Anna N

Those potatoes are out of this world.

Can you say a little bit more about these, please? I must say you do an amazing job of making bits and bobs look so appetizing.

Whew! At first glance, I thought these were the dreaded c$rn.

I have a vision of a diner saying when the bill is presented, “Could you add the chairs and table to that and put them in my trunk?” (It might make a fine New Yorker cartoon).

Try scrolling to the right.

Perhaps. It’s definitely a thought, but an initial quick search didn’t uncove anything about Peterson and long baked potatoes. But it did show up a recommendation for 3 hour potatoes. Granted these are done at 350°, but the article also offers a way of testing potatoes baked from 1 to 3 hours such that they can all be taste tested at the same time.

Thanks. I was aware of that but I’m curious to see Naomi’s take on it. As I said, I’m unlikely to cook from this book but I’m very interested in the subject. One thing, she definitely wins top marks for is her acknowledgement that all salt is sodium chloride and once dissolved in water the most expensive is no better than the cheapest.

I believe I actually made these potatoes once many years ago. Although the recipe makes it sound as though it’s a piece of cake to serve these things, it really wasn’t! There was still more salt on each potato than most people wanted to consume so now they have the issue of getting that salt off the potatoes without making a mess over the table or their dinner plate. Would work much better in a casual setting like a barbeque.

Very strange. But here’s the relevant quote: “Several years ago during a discussion on baked potatoes, the late James Beard asked me if I had ever eaten a potato baked at 450 degrees for 2 hours. I thought I had misunderstood him and asked again how long and at what temperature. He assured me that it was a perfectly wonderful way to serve a potato, unusual and delicious. He liked it served only with freshly ground black pepper. You also may enjoy it with the classic accompaniments. The potato itself has a very thick, crunchy outer shell, almost like a pastry crust. The inside is a rich, buttery consistency, which in my opinion really does not need butter or sour cream. I like it with the fresh pepper and a little cottage cheese.”

First I need to point out that I am not the one proposing nor defending this method. I still have to try it. But here you can read for yourself why James Beard thinks two hours is better than one hour: Click

Does not seem to be hazardous when applied to small potatoes at least according to this. As I feared, this is now behind a 💰 wall although it was not when I linked!

Thanks for a delightful trip through the pumpkin patch. Seems like no matter the outside the price remains steady $.99 a pound! I think the taste and texture of acorn, kabocha and butternut squash are distinctive I wonder about the others.

@chromedomehas posted a link to this interview here.

Anything is possible. I took my own memory to guide me along the path. Sometimes I think I remember things that never happened! So if Richard Olney wasn’t the source could it be a contemporary of his? We may never know. The journey was fun even if the destination eluded me. It is interesting to me that you don’t consider the bed of salt to be integral to the original recipe. I made it one of my essential search terms.

Strangely, few of the recipes that I was able to access even mentioned size. For instance Click 1 Delia’s recipe does use the very large 8 to 12 ounce ones Click 2 Another example of no size given but they do look raw the smaller to me Click 3

I listened to an interview with Naomi on CBC this morning. Although I could never justify purchasing her book to cook from since I do so little of that these days, I don’t think I will be able to resist buying the Kindle edition for the pleasure of reading it. It would be the most expensive Kindle book I have ever purchased! I don’t think she makes a great interview subject in terms of her ability to think on her feet but she was intriguing. She mentioned two or three recipes that had captured her imagination when she was writing the book. The one that had me most intrigued was an Acadian recipe for salted green onions to be used as a condiment or seasoning. The other one that had apparently changed her cooking life was shio koji, Japanese fermented rice. The publication date was pushed back and is now slated for tomorrow I believe.

Thanks for this. It made a great read. I think I have only ever eaten a fresh fig once. I guess I was not particularly impressed because I don’t recall it. But I have been a fan of dried figs since I was knee-high to a jellybean.

A little digging reveals that James Beard and Paul Prudhomme both believed in prolonged baking. Beard is quoted as calling for a two hour bake at either 425 or 450°F depending on who is quoting him. Nowhere could I find reference to a bed of salt but rather most seemed to suggest baking directly on the oven rack. This kind of digging for a Reference keeps me out of the pool halls.

Me too! Amazon was kind enough to remind me.

Now that would be truly decadent.

It’s available very cheaply on amazon.ca too.

I would love to have found the Richard Olney reference you speak of but much searching failed to unearth it. Yet in the process I found many sites which recommended a two hour bake and some suggested that this was peculiarly British. For sure Delia has a recipe online for potatoes baked for two hours. Not sure that makes them peculiarly British! Ever since the first time I saw you mention the two hours I admit my skepticism. But I’ve never tried it so baking potatoes are now on my next shopping list. I have to know.

Like others, I am in awe.

, It doesn’t get much better! Wine, instant noodles and rice crackers.

Today @Kerry Bealwas busy sticking needles into arms in Hamilton so she picked up lunch from a Syrian restaurant, Tomah. For Kerry a felafel plate with rice, hummus and salad. She also had this complimentary lentil soup. Full disclosure – – she was kind enough to transport leftovers from my home to hers! I don’t do hummus, lentils or felafel. SHUDDER. Chicken skewers with rice, salad and hummus. I kept my eyes averted from the hummus. I also got to share some of Kerry‘s Fattoush. Dessert was a somewhat different interpretation of baklava. The outer crust was not soaked in syrup but was still somewhat crispy.