Potatoes are forever.

I’ll admit with not an ounce of regret that potatoes are my number 1 favourite food in the world. I don’t think it’s possible to do anything wrong with a spud and some salt.The person I live with is probably making a stink face if he’s reading this right now (which will happen IN MY DREAMS).

But I don’t care. I liked potatoes before I liked him.

And I liked home fries since last May, when Melissa took me to breakfast on a New York Sunday, the day after I arrived in the US. Immigrant in the house. You know, I’m probably just showing off now, which is totally not what a potato is about.

They don’t mind if you chop them unevenly or don’t peel them or leave them in a basket till they start sprouting from their eyes or use them in a stock and act like they didn’t do squat. They don’t. They just take it.

Makes me cry.

This is my way of thanking them. Selfless potatoes, you matter.

Fried egg and home fries

I used 2 of the Yukon Gold variety (they look exactly like the potatoes we get in India), 1 red pepper and half a white onion.

The recipe I was kind of following suggested I microwave the potatoes for five minutes until the edges turned white. I have said before that I am a borderline snob and one of the things that make me stop and think about how I don’t want to live my life is using a microwave. In our home, we use it as storage space for bananas and sliced bread and maybe banana bread.

Instead, I turned up the oven to a very random 385 degrees F. I chopped the potatoes into cubes (1/2 inch), mixed them with olive oil, and put them on a baking tray lined with foil. I baked them for 30 minutes. At the 15-minute mark, I tossed the potatoes a bit so they would cook evenly. I also realised that 385 degrees F was a bit too random EVEN FOR ME, so I turned it up to 400 degrees F.

While the potatoes were cooking, I chopped the onion and red pepper and fried them in a teaspoon of butter until the onions were light brown. I seasoned with a 1/4 tsp of salt. Not much but you’ll know why soon enough. I put them in a bowl and set them aside. They weren’t happy but they learnt to live with it.

The potatoes came out of the oven. I added a tablespoon of butter to the same frying pan and threw the mothers in. I pressed them down with the back of a spatula and let them cook for 8 minutes. Then I turned it over and did the same thing but I let them sit for 10 minutes. I kept doing this until I got the crisp+soft texture and dark brown colour I wanted. I think it took about 18 minutes. I then added the onions and peppers and some more salt + pepper, mixed it..blah blah.

Home fries, people. My favourite.

Finally, the eggs. A serving for 2, I broke two eggs on the top but in retrospect, maybe I should have cooked the eggs separately and then placed them on top of the potatoes.

You live you learn.

I garnished it all with chives from a pot in my living room and parsley from a grocery shop nearby.

Then I ate it and blogged it.

Now I’m sleeping it off.

Happy happy happy truly HAPPY Sunday to you.