If you’re anything like me, there are numerous times during the year when the thought of eating, never mind fixing dinner, is just “No thanks!” It gets even worse when the weather gets pleasant and I’m out in the garden for long stretches. (It’s OK to groan if you are juggling a work schedule or, worse, working at home or out with children. I’ve been there, and I feel like I should take a nap for you!)

A lifetime spent cooking has taught me, however, that without something just a little bit special on the plate, everyone around the table will push the food around. Luckily, that does not mean going to great lengths to make the last fabulous recipe you read.

My go-to when the going is tough is fish – plain haddock, flounder or sole that can be coated in breadcrumbs and fried in a pan in five minutes or popped into a 400-degree oven for 10-12 minutes. If the kids in your life don’t want to eat fish, try cutting cod into “sticks” and cooking them the same way, or opt for chicken fingers. Easy, right? Rounding out the meal, for me, means a salad. This might be greens left in the refrigerator that need to be used, or it could mean chopping up some leftover cabbage and adding a bit of onion and carrot with store-bought dressing for a quick slaw.

But the part that will make everyone run to the table is potatoes. Not just any potatoes – Kennebec potatoes, boiled and then mashed with sour cream, butter and green onions. Kennebecs originated in Presque Isle all the way back in 1941, and their white flesh is perfect for mashing, as well as full of potassium and vitamin C. The potatoes are easy to find at farmers markets and stores that sell local produce. Their skins are freckled brown and thin, making them quick to peel.

Sour cream and butter keep them moist but prevent them from becoming too soft, so these potatoes are at their best hand-mashed and lumpy. The green onions add zing without being so strong that children won’t eat them.

So, the next time you are stressed or just exhausted, don’t run for takeout. This combination will be ready in under half an hour, and everyone around your table will be happy.

Loaded Potatoes

Boil the potatoes while making the salad, before cooking your fish. They can wait to be drained till the fish is cooking.

Serves 4

4 large or 8 small Kennebec potatoes, rinsed, peeled, and cut into halves or quarters
Salt
3-4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
½ cup sliced green onions, tops only (save the white parts for the salad)

Put the potatoes in a pot, and cover them with water by at least 1 inch.  Add salt to taste. Boil for approximately 20 minutes until tender. Use a fork or paring knife to ensure that potatoes are soft enough to mash.

Drain the potatoes and let sit, covered, so they dry a bit. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet or in the microwave.

Mash the potatoes, then add the sour cream, melted butter and green onions. Stir vigorously with a spoon, but keep the lumps!

MEET THE COOK, Chrystena Hahn

Chrystena Hahn. Photo courtesy of Chrystena Hahn

I am decidedly a home cook. Now retired, for many years, I taught and supervised literacy (especially writing) and spend most of my time at home in Falmouth or up at camp in Vassalboro, where I garden and, in addition to dealing with all the chores that plague all people, write poetry. (I have been published in Deep Water and the Maine Standard, Volume 1.)

My interest in cooking is often geared toward working with what is in season here in Maine, though I enjoy thinking outside the box and preparing ethnic meals that change up the humdrum of everyday eating. I am a voracious reader of cookbooks, as well as poetry, novels and nonfiction, especially food writing. To that end, I often visit the Portland Farmers Market, Monte’s and Sun Oriental, as well as the more usual grocery stores in Portland.

These days, I primarily cook for my husband and myself, though our daughter enjoys dropping by occasionally to sample “what’s cooking.”