The degrees are climbing slowly and laboriously up the thermometer, inching their way towards Spring.
Yesterday was almost warm; but unfortunately the wind was showing signs of its Springtime truculence. I was working at the big building where they have staff kitchens the size of football fields. They said, help yourself to coffee. It's in the kitchen.
I will, I said. I went into the kitchen and looked for a cup. I asked someone, are there any cups?
Oh no! he laughed, you have to bring your own!
Like I'm going to walk into a contract job with a cup tied around my neck or bulging out of my briefcase. Nuts.
So I went out at lunchtime and walked down to the run-down mall near the big building and bought a sandwich and a coffee from a rundown takeaway cafe and a paper from the newsagent and I sat outside the cafe and tried to eat the sandwich and read the bad news in the paper. The wind whipped and banged the cafe awning and blew over a table and then it snatched up half my newspaper - the news pages - and hurled it across Tooronga Road and I thought, to hell with the wind, to hell with the news and to hell with the big building. I ate my wind-blown sandwich and drank my coffee and read the sport section of the newspaper. Somebody won, I forget who.
Ten pots until Spring # 5: Baked potato salad.
Everyone eats potato salad in summer, but who eats it in winter? Now you can. Just bake it first. This is a great take on the usual baked potatoes; and the celery and red capsicum add colour and crunch and interest in a world of horrible weather and bad news and interest rate rises and faceless businesses with no cups for visitors.
Cut four medium-to-large potatoes into large chunks and boil until not quite done, then remove from heat and let stand ten minutes for further softening without falling apart.
Chop a thick rasher of quality bacon into strips. Combine this with potatoes and add: one chopped onion, half a chopped red capsicum and a tablespoon of chopped parsley. Mix carefully and place in an oiled baking dish.
Combine two tablespoons of yogurt or sour cream with three tablespoons of vinaigrette and a good dash of cracked black pepper and pour over potato mixture. Top with grated cheese.
Bake 15-20 minutes in a moderate oven.
For a nice lunch, this makes an ideal accompaniment to soup.
Yesterday was almost warm; but unfortunately the wind was showing signs of its Springtime truculence. I was working at the big building where they have staff kitchens the size of football fields. They said, help yourself to coffee. It's in the kitchen.
I will, I said. I went into the kitchen and looked for a cup. I asked someone, are there any cups?
Oh no! he laughed, you have to bring your own!
Like I'm going to walk into a contract job with a cup tied around my neck or bulging out of my briefcase. Nuts.
So I went out at lunchtime and walked down to the run-down mall near the big building and bought a sandwich and a coffee from a rundown takeaway cafe and a paper from the newsagent and I sat outside the cafe and tried to eat the sandwich and read the bad news in the paper. The wind whipped and banged the cafe awning and blew over a table and then it snatched up half my newspaper - the news pages - and hurled it across Tooronga Road and I thought, to hell with the wind, to hell with the news and to hell with the big building. I ate my wind-blown sandwich and drank my coffee and read the sport section of the newspaper. Somebody won, I forget who.
Ten pots until Spring # 5: Baked potato salad.
Everyone eats potato salad in summer, but who eats it in winter? Now you can. Just bake it first. This is a great take on the usual baked potatoes; and the celery and red capsicum add colour and crunch and interest in a world of horrible weather and bad news and interest rate rises and faceless businesses with no cups for visitors.
Cut four medium-to-large potatoes into large chunks and boil until not quite done, then remove from heat and let stand ten minutes for further softening without falling apart.
Chop a thick rasher of quality bacon into strips. Combine this with potatoes and add: one chopped onion, half a chopped red capsicum and a tablespoon of chopped parsley. Mix carefully and place in an oiled baking dish.
Combine two tablespoons of yogurt or sour cream with three tablespoons of vinaigrette and a good dash of cracked black pepper and pour over potato mixture. Top with grated cheese.
Bake 15-20 minutes in a moderate oven.
For a nice lunch, this makes an ideal accompaniment to soup.
I can't believe they couldn't find you a cup! How uncivilised is that? I hate the big building too! But not your recipe for baked potato salad. I'm going to save this for when it isn't 95 degrees with 100% humidity with the sun shining (like it was here in NYC yesterday). Perfect for when the wind is howling and snow is blowing by my window in about 10 weeks.
ReplyDeleteI really do miss bacon at times.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm, warm potato salad. Here in N America it's way too hot to eat anything warm, but it sure makes me wish for cold weather.
ReplyDeleteSure you don't have some German in the family tree somewhere? Or are Germans just really good at winter food? Hmmm.
Please hum the theme to Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone here....this very week I spent trying to recreate a baked potato salad for my stepdad. He's been obsessed with one from the deli and I keep telling him we can make one from scratch better.
ReplyDeleteSame as you basically but used floury potato, boiled in the jacket and then peeled, cut and tossed with a wee bit of vinegar (white or cider) mixed with bacon, loads of bacon, mmmmmm bacon and mayo with scallion (spring onion to you) , celery, red onion, a little mustard (dijon) and s&p.
Twas..very, very good.....lol.
I see right about now we are almost on an equal plain as even though it is HOTTER THAN HADES I miss making braises and you braise king are missing simple summer dishes.
It shall all equalize soon.
Breadchick, ten weeks should see us experiencing your conditions. Here's to 95 degrees!
ReplyDeleteLucy, the bacon makes this special.
Julie, no German in my line but my two grown-up children have German ancestors on their mother's side.
Jo, yes, it's the in-between season when we are all channelling the food currently being consumed on the other side of the world in expectation of changing seasons! Your version sounds extremely good.
Aah, this salad sounds fabulous. KH, if Raymond Chandler wrote a food blog I believe he might have written this very entry. He certainly could write about weather. (see his short story Red Wind.)
ReplyDeleteDr Alice, a Chandler food blog would be a wonderful thing. There would be plenty of Four Roses bourbon and plenty of coffee and then he might get around to the food. I wonder if he'd allow comments?
ReplyDelete