No, I am a fairly simple creature. A foodie/wine geek surrounding a warm nougaty center.
Not one for too much introspection, I have wondered, Why food and wine and not, say, Nascar? Why not Genealogy? Or model trains? Or stamp collecting or...
By way of explanation, in a classic X-File's episodes, Peter Boyle stars as an insurance salesman who can predict the future but only as it pertains to death. In a pivotal scene, David Duchovny’s character, Fox Mulder, and Peter Boyle’s are in the bedroom of a murder victim. The deceased happened to be a doll collector, to put it lightly. Creepy porcelain dolls saturate the room, staring them down from the many shelves. Boyle’s character sums up her life as such:
“Why does anyone do the things they do? Why do I sell insurance? I wish I knew. Why did this woman collect dolls?…What was it about her life? Was it one specific moment where she suddenly said, ‘I know... Dolls.’ Or was it a whole series of things? Starting when her parents first met that somehow combined in such a way that in the end, she had no choice but to be a doll collector…”
This shit fascinates me. Does each of us have our own 'doll gene'? Or was it through some bizarre co-joining of my parents’ DNA that I had no choice but to get excited about food and wine like others do bowling or the Civil War? Or did I have a food epiphany I just can't recall, like Tony Bourdain describes, slurping his first oyster as an adolescent?
Dunno. Like I said, I’m not keen on introspection. And with that, let me leave you with this. The Apotheosis of the Potato. This has become our de facto standard at the household because, let's face it, being from the Midwest, we have meat and potatoes in place of hemoglobin in our veins.
What ya do: Run some Yukon Golds through a mandolin. (I like mine thin setting, not paper thin, 1/4"ish.) Don't have a mandolin? Buy one. Now. Just remember that guard...Worse than the bagel Recovery Ward.
http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-use-a-mandolin-slicer
Gently cover with whipping cream, do not drown. Mix in some fresh herbs if you got 'em (Herbs de Provence also works). I like ample thyme. Coat with some good quality olive oil, grated Gruyère (to your taste), salt & pepper, and toss (sprinkle more Gruyère on top before you're done, so it will form a slight crust). Anoint with a few dots of butter. Toss 'er in the oven @ 425 degrees. Voila! You will have the beautful speciman below and your daily recommended allowance of food porn!
Next installment:
Stalking Alpana
