Big meals require big pots, and lots of them.
We had some special guests at our dinner table recently — our twin, nine-year-old nieces. Cooking for nine year olds is both simple and challenging. It’s simple if you don’t mind having Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, cheese pizza, or cheeseburgers for every meal. It’s challenging if you want to cook something that doesn’t involve processed cheese.
At first, I was frustrated because I expected them to be open to all of life’s culinary adventures, especially if I had put time and effort into making it myself. But then I remembered something important: I was the exact same way when I was their age.
If you know anything about me at all, you know I am a child of the 70s and 80s. I grew up on processed foods. I was most content if all I had to eat each day was food from a box or a can. And yet, somehow, I managed to come away from that childhood with lots of wonderful food memories that involved little time around a microwave and lots of time over a stove.
I suspect part of that has to do with the fact that no one went out of their way to make something just for the kids at the table. When the family came together for a meal, we were expected to eat what was placed before us or do without. So, although I didn’t always eat what was placed before me, I was exposed to it often enough that, as I got older, I came to appreciate it more.
These days, my philosophy is the same as my parents and grandparents. I make one meal and strive to avoid becoming a short-order cook. So, while my nieces were here, I made Barefoot Contessa’s Asian Grilled Salmon and Green Spring Vegetables, grilled corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes.
The corn on the cob and mashed potatoes recipes were my own, if you can call them that. I learned how to make mashed potatoes from my mom when I was in college. Along with the recommended butter and milk, I added sour cream to them. I’ve provided a recipe at the bottom of this article.
The corn on the cob just involves wrapping it in aluminum foil and throwing it on a medium-hot grill for about 10 minutes (five minutes on one side, then flip it for an additional five minutes). Adding some butter to the inside of the foil before the corn goes on the grill makes it taste even better.
And, speaking of butter, I used my immersion blender to whip a dash of salt and pepper and some chopped scallions into the butter served at the table. Some used this butter for the corn on the cob while others added it to their mashed potatoes. It probably goes without saying that neither of the girls were interested in butter with “green things” in it.
No crying over spilled milk--even if it's chocolate.
As I suspected, the girls ate lots of mashed potatoes, a sprig or two of the veggies, and maybe three kernels of corn. They were concerned by the “burn marks” on the corn. I told them this added flavor, but I only received disbelieving eyebrows as a response. And that’s okay. I learned from my own food memories that half of being interested in different foods is being exposed to them. In fact, one of my nieces proved this by daring to try the salmon–something I realized I had never actually done myself. I was surely proud of her for that (and slightly ashamed of myself for asking her to try something I would never eat).
All I have to show of that night are the memories we made and a fistful of pictures taken after the meal was over and everyone had gone home. It didn’t even occur to me to take pictures before then.
We had three generations and four separate families represented at the table that night, ranging in ages from 20 months to 72 years. Somewhere in the midst of it all, a glass of chocolate milk was spilled, a young girl announced that salmon tasted like chicken, uncles and grandparents discussed the origins of ice wine, and one very proud aunt was humbled remembering her own unwillingness to try something new. I wonder if that meal will be one of the ones that simmers and stirs in the memories of all present such that, years from now, we will recall with some fuzziness and exaggeration having the time of our lives together.
Mom’s Mashed Potatoes
6-8 Russet potatoes per person2 tablespoons of butter1/4-1/2 cup of milk1/4-1/2 cup sour creamSalt and freshly ground pepper to tastePeel and slice the potatoes into half-inch rounds. Place them in a large pot and cover with water. Put the lid on the pot and heat to boiling over medium-to-high heat. As soon as they start to boil, remove the lid and turn the heat to medium. Allow to boil for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a fork slides easily into the meat of one of the largest potato slices. Turn off the heat and drain the potatoes.Add the butter and some milk to the potatoes and then, using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until they start to crumble and combine. Add the salt and pepper. Check for moisture. If the potatoes seem goopy, do not add any more liquid. If they seem dry, add a 1/4-cup of sour cream. Continue to mash. As they start to come together, add milk and sour cream until they are at the desired texture. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed.
