FFwD: Basque Potato Tortilla

Did a whole week really go by again?  Every day I see things I want to share, or learn things I want to pass along, so why don't I blog more?  I don't know.  I really don't. 

I took a great hike on Sunday to retrieve a trail cam.  Of course, I forgot to bring my camera along, and there was nothing of interest on the trail cam itself. 

Also, the goldfinches and flickers have returned to my part of the world.  A cute little finch hit the window while I was out one day, so Chirp chirp brought the stunned bird into the house, provided a bit of seed and water, and there it recuperated in the music room.  I should have taken a photo, but I didn't.  One of it's feet was all fuzzy-ferny like.  I still need to look that up and see what the deal was.  It didn't seem to effect his flight, though, when we finally opened the window to release him back out into the cold.

I don't know.  I need to get myself in gear, I suppose.

I promise you this, though.  Sometime this weekend, or Monday by the latest, I'm going to post something really fun. You'll want to check back, it will be worth your while, and that's all I'm going to say about that right now.

So, this week's French Fridays with Dorie challenge.  Basque Potato Tortilla.  Yummy!

Oh!  Look!  Collages in Picassa!  I had a professor once who pointed out that every time a new theory came along in anthropology, every anthropologist tries to apply it to every single bit of new information they find, as well as apply to it every bit of old information already in their head.  He said that to a man with a hammer, the world looks like a nail.  Collages are my hammer at the moment.  So please do forgive me!  

I mean, have potatoes and onions ever looked so organized on this site before?

I love love love my cast iron pan.  The recipe called for cleaning out the pan after cooking the onions.  Everything slipped out of my pan and I didn't even need to wipe it out. 

Have I ever mentioned this pan was FREE?  I found it at a yard sale, covered in rust, in a "freebies" box.

Can't buy me looooooove.  Nooooooo, no no no, nooooo!

After adding the eggs and potatoes back to the pan, you practice your patience skills, and once the mixture has set up a bit you run a little knife or spatula around the edges to prevent sticking and to judge the doneness.

After a little stint under the broiler (I used my toaster oven on the broil setting), this lovely dinner awaits.

Yummmmm.  From start to finish the project took under half an hour.  It's like a quiche, but you don't have to make a pie crust.  And, it's like an omelet, but you all get to eat at once.

I'm not allowed to share the exact recipe with you (per Dorie's request), but this is the type of dish where the recipe is secondary to the technique.  Now you know the technique, so please do try this lovely fast meal.

(And don't forget to check back for the surprise!)

FFwD: Hachis Parmentier

Wow, I can't believe I let a whole week slip by without a single post. It's not that I haven't been doing anything, just that most of it is sooooo mundane, and the rest of it is embarrassing. Essentially, this past week has really spotlighted how out of shape I am, and how boring my life really is. I was so happy that this week's challenge for the French Fridays with Dorie consisted of what I'd call a comfort food. Even though I've never tasted, nor even heard of this dish, I knew it would be warm and delicious and a wonderful final meal to this week.

Of course, this recipe is totally bastardized from the one so carefully written out by Dorie in her book, but it was still wonderful. Step A was picking a few last mutant onions from the garden, salvaging a carrot, and delighting in the the hardiness of our parsley. Back in from the garden, I just had to toss those into a pot with some cube steak from the freezer. Our meat selection is really low in that big white chest freezer, but I did find one last package of cube steak at the very bottom.

The meat and broth are eventually topped with potatoes, cheese, and little dabs of butter. Mine might look a little funny because I used purple and red potatoes from the garden, and didn't bother to peel them. The recipe wanted russets, but I just didn't feel like going to the store. So there.

This method will definitely be used over and over, if not the exact ingredients. Maybe next time I'll take a nicer photo, but I doubt it. Hachis parmentier smells far too good to sit on the counter for long...

Happy Friday, everyone!