Cooking: My Turn

Tam had picked up a couple of ribeyes in her shopping yesterday and bade me prepare them for tonight. Quick and easy way is to set 'em in a little Chianti and Worcestershire, start 'taters on the boil, then saute mushrooms in olive oil and add the steaks, brown 'em a bit, then their pseudomarinade in time to make everything finish even. Haute cuisine it's not, but if you're careful to never break a boil and keep the liquid level low and consistent, it's pretty good. About 5 - 7 minutes to medium rare.

I built salads, too: baby mixed greens, red pepper, celery, cauliflower, carrots, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, black and green olives and green onions, topped with a wonderful French dressing.

But the potatoes, that's where I shine: start with four fresh Yukon Gold, quartered but not peeled; toss in a hint of garlic, a dash of salt and pepper, a little of whatever veggies seem extra from the salad (some sweet red pepper, most of the celery leaves, green onion) and let it cook. Once they're good and soft, drain well (save the potato water if it's soup season!), put the pan back on low heat to dry em out, then attack with a knife to chop up the peel; add some butter and a dash of milk and mash it up with a fork, adding milk as you go until you like the consistency. Serve with butter, salt and pepper to taste. Heavenly!

I'm tellin' ya, it's shameful: I would almost pass up the steak. The two of us put ourselves on the outside of classic American cookery in record time while watching the first half-hour or so of Patton. Ah, that's the life!