Aglaia Kremezi's Fried Potatoes with Yogurt Sauce

(A disclaimer: my camera is in the shop, after an unfortunate collision with a Berlin sidewalk. So I'm taking pictures with my iPhone. Patience.)

Cooking for one can be, as we all know, a chore. But cooking for one can also be, under different circumstances, a bit of a thrill. No one there to press their culinary preferences on you, no dietary restrictions to observe, no hatred of bacon to dance around. You can let your inner freak flag fly: after all, if no one's there to see that you secretly like pan-fried banana peanut butter sandwiches for dinner or poached eggs with hot sauce over pasta, you can indulge in your strangest cravings with absolute alacrity and that, truly, might be the best part of dining alone.

The LA Times reviewed Deborah Madison's new book this week, about what people eat when they eat alone. It's a subject of much fascination, of course, because we've all been there, standing in the kitchen after work, backs pressed against the counter, drinking a beer and eating slivers of Cheddar and cold cornichons by the handful, or fried rice with bits and bobs from the fridge, or any number of other strange combinations borne out of convenience, speed, and a particular combination of flavors.

(I, for example, like baked beans and broccoli. Triscuits and pickled herring. Sauteed cherry tomatoes and a can of tuna over spaghetti. A big green salad dressed with too much vinegar, enough to make my nose wrinkle.)

I love hearing about what other people eat when they're eating alone. Not just for the voyeuristic angle (though it's sort of like looking like other people's shopping carts when standing in line at the grocery store: fascinating), but because I'm always looking for inspiration, too. And luckily for me, and for you, too, the review included one recipe that I'm filing into my permanent repertoire straight away, so good it was, so perfect in terms of its oddness and timing and - in the end, straightforward deliciousness.

It comes from Aglaia Kremezi, the Greek food writer, and is such a simple thing: potatoes sliced thinly and fried up in a matter of minutes in hot oil, then forked through a tangy, spicy  sauce of yogurt, feta, mustard and Aleppo pepper. After dragging my finger through the sauce to taste, I added a splash of vinegar because no meal alone - for me, apparently - seems to be complete without that extra zing.

The hot, crispy potatoes and the cool, sour sauce are a match made in heaven. Crunchy, yielding, creamy, chewy - it's a textural marvel at the same time as it is just plain tasty. (Do you secretly or not so secretly like dipping your French fries in mayonnaise? This is the better version of that - the far better version, actually - in more ways than one.) In fact, you might find yourself regretting the fact that you used only three potatoes - they'll be gone in a flash. Luckily, it only takes a few minutes to fry up some more. What I'm trying to figure out now is what to do with that leftover sauce - it's rather addictively swipeable.

So, tell me, lovelies: what do you eat when you're eating alone? Not eating alone due to heartbreak - because that's medicinal eating, really, another thing entirely - but because you have a glorious evening by yourself stretching out in front of you, with no one to please but yourself. Give me your strangest, your plainest, your most beloved dishes! I can't wait to read them.

Fried Potatoes with Yogurt Sauce
Serves 1

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, or as many as you want to eat in a sitting
3 or 4 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower seed oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used 2% Liberté, though the author says full-fat is better, just don't use use the thick, strained kind)
2 tablespoons crumbled Greek feta cheese
2 to 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Plenty of Aleppo pepper (I used close to a tablespoon)
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

1. Halve the potatoes lengthwise, then slice them slightly thinner than 1/8-inch. Fry them in the hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown in places. Drain them on three layers of paper towels.

2. Combine the yogurt, feta, mustard and pepper. Add the vinegar and stir well, until creamy. Put the potates on a plate with some of the sauce on the side and dip the forked potatoes into the sauce as you go. You might have sauce left over - a good excuse to fry up a few more potatoes tomorrow.

Comments

[Julia]

I like tuna on salad, with tangy red pepper dressing, if I'm being good. (My other half does not understand what he calls "meat salads" - tuna, chicken or beef on top of greens is not his idea of a meal.) If I'm being indulgent, a fried egg-and-grilled-cheese sandwich and possibly some fries, or tomato soup.
I used to eat a lot of those Lipton side dishes with broccoli and a bit of chicken, preferably with http://www.victorianepicure.com/home/welcome.aspx?culture=en-CA Epicure's Madras curry, and a bit of yogurt. But I had to leave all my Epicure behind when I moved. :(

[Cate]

I boil some soba noodles, drain them, and toss with soy sauce and mirin. Then I sprinkle on sesame seeds and slices of green onion, and if I'm really hungry, top it with a fried egg (with the yolk still runny).
I've eaten that at least 3 times in the last week.
I also do a LOT of fried rice with just about anything I can scrounge up in my crisper!

[Elizabeth]

I read this article, too and immediately thought that I had to make these potatoes. What do I eat when I'm alone: sugary kid cereals.

[DC365]

sauteed greens with runny poached eggs. boyfriend hates both those things, so i go a little nuts when he's out for dinner.

[radish]

oh my goodness - i think that by and large i turn to russian food... venigret (a beet salad with pickles and a bite of onion), herring with boiled potatoes and onions, pelmeni (russian meat dumplings) and olivye salad (russian style potato salad)... and countless pb&j sandwiches, which I could eat ad infinitum. i also love good canned fish in tomato sauce with hearty bread and thick slices of onion.

[Sheena]

I am all about the tuna melt these days. And hard cooked eggs sprinkled with coarse sea salt. Mmmmmm.....

[la ninja]

I'm a bit of a cereal nut too, when I'm alone... a bit rubbish but it's quick!

However, one evening last week I was alone and craving (so, obviously, had to go out and get all the ingredients) a baguette sandwich filled with well-done, thinly-sliced pork loin + crispy bacon + brie (using the bacon/pork fat/oil from the pan to make the bread moist) and then grilled and flattened agains the hot iron or skillet! :)
Basically, "un pepito de lomo", where I come from.

And... that's on a good day, ha ha! :)

[Adrienne]

Oh, I love this question (and the potatoes don't look bad either!). I too eat sauteed greens with a runny egg and hot sauce by default, but I love pasta carbonara (so easy for one) if there's bacon or pancetta in the house. I lke English muffin "pizzas" if I have leftover tomato sauce. I've been known to eat a dinner of just one vegetable: roast a bunch of beets, chop them up and put them in a bowl with some flaky salt. Broil some sliced zucchini dotted with butter. Roasted asparagus with olive oil and lemon zest.

Apparently, I could subsist entirely on so-called side dishes.

[Ellen]

When I was living in Japan, when I would come home from work starving, before cooking anything I'd first satisfy my hunger with fistfuls of dried fish (little whole dried sardines, niboshi). Crunchy and fishy and so good. Also, udon noodles topped with random things (leftover dal at one point). Um...I make a lot of little tacos (just soft corn tortillas folded around beans and cheese and salsa) and I eat a lot of canned mackerel and kipper snacks on bread... Chickpeas with oil and vinegar... Big salads with ponzu...

[Heather]

I absolutely love the concept behind this book!

If I have Honey Nut Cheerios in the house, I will eat them for every solo meal. I also find doctored ramen entrancing (a few frozen/fresh veggies heated when the noodles are cooking, a poached egg, fish sauce, soy sauce, sriracha and lots of fresh pepper to season). Or pretty much anything I have on hand, with a poached egg on top.

[Hentrain]

1. a big bowl of popcorn with butter and parmesan and sea salt.

2. pasta with a very generous dab of nice butter and a handful of shredded parm--chopped up ham and some 'shrooms if I'm feeling gourmet.

3. eggplant anything, especially Thai and Sichuan styles, since my lover is allergic.

[hannah]

Mmmm this post made me miss the days of living by myself! I used to cook up a huge pot of yellow daal or curried red lentils and zuchini and eat with rice for a whole week, lunch and dinner. Or cook up some rice noodles in whatever soup was lying around (they soak up all the liquid and get super yummy). Or tacos, with black beans, green salsa poached eggs, corn tortillas, and a mess of greens on top. YUM!

[Amanda B]

I like being left to my own devices when it comes to dinner. Being a single gal for quite sometime, I'll share my go to meal. Couscous, hummus, and feta with some frozen peas. Heaven I tell you!!

[Kat]

Lukewarm ratatouille on toast. (Good toast though--homemade or bakery bread is a must.) It's not elegant, it's not pretty, but it's my favorite thing and I'd eat it every night of the week if I could.

And since I'm de-lurking for the first time: I want to say, I love your writing. I really enjoy your thoughts on food and the sense and life and the interplay of it all.

[Snap]

Tuna, or eggs, or toasted cheese sandwich. Yummmmmmmmmm Hope your camera gets well soon. :D

[TheKitchenWitch]

Hilarious stuff! I am also one of those people who HAS to examine what's in other people's grocery carts. You're right, it's fascinating.

When I was single, I ate a lot of red beans and rice and baked potatoes with sour cream/salsa.

I also loved this dish that's revolting to just about anyone except myself: a bowl of hot basmati rice, topped with chopped tomatoes and sweet onion, with good strong bleu cheese crumbled over the top. With lots of salt and pepper.

And I love a BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato) sandwich.

[Caitlin]

I eat mounds and mounds of kale or collards, usually just with garlic, olive oil, and cumin. Sometimes I top it with a fried egg, still runny. I could never get anyone (let alone my ex) to eat a meal so totally dependent on greens, so that's my go-to when I don't have to please anyone else's tastebuds. So good.

[Honeybee]

I like to make things which my husband wrinkles his nose at such as tofu or pasta with a strong smelly cheese called Schabziger (or sap sago in english - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schabziger

Pasta with nothing but a little butter, parmesan and black pepper is a favourite, too.

[jonquil]

carmelized onions on buttered toast.

[Jennifer]

I'm an avid dipper of chips into mayo and look forward to upping the flavor ante with this recipe.

My luv is a bartender so I spend most nights dining solo. Like you say, there is freedom in only needing to address your own culinary whimsy. I often nosh on fine cheeses, Herbs De Provence olives, salami, creme fraiche and Hummus. I may simply steam broccoli rabe and coat with olive oil and bristly salt and pepper. Or, I sate with a frittata of random picks from the fridge.

[Zoe]

Toast topped with thinly sliced field mushrooms, shallots, garlic, marsala and cream. I love this but can't serve it to anyone else because it's such a horrible greyish purple colour thanks to the field mushrooms, so I only make it when I'm on my own.

Some scallops with their roe panfried in butter, with a salad and french fries from the takeaway on the corner.

Pasta with sauteed greens or purple sprouting broccoli and blue cheese.

(Amazing how many of us eat greens when we're eating on our own!)

[Lisa (dinner party)]

Great post. I was flipping through that book in B&N and liked it a lot.

My lonely single girl meal is roasted asparagus topped with fried eggs and some parmesan. Fast, easy, semi-nutritious, I guess.

I've also been known to eat a bowl or three of cereal for dinner.

[jen]

oh, i love reading about this so much.
whole wheat toast piled high with caramelized balsamic onions, avocado and salt & pepper. two slices of this is my dream dinner.

garlicky sauteed kale or chard with a squeeze of lemon and a poached egg. i too, could not get boyfriend to eat "wet lettuce" for dinner.

a whole cucumber, thinly sliced in a bowl with way too much rice vinegar, a splash of sesame oil and some sesame seeds.

an avocado, sliced in half with the indentations filled with balsamic vinegar.

an egg white omelette, stuffed with mozzarella or goat cheese and all the vegetables my boyfriend will not eat: tomatoes, zucchini, sprouts, avocado, mushrooms, onions.

[maggie]

1. I made a sauce very similar to this the other night, but added the juice and zest of half a lemon. Um. Freaking. Delicious. Wildly so when mixed with a little hot sauce and put on grilled eggplant slices. Also, with lamb (boneless leg of lamb steak cooks quickly and is awesome and cheap.) I could eat this every day.

2. What I eat on my cherished nights alone: roasted carrots and cauliflower with a fried egg on top. So good. Also beans with a fried egg on top & salsa. Also salad with grapefruit and avocado. And shrimp (which the boy doesn't eat), breaded in cornmeal if I'm feeling decadent. Yum. And pasta carbonara, by the potful.

[Katie]

I looove these comments, because I've gotten many new ideas of odd but satisfying combos. My favorite: ramen tossed with butter and soy sauce and a dab of sriracha. I also love to nuke refried beans and cheddar and dip salty chips into it. Miso by the spoonful. Avocado and lemon juice on saltines. Alfalfa or radish sprouts with lots of lemon and salt. The oddest might be cooked sticky rice drizzled with sriracha-spiked mayo.

I'm now looking forward to trying caramelized onions on buttered toast. TheKitchenWitch: hot basmati rice with tomatoes and onion, with good strong bleu cheese crumbled over the top sounds right up my alley!

[SVG]

great question, Luisa. Boyfriend is moving in on 8/1, hope he has plans to dine out sometimes so I can continue to enjoy my single girl dinners.

It is so funny to me how many woman here have mentioned the "sauteed greens with an egg on top" meal- one of my favorites as well. What is it about that dish that men apparently do not like?

Another variation of this- usually my winter version, is to cook up some grits, add some cheese, and if i have any bits of ham, bacon or chicken sausage around, ill cook that up and throw it in too. egg on top. salt and pepper. HEAVEN.

[Kim]

I'm so glad so many people say greens, because that's my go-to meal, too (for the same reason as many - when my family's around they don't consider that a meal). Garlic-rubbed toast topped with sauteed greens and drizzled with olive oil.

I also like an egg baked with some herbs and cream in a custard cup, with toast points for dipping.

[Izzy]

I absolutely love white rice topped with a fried egg and sliced bananas. MMM... I think i want some right now!

[Amanda Nicole]

If I'm feeling decadent, I'll get an array of sharp cheeses and eat them in cubes along with fresh strawberries in front of the TV. If that's not possible, then it's store-bought ramen noodles boiled and then fried in soya sauce and a dollop of miso paste. It's so salty and boring, but really hits the spot and fast.

Oh, and I love mayonnaise with my french fries. Or garlic mayo. Or basil aioli.

[The Kitchenette]

This looks super delish - a combo of two of my favorite things, yogurt and potatoes. And I can act like I'm not filling up on carbs because the sauce is yogurt-based. Score!

[Dana]

I loved reading this post and also all the follow-up comments! Lots of people love their greens! My solo meal is a baked potato filled with cottage cheese and topped with salsa. Maybe some black beans thrown in there.

[heatherly]

Heaven is a big bowl filled with roasted beets, mashed sweet potatoes or turnips, and sauteed greens (any sort but beet greens and mustard greens are the best!) drizzled with balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with sea salt.

[The Leftoverist]

Love this post--1) I not-so-secretly love fries dipped in mayo 2) I cannot hide my fascination with other people's grocery carts 3) My "meal" of choice is popcorn, always. When my husband's gone at the fire station, I sometimes feed the kids, put them to bed, then make the most gargantuan bowl of popcorn. And lately, I like to eat it with zataar, aleppo pepper, and butter. And a beer. Bedtime can't come soon enough.

[Cate]

Lots and lots of Dal. Or rice with avocado, tofu, peanuts, sriracha and whatever else I have floating around in my fridge.

[mollykath]

Those hard Amish pretzels (the ones that hurt your mouth), dipped in mustard...spoonfuls of ricotta with a little hot sauce shaken on it...toast...more toast...toast with mustard, toast with ricotta, toast with whatever is handy...Cadbury Fruit & Nut bars...dried mango...orzo salad with tuna, feta, red onion, olives and grape tomatoes...more pretzels with mustard...

[Jackie Cohen]

A box of Annie's mac and cheese (really, who are they kidding with saying that it's more than one serving?) with a chopped tomato and oregano stirred in...

Pickled herring on matzah. I'll have to try it on triscuits soon. (I thought I was the only person below age 75 who liked this, though...)

I picked up this favorite snack/meal from my mom: cottage cheese on toasted rye bread with lots of fresh pepper.

Love your blog! I just started my own...

[Diva]

Yay I love this post!

Triscuits, any cheese I have around (preferably habanero flavored), and red seedless grapes. In front of the TV.

Also, mac & cheese (out of the blue box!) with fried onions, garlic, and green chili peppers. Also in front of the TV. :)

[Tracy]

I cook all kinds of things for my single self, but if I don't feel like doing dishes (or cooking, for that matter), I love to have Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuits with cheddar cheese, a side of grapes and a glass of wine.

[Maggie]

beets from a can with goat cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar

poached egg over rice with Chinese dried minced pork and seasoned rice vinegar

any and all pates on baguette and cheeses.

bowl of cereal

sardines on crackers

oatmeal with dried cranberries and brown sugar

[Maggie]

Oh, and crunchy peanut butter scooped up with dried mango strips

[Eleana]

I love looking into other people's shopping carts too! I always wonder what they're going to do with what they buy ...

The things I make generally are things I would make on a regular basis, but these are the easy easy things:

Scrambled eggs with tomato (Home-cooking Asian style, let me know if you want to try the recipe and I'll write it out for you)

Potstickers

ALL the fruit I have, in one go

Anything left over in the fridge, I'll always eat cold, and most of the time just with my fingers

[Eleana]

Oh and salad ...

[KT]

A (big) handful of tortilla chips topped with cheese and refried beans and zapped in the micro to melt; topped with salsa and sour cream; devoured along with a classic novel from the library. (That's what I love about eating alone - I can read while I eat.)

[Mireille]

Every time my parents go out, I usually use Jacque Pepin's recipe (from "Fast Food my Way) of fried egg on top of pasta, except I add some greens with the pasta. Very satisfying and delicious.

[Sam]

My favorite meal for one is definitely the Toad in the Hole - cut a hole into the center of a slice of bread, pan fry in butter, and crack an egg into the hole. With lots and lots of cracked black pepper. Heaven.

[Sara]

When my husband's gone on business trips I make a big pot of spanish rice (rice, tomatoes, chilis, bell peppers, cheese). I'll eat it for lunch and dinner three days in a row topped with melted cheese and plain yogurt.

My other standby is grilled cheese sandwiches.

And I love pickles. I usually eat a couple right when I get home from work to take the edge off :)

[Luisa]

Julia - "meat salad" made me laugh out loud.

Kat - thank you, thank you!

Honeybee - I don't know that cheese, I'm intrigued. Have to see if I can find it in NYC.

Jen - that cucumber salad sounds right up my alley.

Izzy - fried egg and banana, wow! Maybe sort of like a Dominican breakfast, though, now that I think about it...

Leftoverist - OMG, that popcorn spiced with Aleppo pepper and za'atar, WITH A BEER? I want it for dinner, today.

Jackie - you're not alone! Before I discovered Triscuits, it was pickled herring on matzo all the way for me (via my dad).

Eleana - do I ever! Yes, please do send the recipe...but does it call for a nonstick pan? I don't have one.

Sara - me, too! I ate three last night, while cooking dinner. Love them. :)

[Jen]

My favorite alone meal is a hot grilled cheese sandwich, with a big bowl of salted edamame. Weird, huh? But it's soooo good.

[Anna]

Yum! That sauce sounds delicious. When making dinner for just myself, I love a fried eggs on toast, with lots of salt and pepper. So quick and easy, and one of my comfort foods, for sure! I also love simply cutting up a bunch of tomatoes (and avocado, if I have it) and drizzling with Breanna's Zesty French dressing.

[jessica]

i had a rare evening alone last night and made my favorite meal for one, molly's warm french lentil salad with some crumbled goat cheese, over a toasted slice of baguette, topped with a fried egg. and something i just realized now, when i am eating alone, i always garnish the plate, something i never do when cooking for others.