potatoes – Emily N Cannon

Let’s pretend it’s cold outside and not the dead of summer and things like turning on the oven don’t make us miserable.

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Anyone else mildly obsessed with the Bon Appetit YouTube channel?

I saw this recipe for smashed potatoes (not vegan) and was like, “Ooh. That looks…veganizable and delicious.” Then a friend posted about it on Instagram and said it was ahhhhmaaaaziiiing so I DM’d them to discuss vegan options.

Above: Smashed potatoes on a platter over almond yogurt with yogurt dressing, dill, parsley, and lemon wedges.

Here’s where it landed: the anchovies became capers (I used about a tablespoon) and olives (two kalamatas, roughly chopped) and the sour cream was Kite Hill plain unsweetened greek yogurt. I also used one chopped medjool date instead of golden raisins because it’s what I had on hand.

And it was really good. Oh yeah.

The potatoes were the most work, and I might not bother to do the boil-smash-roast process again when basic roasted potatoes would do, but one cannot argue with the elegance of Smashy McSmasherson.

I have thought a lot about what to make for this prompt: potato soup? potato pastry? potato pizza? potato casserole? baked potato? potato salad? potato tacos?

Here’s what it is: the potato is that character actor who pops up in half of everything you love, and one day, has an important guest star turn or surprising, off-kilter lead role that lands them among a bog-standard set of award nominees. When they win, they give a heartfelt, teary-eyed speech but don’t have to be played off–humility in tact. They’re in it for the craft, after all.

Now, for me, I love a potato with texture – a well-seasoned oven fry or roasted wedge – and just a hint of funk. Russets are fine and all, but a knobby fingerling’s got personality. Nothing wrong with your average white-fleshed tuber, but there’s magic in the ones that slice up pink and purple (just please, no green).

Anyway…for the purpose of this post, I just made myself a roasted potato wedge snack to use up some fingerlings. Consider it a pilot episode, suggestive of greater things. Spend a little more time, and it could’ve been patatas bravas, breakfast hash, pizza topping, burger side…whatever. But my heart isn’t in it, today, to make the production. Simple isn’t bad. Especially with potatoes.