perfect potstickers

i'm in love with alton brown. along with guy fieri, he's one of my favorite chefs. i absolutely love his show "good eats" and i always learn a lot. so after watching an episode called "wanton ways", i was inspired to make potstickers for the first time ever.

i gotta say, they were a lot of work. probably took me about two hours...mainly because i doubled the recipe, but also because my pan would only fit 5-6 at a time. however, it was totally worth it. they were delicious! they had great flavor that had slightly spicy undertones and a really nice texture. they were, in my opinion, way better than chinese takeout because they weren't oily or greasy but instead they were fresh, flavorful and crispy. this one's definitely making it to the recipe box.

i subbed ground beef for the pork and went without the bell peppers. quite spicy enough without them :]

perfect potstickers
[from food network]

ingredients:
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons ketchup
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
35 to 40 small wonton wrappers
Water, for sealing wontons
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
1 1/3 cups chicken stock, divided

directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl (pork through cayenne). Set aside.

To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush 2 of the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 potstickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.