Sharon T. Herbst - The Food Lovers Guide to Meat and Potatoes

At the end of a long, hard day, a young mans fancy turns to meat and potatoes.

I ts true that few things set mouths to watering more than the time-honored combination of meat and potatoesan alliance that, for many, is synonymous with comfort food. Theres a feeling of old-fashioned virtues that accompanies meat and potatoes whichindividually and in concerthave, for centuries, been supplying body and soul with satisfaction. Cooks and diners alike appreciate the simple pleasures of these two extraordinarily satisfying foods.

But that wasnt always so. Although meat has been a staple since prehistoric times, the potato took much longer to secure its place in gastronomical history. It was cultivated by the Incas thousands of years ago, but Europeans were not so readily accepting. Religious rhetoric decried the humble tuber as suspect because it isnt in the Bible. The potato was also reputed to be a sexual stimulant, which further fueled clerical denunciations. And the potatos reputation was additionally hindered

by suspicions that, because its a member of the sometimes poisonous nightshade family (as are tomato, eggplant and belladonna), it was most certainly deadly.

In the sixteenth century, Sir Walter Raleigh was instrumental in debunking the poisonous potato myth when he planted the tuber on some of his property in Ireland. A hundred years later, the canny Irish, knowing a good thing when they saw it, were growing prodigious amounts of potatoes. Today, hundreds of varieties of this popular vegetable are grown around the world. And why? Because superstitions aside, its simply hard to miss with a potato.

For the greater part of this century, the potato was maligned as being starchy and fattening and therefore not a good choice for the weight conscious. Now we know nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the unassuming potato is fat-free, cholesterol-free and literally packed with nutrition (see Food for Thought, page 55). Whether its because its a neat little package of nutrition or simply that its so exceptionally satisfying, the potato ranks fourth as the worlds most significant crop (wheat, rice and corn taking the leads). Potatoes are the favorite vegetable of Americans, who so love this venerable tuber that their annual per-capita consumption is 125 poundsmore than twice as much as the second favorite, the tomato (which, actually, is a fruit).

Meat, of course, has been a popular dietary foundation for eons. It still is, even in the nutritional light of modern times. But todays meat is different than that of yesteryear, with beef, pork and lamb all being bred leaner than before. The dual evils of fat and cholesterol have, for most, forever banished the days when a 16-ounce steak was considered a virility symbol. Todays average serving is much less, with nutritionists advising that the daily cooked-meat consumption be no more than 6 ouncesa figure at which just as many scoff as embrace. Most health professionals agree that meata nutrient-dense foodis good for us as long as we dont go hog-wild on it. The truth is that most people know it doesnt take a huge serving of meat to be satisfied. Which is probably why these days meat is often served as a component of a main dish rather than the entre itself. That way everybody wins, and without missing out on the benefits of meat.

Something the consumer is missing out on in most markets these days is a friendly butcher ready and waiting to answer questions on everything from what cut to buy to how to cook it. And that can be a problem because, for many

of us, the profusion of neatly prepackaged meat cuts in self-service cases is immensely confusing, not to mention intimidating. All you really need to know are a few simple basics like where the cut comes from on the animal, which tells you what to expect in terms of tenderness (see Some General Tips on Buying Meat, page 6, and the Retail Cuts charts on pages 9, 10, 11 and 12) and how best to cook the cut you buy (see The Key to Success Is in the Cooking, page 15). If youre among the confused or intimidated, I hope this book will help dispel your angst and assist you in making the right buying and cooking decisions for a particular cut and quality of meat.

Together or separately, meat and potatoes lend themselves to a seemingly endless variety of combinations and cooking methods, and the recipes in this book run the gamut in category and style. Dishes range from down home (Heaven-and-Earth Pork Pot Pie and Smoky Spiced Brisket and Apples) to uptown (Veal Nioise and French Lamb Chops with Minted Onion Marmalade), from quick and simple (Rip-Roaring Rib Eyes) to slightly more time-consuming (Potato-Chive Focaccia), and from company favorites (Potato Lasagne) to simple family fare (Mashed Potato-Stuffed Peppers). There are soups (Creamy Blue-Potato Bisque and Spud Chili), sandwiches (Meatball Muffuletta and Herbed Potato Burgers) and even a salad (Sweet n Sassy Potato-Sausage Salad) and dip (Skordalia). Some recipes take more time than others, but none are difficult. In the end, I trust that all the following recipes render rib-stickin, soul-nourishing goodness and satisfaction while at the same time delivering palate-pleasing pleasure.

T he success of any dish depends on the foods quality, and thats particularly true of meat. Youll be ahead of the game if you know three things about the meat you buy: the quality (the grade of most meat sold to the consumer is Choice; Prime grade is generally reserved for restaurants and specialty butcher shops); age (the older the animal, the tougher the flesh); and cut (the part of the animal the meat comes fromthat from the rib section, for example, is more tender than from the rump).

In many supermarkets these days its not uncommon to see gleaming display cases brimming with glossy cellophane packages of shrink-wrapped meat and nary a butcher in sight. True, the labels contain most of the information you need: kind of meat (pork, beef, lamb); name of the wholesale cut (loin, shank); retail name of the cut (such as London broil); fat content (of ground meats); weight; price; and the dateusually the last date on which the meat should be sold. Still, it helps to know the basics. If your store has