The heart of the simple life is time. No, time is not money - and would you want it to be? - but it is a luxury. So: luxuriate. This week I perfected the art of roast potatoes. It's something I never would have found the time to do still working full time. A simple pleasure, and a simple art. Here are some tips, things you may already know but which I can confirm from experience are effective.
1. I'm using British white potatoes. Nothing fancy, 99p for 1.5kg at the Co-op. Slice roughly into quarters. Do not peel. The skins will add to the crispiness, which is what you want.2. Bring to the boil for about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat a pan/tray of olive oil in the oven to at least 200 degrees (C). I use a large perspex dish, the kind you might use for a casserole. Be generous with the oil. You need enough to be able to drizzle every potato.
4. Drain the potatoes. Shake them around in the pan to allow a little flakiness to emerge. Again, this provides further crispiness, which is what you want.
5. Remove pan of oil from the oven and add the potatoes. Use a spoon to drizzle the hot oil over every potato so that no surface is left unglazed. This part is very important.
6. Heat at no more than 180 degrees for about 25 minutes. Halfway through that time, turn the potatoes to ensure the developing golden crispiness is spread evenly across every potato.
That's it. Delicious, simple, cheap, marvellous. You can spice things up a bit with some rosemary and garlic or even - a new discovery - butternut squash seeds. Add these at the mid-way roasting point when you turn the potatoes.
I really can't stress enough how wonderful it is it if you can find the time to cook for yourself. What you're cooking doesn't have to be complex or unconventional; it just has to be a joy to prepare and to eat. In doing this, you forge a connection with your ancient ancestors who discovered fire, and created civilization. Cooking was essential to this: necessity united with pleasure. You might want to read a book called "Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human", which I have recommended at least once here before. It's a good read. Read, eat, sleep.
Morrissey gets it, too.
"Stop watching the news, because the news contrives to frighten you, to make you feel small and alone, to make you feel your mind isn't your own"
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