Sliders

Tonight was a pretty simple night for dinner. While shopping last weekend, my wife spotted some slider buns, and we decided at some point during the week that would be our dinner. I was glad to oblige her craving, as it is a rare day that I pass up a chance to eat a burger. I did want to add a bit of zing to the meal, however. Blending shredded cheddar right into the burger is an old trick, and I was glad to use it. But that still left me with a pretty basic burger. I opted to make a quick garlic-heavy mayo to spread on the buns. Simple stuff - egg yolk, oil, etc., but we love our garlic in our house, so I did not hold back one bit. Besides, my arms were stiff, and the workout with the whisk did me some good.


I made a potato salad as well. They were selling modest-sized bags of small red & white potatoes this past week, and I am glad I grabbed some. The salad, too, was pretty basic. I've been using  Hellmann's olive oil mayonnaise lately, and simply love it.* A bit of yellow mustard, some chopped up dill pickle, salt and pepper... and our old standby - crumbled bacon. I've mentioned in a previous post that we keep a bag of Costco (Kirkland) brand  crumbled, pre-cooked bacon on hand at all times. It really added a nice touch to the salad. 


The verdict


Some plain old green beans on the side made this feel more like a summer cookout than a late-winter meal. The potato salad meet my wife's most important criterion for a good side dish - "not too mayo-ey." I loved the bacon in the mix. I don't make potato salad quite the same way every time, and I definitely don't always add the bacon.  


The burgers were juicy, perfectly cooked, and I swear, they were doing something unspeakable on the bun with that garlic mayo, because I felt just a bit naughty after I ate this meal, like I was some kind of voyeur to a culinary hook-up. The garlic is still dancing around on my palate, and I look forward to that hint of goodness the rest of the night. My only regret is that I made the darn burgers just a little thicker than I would have cared for. I was counting on more - uh - shrinkage, but the meat was leaner than I'd thought it would be.


The real bonus I sometimes get at dinner time, of course, is when I get my daughter to agree to help me cook. Tonight, she helped make the burgers, and put the potatoes into the pot (before they went onto the stove, of course). We haven't gotten her to eat a burger yet, but we did convince her yesterday that hot dogs were ok, so she did have one of those tonight. At least she was adding to the summer cookout vibe. It's been a challenge getting her to branch out. I convinced her to try a potato, and I think having her "help cook" them may have been key (although bribery helps). Of course, if what I thought helped her overcome her recent fussiness with eating, we would be past that stage already...


* - I might also note that I grew up eating only Hellmann's when I did eat mayo. As a kid, that was rare. There's a story behind why, but that's another day...

The comfort of duck fat

The house next to ours burned today. The family lost a pet. The smell of smoke is heavy in our building, maybe less perceptibly so for others who live here, but I'm particularly sensitive to the smell of a burned home. When I was in high school, the house I lived in (with my aunt, uncle, and cousins), burned. We all survived, we rebuilt, we moved forward. But fires change you when they hit you so directly, or at least I believe they do. 


I was planning on using the duck fat from the duck I made a few days ago as part of a "breakfast for dinner" this week already, and tonight was probably the perfect night to do so. I needed something comforting, and I was also hoping for some aromas that would help mask the smoke smell. The hash browns I made certainly helped, and the loose homemade sausage pretty well sealed the deal. Scrambled eggs - purely incidental. This was no fancy meal, no gourmet effort. It was about as pedestrian a cooking session as I ever have; I can cook breakfast blindfolded (or at least I'd like to believe I can). The duck fat was pure luxury, however; simply heavenly. It's amazing how a single ingredient can so easily transform a dish.


Right now, the smells of dinner are beginning to fade, and the smells from next door starting to reemerge. I have no problem saying that I'm glad it wasn't our home, because I know perfectly well what it means for the family/families enduring the pain and shock right now. I wish I could have brought them some comfort tonight. Sadly, I don't even know them. We do know many of our neighbors, which I understand is increasingly unusual in America. That's too bad for most of us, and I consider myself lucky to have such great folks living in our condo building. Just as the comfort of a good meal can help us deal with life's difficulties, the comfort of a rich social network can ease or pain or bring us relief us when we need it most (a real network - a local fabric of ties to others; I love me some Facebook, but it is no substitute for conversation in person).


The verdict


For the food, well, the sausage was tasty, but not especially great. The eggs were hardly worth mentioning (I make a nice, fluffy scrambled egg, and I'm fussy about them, but still, it's just a scrambled egg). The hash browns were heavenly, velvety, a bit smoky and certainly rich, with just enough kick from the cayenne and sharp paprika to make us take notice. 


But tonight, it was the comfort of a family I love, and a special appreciation for my aging, deaf, rather dense, but always lovable pug that made the meal meaningful. My thoughts are with those who lost so much today, and my thanks are with the Chicago Fire Department for keeping our home safe today. I would love to go and cook for one of the stations someday, just as a small token of gratitude. 


Love your family, love your pets, know your neighbors as much as you can, stay safe, and appreciate what you have, folks.

Ham and Potato Soup

Ham and Potato Soup


The day started out rainy, and it never really warmed up. When autumn arrives, so does soup. I was dreaming up the soup yesterday, knowing there were two ham bones (and plenty of frozen leftover ham, to boot) on deck. 


The morning was stock making time. Mirepoix, coarsely cut, received a quick saute, then bones, herbs and spices took the plunge for a long simmer. 


We pulled meat from the bones after lunch, then added in potatoes, additional meat, and a hint of milk (for mouth-feel; it's all about that mouth-feel sometimes). I was trying to split the difference between a creamy soup and a broth, and it worked out just that way. I hate overly-soggy veggies, so the first round was removed and new veggies (with some corn for fun) went back in. 


The ham had been really smokey, and the broth was as well.


Served up with a nice handful of shredded cheddar and some bacon cheddar muffins my wife made.


The Verdict


Comforting, stick-to-the ribs soup, gooey cheese, and fresh-baked muffins? How could it be bad?