Anger Burger

It happens more regularly as I age, but still with a disconcerting rarity: I invent something for dinner and it works.

I mean, you know how it goes.  Or maybe you don’t: you throw some shit together, maybe you’ve got some ingredients that are borderline botulism-breeders, but either way you just start cooking and sometimes it’s okay, but much of the time you end up with some kind of prison-movie prop food.

This time I had some potatoes, just bought some spinach, and had half a tub of plain yogurt that was taking on an interesting new hue.  Sounds like the dinner bell!

As soon as I realized what I had, I half-remembered-half-fantasized an old recipe for some kind of Indian yogurt-rice, a tangy, light dish with lots of chopped cilantro.  I also had some cilantro!  Things are coming together now, eh, Milhouse?

But that’s where everything stops being Indian.  My favorite curry power, the Japanese S&B Oriental Curry Powder (found in most grocery stores), has a decidedly non-Indian flavor to it, but is the exact curry flavor you want for something like curried deviled eggs or curry ketchup.

I still get surprised when an entire 9oz. bag of spinach cooks down into little more than the density of three eggs, but it does, so don’t stop adding it to your pan, even when it seems like enough.  It won’t be.

I really must get a white plate so my food stops looking like it’s visiting from the 70′s.

Sunday’s Curried Potatoes and Spinach
i know it looks like a typo, me calling for low-fat yogurt, but in this instance the tanginess of the yogurt is more important than the creaminess. i know; what is the world coming to?  end times.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 petite waxy potatoes, diced small
1/4 white onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 C. water
1 Tbsp. mild curry powder (S&B is best)
1/2 inch worth of grated fresh garlic GINGER
9oz. bag of washed baby spinach leaves
3 heaping spoonfuls of low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

• In a saute pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and add the potatoes, onions and garlic.  Saute for a few minutes, being careful to keep them from sticking to the pan.  Add the salt, pepper and curry powder, and continue to saute another 5-7 minutes, or until the potatoes take on a little bit of color.

• Add the water and lower the heat a little, stirring occasionally until the water is gone and the potatoes are nearly done, another 10 minutes at the very most.  If you need to add more water to keep the potatoes from sticking, do so.  Don’t go crazy, though.

• Start adding the spinach.  I chop my spinach by carefully placing big handfuls on the cutting board and coarsely and barbarically chopping at it until it’s broken down a little, but you don’t have to.  Add the spinach in handfuls, stirring after each time, until the entire bag is wilted into the potatoes.  This will take about 5 minutes.

• By this time the potatoes should be cooked through and the spinach should be just wilted.  Turn off the heat, add the yogurt and the cilantro.   Test for salt.  It might need more, the spinach tends to counteract it.

A note about cooking salmon: salmon really benefits from a quick salt rub.  About 1/2 hour before cooking time, heavily salt the salmon, wrap it in a paper towel or piece of plastic and allow to sit in fridge for 20 – 30 minutes.

When it is time to cook, rinse the salmon thoroughly under cold water and pat dry with more paper towel.  The salt adds just enough seasoning to the salmon that it often doesn’t need anything else, and tenderizes it a little too.  But be warned: more than 1/2 an hour and you’ll start curing the salmon and will then have a rubbery texture when you cook it.