Pommes de terre confites, etc.

 When I lived in Paris back in the mid-1970s, somebody gave me a cookbook that was published in association with the American Hospital as a fund-raising tool. Until then, I had lived in North Carolina, Illinois, and Normandy. One of the recipes in the book was for guacamole, and I remember it as being one of the most complicated concoctions ever, with 8 or 10 ingredients. At least it introduced me to the concept of avocado dip, which I made yesterday and is very simple.

Another recipe was for the potatoes you see above. I'm calling them pommes de terre confites, and I found several recipes for them on the internet when I decided I wanted to make them again. My American Hospital cookbook disappeared years ago; I don't know where it went. I wish I could find a copy of it today.

Anyway, I remember these potatoes well. I have a highly developed memory for foods that have pleased my palate. The potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft — moelleux — in the middle. The ones I cooked a few days ago were especially tasty because I cooked them in duck fat. I'm sure they would be good cooked in olive or canola oil too, but the duck fat has such good flavor.

I combined the pommes de terre confites (slow-cooked potatoes) with half a smoked chicken (purchased at the supermarket) and some garden-grown collard greens that I had in the freezer. It was an American-style meal made using French ingredients and techniques.

Here's what lunch looked like on the plate. The smokiness of the chicken, crispiness of the potatoes, and "meatiness" of the collard greens all complemented each other. Sprinkle some hot-pepper vinegar on the collards and, if you like, on the chicken. Some Dijon mustard would be good with the chicken and with the potatoes. I'll have to make all of this again soon. It's comfort food on a gray, chilly, damp day, and that's the kind of weather we're having now.