The Blam Team. Deep in potato ball production.

Blam. And ante arguments., originally uploaded by razzieswirl.

Somewhere, at some point I read an article that claimed Corned Beef is not at all Irish. I don't remember what the article said about the true origins of this odd and boiled meat, all I know is, the few times I've had it I've bordered on disliking it. Therefore for St. Patty's day this year I decided on a smorg of potatoes. I adore potatoes, in every single form I've ever tried them. They are simply fantastic. Years ago, an old friend of mine was leaving to work in Montana for the summer as she had done the summer before. Her mother traditionally cooked a "going away, whatever your heart desires" dinner. This friend of mine requested a dinner entirely of potatoes. Latkes, twice baked, mashed, scalloped, roasted. Potatoes cooked in every way imaginable. In the end I believe they settled on something like Chinese takeout, but the idea of it was quite novel.

When I think of Ireland I think of the potato famine. To be honest I remember very little of what I learned in school about this subject, I just know that my brain relates potatoes and the Irish. So I thought it fitting to make a "dinner" so to speak, soley out of potatoes. Upon having this thought my brain recalled the above memory. Not really having anything to do with today, but relatable so in some way possibly connected?

Anyway, it was mostly successful. I think T ended up missing some kind of variety or protein in the meal. I did use pancetta, but he's used to some kind of protein, carb, veggie mix and found out he was easily and quickly burned out on one thing. Cooked a few different ways granted, but still, one thing.

We invited over the other half of our blam-tastic team for dinner and the production began. Boiling, roasting, mashing, rolling, frying, the works. On the menu:

- Potato Balls (a recreation of a deli fry case treat T and I enjoyed as young high school freshman at a local grocer, who soon after our discovery of these buttery delights, discontinued the item).
- Two different kinds of twice baked potatoes, some with Feta, green onion, roasted garlic, caramelized onion and three other kinds of shredded cheese. The other primarily the same but with Gorgonzola.
- A vat of Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onion Mashed Potaotes
- And Roasted Potatoes with Herbs De Provencal, Fresh Thyme, Garlic and Olive Oil.

We spent the first half of the evening cooking. And the second half gorging on our hard efforts while playing poker. By midnight we were stuffed and full and ready for some couch/veg time. We spent the last part of our evening watching Thank You For Smoking. Which I liked, but that's another topic altogether.

All in all it was a very lovely evening. I suggest having a themed food night at some point in life. But only if you have good people to share it with. Aww, how sappy.