June 16 – June 22 , 2025

Monday:               Smashed Cucumber, Fennel, Chili Crisp and Walnut Salad

Tuesday:               Opening Night of “Camelot” at Benedum Theater

Wednesday:          Meatballs and Spaghetti

Thursday:             Dunnings Dinner

Friday:                 Tuscan-style Shrimp with White Beans

Saturday:              Pizza with Pepperoni, Onion and Olives

Sunday:                Grilled Flank Steak w/ Onion Jam, Fire-Roasted Potatoes

Housekeeping – in the last post, I referred to a picture of pscho chef with knife but failed to upload it. You might want to send the children from the room before you take a look at this:

More Meat and, especially, Potatoes

The shrimp and white beans from last week was outstanding, and the spaghetti with meatballs was satisfying, and the pizza was just what we wanted on Saturday, but one dish was, at the same time, surprising, outstanding and easy.  So that’s the recipe we’ve shared below – a new way to prepare potatoes that requires no clean-up, is even more comforting than mashed and just as tasty, by itself, as crispy, oven roasted spuds.

Of course, you really don’t hear the term “spuds” anymore, nor do you hear an automobile referred to as “the machine,” as my great aunt, a nun, used to refer to it.  I do think, “the machine,” was a pretty nifty way to refer to an automobile, as in,
“How did you get here, Mother Gerald?”  “Bill picked us up in the machine.”    The gentility of those days seems far away.

By the way, potatoes are also known as ‘Murphys’ in some parts of the world – a recognition of their importance to the Irish race.  They’re called ‘taters’ in some parts of the rural south.  The ‘spud’ appellation seems to have come from the name for a short knife, which farmers used to dig a hole to plant potatoes in.  Please note that I supply this kind of information for your delectation, at no charge.

But here I am again, drifting away from the point of this post – to tell you about a recipe I think you ought to cook.

This recipe comes from the great Michael Symon, whose cookbook I’ve been slowly cooking through since Billy gave it to me at Christmas.  Symon has a mixture of slightly difficult and fairly easy recipes in the book and the one below is one of the easiest, but also one of the best.

You’ll end up with creamy, really tasty potatoes that will, I guarantee it, surpass whatever meat you’ll cook to go along with it.  We are hooked on this recipe and it will be one of our staples for Sunday cookouts.

I know that this is just a side dish.  But really, the appetizers and side dishes are what give me the most difficulty in planning a menu.  Here’s a solution for side dishes for any meat you’ll be cooking – you’re welcome.  

 

FIRE-ROASTED POTATOES

(adapted from Michael Symon, Simply Symon Suppers)

Timing: 55 minutes, plus the time to heat a grill to high or an oven to 425

Ingredients                               Serves Four

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes

12 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled (we didn’t use)

4 sprigs rosemary

4 tablespoons butter

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Urfa or Aleppo pepper (mix sweet paprika to cayenne, 4 to 1 ratio)

1 cup chicken stock (this is what makes the dish)

Prep:

Heat an outdoor charcoal grill to high, or an indoor oven to 425

Prepare 4 12 x 14 inch pieces of heavy duty foil (you’ll need the long boxes of foil for this)

Slice the potatoes into ¾” rounds and place them in the center of a piece of foil, along with 3 garlic cloves, a tablespoon of butter, pinch of salt and some black pepper.

Lift the four corners of the foil to begin to form a pouch and pour ¼ cup of the chicken stock into the pouch, then tightly seal the pouch.

Cook:

Place the pouches directly on the coals in your grill, or arrange them on a sheet pan and put into the oven.  Cook for 45 minutes – they should be very tender.  Unseal and serve.