US - Seders and Taters (April 2024)

Some of this newsletter stuff is fascinating - there's a callback to my original comic work of 2017-2020, and yet another big long digression into Catholic lore!

Note that Hadrian's name was originally spelled Adrian - that, and changing the last name to my chosen one from the one we shared with his dad, was the name change/identity shift he makes reference to in a later comic. I've left it in the original text even though it may seem confusing!

Newsletter excerpts: This week’s focus is: TATERS! (Josh admonishes me, “Potatoes”, in his most formal English voice.) Crusader Taters [Some personal information redacted here] I used to make comics about our family, but I stopped not long after we moved here, I suppose because I have more things to do now.). If you have fancier or homemade cheeses, do feel free to experiment! Quantities will vary, depending on the size of your casserole dish. Start by cutting potatoes in quarters (if large), half (if small), or just piercing to release steam (if baby). Roast until fully cooked and spotty brown. Then, arrange in casserole dish and smash (gently! but firmly) with a potato masher. Do not overmash - we are NOT looking for smooth mashed potatoes here but rather a fairly even, craggy layer, with skins mixed in. Sprinkle grated or diced cheese (base recipe is half cheddar and half mozzarella) to cover, and mix in slightly. Drizzle with melted butter (or margarine, or you could vary with olive oil, etc - this would probably be killer with bacon bits mixed in and bacon grease drizzle instead of butter!). Top up with milk to potato level and bake at 400 (my standard oven setting is 400 and I have an electric convection oven) for half an hour or so. Feel free to experiment with seasoning and accessorizing options, or different cheeses - I’ve made this with manchego and goat cheeses, onions/chives/garlic, various herbs and spices… What does cheesy baked potato casserole have to do with the Crusades??? Read on… This casserole originated in an impromptu bulk potato purchase the evening of the Youth Talent Show. Adrian dressed up in Templar regalia and danced to the “Knights of the Round Table” song from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (video available upon request). On our way home we stopped at Meijer to pick up some cat food, and saw 3 pound sacks of potatoes on 7 for $7 sale, so clearly the only reasonable thing to do was load up our cart with 21 pounds of potatoes. The problem with buying 21 pounds of anything perishable, of course, is that you then have to figure out how to use it up. Not wanting to go to the fiddly effort of making individual twice-baked potatoes, I wondered if I might adapt the recipe into a casserole. Then I did. ~ Through FamilySearch, we have located at least one ancestor associated with the Knights Templar! Most monastic orders had a “third order” or lay association for people who wanted to be involved in the work of the order, and have its associated spiritual blessings, but either didn’t want to fully commit to monastic lifestyle, or had responsibilities to carry on a noble or royal line. Some still do - when I was Catholic, I attended a parish associated with the Dominican Friars, and many members were also members of the Third Order Dominicans, which basically meant they wore a special medal and said extra prayers daily and occasionally had a field trip to the motherhouse of the Order in Washington, DC to say even more prayers and obtain a plenary indulgence (which is a total remission of all sins, even serious ones). We attended one of these even though I did not end up formally joining the group. Adrian, aged 4 at the time, greatly enjoyed the bus ride and getting to see all the pretty artwork of Mary. He also loved praying the Litany of Dominican Saints at the motherhouse, because he could read it all by himself, at his own pulpit, and it includes a Saint Adrian! When we got to that part, he shouted “Saint ADRIAN!” with glee, and the chapel erupted with laughter. The Abbot reassured us that we would still be getting our indulgence, even though the litany had been interrupted briefly.). William de Ferrers, Third Earl of Derby (1136-1189), was a Templar who fought and died at the Siege of Acre in the Holy Land and is buried in Jerusalem. He is also my direct ancestor, and thus a direct ancestor of my sons, too. We were watching a documentary about the Templars a while ago (there are tons of them out there), and it was showing tunnels they made under Jerusalem that you can still go in, and one of them was an escape tunnel from their main castle that had a chamber in it which branched off in eight different directions. Seven of them were dead ends, and one led back above ground. The reason this is interesting (besides just that it’s history and I always find history interesting!), is that Adrian loves to play Super Mario Maker on his Nintendo Switch, and one of the first levels he ever made - years before we saw this documentary! - was called, appropriately, “75 Percent Chance You Will Die”. It consisted of a floor with four doors on it, next to a lake of fire. The only choice is to take one of the doors. If you choose the right one, Mario will be immediately taken to the exit and win. If you choose wrongly, Mario will be dumped into a lake of fire and die instantly. He later made a revised version called “87.5 Percent Chance You Will Die”, with eight doors and still only one correct choice. This was still years before we saw the documentary. I think we might know which of the Templar Knights came up with the idea for the 87.5 Percent Chance You Will Die Underneath Jerusalem tunnel! We salute you, Sir William! ~

By request of a friend (and fellow hisser) who attended the first, “practice Seder”, here is the recipe for Judean Roast Chicken and….Taters! You can use a regular roasting pan if you have one, but I tend to prefer the disposable foil ones for ease of cleanup. This recipe couldn’t be simpler. Wash taters and slice into thick slices, lining the bottom of the roasting pan with them. The potato ends can be used to make Crusader Taters, or Josh’s Potatoes, or for whatever purpose you choose. If you have nothing else to do with them or you are in a hurry you can just tuck them in among the tater slices after you’ve placed the chicken. To prep the chicken, remove any giblets and pat the chicken (inside and out) dry with paper towels. Do not skip this step since it serves two purposes – to make it easier to handle, and also to ensure crispy skin when roasting. Then use poultry shears to remove the chicken’s backbone. Also snip through the breastbone with the poultry shears and flatten the breast with your hands. (The chicken mutilation process I have just described is known as “spatchcocking” and is also a great technique for grilling chicken!) Make a spice rub with salt, olive oil, powdered garlic, and whatever herbs and spices you choose (I chose a blend called “The Green Spice”, from the Judean Spice Company of Israel, hence the recipe name). Loosen the skin of the chicken, and place the spice rub underneath, massaging evenly over the flesh of the chicken. Arrange the skin neatly and place the chicken, flattened, skin side up, on top of the taters. Place in fridge uncovered overnight for crispiest skin or you can bake right away. When ready, drizzle with olive oil and roast for one hour at 400°. The taters will cook in the dripping from the chicken and become soft and delicious! Bonus Recipe: Josh’s Potatoes Josh does not approve of all this newfangled canonical nonsense about “taters”. He shall be having his potatoes the traditional way. A recipe so simple - even Adrian, who does not like to cook, can and will make it for him on demand. Drizzle a sheet pan with olive oil. (Select pan size according to amount of potatoes desired - Josh has a little single serving one just for this! But this scales up so super easily and you can even use a disposable foil pan for grilling or open fire cooking.) Wash and slice potatoes into wedges, then arrange wedges on pan, leaving some space in between for better crispiness. Drizzle with more olive oil and season to taste (Josh prefers plain salt, but sometimes switches it up by adding garlic or pepper). Bake at 400° for 40 minutes. That’s it!!