Potato, potahto

If you ask, even if yourself only, what is the most difficult, hard thing to do, most of the answers will sound “beginning.” Just a few months ago, that’s exactly what I would answer. It’s so hard to take this first step, make a decision, reach out and start.

Somewhere in the meantime, I changed my mind. I collect the beginnings, I collect the openings. I am tempted by new things. Returns are more difficult.

When you start something, the only expectations, that you have in front of you, are yours. The only person you can disappoint is you. The worst what can happen is a failure. In the worst case, it just will not work. Maybe you will even learn something new, something will result from an unfinished project.

But when you have a comeback, when behind you lies a series of disappointments, vast ocean of unfulfilled promises and more and more wasted time? Return is the most frightening undertaking I know.

I promised to reactivate the blog regularly once a month. To myself even more often. It’s high time to do something about it.
So we’re coming back carefully and quietly. No fanfare or snails. No fireworks. But with pyry and gzik.

Actually, with a bulwa.

Where did it came from?

About three or four years ago, three enthusiasts opened in Sosnowiec a place, beautifully named „Bulwa Nać” – it’s untranslatable, but it’s pun based on polish curse. A small place which served only baked potatoes loaded with… hummus, chanterelle sauce, pulled pork, gzik and what came to mind. The best potatoes in the world.

Currently, Bulwa has new owners and they have a slightly less enthusiastic approach to potatoes than the previous ones, but it is still one of the better places to eat “on the city”. Especially for vegans, because new owners introduced, among others, bolognese sauce with soya granules. Although, on the sentimental note, nothing beats beetroot hummus (sigh).

And there is a potato, in my opinion, the best example of how to love Vegetable. Because I do not know a man who will refuse a baked potato.

I present you a mushroom sauce based on pho paste, but it only depends on you only. Fried chicken and yoghurt sauce. Tofu and lettuce. Hummus or gzik. Mozarella and tomatoes. Anything and everything.

The most important thing here is the potato.

It will take a lot of time, because you can not rush potatoes. They will be ready when they are ready and not a second before. 🙂 And actually, we, after inserting the potatoes into the oven, can take a nap or read or watch an episode. I do not recommend going out for a walk, because you know, an oven.

I recommend red potatoes. From all the tests and experiments, these have worked best for me. It is also good to chose rather larger ones, the size of our clenched fist. Then two potatoes can vary from “just right” to “a little too much”.

Enjoy the potato! 🙂

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

4 potatoes (the size of your clenched fist)

olive oil

aluminum foil

salt

to serve:

yeast flakes (parmesan, if you’re not vegan)

pumpkin seed oil

sprouts

roasted seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)

sauce:

30 dag of mushrooms

2 small onions

1 teaspoon of pho paste

salt

pepper

a glass of coconut milk

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 220C (430F)
• Wash the potatoes – do not peel, unless they are really ugly – and dry with a towel.
• Pour olive oil on the potatoes and sprinkle salt and wrap the two potatoes tightly in foil. Do the same thing with other two.
• Put in a preheated oven and bake for one hour.
• In the meantime, we prepare the sauce.
• Wash the mushrooms and cut them. Peel the onion and cut into feathers.
• Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pot and add the pho paste. Mix so that it will not burn.
• After about a minute, add the onions and fry until they are glazed.
• Then add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Fry until the mushrooms release water.
• Evaporate liquids and add coconut milk. If the sauce is too thin, we dense it with a bit of flour spread with cold water.
• Put sauce aside.
• Put potatoes on the plates.
• Cut the potatoes deeply with a sharp knife. Don’t cut through to the end.
• Sprinkle with pumpkin oil and with yeast flakes (no vegans can use butter and Parmesan cheese).

Pour the sauce, sprinkle with sprouts and/or roasted seeds.

Bon Appetit!