Diner's Pommes de Terre Boulangère

Oh my golly golly goodness - I am totally, totally overcome. I thought getting a book deal couldn't be topped, but then I started reading your comments and your emails, each and every one of them, and my heart just about burst. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for cheering me on, for believing in me, for finding inspiration in what I wrote for your own lives, and for generally being the most incredible readers and commenters a girl could ever have. I want to give you all a big hug. Maybe even do a little jig for you. Want to come up and visit me on Cloud 9? There's space up here, along with some nice, cold Champagne, delicious snacks, and really comfortable chairs. Plus the weather seems to be just fantastic all the time. Weird!

Seriously, though. I may have said this before, but I'll say it again (and again, and again): you guys are simply amazing.

Now to the nitty-gritty. I leave New York in mid-December. Which means that I have about six weeks left. At first I thought I would make a list of all the things I never got to do in the past ten years (Di Fara's pizza, Kitchen Arts & Letters, the Museum of the City of New York, dinner at Babbo) and get to work crossing things off that list. I realized about five minutes later that that might get a little depressing. (Not to mention exhausting.) It'd be like I was leaving New York and never coming back! Instead I decided to leave those things undone, to give myself things to look forward to when I come back to visit. As if there wouldn't be enough already...

Most importantly, though (and pardon the profanity, but I think it's warranted here): hell yes, I am keeping the blog. Can you imagine? I leave my friends, my job, my apartment, my city, and on top of all that, this little space, too? I think I would have a nervous breakdown in about 4 minutes flat. I need you, little blog! I need you, darling readers.

And look, I'm in Berlin right now, as I type, and it's going swimmingly! Wouldn't you say? You can't even tell that I'm here and not there, can you?

I'm here just for a few days, to work out a few things before I move. And right now, I'm sitting in a pool of sunshine, typing away to all of you while listening to someone's washing machine hum, thoughts of last night's homemade yeasted plum cake and plans for a pea soup party with friends on Sunday in my head. I have to say, I like this feeling; like all is right with the world.

One more thing I need to tell you before I head out for lunch is about these potatoes I made last weekend, when I was still reeling from the events of the week. The recipe comes from the chef at Diner in Williamsburg, which is such a great little place to eat. I have this fantasy of having a Stammtisch, you know, a restaurant within walking distance of your house, where you're such a regular that the waiters always seat you at your favorite table and bring you your drink without you having to order it and know just how you like your steak cooked or your greens drizzled, and all the while the restaurant is so cozy and unpretentious and such a joy to be at for a few hours each week that you end up never really wanting to eat anyplace else, no matter what. I like to think that, for some lucky people at least, Diner is that restaurant.

Anyway. Potatoes. Where was I?

Right! Potatoes. Delicious.

What the chef does is make a panful of caramelized onions with thyme, and then he deglazes the pan with vinegar, lets it get all syrupy and wonderful. The onions turn silky-sweet, herbal and pungent. You could practically eat them with a fork right out of the pan. But you don't. You exercise patience and fortitude while, in a different pan, you fry up a bunch of parboiled potatoes until they're brown and crispy and hot hot hot. Then you mix the vinegary, silky-sweet onions with the crispy, hot potatoes and sit down very, very quickly to eat them.

You might think, but what about the rest of lunch? Aren't there any vegetables or at least a sausage to eat with this pile of potatoes and onions? And you know, you have a point. You could certainly stand to add something to your plate. But if you are still as speechless as I was last Saturday, still reeling from one of the most exciting things to ever happen to you, just know that you won't actually need anything else to eat. That the potatoes will be the first thing that passes your lips all week good enough to wake you up out of your reverie and, while you chew happily and fork up more, to help you realize that no, never fear, it all really happened, it wasn't just a dream.

Pommes de Terre Boulangère
Serves 4

Note: I am not usually such an onion-lover. These onions, however, were a revelation. So much so that I actually wished I had made more. The next time I make this, I'm going to double or triple the batch of onions, and I think you should, too. If you have leftovers, pile them on a cheese sandwich, mix them into boiled spaghetti or just eat them with at the stove.

2 pounds (about 7 medium) firm, waxy potatoes
6 to 8 cups beef or chicken broth, or as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large red or white onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan and add broth to cover by about 1 inch. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, or to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer until just tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Remove potatoes from broth (reserve broth for another use) and allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, combine onion with 1 tablespoon fat. Place over medium-low heat and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add 4 thyme sprigs. Reduce heat to low, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and caramelized, about 10 more minutes. Add vinegar, cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat, and discard thyme sprigs.

3. Slice cooled potatoes into rounds 1/3 inch thick. Place a large cast-iron skillet over high heat, and add 2 tablespoons fat (or as needed to provide a thick coating on bottom of pan). When fat is extremely hot, add potatoes and allow to sit without stirring or shaking until seared and crispy.

4. Turn potatoes and sear and crisp other sides. When well-browned, add caramelized onions, salt and pepper to taste, and stir to mix. Chop remaining 2 sprigs thyme (or if stems are woody, use leaves only), sprinkle over potatoes and serve.

Comments

[Christina]

Congratulations to you! I have only been reading your blog for a few months, but I'm so relieved to hear you will continue to write (and post!). I love to visit and be inspired by your words and photos. I'm so happy for you and your new direction and adventure! So inspiring.

[Adrienne]

There is something about crispy potatoes, isn't there? They always taste like everything is going to be ok.

[Nancy]

I can't wait to hear which newspapers you pick for your Wednesday Chef ideas! Good luck.

[maggie]

Yay. So glad you'll be blogging through this experience too. These onions remind me a little of a Mario Batali recipe that involves onions in syrupy vinegar I tried a while back—they definitely overshadowed anything else on the plate. Will try these too!

[noelle {simmer down!}]

Potatoes with caramelized onions seem like the perfect down-to-earth thing to eat when your world is spinning (in a bad or good way!). And I couldn't agree more about tripling up on the batch of onions- I've found they're actually much easier to make in a larger quantity so they don't scorch.

[Mama JJ]

I'm smiling. It's good to hear that things are going so swimmingly well for you. Best of wishes!

(I'm quite pleased you'll still be keeping the blog.)

[Tracy @ Amuse-bouche for Two]

Change is intoxicating. I'm a change junky. I hunger for it...it feeds the heart and nourishes the soul. I hope all of your changes feed you well. :)

[la ninja]

ha! I'm in amsterdam (as in the one in the low lands) sitting in a pool of sun too and reading your little blog, which you are keeping. of course you are. hooray. :)
oh yeah, and potatoes... lekker.

[Kathy]

I'm excited for you and the big changes you have coming up!! (And for completely selfish reasons, I am very happy that you will continue to blog!!)

[TheKitchenWitch]

I agree with you--I think I wouldn't need to eat anything else but those potatoes, right from the pan!

Again, congrats and best wishes, and we will be here waiting to hear every morsel of news.

[jenny]

happy about the potatoes! (I just bought some potatoes to use in a recipe from cooks illustrated, and now I can't decide which of the two potato dishes I want to make. maybe both. ;) )

happier that you are keeping the blog!

happiest that you are happy!!

[kathleen]

You certainly arrived at the right time, the weather today is GORGEOUS (in Hamburg, anyway). Or maybe you brought it with you, even better. So happy you'll keep blogging, and I'm totally with you on fried potatoes. I had Bratkartoffeln for lunch yesterday and they made me happy for the rest of the day. (The canned Grünkohl not so much.) Also, you sound so happy.

[m]

I like that fork. Sleek and slender but those tines are long enough for quite the potato payload.

[Lisa (dinner party)]

I bet these would be amazing for brunch with an egg or two.

Congrats again to you. So glad you're keeping the blog!

[Rosemary]

Mmmmm... those potatoes look wonderful! I love the idea of using a bit of vinegar at the end of caramelizing the onions as well, I'll have to try that! Thank you!

[nicole]

These look amazing ... and the perfect way to celebrate astounding news. Congratulations on your book AND your move! Looking forward to reading all about it.

[Jennifer]

Very happy to read that you’re still relishing your moment, lovely. Crisp and browned potatoes are the perfect dish to keep the good times flowing. And, I will definitely double up on the onions as they look so very slick and sultry.

[Jen]

Yum! your potato dishes always look so good to me & I can never resist carmelized onions. Congratulations again, and I'm so glad you're keeping your blog. In a weird way I feel like I know you, and I was really going to miss you if you didn't!

[Andrea]

Ah, I am so vicariously thrilled about your book! My very hearty congratulations to you.

And yes, the potatoes. And the onions. Caramelized onions really are food of the gods. What a nice recipe to leave us with for the weekend.

[Raquelita]

Oh, PHEW, I am so, SO pleased to know the blog isn't going to be left behind in New York! You have a precious gift with words, Luisa - thank you for letting me so candidly share your journey with you. I look forward to your book - it'll make a great Christmas gift to myself :)

[Kristina @ Trivial Bliss]

Potatoes can be like best friends, like a smile...great comfort food when you're sad but also perfect when you're having the time of your life. We're potato addicts. And...welcome to Germany! What a great thing and so exciting. Good news you're keeping the blog and I'm looking forward to your book.

[Zoomie]

Aaah, I'm relieved to hear you are keeping the blog and you're so right to have a bit of continuity just now with all the change you are experiencing. Best of good luck!

[evy]

I am so relieved that you are continuing with your blog!
Woohoo!

The addition of thyme and the vinegar for this is new to me- can't wait to try this!

[Cathy]

Thanks for sticking with us, Luisa. Cyberspace would be a much less friendly place without you. I've only been reading your blog for a few months, but I enjoy your posts so much. You had me hooked with your Paris post (my favorite city next to New Orleans). I feel the magic, too. Maybe I'll have my life-altering moment of clarity when I go back there for Christmas. One can hope. Best of luck to you with your new endeavor in Berlin. I look forward to reading your book -- and this blog.

[Claudia]

Oh yes! I made those caramelized onions yesterday for a dish tonight, and will have extra. Perfect to go with potatoes, add an egg and it's Sunday Breakfast. Enjoy your new endeavors.

[Stephanie]

These sound, and look, so good. I make a pasta sauce that starts with thyme, onions, and vinegar as in this recipe. I think thyme is my favorite herb.

[tobias cooks!]

what a nice and simple potato recipe. well done.

[laura]

yay, i'm so glad you're keeping this blog.. as a reader from berlin i'm excited to see what you'll write about the food scene here (and i'm looking forward to the book too, of course!) best wishes.

[alexandra]

reading your latest entry,it came upon me that one of the strong characteristics of your writing, is the pacing. And the voice that is clear without the cloying self-consciousness of so many other blogs.
But the words and the timing seem to happen effortlessly, and then it is all of a piece, and I couldn't imagine it being expressed in any other way.

[Anna@BakingSimplicity]

I'm so glad to hear that you're keeping the blog, because without it, well it would have thrown my daily routine right off!
We all look forward to hearing about your Berlin adventures too.

Potatoes look way yummy!
Good luck with the move, wish I was closer to help LOL

[micook1]

I'm so happy you'll keep writing the blog!
I was inspired from your post, but didn't have potatoes, only sweet-potatoes and try to make your rcipe with them and it was also very testy :)
thanks!
Mi,
www.ask2cook.com

[The Leftoverist]

Thank God you are keeping the blog! One of my best friends just moved from Seattle to Williamsburg--Im forwarding this to her. And I'm visiting her next weekend. Diner, here we come.

I'm so glad you're still on Cloud 9.

[rcwellington]

Luisa,

Congratulations on the move and the book! My fiance and I adore Berlin. Seriously - ADORE. Last we were there, we fell in love with Schlesisch Blau, on Kopenicker in Kreuzberg. It's run by wonderful people, is incredibly well priced, and is utterly delicious.

Strange question, though: where did that fork come from? I'm shopping for flatware and can't seem to find anything that I like.

[liz]

you sound soo soo happy...you're making ME feel happy :)

glad you're keeping the blog!

[Natasha]

Luisa Weiss, you are my hero. I'm so happy for you! You certainly deserve this, and I can't wait to read your book. So glad you're keeping the blog. Mazal tov!

[Rose-Anne]

I'm glad to hear the blog gets to make the trip to Berlin too! That means we all get to go with you via our computers!

Ooh, caramelized onions with a hit of vinegar at the end? Where is my fork? I think I might skip the potatoes altogether and just make the onions, taking your advice to make a double or triple batch. I loooooove caramelized onions. Tasty!

[Lisa-Marie]

My brain just went 'mmm potatoes, oh, oh, there are onions on the potatoes'. My next though was 'Must have!'

[Gemma]

I would happily eat a big plate of these with just a green salad alongside, they sound delicious. Looking forward to all of your Berlin adventures - it is somewhere we have been meaning to visit forever, not thinking maybe next Spring.

[Christine]

I was away and missed your last post, so please allow me to say: CONGRATULATIONS! I am thrilled for your book deal for both selfish purposes and for you. So happy for you. The world is yours! Now if only I could figure out my "calling" as it were. *sigh* :)

[KitchenPickersMakeBiggerKnickers]

My husband's chronically allergic to vinegar. Any idea as to how i can achieve that syrupy, caramelized deliciousness without using vinegar? Is there a different ingredient I could use? Or do I need to find a different husband?! Arguably it could be worth it if these potatoes are as good as they look and sound....

[Dawn in CA]

Honestly, I never thought to worry that you might give up the blog. But now I'm so happy to hear you are planning to continue writing and posting here! Yours was one of the first food blogs I found, and I've been following happily along ever since. xo, Dawn

[Luisa]

Thank you, thank you, thank you all! You're so lovely, and so so good to me. Come visit! :)

Nancy - For now I'm thinking I will stick with my regular papers for recipes, but we'll see.

RCWellington - thanks for the tip! I'll have to check it out. The silverware is actually my grandmother's or great-grandmother's - stuff that's been in the family for a while, in other words. Check fleamarkets or ebay?

Kitchenpickers - that is a tough question to answer. I don't think you can replace the vinegar here - but you do cook off a lot of it, so maybe your husband could be brought around? It really is key.

Dawn - xo to you, too! :)

[amelia]

kartoffeln heaven... It's a simple dish but the layers of flavor and the satisfaction factor are complex!

[A]

Are boulangere potatoes not gratinated in stock? Are these not actually Lyonnaise ?

[Luisa]

A - as I mention in the post, this dish comes from a chef at a restaurant in Brooklyn. It seems to be something of a riff.

[Jen]

Mazel Tov!! Omgoodness, a book deal, a change of hometown, and a new outlook on life, where you actually get your dream job! Does it get any better? Maybe not.

I wish you all the best and I'm so glad to hear that you'll be keeping the blog, cause the rest of us need something to be excited about too.

[carol morris]

Just read the past two blogs. All I can say is, write fast! We can't wait!

[Kate]

made these last night! i burned my onions :( so they didn't come out as amazing as they should have. i used distilled vinegar and it was such a nice addition - i bet sherry or white wine would be incredible. I ate my left over potatoes today with poached eggs. i love your idea of simple meals!

[Suzanne Quinn]

Good guys DO win!

[Natasa]

this sounds lovely:-)

do you think i could use aceto balsamico instead?