Heading Down East

Mother’s day weekend seems to be a good time to write about food memories from Maine. I consider my mother the quintessential Mainer, and, whenever possible, I get “home” in August for my favorite Maine food – fresh, wild blueberries.

If you are not familiar with Maine wild blueberries, they are smaller and more flavorful than what you can buy in stores. It’s also serious work to pick them because the bushes are really low to the ground and the berries are really small. My mother does all of that hard work so that I can sit and eat massive bowls of just plain blueberries throughout my visit. She also usually makes me a killer blueberry pie. Just look at how wonderfully dark that filling is. The flavor is incredible.

There really is very little to compare to summer Down East.

Being Down East is wonderful in its own right, but then it gets even better by going “down to camp.” The camp belongs to my cousins, and it’s the perfect place to relax with an IPA and Maine’s (in)famous red hot dogs. If you know me from somewhere other than Maine, or if you do not know me at all but have read any of my other posts, you’re probably thinking “hot dogs?” Yes, hot dogs, in fact, the only hot dog that I consider worth eating. A trip to Maine isn’t complete without red snappers. The skin is stop sign red and snaps when you bite into it. Red snappers should be grilled until they char and split. More about the proper way to eat red snappers (note – the bun should open at the top) is here. https://newengland.com/today/travel/maine/maine-red-snapper-hot-dogs/

Another Maine crop is, of course, potatoes. If you look at a map of Maine, a huge chunk of Northern Maine is Aroostook County, and a lot of Aroostook County is potato fields. https://visitaroostook.com/blog/think-you-know-maine-potatoes/26fdcdf8-a2ad-427a-b5bf-d214ffddea2f With all the things that I have cooked for my family over the years, the one food that has to appear at least once every time we’re together is my breakfast potatoes. These are super simple, but the family claims that no one makes them like I do (probably because no one else wants to get up and prep them, but I can live with that). There are two “secrets” to these potatoes. First, cut the potatoes really small, not in cubes, and not shredded, but in very thin, small pieces. Second, Lawry’s seasoned salt – and it has to be Lawry’s. Six of us can go through five pounds of these potatoes at breakfast.

Auntastasia’s Breakfast Potatoes

Course: Breakfast

Ingredients

• Russet potatoes, cut in small pieces, see picture and discussion above

• Unsalted butter – you definitely want unsalted

• Lawry’s seasoned salt

Directions

• Melt a generous amount of butter over medium-high heat on non-stick griddle or in non-stick skillet – whichever size is appropriate for the number potatoes you are cooking. Spread potatoes evenly over surface. Sprinkle generously with the Lawry’s.
• Cook until the bottom surface begins to brown nicely. Flip potatoes and brown the other side. Taste for saltiness, and add more Lawry’s to desired level of saltiness/seasoning.
• Cook until nicely browned, crispy on the outside, and soft through. You might need to flip a couple more times. You also might want to add more butter as you cook.