So Lent is here and once again I am choosing to give something up. (This year it is cheese again – a HUGE challenge for pizza loving me!) Whenever I do stop and think about the object or activity I am giving up, I do think of Jesus, so I guess the extra daily reminder of my Lord and what He sacrifices is a wonderful thing. But giving up such a “luxury” as cheese seems a little petty and unimportant – not any real kind of sacrifice. There are people who have nothing and then they lose everything in an earthquake and here I am giving up cheese for Lent.
But I will give up cheese because it will help me focus on Christ during Lent but I want to work harder to give up much more – I want to also give up things that will put me more in line with who God wants me to be. I want to give up things that will change who I am – like gossip, arrogance, negativity, pride or maybe even more concrete things like TV or time spent on the computer. To eliminate these things, for maybe even a short period of time, allows us to see so many things that remain hidden behind the many distractions of our days and ultimately moves us closer to who God intends us to be. If you’re pondering such an effort, give it a go. It is worth a try. It is only forty days.
This recipe looks so good. Blue cheese is one of my favorites. I will look forward to a double dose of this on Easter Sunday!
Dip:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup crumbled Maytag or other blue cheese (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Fries:
4 medium russet potatoes (about 2 pounds), scrubbed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
-To make the blue cheese dip: In a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, blue cheese, buttermilk, shallot, lemon juice and zest, Worcestershire, salt, and celery seed. Pulse until evenly combined but still slightly chunky. Stir in the parsley and season with pepper, to taste. Transfer the dip to a bowl and refrigerate for the flavors to come together while you make the fries.
-To make the fries: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Put a baking sheet on the center rack and preheat for 10 minutes.
-Meanwhile, cut the potatoes lengthwise into wedges by eighths, leaving the skins on. In a large bowl toss the wedges with the olive oil.
-Carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and arrange the potato wedges cut-side down on it, keeping them evenly spaced. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the remaining oil in the bowl over the potatoes (it helps them get crispy). Bake until browned and crisp, about 30 minutes. Transfer the fries to a serving platter and season with salt, to taste. Serve immediately with the blue cheese dip.
By Leigh Sackett
