BUTTERY BAKED BABY POTATOES

The Clean Plater by Ogden Nash

 

Some singers sing of ladies' eyes,
And some of ladies lips,
Refined ones praise their ladylike ways,
And course ones hymn their hips.
The Oxford Book of English Verse
Is lush with lyrics tender;
A poet, I guess, is more or less
Preoccupied with gender.
Yet I, though custom call me crude,
Prefer to sing in praise of food.

Food,
Yes, food,
Just any old kind of food.
Pheasant is pleasant, of course,
And terrapin, too, is tasty,
Lobster I freely endorse,
In pate or patty or pasty.
But there's nothing the matter with butter,
And nothing the matter with jam,
And the warmest greetings I utter
To the ham and the yam and the clam.

For they're food,
All food,
And I think very fondly of food.
Through I'm broody at times
When bothered by rhymes,
I brood
On food.

Some painters paint the sapphire sea,
And some the gathering storm.
Others portray young lambs at play,
But most, the female form.
“Twas trite in that primeval dawn
When painting got its start,
That a lady with her garments on
Is Life, but is she Art?

By undraped nymphs
I am not wooed;
I'd rather painters painted food.
Food,
Just food,
Just any old kind of food.

Go purloin a sirloin, my pet,
If you'd win a devotion incredible;
And asparagus tips vinaigrette,
Or anything else that is edible.
Bring salad or sausage or scrapple,
A berry or even a beet.
Bring an oyster, an egg, or an apple,
As long as it's something to eat.

If it's food,
It's food;
Never mind what kind of food.
When I ponder my mind
I consistently find
It is glued
On food.      

 

I thought it was time this blog got some culture in it. I've always been a fan of Ogden Nash's witty food poetry. Try this recipe for buttery. baked potatoes - don't worry if they're not baby potatoes (just dice them all approximately the same size).

 

Serves 4
Adapted from Good Food Magazine

What you’ll need:

1 kg potatoes

3 – 4 tbsp butter
2 tsp rosemary/ oregano/ thyme (whatever seasoning you have on hand)
Salt and pepper to season

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Peel and chop up the potatoes into big chunks. Pop into a pan of water with salt and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Drain the water out and pat the potatoes dry. Toss into a baking dish with butter and bake for about 50 minutes.

4. Half way through just swirl the potatoes around and add your seasoning, salt and pepper so they get the crispy roasted skin evenly.