The Road Less Travelled

Along the highway of my life, the signposts "Normal" and "Conventional" do not exist.  Instead, I see "Extraordinary", "Unexpected",and "Individual" signposts.  (Of course, when I am a millionaire, "Eccentric" will be commonplace!)  Given the choice between the well worn highway or the winding footpath, the choice for me is always easy.  What's the fun in doing something the same as someone else?!

This same philosophy is stirred into my cooking...I love to take some classic dish and tweak it to see what it can become.  For me, French Toast is not complete without the juice and zest of an orange soaked into the bread, coffee sings when sweetened with maple syrup, and a good tomato sauce always has kiss of cinnamon.

When you take a conventional, classic recipe and set your imagination free, wondrous things can happen.  Let's face it - change is one of the few certain things in life, and so I embrace change whenever possible.  And so, I am constantly looking outside the box for my next inspiration.

Today, I am taking classic Roasted Greek Potatoes to the next level.  These are some of my favourite potatoes (which is high praise indeed, since I consider potatoes to be the perfect food and often browse through my over 300 recipes of potatoes!) and are such a joy to cook.  The entire house smells absolutely divine when these little gems are roasting in the oven.  And, what's not to like - Yukon Gold potatoes, lots of garlic, oregano, some salt, olive oil, some homemade chicken stock, and, finally lemon juice. Voila, perfection!  

But instead of stopping there, today, I am turning it all into a glorious soup.  Once the potatoes are done roasting, I add them to a pot of rich, homemade chicken stock, toss in some sweet onions (Vidalias are good) and simmer for 30 minutes or so.  (You can even add the onions to the roasting phase for another layer of flavour.)  Then, when you just can't wait any longer, grab your immersion blender and turn it into one lovely pot of happiness!

Of course, when making this dish at home, I love to skip the oven (such an electricity pig) and cook with my cast iron skillet on top of my wood stove.  To simulate the environment of the oven, I simply cover the skillet with tin foil - instant roasting!  The potatoes won't take on the lovely, golden crispness that they get in the oven, but for a soup they are just fine and I can savour my meal knowing that I have done good for the environment.