Potato

I like the potato. I like it more than bread, less than rice but probably on par with pasta and maybe noodles.

Not that I'm judging.

HM had been doin' a lot of scallop potato smack talkin'. I imagined her well seasoned cooking: bubbling cream like hot lava between the Teutonic plates of thin, uniform slices of happy potato. (Hmm, I wonder if she used Russets?) I saw the reddish orange tinge of nutmeg and cheese (I think I will try paprika next time) and the dark brown of flavor on the edges of her pan begin to crust. Ahh, pan of thin potato if only you were mine.

However her pan of potatoes was not for me, and though I know she'd offer to make me some the next time I crossed her threshold, I'll probably be over it by then. ha!

The thing she did do was plant the potato seed ...

The Man-friend had a marinating pork chop in smoked paprika, bay leaf, garlic, onion and salt and pepper and olive oil when I got home. I noticed 2 large Russets peeled in a water bath. "What are you gonna do with that?"

"Oh probably saute them ..."

See my face fall. "HM said she's going to make scalloped potatoes. Can I make a galette? You know, with some onion and stock? Maybe a little cheese ... um but just at the end?"

"Sure, sure, why don't we use the Mandolin*" (which I call the Madeleine by the way).

I get my very own uniform slices of potato. I do not cut myself because he does the slicing, though he promises to built my confidence next time. (This is important if I am ever to get the correct size/texture for cucumber noodles).

He pat dries the slices when I am ready, and I work evenly *potato, salt and pepper, a little sweated, seasoned onion and garlic, dabs of butter and repeat from * as us knitters say ... in my new rectangle Pyrex dish.

It was tasty. I didn't over season, in fact I think cutting back on the salt and adding a little smoked sea salt to the onions and garlic was the way to go. I just wish I had had leeks. Next time.

Actually next time ... I'll  make them scalloped.