Great news: It’s nearly the end of winter! The sun is starting to peek its presumably sunglasses-wearing head out from behind the dreary March clouds, we’re only wearing two layers instead of three, and we’re firing up the kinda-broken margarita machine so that our daiquiris will be slushy by mid-April. There’s a part of us, though, that’s sad to say goodbye to all that we love about winter, like the plethora of excuses to not have to leave the house, the extra hours of darkness that lets you sleep in on the weekends, and, of course, winter comfort food.
When someone mentions wanting to cook or roast or mash something hearty and warming to eat in the middle of the bone-chilling winter months, we generally turn to the humble potato. It may not look like much, with its spotty appearance and drab brown exterior, but within lie endless possibilities. You can turn one of these deceptively boring tubers into an entire meal, just by adding a little butter (or maybe a lot of butter—hey, we’re not the butter police), a touch of pungent curry powder, or a few fresh herbs. A runny egg is, of course, always a welcome addition to nearly any potato dish, but we’ll leave that one up to you.
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A roasted potato is always a good potato, but you can turn good into great with these Hasselbacks. With less than five ingredients, you can enjoy the last bites of winter without having to do much work at all. Just make a few slices across your cleaned taters, drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, and throw a few sprigs of fresh rosemary in, too, for good measure. Pop these bad boys in the oven for just under an hour, and voila! You’re ready to eat. Did we mention that they’re accidentally vegan? Or intentionally, if that’s your thing.
Life isn’t all about Russets or Yukons–we humans have also been graced with the delicious sweet potato, which lends itself perfectly to being pureed into a soup. Former White House chef Walter Scheib shared with us this recipe for a soup that is hearty, flavorful, and simple to make. This dish is bursting with fragrant lemongrass, spicy curry paste, and plenty of garlic and ginger, but it’s also toned down and sweetened a bit with the addition of coconut milk. Go ahead: Curl up on the couch with a big bowl of this stuff and then drift off into one of your last winter midday naps.
We’re not sure that anyone knows comfort food better than the Québécois genius behind M. Wells Steakhouse in Long Island City, New York, and he’s here to prove it with these cheesy, creamy, glorious pommes aligot. For the uninitiated, these are the most badass mashed potatoes that you could possibly imagine, made with a truly, truly sinful amount of butter and cheese. This is probably the last time you can eat a meal for a while without worrying about having to go to the gym later, so go big or go home. These potatoes are truly the perfect way to say farewell to winter.
But don’t worry: potatoes will still be around in the warm weather. Maybe just in the form of a side of fries with our daiquiris.