It is a leftover kind of night...

So do you ever have those nights that you are hungry for something hot and homemade but just way too tired to make it? Well that is how I felt tonight. So I stood at the refrigerator door and stared trying to figure out what to make for dinner (my mom is out of town, so it is up to me to take care of my dad...i.e.: make sure he has something to eat :). We love sandwiches in our family, but not just the regular ham and cheese kind of sandwich. Because we go all out on our sandwiches, I decided to make a chicken sandwich with some leftover chicken from the night before and pair that with some sweet potato fries.

Sweet Potato Fries

Peeled Sweet Potatoes - (avg. about 1 potato per person depending on how big the potato may be.)
Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper
Red Chili Flakes (if you don't like it spicy then you can leave these out)
Dried Herbs (I use Herbs de Provence which you can get in your grocery stores. It is just a mixture of a bunch of different dried herbs).

Preheat your oven to about 400 degrees

After washing and peeling your sweet potatoes, you want to cut them into about 1/4 inch long slices. You want them all to be about the same size so that they will cook evenly. You can make them thicker if you want, but then they will take longer to cook. After cutting them, put them into a bowl, drizzle with some olive oil and top with the remaining ingredients. Toss the potatoes until they are evenly coated in the olive oil and spices.

Place them on a greased baking sheet and bake them until they are crispy. They are an easy and delicious alternative to french fries. You could also make them a sweet side by using some cinnamon, nutmeg, a little brown sugar instead of the savory spices.

Chicken Sandwiches.
This may seem very simple and you may  be wondering why I am even writing this down. Sometimes it helps to see how someone else has made something simple and added their own twist to it. I took some leftover chicken that I had put into a egg wash and then coated in Panko crumbs (Japanese version of bread crumbs) and paired it with a special mayonnaise and my favorite sandwich toppings.

Special Mayo
1 c. Mayo
1 Lemon Juiced
2 cloves of garlic
Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
salt and pepper

Combine all of these together for a gourmet touch to a regular sandwich. The longer this mayo sits the better it becomes so you can make it a day ahead and let it sit in your fridge.

Now for the sandwich.

Ciabatta Bread
Leftover chicen (or any leftover meat you may have)
Tomatoe slices
Fontina cheese (you can use your favorite cheese, but I just love Fontina because it so creamy when it melts)
Arugula (you can use any kind of lettuce or spinach you like. I like arugula because it is a little spicy)

Cut the Ciabatta into the size of sandwich that you want and then slice this in half. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil on the top to help with the browning process. On one half of the sandwich add the fontina cheese. Put this and the sliced chicken into the oven until it is toasted and the chicken is warmed through.

After this is done it is just time to put it together. Add on your favorite sandwich toppings and enjoy!

You could also add sundried tomatoes, olives, pesto instead of the mayo or anything else. It is just a matter of finding the perfect ingredients for you.

Like I said I know that this was simple but sometimes the simple things in life are the best.