Potato and Genoa Salami Salad

November 9, 2010 • Beef, Recipes

I actually just got a tip from Cooks Illustrated today for cleaning the box grater after having grated cheese. It recommended grating a leftover piece of stale bread through it (same to clean a meat grinder). The bread will push out the cheese. It is then much easier to wash. So they say anyway, I haven’t had the chance to test this theory yet. It seems you’d be creating a useless mess to clean up an impossible one.

My sentiment is to throw out the little bugger altogether and opt for a more speedy choice in kitchen prep time–my food processor. But as with most tools there are the tasks that do not need the overkill the big boy tools are designed for. And for that I discovered a potato peeler works perfectly for a quick douse of parmesan cheese or any other hard cheese for that matter. I think I’ve been cooking now for, oh–well how long doesn’t matter, I’m old so let’s say it’s been a long time and I’ve just recently figured this out. So in the interest of saving you time and effort and given the upcoming holidays that will no doubt summon you to the kitchen, here’s to you–a tip worth considering. It works well with grating chocolate, hard butter, and anything worthy of grating. Plus, it gives your dish these very simple rustic strips of cheesy goodness which doubles as a visual garnish as well. As a matter of fact, I’m thinking if I start at the top of a block of parmesan cheese I might be able to make the strips appear as though they were fettucini, smother them with some hearty tomato sauce and skip the carbs for a fat fest fake cheesy noodle entree. Alright, maybe not. I do need to think of my heart but I’m up for anything easier and simple–hence the whole 10-minute meals. If you look closely at the picture of this simple potato dish, you can see a few strips of the parmesan cheese. Of course, I think parmesan can top any dish but in this meal, it’s a perfect contrast to it’s bland counter part–the puny potato that’s robust in carby content but oh so weak in flavor. For this reason, I paired it with a few friends that transforms it’s failure and lures it into a category that screams winner. This is a great side dish but certainly can stand alone if you want to keep it light.