Something On The Inside

Fried Potatoes & Onions

There is an old, traditional song that most every black church congregation sings at one time or another.  Be they AME, Holiness (Postolic), Baptist et al.  It's a song that says "Something on the Inside, working on the outside...brought about a change in my life."

That old song is about transformation and manifestation.  It suggests that the most impactful aspect of one's existence isn't the outer self, but is in fact the self of the inner man (or woman) that informs all that we see, hear and perceive about a person or thing.  And that there is something intrinsic within that is really the driving force behind that which is without.  It talks about the soul and spirit.

I happen to think that perhaps this principal is at work in food as well.  Particularly Soul Food.

Because the goal of every cook is to transform the ingredients into a whole that is better than the sum of the  individual parts, I think that there is some quality that is imparted into each dish that is beyond the physical ingredients.  Be it knowledge, experience, skill, know how, training, technique or just a method that has been handed down for generations. It could also be a family philosophy as to what makes a meal and what makes a meal taste...right.  All of these things are intrinsic.  Internal.  Immaterial influencers that determine the outcome of a dish.  But, do they also determine the genre that the dish fits into?  I think at the very least, partly.

I often wonder if its even possible  by technique alone  to develop flavors that are particular to a specific type of food  while not using any of the traditional ingredients?  I don't think that it is and if it is attempted the chef may well come away with a tasty meal or dish but miss the mark on their attempt to replicate the flavors of a region or a culture that are inherent in it's food.  Thai food with no lemon grass, basil, curry, coconut milk?  Sure all of these could be replaced, but do you have a finished product that is Thai food?   So, technique absent corresponding ingredients is like a soul without a body.  Without the body you have a ghost.  Absent the soul, you have a golem.  Neither of these are good.  Who wants to eat a golem?

I do think that like the old song says, the change (transformation of the ingredients) comes from the work that is accomplished both inside and outside.  Soul and body.  Technique and Ingredients.

I also think at the very least, these things are worth considering.  Me? I'll be considering them over a plate of fried potatoes and onions.  A Midwestern Soul Food classic.  Feel free to join me.

Kev

Fried Potatoes & Onions Recipe

Ingredients:

4 medium or 2 large Potatoes (whatever type you like, these are Yukon Gold pictured)

Half Onion (White or Yellow)

2 scallions

5-6 strips of bacon or qt cup of olive oil (vegetarian)

2 tbl spns Season Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder & Onion Powder (when cooking these vegetarian, I add chilli powder to get the smokiness that the bacon gives.

Fry bacon strips until crispy making sure to render out as much fat as possible.  Set strips aside and reserve the bacon fat for frying.

Rinse and chop potatoes into cubes.  I like to cut them in half length wise then cube each half.  You can decide the size of the cubes but remember, the smaller the pieces, the quicker they will cook.  Also, try to make the cubes as uniform in size as possible so that they cook at about the same rate.

In a bowl add the seasonings to the potatoes and toss thoroughly while the pan with bacon grease is on medium high to high heat.  Once the bacon grease is smoking pretty good, add the seasoned potatoes, carefully.  You want the pan very hot at the start!

Let the potatoes brown for at least three to four minutes then toss or flip them periodically to cook and develop color and texture on each of the sides.  Feel free to add more seasoning but be careful with the salt since the bacon grease will impart some of it's own.

Slice the onion in half length wise and then, flat side down, chop it into strings cutting on the long side.  Chop the scallions (use white and green) and add once the potatoes have browned on almost all sides.  Toss or fold in the onions and scallions, mixing them into the potatoes.  Reduce heat so as not to burn the onions.  Taste frequently and season to taste.

Once the potatoes are brown and a little crispy on all sides but soft inside and the onions have cooked, you're done.  Crumble up the bacon and add it in or have it as your meal's meat.  I eat it while I'm cooking, like an appetizer!

I like to use lots of black pepper for this dish, but you're free to get your spices on the way that works best for you.  Sit back, drink a Coke (my drink of choice) and...

Enjoy,

Kev