Lightly adapted from The Woks of Life

• 1 pound (or about half an Aldi pack) of chicken tenderloins, cut into small chunks
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 Thai chile (which I have a hard time finding, so I used 1 serrano), thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp regular soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 4 tsp sugar
• a splash of water or chicken stock
• A big bunch of Thai basil leaves.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauces, fish sauce, and sugar. Set aside.

In a wok over medium-high heat, heat a couple of teaspoons of canola oil. Saute garlic, shallots, and chili for a few minutes or until cooked down. Add chicken and cook for several minutes until cooked through. Add soy sauce mix and cook until well-coated and caramelized. Deglaze with water or chicken stock if necessary.

Add Thai basil leaves and saute until wilted. Serve with hot rice.

Lightly adapted from Kenji Lopez-Alt on Serious Eats.

Preheat oven to 400F on convection setting.

• 2 quarts water (our usual pasta pot mostly full)
• 2 Tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 pounds potatoes (I like Yukon Gold; can also use Russet or a mix) cut into pretty big chunks, bigger than I normally do for roasted potatoes. Kenji says to peel them but I usually don’t.
• 5 Tablespoons olive oil, duck fat, beef fat, or a mix
• Salt and pepper

Fill a pot (our usual pasta pot mostly full) with 2 quarts water, 2 T kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp baking soda. Bring to a boil and add potatoes. Return to a boil and boil for 10 minutes or until knife-tender. Drain, then let sit for about 30 seconds for some evaporation. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet.

Return to a bowl with oil/fat and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir and shake thoroughly to allow a coating of potato goo to develop. Spread on the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes without disturbing. Using metal spatula, loosen and flip the potatoes. Roast for another 30-40 minutes or until very brown and crispy.