I’ve got something a little different for you today.

I have two things for you. And I’m going to show you how I made them.

Balsamic portobello mushroom sandwiches with crispy onion, melty cheese and fresh tomato. Yes. And, baked french fries.

This super simple, quick and easy meal will amaze you!

I would say that neither of these are exactly recipes. They are ideas, really. Simple ideas. And two things that can become a regular weeknight meal.

For the easy oven fries, start with a potato (or two or three — this is very easily doubled, tripled, etc. for how many you need!)

Cut the potato in half.

And then cut the halves in half to make quarters.

And then again, cut the quarters in half.

Take the quarters, and slice them into fries.

Put the fries into a bowl and drizzle with some olive oil.

And then season those fries. I used salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika and garlic salt. Look below for specific amounts.

Toss those fries up so that they all get evenly coated.

And then, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper is not completely necessary, but will make cleaning up easier!

While the fries are baking away in the oven, it’s on to the sandwich!

Start by prepping the ingredients. Slice a tomato, onion and some cheese.

Then take care of the onions. You are going to cook them in very hot oil to sort of flash fry them. Read below for detailed instructions. Here is what they will look like once they are done.

Then, take a nice, big portobello mushroom.

Pull off the stem and using a spoon, scrape out the black insides.

Heat a pan over medium heat with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, place the mushroom in the pan.

Let the mushroom cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. When it’s done, it should be soft and will have shrunk in size.

Once the ‘shroom is soft, turn up the heat to medium high. Pour some balsamic vinegar into the pan. And stand back. It may splash everywhere. You will have some cleaning up to do!

Let the mushroom cook in the balsamic for an additional 3-4 minutes and then turn off heat and place the sliced cheese on the mushroom.

To assemble, first, take a bun. Any bun. One that will make you happy!

Place the tomatoes on that bun. Some fresh, ripe, juicy, red tomatoes. I used two, sliced thick.

Then, the balsamic ‘shroom that now has melty delicious cheese on it.

Top that mushroom with crispy pan fried onion rings.

And there you have it, a portobello sandwich!

Smash down, cut in half, dig right in. However you prefer. Go for it.

It will be good. And it will be messy!

This is one of my favorite quick and easy meals. It takes no time at all and has few, simple ingredients that make for a not-messy kitchen after.

I hope that you will enjoy this meal as much as I do!

Ingredients
*For one. This recipe is very easily multiplied.
1 potato
Olive Oil
Salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic salt
1 portobello mushroom
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Sliced tomato
Sliced red onion
Cheese (I used fontina)

Preheat oven to 400*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Start with the potato. Slice it in half. Slice the halves in half to make quarters. Slice the quarters in half. Then slice into fries. Add the fries to a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the seasoning. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, a pinch of paprika and a pinch of garlic salt. Toss well to evenly coat the fries. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Clean the mushroom. Remove the stem and using a spoon, scrape out the black insides.

Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions. The key here is to make sure the oil is very hot before you add them. They will sort of flash fry and get caramelized and crispy, quickly. Once they are done (mine took about 5 minutes), remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more olive oil to the same pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the mushroom and let cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. When it’s done, the mushroom should be soft and have shrunk in size. Turn the heat to medium-high and then add the balsamic vinegar. Let the mushroom cook and additional 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cheese slices to the mushroom.

Assemble the sandwich by placing the sliced tomato on a bun. Top with the mushroom that now has melted cheese on it, and then the red onions.

Take the fries out of the oven and enjoy the meal!