I am Marco Boerner. . .

Read in one of my previous post how everything started… Click myself under the title or *HERE* to get there…

Now, here how I did it (myself!!! ; )

First of all, the magic potatoes. I was lucky the paper bag with the potatoes said how to do it. So it said 40 to 50 minutes and the best is when I don’t peel before, to keep the full aroma. OK, that’s what I did.

A big pot, inside the potatoes, then water covering all around, a lid and that was it. I went back to my ‘new’ used computer. Thanks to Winnie from work, she has her pleasure with her new Macbook Pro and I recycle her old hardware. What a difference, compared to my ‘click and wait forever’ computer before, now I can at least call it ‘click and see a bit more (and some bytes)’.

I thought it should be fine when I start with the sauce and the steak around five minutes before the potatoes are done. I started with the steak first. Unfortunately I had no oil, butter or something like that. So I had to borrow from Clementine. Bye the way I completely forgot to tell her this today. Sorry Clem, I took some of your oil today!

Also the steak had a short instruction written on the outside (of the box, not written on the steak). 2 to 4 minutes both sides. OK, sounds easy and I saw it already. But somehow it looked different as I did it. I expected a bit more of an color change from the side facing down but nothing really happened. But this was not my problem for the moment. The sauce wanted to be prepared too.

So I took a little pot, instant sauce mix together with water inside (all written on the packaging) and now I had to stir it until it starts boiling. That took a while and while I was stirring I had to check the steak as well. It looked still not like I remembered it. I also started to worry about the potatoes since I lost my sense of time. So I was moving in circles… Stirring the sauce, checking the unchanged steak and making a decisions about the potatoes.

How can I actually know that they are done? Is there a trick?? Anyway, somehow I decided to cut into the steak to see how it looks from the inside, a practice I learned on the boat. It was like cutting rubber (or the Sunday dinner at the Toronto youth hostel…) I had no idea what was going on with my steak, I just turned it. The sauce was still not boiling, so I had to keep stirring.

There was another guy who lives right now in the room between Clem and me, he prepared microwave food called ‘Hungry Man’. Even if I lost control, I felt pity for him. Poor young guy, can’t even cook… Look at me, I PREPARE A DINNER! ..and try to look as professional as possible. What changed at least since I started pealed the hot potatoes. But before that I made the decisions that the potatoes are done.

I turned this thing of, one thing less to worry about. The sauce started cooking slowly, it was time! Just the steak looked strange, it started bleeding or something like that. Some kind of disgusting looking red brown stuff came out of it. I remember as I bought cheap hamburger meat it looked the same. But I didn’t care. I think it’s normal or at least something I can’t prevent. Every steak should have its right to be individual, so was mine, bleeding and bubbling in the pan.

After the sauce boiled for about two minutes I turned it off. The same with my character steak. I think I was a few minutes over the time… But anyway it still looked OK. But now I realized that my potatoes are still in an unpeeled condition. Damn! How to do this? OK, I found something like a peeler and started peeling the potatoes. That was really hard! How can I peel the potatoes without holding them in my hand? I couldn’t, so I burned my hands all the time. Finally I peeled them under cold water. That was the moment as I lost all my professionalism. I’m pretty sure it looked like a kid in the age of five doing his first potatoes or whatever. But it was funny.

I had to be quick because I didn’t want to eat cold steak and so. Finally I peeled all five potatoes, put three and the steak on my plate, half of the sauce over it and that was it! Yippee! It was a hard thing.

Now the test – taste. The first two bits were bad, I have to say admit, I was thinking again about the youth hostel’s Sunday dinner. I think actually that was the first time as I thought about the Sunday dinner… But this was just a thin part of the steak, the rest of the steak had a bit more flesh and was much more tasty! That means somehow first success! The hand burning potatoes were OK, a bit to strong potatoes taste. Maybe it was still too short time in the pot or maybe it’s better if I take the skin off before I cook them or I just don’t like this kind of potato.

But overall it wasn’t to bad and for my first steak, I think also for my first potatoes I ever made – IT WAS GREAT! Should I feel like a growing man now? I mean is preparing the food a ‘being a strong male’ thing? Anyway, somehow I can be proud. Of course next time many things will be different. For example, first of all I start with potatoes and make them ready before I even start with the steak, or I just peel them before. After that I make the sauce, I can still keep the finished sauce warm in the pot. After all is set, then I start with the steak that will get my full attention. I think this should lead me to a much better result! But still, yes I made it!!! So that was all for today about my cook experience I hope we read again as soon as I ask again: WTC? WHAT-TO-COOK??

Enjoy your self.

Marco

PS: It’s incredible but I cleaned up as well! Who has thought this?

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