June 25, 2015 - Rhododendrons and Pommes Anna

I am so happy the rhododendrons have popped out this week. I thought we were going to miss them. These blossoms are all on a bush next to the motorhome.

 

Boss Larry came by. He told us that he is going to start working three days a week at Elkmont campground on the other side of Gatlinburg. They seem to be so short-handed. It takes two people to count the money from camping fees and not everyone is authorized to do it. They used to use campground hosts as witnesses, but that practice has been banned.  Ranger Chuck is leaving to take a ranger job on the Blue Ridge Parkway. That leaves our section of the park with only two rangers, Will and Heath. I guess that mean only one ranger on duty four days a week, when the other is off. Big Creek will really be the lawless frontier now. People already do what they damn well please here.

I have been wanting to make this dish since I saw the picture in Cooking Light magazine some years back. I did not have an oven-proof pan that would fit in my oven. But, my new oven has stationary racks so an oblong pan can fit because it does not have to spin. I bought a small pan for the oven a year or two ago, but it would not fit. I had sent it home with Daughter Kathy and she brought it back to me a few weeks ago. Finally, Pommes Anna on our table.

Pommes Anna (Potatoes Anna)

Trust the French to come up with a potato cake that is alluringly crisp

on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside. Called Pommes Anna,

this dish was created during Napoleon Ill's era and named after one of the

lovely women at court. Traditionally made with enough butter to float the

Normandie, we've made it with much less, which nonetheless produces a

dish so rich and delicious, there's never a crumb left. Slice the potatoes by

hand, by mandoline, or in a food processor.

teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 pounds peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

(I didn’t peel my Yukon Gold potatoes)

tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and divided

tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, optional

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine salt and pepper in a small bowl.

3. Melt 2 1/2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch cast-iron or ovenproof

heavy skillet over medium heat. Arrange a single layer of potato slices,

slightly overlapping, in a circular pattern in pan; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon

salt mixture. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon melted butter over potatoes. ~

Repeat the layers 5 times, ending with butter. Press firmly to pack.

Cover and bake at 450° for 20 minutes.

4. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until potatoes are

golden. Loosen edges of potatoes with a spatula. Place a plate upside

down on top of pan; invert potatoes onto plate. Sprinkle with parsley,

if desired. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge).

Mine turned out almost as pretty as the picture in the magazine. I had the stove burner on medium while I placed the potatoes in the pan. Those top taters were crispy and delicious.

 

Maintenance Linda came by to test the water at the group site while we were eating, so I cut a wedge of potatoes for her.

When the dishes were done we walked to the horse camp. That camp is full tonight, but everyone in the group had not arrived when we walked around. I met a few of the horses.

 

Andy was talking with the parents about hiking up the Big Creek trail while I talked to the baby. I didn’t catch the smile, but was shocked when I saw all the teeth. He is eight or nine months old and has seven teeth in front, four on top and three on bottom.

 

This leaf was on the grass next to the parking lot. I suppose someone cut the holes, but like the pattern anyway. It sure caught my attention.

We drove down to the Pigeon River in the evening to send/receive email. I got a lot of emails from real friends who said my Facebook account has been hacked. Betsy said there are two of me on Facebook. I changed my password, but don’t know if that makes any difference or not. I don’t know what else to do about it. I can’t look it up until we get back out to a regular cell  signal.

On the Radio

A worker “fell from a height” on the Foothills Parkway near Wears Valley. There was some uncertainty as to the exact location. It was in a closed section, I think that means under construction. One ranger was heading in that direction and another was getting Rescue One to follow. They called for ambulances to come in from both directions until they could find the patient. They called for the Walland rescue squad to get ready for a technical rescue, if it was required. Someone on the scene said the man fell and hit his head. They already had him in a vehicle and were heading toward the gate to meet the ambulance. His injuries must have been serious because they took him to the University of Tennessee.

At the same time, on the same parkway, on an open section, a car had gone off the road and down the mountainside. There were injuries, but did they not seem serious.