fried

Today I thought I'd take some time to talk to you about potatoes. Especially ones that have been fried. With onions. Potatoes are one of those foods that keep your mind off life's worries. The smell alone is a comfort. I've made them at all the trying times of my life. School stress warranted french fries, baked or fried. Special occasions are marked with twice-baked potatoes in their own skin -- extra complicated. A rough day makes me crave simple mashed potatoes. One of my favorite all-purpose renditions is called "fried potatoes;" a slightly vague title, but extremely tasty. There are a number of ways to fry potatoes. I slice them very thin, and then chop an onion into slivers. They all go in a pan together to mingle, and when they come out, they are lightly browned and crispy. I love them with ketchup, and have even been known to eat them cold the next day as leftovers, not even bothering with a plate or a fork.This week, we had some wonderful little new potatoes and an onion from our CSA basket. Even the olive oil I used is from a local source.

• 15-20 small new potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• a few tablespoons of olive oil
• ketchup (optional)

Slice the potatoes to the desired thickness. The important thing is that they are all about the same size so that they cook evenly. Place some oil in a heated pan, coat the bottom, add the potatoes and cover. Depending on the size of the potatoes, they will need about 20-25 minutes to cook. While the potatoes are cooking, slice the onion. Add them in the last last 5-10 minutes of the cooking time.