Success and Failure

I wanted to be somewhat festive for St. Patrick's Day, so I did a little cabbage with caraway. I had previously used caraway in an Irish soda bread. I thought I liked it. I thought it smelled good. But in this cabbage dish ... with a little apple and a little cider vinegar ... it was disgusting. Disgusting. It smelled awful and tasted worse. I spit out my first (and last) bite. I mean, look at it. It doesn't even look good. I did a terrible thing to that beautiful cabbage. I regret it.

Josh liked it, though. But he pretty much has to because if he complains at all, he gets in trouble.

And the pork was dry and overcooked. I know, the crust looks amazing - homemade breadcrumbs, even. You absolutely must brine pork chops. I didn't. What was I thinking?

And then I made this. Gorgeous, right? Delicious as well.

Funny how maligned potatoes are in the anti-carb culture we have going here. These humble tubers can be so sublime, so I will keep potatoes in my diet. Thank you. What was I reading? Perhaps The Omnivore's Dilemma - chronicling the rise of the American food culture as referring to food items as their type. For example: Don't eat too many simple carbs; you should eat more protein. Just eat food, how about?

Potato Galette

2.5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/8 in. thick

5T butter, melted

1 T cornstarch

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1.5 tsp. fresh rosemary (optional) (I used thyme)

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat to 450. Place sliced potatoes in a large bowl covered with cold water. Swirl to remove excess starch, drain in colander, then drain on towels.

2. Whisk 4T butter, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and herbs in a large bowl. Add potatoes and toss well. Place remaining 1T melted butter in 10-in. nonstick and overproof skillet and swirl to coat. Place one potato slice in the center of the pan, then layer the potatoes decoratively. After the first 1-2 layers, dump the rest of the potatoes in carefully and spread in an even layer.

3. Place skillet over med-high heat and cook until potatoes are sizzling and beginning to turn translucent at the edges, about 5 minutes. Spray a square of foil with nonstick spray and place it, sprayed side down, on top of potatoes. Take a cake pan and press on the galette. Add pie weights to the pan and press again. Place skillet in the over and bake for 20 minutes.

4. Remove cake pan and foil from skillet. Continue to cook galette until potatoes are tender, 20-25 minutes longer. Return skillet to the stovetop over medium heat and cook, gently shaking to release galette from pan, 2-3 minutes.

5. Off the heat, place a cutting board over the skillet to flip the galette out.