. So, I pull out a packet each of McCain Potato Wedges and McCain Vegetable Nuggets from my freezer and set out to cook. I drag my mom and my sister to help me out, I am making this the official family event today. #let’sinnovatewithMcCain
I make some smooth white sauce with flour, butter, cream and cheese. I allow it to thicken on a slow flame and season it with some salt; while I fry off my potato wedges. The best part – the wedges take only three minutes to cook. Quick, simple, easy. I pour out my white sauce in a flat bowl, and sprinkle some chili flakes on top to balance out the slight sweetness of the sauce. I take the freshly cooked potato wedges in a tall bowl and serve it with a side of Molagapodi or Gunpowder Chutney. The gunpowder chutney adds a spicy flavor to the dish and balances out the sweetness of the white sauce. The dish is an innovative combination of flavors and textures I feel, combining the continental taste of the sauce and very desi flavor of the Molagapodi and evened out by the McCain potato wedges.
It’s monsoon, and one of the best things I love doing in the monsoon is barbeque. The innovative bent of mind gets the better of me, and I find myself putting up the Potato wedges, slices of paneer, slices of pineapple up on a skewer and set out to barbeque it. I add a glaze of some honey and a very slight bit of barbeque sauce, and let it char out over the barbeque. Once we feel that all of it is cooked up, I take it all off the skewer, some lemon and sprinkle some seasonings over it. I used salt and red chili powder, my sister used some oregano and chili flakes. And it tastes amazing. Just amazing. The smokey flavors of the barbeque add magic to the McCain potato wedges. I have never barbequed them before, and it has come out great. I sit out in the courtyard on my hammock and enjoy the barbeque. And it feels heavenly.
I also make some mini chat pizzas out of the veggie nuggets. I cook the McCain veggie nuggets. Then I take some Marie biscuits and some biscuit bhakhris. Biscuit bhakhris are tough, stiff bread made from whole wheat flour. I layer it with some butter on some, and some ketchup on some. I top it with some boiled spiced kabuli channa and corn kernels. I put up a vegetable nugget on top of each pizza. My sister chose to top it all up with cheese, while I settled for some sev and some chili flakes, and poured some smoothened yoghurt on top of it. I choose to call this a Vegetable nugget ‘chatizza’. My family just loved these chatizzas. On second thoughts, I could have used some Bengali puri or mathri as a base too.
Three recipes, and I can definitely say McCain made my day a great family day. not only we had some great dishes to eat, but also enjoyed the monsoon. McCain food is really Taste Ka Naya Magic. The products were delicious, crunchy, and scrumptious to the core. The best part was that it oozes out goodness in just 3 minutes. I could use them in whatever inventive way I deemed fit, as an appetizer for the evening or as flavorsome sides to the main course or as crispy nibbles with the cocktail menu. These scrumptious snacks are a perfect choice for all occasions.