Because I keep a well-stocked pantry I can usually whip up a meal at a moment’s notice without leaving the house. When I say pantry I am including the refrigerator and the freezer in addition to all of the dry goods on the shelves.
My freezer is filled with little gems to start a meal, like packages of diced prosciutto, pancetta, and bacon. I also have frozen cubes of pureed chipotle chilies, preserved basil with olive oil, a wide assortment of nuts, sliced ginger, and homemade flavored butters.
My refrigerator is full of various bottles and jars from smoked paprika and capers to an assortment of Asian ingredients, hot sauces, and tahini. But there are occasions when the pantry runs low and I just have not had the time to re-stock.
Even so, I can usually make something from nearly nothing.
My husband owns a restaurant and you would think he’d have had plenty to eat by the time he gets home late at night. But I usually hear him foraging through the refrigerator looking to see what I cooked for dinner.
On one particular night, when the pantry was low and I was not that motivated there was really nothing in my fridge for him and I knew he would be disappointed. Because I love to cook and jump at any opportunity to do so, I met him in the kitchen and offered to come up with something satisfying.
I gathered two potatoes, some scallions, and a small chunk of white cheddar. Since I always have eggs on hand, I was confident that I could create something for the two of us.
I sautéed the potatoes – sliced into shoestrings with my V-Slicer (a kind of mandolin) – then stirred in scallions and the cheddar cheese.
I pushed them aside and cracked two eggs into the skillet. I served us each a cheesy pile of potatoes topped with a perfectly cooked sunny-side-up egg.
I like my eggs with a little kick, so I eat mine with plenty of jalapeno pepper sauce. It was close to midnight when we stuck our forks into the egg yolk and let its warm richness flow over the potatoes. This was the most perfect something-from-nothing close-to-midnight meal we’ve had.
