I am always hungrier for lunch on Sunday than I am any other day of the week. By the time we are driving home from morning worship, my mouth is watering and I am thinking about how quickly I can get Sunday “dinner” on the table. Years of experience have taught me that nothing is as likely to undo all of the peace and joy I get from worshiping God than coming home to nothing figured out for our meal. The flesh, it seems, is rather weak.
Yesterday’s lunch was a good example of using appliances aka my servants to get the family and/or guests fed sooner rather than later. The menu:
Barbecued Boneless Pork Ribs
Au Gratin Potatoes
Salad
Sister Schubert Rolls
I used both the slow cooker and the oven to work for me while I was doing other things. I put the partially thawed ribs (big guys from Sam’s Club — about 6 lbs.) into my 6 qt. slow cooker the night before and cooked them all night. They just fit. In the morning, I drained off the fat and juices and covered them with most of a bottle of barbecue sauce. I used Kraft Original because that’s what I had but anything works. I let them keep going on low until we ate at 1 pm.
Before morning worship, I prepped the potato dish and slid it into a 250 degree oven to bake very slowly for the next 4 hours while we were out of the house. After we got home, there was still the barest amount of resistance when I plunged a fork into the middle of the dish. I upped the oven temp. to 350 and let them cook another fifteen minutes. I slid the frozen rolls in beside them for the last 10 minutes and put together a salad while I waited. The potatoes “rested” while we ate our salads, which lets them lose their screaming hot quality and thickens the cream to the unctuous state all au gratin potatoes should have if they can.
It occurred to me how lucky we are to live in an age where it is possible to have such a good meal with so little effort.
Now get up and go cook something good.
Dana’s Boursin Potatoes
(Dana is an internet buddy of mine that I have been able to meet in real life a few times. She is a good cook! This recipe is my adaptation of hers, but to me they are still Dana’s potatoes.)
Serves 8
6 all-purpose potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (I use the food processor)
1/2 medium onion, also sliced thin
salt, about 1 t.?
1 pkg. Boursin cheese (an herbed soft cheese, often found in the “nicer” cheese case at the grocery store; I watch for these to be on sale B1G1F; they keep for a few months)
2 c. heavy cream
additional 1/2 and 1/2 or milk
Grease a 2-3 qt. shallow baking dish. Place about half of the potatoes in it; salt generously. Add the onions; top with the remaining potatoes; salt again. Crumble the Boursin over the top. Pour the cream over the potatoes and add 1/2 and 1/2 or milk so that the liquid comes almost to the top of the potatoes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until potatoes are tender, or bake more slowly as I describe above. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving, although they will hold for about 20 and still be delectable.
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