Thursday, December 3, 2015

PRODUCTION POTATOES aka I'm back

I'm back.  Sort of.  I confess I disappeared from the blogosphere and cannot commit to this as a triumphant return.  I'm here, for the moment, checking in from down under (and by this I do NOT mean a Rhianna-type reference to my nether regions but rather an actual geographical reference to a large continent in the Southern Hemisphere known as "Oz").  Likely no one will know that I've checked back in.  That's ok.  This is merely a shot over the bow - a flare in the dark to say "I'm still here."  43 is barely a flicker in the rearview mirror.  The half century mark rapidly approaches.  And just for tonight, just in the middle of shooting my second movie as a producer in my second act, I'm back...

Day 29 of 45 is now over and I’m dug deep into the ivory pleather couch in my Gold Coast Australia rental.  I'm 43 flights above the beachfront and fighting the urge to throw myself off this Southern Hemisphere balcony.  I'm hungry.  I'm tired.  I want desperately to be a pot smoker but am tragically still unhip.  I'd like to say I have the energy to shower, make myself presentable and sit at the bar of my local ready to tuck into a beautifully prepared meal.  But neither of these is the case.  So, here now, with no better option, is the solution to my food dilemma for the evening.  I have no room service and no food delivery in this subpar culture posing as a first world civilization.  And so, operating under the assumption that life, in fact, is nothing like a box of chocolates but is much more like a pantry full of mismatched foods that blend together in no particular way until you come home, exhausted, starving, desperate for a cocktail and carbs after a very long shooting day, is my new favorite dish:


PRODUCTION POTATOES

Recipe is per serving and may be multiplied at will

  • Two baking, Yukon or delicious golden Aussie potatoes sliced 3/8” to ¼” thick
  • Two eggs
  • One golf ball size chunk of sheep’s milk feta
  • Half a small handful of fresh herbs, rosemary a must, anything else a bonus
  • Squeeze of fresh lemon
  • Salt and pepper – lots of each
  • Two glugs of gorgeous olive oil  (if you don’t know what a glug is, you shouldn’t be cooking)


1.     Slice potatoes and spread in a shallow fry pan, cover with water, salt.
2.     Bring to high heat and simmer 10 minutes until water boils down and potatoes are lonely in the pan
3.     Smother with oil glugs, salt and pepper
4.     Cover pan and cook until you’re forced to turn on the fan or risk setting off the fire alarm
5.     When there’s a crispy crust on at least one side, throw in handful of herbs and a squeeze of lemon – cover for one minute.
6.     Crack eggs over potatoes, cover and cook for one minute, turn off heat and cook for one more minute.
7.     Sprinkle feta over top and serve with an extra large glass of chilled pinot noir and a salad or crudité.