Friends, Romans, blog readers, I come here not to malign French cuisine, but to express my frustration with it. Rather, later on in this entry, I will provide photographic evidence of how a “simple” French dish has wronged me. For now, let me have this moment of when I did bake something this weekend and it turned out delicious. It’s the little things, sometimes.

Earlier this year, or maybe late last year, I attempted to make that Southern staple: biscuits. To say that it did not go well despite the time I invested is to say that a bear craps in the woods. I have already detailed what I think went wrong but rarely do I let myself be so easily discouraged. I mean, it may take me a while to get back on the horse, but that horse gets saddled up again.

This recipe comes from my beloved Smitten Kitchen and I would totally like to thank Deb for making this easy for the biscuit-challenged like myself. These are drop biscuits; I am just not really willing to invest in biscuit cutters just yet.

They were perfect, utterly buttery and sublime. They went wonderfully with the following…

Now I deviated from the original recipe in that I didn’t use mushrooms (recipes, as always, will be at the bottom). But you can always double the amount of spinach and no harm done.

*sigh* Now I talk about the recipe that didn’t break my heart, but did disappoint me. From the outset, it seems ridiculously simple. Sliced potatoes, some oil, some heat, and Bob’s yer uncle.

Only Bob is NOT my uncle, dammit.

It never came together and I tried this recipe….TWICE. I followed it to the letter but I got nothing but home fries for my trouble. (”I hope you like home fries,” I told the LSC. “I love home fries” was the response.) I suspect it was the lack of binder that led me down the road to ruin two nights in a row. But hey, you read the recipe, try it if you want, and let me know your results, please.

Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms
Gourmet, June 2004

10 oz baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (2 cups)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

Bring 1/2 inch water to a boil in a 10- to 12-inch ovenproof heavy skillet (not cast-iron), then add half of spinach and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted, about 30 seconds. Add remaining spinach and wilt in same manner, then cook, covered, over moderately high heat until spinach is tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and cool under cold running water. Gently squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then coarsely chop.

Wipe skillet dry, then cook onion and garlic in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and increase heat to moderate, then cook, stirring, until mushrooms are softened and have exuded liquid, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chopped spinach and bring to a simmer. Remove skillet from heat and make 4 large indentations in spinach mixture. Break an egg into each indentation and bake, uncovered, until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny, 7 to 10 minutes. Lightly season eggs with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with cheese.

Buttermilk Chive Biscuits
Adapted from Dot’s Diner, Boulder, CO

Makes 12 servings.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar (originally recipe calls for 2 tablespoons)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Using fingertips, rub 3/4 cup chilled butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in chives. Add buttermilk and stir until evenly moistened. Using 1/4 cup dough for each biscuit, drop biscuits onto baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until biscuits are golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm.

Crisp Potato Cake (Galette de Pomme de Terre)

adapted from “A Culinary Journey in Gascony,” by Kate Hill (Ten Speed Press, 2004)

2 pounds (about 3 medium) potatoes, peeled and sliced very thinly

1 tbl. olive oil, or as needed

Freshly ground nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tbl. minced fresh parsley

1 tbl. minced garlic

salt

Fresh thyme leaves for garnish (optional)

Pat potatoes dry if very starchy or moist. In a saute pan large enough to fit potato slices in just two layers, spread 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with nutmeg and pepper to taste. Starting in center, arrange potato slices in a closely overlapping, attractive spiral. When pan is filled, repeat to make a second layer.

Place pan over medium heat and cover. Slowly cook potatoes until well-browned on underside, about 15 minutes, occasionally shaking pan gently to avoid sticking. Wipe inside of lid as needed to keep it dry.

Press potatoes down with a flat spatula and remove from heat. Place a larger platter over pan and flip upside down, transferring potatoes to the platter. Check pan to make sure it is clean and has enough oil to keep potatoes from sticking.

Slide galette, raw side down, back into pan, and return to medium heat. Cover and cook until well browned, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a persillade by combining parsley and garlic in a small bowl. To serve, slide galette onto a serving platter, season to taste with salt, and garnish with persillade and/or thyme.