Potato-Eating-Cozy Kind of Weekend

My summer bounty this year included potatoes. Did I ever mention it? It was my first experience planting potatoes, and really, it happened like this: one day, while turning my compost pile, I noticed dozens of tiny potato plants shooting out from discarded organic potato peelings. Hmmm, I thought. Since I still had some space left in the garden, I tucked them beneath the soil, splashed on some water, and waited. Months later, I took my small shovel (also used for mixing bathroom tile grout - ugh), and began digging. And by gosh, this girl'd done growed 'er some taters, as they say around these here parts.

That first day I figured my potato luck was fortunate in this regard: I had dozens and dozens of free potatoes. I mean... free potatoes. Then I actually ate one. Oh.my.goodness. The difference between the potatoes you bring home in plastic bags and the potatoes you dig out of the garden with your tile grout shovel is... astounding. They can't be compared. Until you've tasted a homegrown potato, you're fooling yourself to think you've eaten a good baked potato. Or mashed potato. Whatever.

Anyway, I'd been planning to talk about my potatoes today because I just got a new kitchen mandoline, free of charge, and this Scalloped Potato Gratin has, all week, sounded delicious and easily attainable. I decided I would rattle on about this - the homegrown potatoes, the mandoline, the ultimate potato gratin recipe - even before I saw Alicia's blog and her prettier-than-words potato heaven. Oh well, guess today you can see how a northern girl does it - all pretty and beautiful, and how a southern girl does it - all cheesy and peppery and plopped down on the big farm table with a "come on, y'all! Dinner!". Besides, in my kitchen the same is true of both chocolate and potatoes: you can never have enough.

So now you know what we'll be digging into around here this weekend: potatoes. Well, that and Cheddar Jalapeno Bread, Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies, and Carrot Cake. I own a little baking venture and have tons of orders to fill by tomorrow evening. Better get that oven preheated, huh?

Hope you have a wonderful, potato-eating-cozy kind of weekend. -Brin