October 2011

The Back Story (As you may recall)

Me:  “I’m a sucker for romantic stories.”
Nicole:  “Please, there was no story with my ex.  When I met him my lips were stained purple with Malbec.”

Somehow that became one of my favorite stories anyway.  Purple lips.  Sometimes they are sought.  More often than not, they appear before you know it, and even more often, you find yourself flirting through purple lips you didn’t even know you had.  On other occasions, that lip stain is the goal of the evening.  This was one such occasion.  We were gathering around the table to be ladies with purple lips.  The menu in my head filled the table with purple foods for the occasion.  The song in my head was this.

The Side Dish:  Garlic Mashed Purple Potatoes

More of that campfire evoking salt…

Garlic Mashed Purple Potatoes

Ingredients

3-4 large local purple potatoes
1 head of garlic

3 Tablespoon Irish butter
½ cup whole milk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon Yakima Applewood Smoked Sea Salt
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper

2 strips Black Forest Bacon, baked & chopped
1 cup grated Maple Leaf Apple Smoked Gouda

Directions

Peel and slice the potatoes.  Bring a medium pot of water to boil, and then add the potatoes and garlic.  Simmer until tender.

Add the butter, milk, mustard, salt and pepper.  Use a food processor to puree.

Pour into a glass bowl.  Add the bacon and cheese.   Stir to distribute evenly.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Let cool 10 minutes.

Serve with a few glasses of red, lip-staining wine!