The lowly potato.  Prince Edward Island boasts a large portion of its economy to it and yet, for some people, they look down their nose at the vegetable and prefer dishes which are difficult to pronounce yet satisfy their food snobbery.  They choose elegant, fancy restaurants with dishes so expensive the menu doesn’t list a price.  Clearly if you need to ask the cost, you can’t afford to eat it.  Yet, perhaps we should be more concerned with the pronunciation of the dishes first, before we entertain the cost of eating it.  Once in a while, I like to indulge in feeding my emotions rather than just eating for the sake of sustenance and nutrition.  When those times arise, I look to the humble potato to satisfy those cravings.  And unlike some other languages, which prefer to dress up the root vegetable to make it more palatable, I simply just want to sit with my family at the dinner table with a huge plate of crispy, steaming hot french fries in front of us.  Next to the plate we each have the condiments of choice we wish to dip our fries into and the only rule is… “no double dipping!”  So once you bite the end off a fry, you can’t redip.  This is an important rule especially for my youngest boys who, since the time they first dipped their fingers in their food, have believed food is meant to be dipped, sucked, licked and nibbled upon only to be dipped into another sauce of their choice.  It’s taken us a long time to get them to the point they know they shouldn’t double dip… but they still sneakily try to do it anyway.  For me, I don’t have to worry about them “contaminating” my choice of condiments as I prefer things a bit spicy.  With my fries I have spicy gravy, full of flavour and a bit of heat.  I guess some people would say I like fries with my pepper, the same way I like my sunny side up eggs and my steak.  I like adding some jalapeños to my fries and some of the pickled jalapeños juice to the gravy.  And a dash of vinegar (honestly, it’s a lot more than a dash) takes the flavour to another level of delicious entirely.  I’m not one of those people who needs ketchup and a liberal sprinkling of salt on their fries.  But I am a person who tries to know how to order fries and gravy in several languages, so I can always find a taste of home, wherever I go.  And one day, I look forward to going to France and ordering “baton et de pomme de terror cuit en friture” (French fried potatoes Wikipedia assures me), the syllables and words rolling off my tongue as impressively as if I’d actually been born in the country rather than have just been visiting.  

Are you wondering why it’s important to me that France is one of the places I visit just for their fried potatoes?  Well, it’s simple really… at one time France actually forbade growing potatoes and it was illegal for anyone to enjoy them.  The experts of that time even suggested potatoes gave people leprocy and other miladies… talk about propaganda at its best (or worst).  From 1748 to 1772 the law forbidding the cultivation of potatoes in France stood the test of time and sensibilities.  But one man spearheaded a fight against the potato oppressors, and he extolled the virtues of the potato and it’s nutritional value, not only in France, but for all of Europe.  His name is Antoine-Augustin Parmentier.  And because of his endeavours to promote and legalize the cultivation, and consumption, of potatoes several delicious dishes have been named for him which contain this delightful root vegetable as an ingredient.  For me, I think one of my favourite “go to” potato dishes for my family and I is scalloped potatoes.  My recipe is quite simple; a medium potato for every person, a few onions, salt and pepper and a can of mushroom soup with enough milk added to make a thick, loose sauce.  The potatoes are washed, peeled and thinly sliced into coins.  The onions are peeled and sliced but I like to separate them into rings.  This puts some bulk between the layers of potatoes which then allow for the pepper and mushroom soup to cling to the onions as they steam amongst the potatoes in the oven.  I start with buttering the casserole dish and then add a layer of potato, a layer of all the onion, seasonings and a thin layer of mushroom sauce. With the final layer of potatoes, add seasonings over top then the last of the sauce.  I spread the sauce evenly over the potatoes in a thin layer.  I cover the casserole with a lid or tin foil and bake for two to two and a half hours in a 350 degree oven.  The other night I cleaned out my fridge so, in addition to potatoes and onions we enjoyed the addition of a yellow pepper, shallots, mushrooms and garlic to our dish.  When it came time to eat, I liberally sprinkled my serving with pickled jalapeños and their juices.  It was absolutely delightful visually and for my taste buds.  And right after I took the photograph to share with you, I “sprinkled” black pepper all over my plate like it was manna from heaven and I was about to eat my very last meal.  In my opinion, nothing can compare to the versatility and transformational qualities of potatoes.  They just make every occasion with a focus on food complete.

The reason I’ve discovered such interesting bits of information about potatoes is due to the fact I’ve been researching old recipes and intend to test them in my kitchen before sharing them with you.  If I’m going to deep fry dandelion heads I want to be able to first establish a pleasing recipe that has a bit of spice but won’t burn a hole in the lining of your stomach.  I’ve heard dandelions can taste like honey - I haven’t heard they taste like chicken… and while that may make you chuckle, with all the plant based chicken, beef and pork flying off grocery shelves in North America I think the comparison isn’t too far off base to what some people think chicken should taste like - if their only experience with meat is plant based.  So, I look forward to sharing some unique, and quarky, new recipes over these summer months and I hope you’ll give them a try as well.

Take care and have a great week, everyone!