Paris -- Dinner for One

In Paris for a long (5-week) stretch, with J coming in a week. During my one-week bachelorhood, I am cooking some things that I know J will not like or about which I have doubts.

Tonight was an omelet, which J hates, with vinegar, salt and pepper potatoes. The omelet was the non-French one I wrote about last time I was in France (see my May 11, 2015 post for more on this), but this time I made it with a small amout of goat cheese and a HUGE amount of tarragon, my favorite herb by far. Excellent!

Non-French omelet with vinegar, salt and pepper potatoes

The side dish was a new recipe for vinegar, salt and pepper potatoes. These are made by boiling 1/4-inch slices of potato in 100% vinegar for about 10 minutes, then finishing the slices, after tossing in oil, salt and pepper, under a broiler. I would say the dish was a success, but I must admit it was too vinegary for me. Here is a link to the recipe, which I found on myfridgefood.com, if this is of interest. Many commenters thought they had a better way to make this -- generally by adding a little vinegar to the finished potatoes -- but this is clearly the way to go if you like a very vinegary potato (kind of like vinegar and salt potato chips). I used plain white vinegar, and maybe toning it down with a (much more expensive) wine or, better still, malt vinegar would help, but I think this  dish is just not for me.

I finished up with a mixed mesclun and arugula salad with a walnut oil vinaigrette, a smidgeon of goat cheese and some walnuts, topped with copious amounts of thyme. Simple but nice.

Mesclun, arugula, goat cheese and walnut salad

For dessert, you just can't beat apricots and cherries in France in June! (Although I am a little ashamed to admit I also had a disappointing quarter of a piece of lemon cake from a local bakery.)

Bobby Jay