Go for the gold: Fry With Me

View in Browser

Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

Monday, August 17, 2020

Fry With Me

Tejal Rao

Good morning! It’s Monday, in case you need a reminder, and this is Tejal, filling in for Sam.

I’m still finding my way around my new kitchen in Los Angeles, and I’ve taken notes from the expert organizer Faith Roberson, who recently tackled Priya Krishna’s fridge, using lazy susans to help with an overabundance of condiments (genius!).

I like to think of myself as an adept, no-nonsense home cook, so I feel a bit silly telling you this, but I have an aversion to frying at home. I do it, but rarely. It’s probably because I worked the fryers in a restaurant kitchen, and the smell of that spent oil still clings. But god, do I love hot, crisp fried foods at the height of summer!

Lately I’m craving fresh pea kachori (above) with chutney and lime, pulling them apart and watching the steam rush out. Clam bellies spritzed with lemon juice. Crunchy fried artichokes, tostones smashed out like flowers, fried chicken with puddles of hot sauce. And this week, I’ve decided, I’m going to make something I love, something I rarely make at home: French fries.

To go with that, a giant salad out of whatever I’ve got from the market — lettuces, radishes, avocado, who knows. Julia Moskin has a guide to making salad that’s really great if you want to build something spontaneous out of what’s already in the produce drawer and pantry, without going shopping.

There are thousands and thousands more recipes to try on NYT Cooking, and if you subscribe, you can get to all of them. Also, if you subscribe, it’ll help to support our work. The Cooking team is here to help if you run into any trouble in the kitchen, or on the website. You can write to us at cookingcare@nytimes.com, and we’ll get back to you.

I loved this piece by Ruby Tandoh in The New Yorker, about what happens to cheeses when they die :( and other delicious, existential wranglings.

And I’ve been listening to Karina Longworth’s incredible reporting on the life and career of Polly Platt, which I highly recommend.

Over on Vox, Terry Nguyen explains how those PowerPoint-style activism slide shows became so popular on Instagram.

See you Wednesday!