Grilled Mussel and Potato Salad (Page 157)

RECIPE #1211

• Date: Saturday, September 4, 2010 -- 6pm
• Location: East Lansing, MI
• Kitchen: Our House
• Fellow Chef: Matty
• Recipe Rating: B-
  

Last Saturday I made a trip to Ann Arbor to get some groceries. Part of the point of my trip was to pick up some seafood. I returned with mussels and clams, and I used the mussels to make this recipe. I started by boiling some red potatoes then slicing them, brushing them with oil, and seasoning them with salt and pepper. My special gentleman then grilled the potato slices and tossed them with lemon juice. I put the mussels in an aluminum pan and my special gentleman cooked them on the grill until they opened wide. I shucked the mussels and added them to the potatoes along with thinly sliced fennel, chopped parsley, chopped black olives, capers, and more lemon juice. I let the salad sit for 10 minutes then added some more oil and salt and pepper to taste. My special gentleman and I both had the same opinion about this one: it would have been better with just the potatoes. The grilled potatoes were indeed very tasty, and the lemony, briny dressing was very tasty on them. But the large quantity of fennel and parsley detracted from the deliciousness of the potatoes. And the mussels just seemed out of place -- as though someone had written a recipe for a nice salad and then thought, "Maybe it needs a protein," so he or she threw in some mussels. We weren't crazy about this one. Indeed we ate the potatoes and threw out most of the rest.

The recipe is here.

Only 82 recipes left to go!

What a fun weekend! On Friday night my special gentleman and I hosted a crawfish boil at our house. I had to make the crawfish recipe from The Book, and there is no place to buy live crawfish around here. So, I had them shipped here overnight. The minimum quantity I could purchase was 20 pounds! So we threw a party! We had 13 people crowded around the table on our porch and it was just wonderful. I'll post details and pictures when I get around to posting about that recipe. It was definitely a memorable book dinner!

Yesterday we just had a fantastically lazy day. We slept in. After my morning run we drove out to the middle of nowhere to visit two butcher shops in nearby towns. We found a couple things I still needed for my project, so it was a successful journey! In the afternoon I ran errands, paid the bills, cleaned, played with the kittens... It was great to have a mellow day to get things done in a leisurely manner!

Today we went to church in the morning, which was really wonderful. We are loving the church we have been going to and the people there are tremendously friendly. After lunch I went in to work for the afternoon. Sunday afternoon is a nice time to be in the office -- it's very peaceful and easy to be productive. In the evening we went back to the church because they were hosting a pig roast. A Pig Roast! Yum! We ate some awesome food and met a bunch more people -- very fun. After dinner I went for my run, and now I am just doing a bit more work -- trying to get myself ready for the week ahead!

Yesterday, over a leisurely lunch with my special gentleman it struck me: I really like it here. We are getting to know more and more people, and I feel optimistic that soon we will have some close friends in East Lansing. Plus, I am loving my new job, and my husband, and our house, and the kitties, and our day to day lives. I am feeling very blessed. It's lovely.