Greek Potatoes

Sorry for the bad cell phone pic; my regular camera was out of batteries and I didn't have any fresh ones handy. These potatoes are probably the single most requested recipe by Kara, and they are totally delicious. And so easy! Like the recipe says, it's about ten minutes of prep and about an hour and a half in the oven. I usually don't bother to peel them, because I like the skins, and peeling is work. Here's the recipe at Recipezaar. Kara calls them "messy potatoes" because they tend to leave the pan they bake in a bit hard to clean, although the new nonstick Chicago Metallic stuff we got at Costco yesterday cleaned up easily enough.

Leek and Potato Soup

This is the first recipe I've made from Alice Waters's new book The Art of Simple Food, and I was very pleased with it. I didn't have any thyme, so I had to skip that, and I think it would have been an improvement, but it was still a very nice soup. Went well with a sourdough baguette. Alice Waters's Leek and Potato Soup 50 min (incl. 30 min unattended) Trim roots and tough leaves from: 2 lbs leeks Cut leeks in half lengthwise and slice thin. Rinse in a bowl of cold water and lift out to drain. Melt over med heat in a soup pot: 3 tbsp butter Add the leeks and: 2 sprigs thyme 1 bay leaf salt Cook until soft, about 10 min. Add: 1 lb yellow potatoes [I used red], peeled [I didnt'], quartered or halved, and sliced Cook 4 minutes. Add: 6 c water/stock Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are tender, but not falling apart, about 30 min. Remove bay leaf and thyme. Purée if desired, then add: 1/3 c crème fraîche or heavy cream [I used whole milk] Adjust seasoning as necessary and serve.