Fall for sure
It’s fall for sure. Not some half summer, half fall compromise that is October. Nope, we’ve had the leaf stripping, icy winds from the North whipping through the area. Now when it rains, no one mentions that it’s good for their garden or lawn. They just grimace and hope for a break in the clouds. Nope, now when it rains it brings with it a palpable chill.
I like it. I like knowing that winter is just around the corner. I like being warm and dry inside my small house, while the weather acts up outside. Not that I mind being out in the weather. Hell, last month my friends and I, in the Blackstone Valley Aquatic Recreation Society and I camped out in a Nor’easter. But to be BVARS one must be a little mad.
Whether sitting at the edge of a campfire or seated in front of the fireplace at home, this season is my favorite season. I know most people love summer. The heat and the long days are things to look forward to. This morning it was 31 degrees when I stood outside, at the edge of my driveway while Captain Chaos climbed on his bus. I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. My long suffering wife was dressed appropriately but not me. I think I’m projecting strength to my neighbors. They probably think I’m a dumbass. They’re probably more right. I know who LSW sides with.
Saturday morning I was slow to get up. I didn’t have a convention or anything scheduled for once. It was nice to read about the Road to Diem Bien Phu. I also rewatched a Marco Pierre White cooking video. No, not the one from the early 1990’s where he makes a young Gordon Ramsay cry. In this video MPW was making four potato dishes. He had earned three Michelin stars in his day and he knows what he’s talking about.
The dishes were brilliant but one of them caught my attention more than the others. It was so simple. It was a micro-master’s class in technique. It used three ingredients and he made it on the stove top in a frying pan. It was Pommes Maxim. Potatoes thinly sliced, like paper thinly sliced on a mandolin. The pan was brushed with clarified butter and the potatoes were arranged in an overlapping sunflower pattern. Then they were brushed with more clarified butter, salt and pepper sprinkled on them. Then another layer of potatoes and repeat. Then cooked on gentle heat until golden brown. One thing that struck me was that MPW said, that knowing when they were cooked was a bit of guesswork.
I like my finger tips so I opted for a very sharp knife in lieu of our Mandolin. My sunflower was not as elegant as MPW’s but hey, he’s a real chef and I am just a guy who likes to cook. I flipped mine a few times and when it came time to portion the finished product out I opted for a rectangle instead of a sunflower. While it didn’t look as cool as MPW’s it tasted out of this world. Rich, creamy, buttery potatoes that had a crispy top. What’s not to love?
It was perfect fall food. I will try again this week. Refining and paying more attention to technique. This week it will be Yukon Gold’s but next week I’ll see if Russets offer any advantage other than longer slices. I will work up to Pommes Anna, layered potatoes baked to perfection. Then, finally, in time for Christmas breakfast and dinner Pommes Pave. Pommes Pave, if you are unfamiliar is a layered potato dish that takes two days to make. Think of it as potato lasagna or potato meatloaf, except that the slices of loaf are friend until they are crispy. Golden brown and creamy inside.
Practice hopefully, will make pretty good. I am not shooting for perfect. I just want the people eating the dishes to walk away happy and full. After all isn’t that why we cook for people?