Page 4C
East Oregonian
EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE
Saturday, July 28, 2018
COOKING ON DEADLINE
View wild horses
on the Pilot Butte
self-guided tour
New Bay Sweet
Potato Fries
By KATIE WORKMAN
Associated Press
Ann Jantz/Daily Rocket-Miner via AP
This undated photos shows a horse and foal on the main attraction along the Pilot Butte Wild Horse Loop Tour
in Wyoming. Nothing captures the spirit of the West better than a wild horse, and there is nowhere better to
see this majestic animal than the Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Loop.
By ANN JANTZ
Rock Springs Rocket-Miner
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo.
— Nothing captures the
spirit of the West better
than a wild horse, and there
is nowhere better to see this
majestic animal than the
Pilot Butte Wild Horse Sce-
nic Loop.
This 24-mile, self-
guided tour takes about 90
minutes, traveling between
Rock Springs, accessing
the loop at Fourteen-Mile
Hill, and all the way across
the top of White Moun-
tain. Other animals that can
be seen on the tour include
pronghorn antelope, desert
elk, deer, rabbits, coyotes,
hawks, eagles and sage
grouse.
But of course, the wild
horses are what attract vis-
itors to this area of south-
west Wyoming. With a pop-
ulation of about 1,500 head,
chances are strong that you
will be able to admire these
wild horses during your
visit. When you observe the
descendants of the horses
that were reintroduced to
the area in the 1800s by
cattle ranchers, you are wit-
nessing the living history of
the West.
Visitors also have a
chance to take in some of
the best vistas in Wyoming
while on the tour. This route
offers several scenic over-
looks of the area’s promi-
nent features, such as Pilot
Butte, Boar’s Tusk, Kill-
pecker Sand Dunes, Steam-
boat Mountain, North and
South Table Mountains,
Leucite Hills, Aspen Moun-
tain, Wilkins Peak, and the
Overland Trail and Union
Pacific railroad corridors.
The Wyoming, Wind River,
and Uinta mountain ranges
can also be seen in all their
rugged glory.
ABOUT THE WILD
HORSES
According to the Sweet-
water County Joint Travel
and Tourism board, most
wild horses in Wyoming
The unmistakable flavor
of Old Bay seasoning is the
key ingredient in many sea-
food dishes north, south and
west of the Chesapeake Bay,
particularly anything to do
with crab and crayfish.
But phooey for me, I’m
allergic to a few ingredi-
ents in this classic blend.
So I came up with my own
version.
The first dish I made with
it was these New Bay Sweet
Potato Fries. It was a very
good choice. Don’t expect
these fries to get super crispy
— sweet potato fries have a
hard time doing that, espe-
cially in the oven. But what
they lack in crispness they
make up for in soulful flavor
and warm color.
Don’t worry about per-
fect potato sticks. You’re not
entering a French fry-mak-
ing contest. The easiest way
to get nice long fries, how-
ever, is to peel the pota-
toes, cut them lengthwise
into 1/4-inch slabs, and then
stack those up a few at a time
and cut them into 1/4-inch-
thick sticks.
I keep empty dried herb
and spice jars to store var-
ious blends and rubs that I
make. Just use a jar that con-
tained one of the season-
ings you are including in
your blend, and make sure
to label the jar.
Then get ready to have
some fun with your New
Bay Seasoning (and you’ll
have some left to play with
after you make the fries).
Some uses for this blend:
— Crab cakes, of course.
— Added to flour and
used as a coating for fried
or baked seafood, fish or
chicken. Dip the item in
beaten egg or milk first.
— Added to jambalaya,
gumbo, and other Creole or
Cajun dishes.
— Blended with sour
cream or mayonnaise for a
fast and easy dip for cooked
shrimp.
— Mashed into potatoes,
or cauliflower puree.
— Stirred into eggs
before scrambling.
— Sprinkled over olive
oil-brushed pitas, baked, and
cut into triangles for appetiz-
ers or snacks.
— Added to egg salad
and deviled eggs.
— Used as a rub for fish,
seafood, chicken or pork
— think pork loin, kebabs,
whole roast chicken or
pieces (over or under the
skin).
Ann Jantz/Daily Rocket-Miner via AP
This undated photo shows the Pilot Butte Wild Horse Loop Tour which offers vis-
itors spectacular views of the surrounding areas, such as this view of the White
Mountain Range to the left, Killpecker Sand Dunes to the right, and the Windriver
Range in the distance in Wyoming.
Carrie Crow via AP
New bay sweet potato fries is a recipe by Katie Work-
man.
Ann Jantz/Daily Rocket-Miner via AP
This undated photo shows a Pilot Butte sign in Wyoming.
are located in the south-
western quarter of the state.
The Bureau of Land Man-
agement’s Rock Springs
Office is the headquarters
for the Wild Horse Program
in Wyoming. The appropri-
ate management level for
wild horses in Wyoming is
approximately 6,000, and
about 2,500 of these horses
are in the Rock Springs
district.
Wild horses have no
true natural predators other
than an occasional moun-
tain lion, so populations
can increase rapidly. This
rate of increase is gener-
ally about 20 percent per
year, with some years top-
ping 40 percent. When pop-
ulations of wildlife, wild
horses and domestic live-
stock exceed the capabil-
ities of their habitat, the
environment begins to suf-
fer. If prolonged, it leads
to poor rangeland and an
overall decline in the health
of the wild horses.
To thwart this potential
danger, the BLM conducts
a periodic census of the
wild horses to determine
how many animals must be
removed from the range. As
a result, the BLM said there
are fewer cases of injury
or death from starvation,
dehydration and suscepti-
bility to the elements. The
horses are gathered at var-
ious times throughout the
year.
SWEET POTATO FRIES WITH NEW BAY
SEASONING
Servings: 6
Start to finish: 35 minutes
2 tablespoons celery salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Coarse or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to
taste
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into sticks about 1/4-
inch wide in each direction
2 tablespoons vegetable, canola or peanut oil
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
In a clean jar with a lid, combine the celery salt, pa-
prika, dry mustard, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, black
pepper, ginger and cloves. Shake well to thoroughly
combine.
Place the sweet potatoes on two separate rimmed
baking sheets (line the baking sheets with aluminum
foil or parchment if you have it). Make sure there is
enough room so the fries can have space between
them as they cook. Drizzle the oil evenly over the sweet
potatoes, and toss to coat the potatoes with the oil.
Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the seasoning blend
over the fries on each of the baking sheets, and toss
again to make sure the sweet potato fries are evenly
coated with the spice mixture. Again, make sure there is
some space between the fries.
Bake for 10 minutes, then use a spatula to flip the
fries around and switch the baking sheets in the oven
so that the bottom one ends up baking on top. Bake for
another 8 to 12 minutes, until they are lightly browned
in spots and very tender. Serve hot.
Ann Jantz/Daily Rocket-Miner via AP
In this undated photo, wild horses graze along the top of White Mountain in Wyoming, on the southern edge
of the loop tour.