Okay so, I’m going to kick off today’s post with a little controversy because that’s the kind of hard-hitting, dangerous site Rhubarb & Cod is. I mean, listen to the name. Tough, right?! Anyway, here is my potentially controversial thought: Sweet potatoes shouldn’t be fries. Shock! Gasp! Yes, I really did just say that. I think sweet potatoes are inherently ill-suited to the higher calling that is being a french fry. They have too much moisture, they’re too prone to burning, and finally, they just don’t taste right. But that’s not to say I’ve turned my back on the tuber altogether. I mean, obviously, I haven’t. Today’s recipe is Smoked Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Honey Bonnet Butter. The sweet potato can be many many things, just not french fries.
Tacos might just be the perfect food. Okay, so maybe it’s a little unfair to give them the title because they are endlessly customizable. You can put pretty much anything in them and on them and still call them a taco. And I think we can all agree that tacos al pastor and Baja fish tacos are two very different things. If we have to pop a perfect food crown on a dish, and I’m not saying we have to, I think we would have to choose a less adaptive item. Shepard’s pie might work because that can only be one thing. Or maybe we’d have to select a particular taco? Well, if we’re putting forward nominations, and I don’t think we are, might I suggest these Jalapeño Corn Fritter Tacos? Personally, I think they’re perfect food material.
Sunday is a strange day. On the one hand, it’s a day without work, which equals awesome. On the other hand, it’s directly adjacent to a day with work followed by four subsequent days with yet more work. So yeah, not great. This is why I struggle with the concept of Sunday night dinner. Given the work marathon that awaits the vast majority of us in the AM, is Sunday really the night to pull out all the stops and whip-up a table-cloth-worthy dinner? I mean, I get it from a scheduling standpoint. Most people have Sundays off and togetherness is important, so saving the big meal for a day when everyone can make it makes sense. But man, this is just not my reality. Most Sundays I just can’t even. And for Sundays like that there is this Cacio e Pepe with Shaved Asparagus Salad and Honey.
Hey, so quick question: Did Easter sneak up on anyone else this year? One minute your making heart-shaped everything, the next you’re trying to justify that last handful (!) of Mini Eggs. But then again, how often does Easter happen on the first weekend of April? I was so clueless about Easter’s early appearance that I accidentally booked a vacation to Mexico during it. Yes, I’m writing this from Tulum. Don’t worry, I haven’t locked myself in a hotel room. I am indeed outside taking full advantage of the vitamin D. But I had to pause to share these Braised Mushrooms with Mozzarella Polenta with you because you probably have a holiday dinner to plan. I don’t, so I have excess menu-planning energy.