"Furby Baked Potato, Tilapia, and Beets"
January 11, 2011
Ingredients:
Pan-baked tilapia seasoned with Old Bay, brown butter, onion and lemon pepper
Canned beets
Baked potato
Sour cream
Key lime
Chopped black olive
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Homemade salsa
I just want to say that out of all the possible ways to cook a potato, I loathe, repeat, LOATHE baked. They take forever, and they have no flavor or personality, especially compared to something like mashed potatoes or scalloped potatoes or fries or au gratin or dauphinoise, or hell, even steamed new potatoes in butter. I can name about 50 ways to cook a potato, and in order from best to worst, baked is somewhere on the bottom. Probably right above tournets, though. When a person orders a baked potato and other options are available, it tells me that they are a product of a bygone era that cooked potatoes with no imagination. Needless to say, I don't make them all that often, even though my mom loves baked potatoes.
Well, on Day 17, I had to begin rehearsal for a sketch show I participate in, so I wouldn't be home to cook that night. We probably had fast food for lunch, and I couldn't leave mom hungry or my friends, who were providing great feedback on the project, in a lurch. I had enough time, so I put it all in the oven, and she got her baked potato. I have to say, I do make them a lot more appealing than I normally see.
Anyway, I precooked and plated this, but I had to refrigerate it since I wouldn't be home to serve. Just before I left, I went to the fridge to get some iced tea and noticed all the beets had been eaten. In the car on the way over, mom told me for the first time that she really enjoyed the faces.
To me, this had gone from venting passive-aggression, to a personality study, to an art project to something that boosted morale just a little bit every day. It's now a combination of all of the above. Times are tough, and it seemed like my life was slowly turning into Calvin and Hobbes, but instead of snowmen, I had my mom's lunch.
Pan-baked tilapia seasoned with Old Bay, brown butter, onion and lemon pepper
Canned beets
Baked potato
Sour cream
Key lime
Chopped black olive
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Homemade salsa
I just want to say that out of all the possible ways to cook a potato, I loathe, repeat, LOATHE baked. They take forever, and they have no flavor or personality, especially compared to something like mashed potatoes or scalloped potatoes or fries or au gratin or dauphinoise, or hell, even steamed new potatoes in butter. I can name about 50 ways to cook a potato, and in order from best to worst, baked is somewhere on the bottom. Probably right above tournets, though. When a person orders a baked potato and other options are available, it tells me that they are a product of a bygone era that cooked potatoes with no imagination. Needless to say, I don't make them all that often, even though my mom loves baked potatoes.
Well, on Day 17, I had to begin rehearsal for a sketch show I participate in, so I wouldn't be home to cook that night. We probably had fast food for lunch, and I couldn't leave mom hungry or my friends, who were providing great feedback on the project, in a lurch. I had enough time, so I put it all in the oven, and she got her baked potato. I have to say, I do make them a lot more appealing than I normally see.
Anyway, I precooked and plated this, but I had to refrigerate it since I wouldn't be home to serve. Just before I left, I went to the fridge to get some iced tea and noticed all the beets had been eaten. In the car on the way over, mom told me for the first time that she really enjoyed the faces.
To me, this had gone from venting passive-aggression, to a personality study, to an art project to something that boosted morale just a little bit every day. It's now a combination of all of the above. Times are tough, and it seemed like my life was slowly turning into Calvin and Hobbes, but instead of snowmen, I had my mom's lunch.
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