Friday, 2/26/10 - Lamb

Wow, what a night. What a freaking night. Fridays are always tough; we’re all exhausted from the dramatics of our respective weeks and dying to get through school, when the relaxing weekend will officially commence. This Friday was significantly more stressful because the weather was terrible (NYC got a total of 20.9 inches!) and we had come from our comfortable Level 1 cocoon straight into the scary, unknown world of our brand-new Level 2 kitchen. My evening, however, turned out to be a little more interesting…

I arrived at school at my usual time, early enough to leisurely change into my uniform, get my station set up and begin to compile and prep for the evening’s recipes. The time was ticking by, and I noticed that my station mate had not yet arrived. Before I knew it, it was time to get started and she still wasn’t there. It turns out there were five students missing, most likely due to the weather; two of them had been station mates, so that left three of us alone. The three of us were milling about, hugging our knees in a corner not quite sure what to do, so Chef corralled us and made a quick decision: “You two, work together. Jackie, you’re on your own tonight.” Fantastic.

I spent a few more minutes in the corner knee-hugging, frantically trying to work out a plan in my mind for how I would possibly complete both complex recipes, prep cutting and cooking and all, in the same amount of time as the rest of the class working in groups of two. I secretly said a prayer that I would turn into the Indian god Vishnu with multiple arms and, when that didn’t happen, had to jump right in and get started.

What happened in the next 4.5 hours? I really don’t know; I blacked out through most of it, gaining the tunnel vision necessary to focus and execute. I think it was a mix of frantic searing, braising and cutting, not necessarily in that order. At one point I looked around, and dagnabbit I was ahead of some of the groups! I guess I had planned well enough and kept myself organized enough to single-handedly pull ahead of the game a bit. In fact, I was the 4^th person to present my first dish, a seared navarin, or lamb stew with various vegetables, to Chef! And it was good…

I wouldn’t be able to maintain my editorial integrity if I didn’t admit that I had a little help. Chef helped me peel my pearl onions (little b*stards) and Chad helped me maintain a clean station, keeping unwanted bowls and refuse out of my way. Cara also helped me strain my sauces, a feat that would have been disastrous had I tried to do it myself. My classmates were so supportive, although secretly thanking God they weren’t the ones who had to work by themselves. When asked by each of them if I needed help, I was always semi-proud to say, “No thank you, I think I’ve got it.”

At the end of the night, after presenting my second successful dish to Chef and taking a few free moments to relax, I got a “good job tonight” from Chef. What mattered most, though, was the extreme sense of accomplishment pouring through my veins. Not only had I done it, but I had done it alone (plus the help from my gracious fellows). What had seemed at first like a death sentence actually turned out to be a great opportunity, and an eye-opener. Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.

RANDOM RECIPE OF THE DAY

AU GRATIN POTATOES

Yum! This variation of the French’s Gratin Dauphinois is a yummy cold-weather favorite perfect alongside grilled meat or pork chops.

(Serves 4)

You will need:

-Oven-safe glass dish, about 2-4 inches high

-3 mealy potatoes (i.e. Idaho or russet), peeled

-2 T butter, soft

-1 garlic clove, chopped finely

-1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese

-1 cup* of heavy cream (approximate)

-Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375˚F.

Rub the bottom of baking dish with butter, coating well. This will ensure that your potatoes do not stick to the bottom. Sprinkle with garlic and set aside.

Slice the peeled potatoes into thin and flexible rounds. Always keep in mind when working with potatoes that they oxidize, or brown, very quickly. You always want to store peeled potatoes immersed in water if you’re not going to use them immediately.

Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a layer of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with cheese. This is made in layers like lasagna, so you can make it as thick or as thin as you want. My advice would be to not exceed about 2 inches.

Continue with your layers until you’ve reached the desired height, leaving the cheese off the top layer. Pour the cream in the dish so that the potatoes are soaked, but the dish isn’t full of cream. A good indicator would be to push down on the side of the potatoes, and if the cream bubbles up, like poking a wet sponge, you’re ready. Sprinkle the top generously with cheese, and season with salt one last time.

Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until the top is browned and bubbling.