I spent the last two weeks of October on the Gulf of Naples, which meant two weeks of pizza, pasta and a pleasant 24 degrees.
Returning from this state to November in Hamburg was tough.
But something inspired me on the way home: the thought of potatoes.
In the south of Italy, amidst Mediterranean delicacies, I had a quintessential German longing for potato dishes.
And so, as soon as I was home, I bought a sack of potatoes in a supermarket on St. Pauli.
Our best potato recipes
I admit, ten degrees and rain, sunset at four in the afternoon and the bare trees in my street are bothering me despite the potato sack.
But at least I now have time to try out the recipes of my colleague and “Cooking without Coal” columnist Sebastian Maas.
Because he knows how to play the whole range of potato delicacies.
Here are his best potato dishes - as always for a maximum of three euros and without expensive special accessories.
A mix of french fries and mashed potatoes
Sebastian named the first dish "TikTok Potatoes" because it originated on the Chinese time-wasting platform.
Fortunately, the recipe has nothing to do with dancing, on the contrary, it is perfect for a nice lazy evening under the wool blanket.
The TikTok potatoes are so-called smashed potatoes, which is what the recipe essentially sums up.
The potatoes are pre-cooked, mashed on a baking sheet and poured with a flavored oil.
Then they go into the oven and are baked until they are golden yellow and crispy.
Patience pays off here, writes colleague Maas - and he's right.
As always.
Together with a fresh yoghurt dip, this dish is especially fun when it crunches between your teeth.
Breakfast for dinner
The potato tortilla is the Spanish version of a farmer's breakfast, means it consists primarily of potatoes and egg, means it is really filling.
My previous experiments with tortillas, omelettes or related egg dishes often had the major shortcoming that they ended up being much too dry.
That can't happen with Sebastian's recipe.
He pre-cooks the potatoes with plenty of onions and only adds the egg in the last step.
It gets even tastier if you crumble some feta on it.
Gamja Jorim
Not only in Europe, but also on all other continents, the potato is welcome or eaten.
We benefit from this, because in addition to potatoes, boiled, roasted and mashed potatoes, there are countless other ways of preparation.
This comes from Korea and is known there under the name Gamja Jorim.
In the recipe, the potatoes are glazed, which sounds like haute cuisine, but is actually pretty straightforward.
Because it means nothing else than boiling the potatoes in a fine mush of soy sauce, vinegar, honey and garlic.
Kumpir with kale
The kale, like horizontal rain, is omnipresent in the northern German winter.
It is usually served with hearty sausages and pork cheek.
In this recipe, it comes without meat and instead with surprising ingredients, namely coconut milk, apple, curry powder and oat flakes.
Potatoes are of course also included, don't worry.
The latter are very easy to prepare for this recipe.
To turn into baked potatoes, simply bake them on a tray in the oven for 50 minutes.
The interesting part happens in the meantime in the saucepan, where a sauce is made from the kale, the spices and the coconut milk.
It gets even more interesting when both come together at the end.
In major German cities this is now known as Kumpir - but you can also simply say: Mhhhmm!
Festive Brussels sprouts
When it gets cold, Christmas inevitably approaches, and we all know what this festival is about: food.
Sebastian Maas also has something on offer for this occasion that satisfies two of my needs - first, the one for potatoes and, second, that for a meat-free main course.
In combination with Brussels sprouts, capers, walnuts and onion jam, a wonderfully festive dish is created that even grandparents forget for a moment that the roast is missing.
Brussels sprouts and potatoes are cooked in the oven, the capers deep-fried and the onion jam is made from pickled onions and cranberries.
On top of that, the recipe also has a tip on how to keep the mandatory Christmas calls to relatives as short as possible.
But if you've already got an appetite for this delicious meal: it tastes good in November too.
