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One of life’s greatest pleasures is a bar of any sort,
but none is better than one that involves potatoes.
Set out toppings in small bowls and let your guests top
their own. Which ones you offer are a matter of
personal preference, but it’s fun to push the boundaries
of the high-low thing and go for both spoonfuls of
sour cream and heaps of cured fish roe. Acceptable
toppings include, but are not limited to:
If a green is cooked
to hell and covered
in heavy cream,
is it still a green?
Well, yes, but it
means you’re going
to want something
to cut through all
that decadence, for
example greens
that are maybe, uh,
not cooked in cream.
So alongside the
creamed greens
I’d also serve some
version of this
no-recipe-required
salad: crunchy
lettuce (Little Gem,
romaine, or iceberg)
and a little thinly
sliced shallot, all
doused in lemon
juice, seasoned with
lots of salt and black
pepper, and finished
with a bit of olive
oil. Whatever your
salad journey,
remember it should
be crunchy, salty,
and almost mouth-
puckeringly tangy.
TWO GREENS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
Baked Potatoes
Deluxe
8 SERVINGS Rubbing the
potatoes with oil and not
wrapping them in foil means
they’ll come out impossibly fluffy
on the inside and shatteringly
crisp on the outside when baked.
And don’t cut them open until
you’re ready to eat: If you do,
the steam will escape and
they’ll cool down, meaning
the butter won’t melt when you
put it on (a true tragedy!).
8 medium russet potatoes
(about 9 oz. each),
scrubbed, patted dry
Vegetable oil
(for potatoes)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups sour cream
1 cup finely chopped chives
and/or scallions
1 cup finely chopped dill
and/or parsley
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted
butter, room temperature
1–2oz. jar trout or salmon
roe or caviar
Flaky sea salt
Place a rack in middle of oven
and preheat to 500°. Prick
potatoes all over with a fork
(this allows the steam to
escape, which helps the insides
of the potatoes cook evenly
and the skins crisp).
Working one at a time,
drizzle a bit of oil over each
potato and rub all over with
your hands to cover in a
thin, even layer; season with
kosher salt and pepper. Set
potatoes directly on oven
rack and bake until the outsides
are deeply browned and
crisp and the insides are very
tender (a paring knife inserted
into the flesh should meet no
resistance), 60–70 minutes.
Using tongs or oven mitts,
transfer potatoes to a platter.
Set out along with bowls of sour
cream, chives, dill, butter, roe,
sea salt, and pepper—and
whatever else you feel like—
and let guests slice open and
top to their hearts’ content.
BUTTER
Slice sticks into
pats in advance
and let come to
room temperature.
SOUR CREAM
You could also
swap in plain
Greek yogurt
(but why?).
FRESH HERBS
Dill, parsley, you
do you. Chives
(or scallions)
are a must.
ROE!
If there’s room
left in the budget
after the rib
roast, go for it.
The
BAKED POTAT Bar
ILLUSTRATIONS BY HISASHI OKAW
A
