#bobbydeen

I love American food. Whenever I go on holiday to the US I go all-out, scoffing the likes of pancakes, burgers, cherry pie and mac 'n' cheese. My idea of heaven is the Bellagio buffet in Vegas. If you've never had a Vegas buffet, you have not lived. There's every kind of food you can imagine and you can eat as much as you like!!! I ate so much I had to loosen my belt by three notches. But how do I satisfy my American food cravings at home without maxing out on the calories? Step forward Bobby Deen.

Bobby is the son of American chef Paula Deen. Paula's speciality is classic American comfort food, all made with lashings of butter, mayo and cream. Bobby takes these recipes and lightens them up without sacrificing the flavour. Having developed a teensy crush on Bobby from watching his show on the Food Network, I bought his cookbook, From Mama's Table to Mine and I'm happy to say it's pretty awesome. Last night I made Bobby's no-fry fried chicken, sweet potato fries and slaw. 

As a teenager I was a pretty big fan of (said in a whisper) KFC. I like to think Bobby's lightened-up take on fried chicken is a pretty decent subsitute. The buttermilk, chive and hot sauce soak give the chicken great flavour and the panko makes it lovely and crispy. 

I have sweet potato fries pretty much every week. I like 'em better than normal fries. I advise coating them in flour before baking for added crispiness (sweet potatoes are prone to mushiness). 

Finally, the slaw. Bobby's slaw is great! Tangy, sweet and fresh-tasting - nothing like the mayo-drenched stuff you get in supermarkets.