Portland inspired potato-dom

Hello darlings,

The thing is, I have actually been cooking more-than-usual but thus haven't had the time to write about it. I have been focussing a lot on potatoes. This is because the people I stayed with in Portland got me into them because they were super eco and were all into eating in season and shit. The thing about potatoes is, they are fucking delicious! They were literally the only food I didn't like when I was a kid (unless, of course, they were served in a fried form), but now I love them!

Why?

They are a winter food, they are cheap, they are filling, and they are hard to mess up (touch wood!!).

Here I shall post a few ideas, with links to web recipes from the ever fantastic epicurious.com as necessary.

1. Potato Latkes

Rhiann and I made these on New Years Eve and then I made them again for my friend Karina's [gluten free] b-day bash with some home-made apple sauce, which is, incidentally, super easy to make and involves cutting up apples and putting them in a sauce pan with spices and then letting it sit on the stove.

Anyway. Here is the link. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Latkes-104406

Use vegetable oil! It has a high smoking point and is tasteless (not in the trashy way. Actually kind of in the trashy way, but mostly in the subtle way). I fried them in sunflower oil at Kurt and Karina's because they are eco (Kurt is my boss at the coop) and it is the only local oil in Quebec and it fell short because it is real flavourful and thus a bit dstracting. People still liked them.

2. Portland-inspired vegetable and cabbage roast

This is motha frcking delicious and is a really good way to eat in season! We keep getting potatoes and cabbage in our "Good Food Box" from a local food coop and this is a d-fucking-licious way to use it! I watched Laurel, my P-land host make it, and it was very yummy, so it is probably not the way she made it but I like it anyway. You could probably substitute in many directions, but I will give it to you how I did it.

You need:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Cabbage
- Potatoes
- Cheese!!!!! You know me!!!
- Nutritional yeast
- Salt n peppa
- Parsley
- Olive oil
- Veg oil

How to:
Cut the potatoes into pretty small chunks, toss them in olive oil and a bit of salt and put them on a backing sheet and into the oven at 400 degrees

Cut the garlic and onion rather coarsely and throw it into a wok with some veg oil on medium heat or highish heat (honestly I don't know what it is because our elements are broken. I just put it on 'hottish warm')

Chop about half a head of cabbage fairly coarsely and throw it in the wok. Fry that shit with some salt and some nutritional yeast.

When the potatoes are pretty much done, put the the cabbage mixture on the baking sheet too, and mix it. Cover with a layer of chopped parsley and grated cheese.

Let the cheese melt, yum!!

3. Tortilla Espanola

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tortilla-Espanola-102944

I made this for Meagan on Friday as part of a romantic dinner pre-dance party. I have made it once before to rave reviews and so I don't know if it is cheating for this blog. If it is I guess the latkes were too. Whatever. It is really fucking good, and you will thank me if you make it.

Deets: I think 8 eggs are enough rather than 10 and i slice the potatoes rather than cubing them or whatever the recipe says.

Last thing to mention: it is a very versatile dish, as it is delicious not only as a warm meal but also cold at brunch (takes the edge off the hunger while you are cooking other stuff) and as something to eat when raiding the fridge post-night out (not sure if you girls do that, but i sure do from time to time, and I honestly felt like a million bucks Saturday morning and I thank the tortilla!!)

I hope this counts! My next recipes will be new recipes, I promise. I think I might work my way through the Rebar cook book. Hard to say.

Must go shower, it has been days.

Love you ladies! xo