An ode to the potato

Potato, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. There are great buttery mountains of mashed Yukon Golds, and then there are oven-roasted wedges with lime, dill and black pepper, or baked russets with their innards extracted and mashed with sour cream and chives, stuffed back into their jackets, topped with a little grated Parmesan and then toasted under the broiler until golden. Then there are potatoes peeled, chopped in half, bathed in olive oil, salt and lemon, and baked with a little garlic. Fried potatoes are rather nice too. Baby potatoes seared in butter in the Instant Pot are tasty – and can anyone really take exception to a potato roasted in duck fat?

Oh dear. That sounds positively gluttonous. I mean in moderation, of course. One dish at a time, spread out over several weeks. But really, is there any comfort food to beat the potato? It pairs well with cheese, with wine, or with cheese and wine in the case of the heavenly raw-milk cheese Mont d’Or, which I believe is illegal in several countries.