By Isa Covo
As I write this, America has entered a new era, one I hope will be successful, especially since the former one was a failure.
The lesson we learned here is that we must always hope for what we want, but we must also act. I applaud all the eighty million who voted for President Biden, and all those who gave us a new Senate, as well as all the volunteers who spent so much of their time working for these changes.
We won. It is now up to us to continue this good work and help to build a better and happier nation, for no one can do it alone, even a good president.
February is the month of love and chocolate candy. I think that we shall always receive comfort from chocolate, as well as giving happiness to others with gifts of chocolate, but I leave the making of candy to professionals. Food can bring us a sense of wellbeing; that is why I chose a simple and comforting recipe for a potato side dish. In some European countries, it is served as a light main course, accompanied by a salad, with some fruit for dessert.
Garlicky Scalloped Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs. Idaho potatoes
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced.
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- Vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
- Peel and slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch rounds. Place them in a deep saucepan.
- Mix the milk with the cream, the salt, the minced garlic, the bay leaf and the rosemary sprig and pour the mixture over the potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes soften, but do not break up. Stir gently occasionally to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the bottom.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Coat an ovenproof shallow gratin pan with a thin layer of vegetable oil. With a slotted spoon, remove potatoes from their liquid and layer them into the prepared gratin dish. Remove the sprig of rosemary and the bay leaf. Stir in the nutmeg and the Cayenne.
- Pour the milk mixture over the potatoes and brush the top with the melted butter.
- Transfer the prepared potatoes to the middle of the heated oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top shows brown spots.
Yield: 6 servings, more as a side dish
