Gratin where the whole potato becomes the bowl

I have always thought of potatoes as mere supporting actors. They go into curry. They go into stew.

The star of nikujaga is, well, the potato, but even so, I had a strong impression of them as “a vegetable that is always with someone else.” However, today, that

potato unexpectedly became a “bowl.” The whole thing started with boiling the
potato whole.

Watching the four potatoes bobbing around in the pot, they started to look like old men soaking in a hot spring, and I stared at them blankly for a while. Even though just watching doesn't make the cooking go any faster, for some reason I couldn't look away. This must be a kind of site supervisor feeling.

Line up the boiled potatoes on a baking sheet and press down firmly with a small glass. The skin will crack open, and the white flesh inside will puff up.

This made quite a nice sound; rather than a firm press, it felt more like a “fugo” sound. The point is to crush them with the skin on, and I found myself reflecting a bit on my life up until now, where I had been dutifully peeling them.

If you don't have to peel them, it's obviously better not to. I have lived for many years without realizing such things.

In the four “potato bowls” I made, I first pour in the white sauce. It was a white sauce with bacon and shimeji mushrooms, and watching it simmer white and bubbly in the pot, I felt like I could be satisfied with just that. But I shouldn't be satisfied here. The star of today still has more to come.

White sauce on top, then a little tomato sauce. Then plenty of cheese. I also saw some corn, so someone must have been thoughtful enough to add it (it was me).

As for the colors, red, white, and yellow were all mixed up, and it started to look like a national flag. I don't know which country's flag, though.

20 minutes in a 230-degree oven. It is a strange phenomenon that the cheese, when baked to a crisp and browned in places, actually looks more delicious. It is strange to say that something burnt looks delicious, but

gratin is a dish that is allowed that contradiction.

When I lifted the finished product with a fork, the potato flesh and the cheese stretched out as if they were reluctant to part.

I felt it was quite noble, the way the potato, which was supposed to be the bowl, was generously offering up its contents.

Even though it is a bowl, you can eat the bowl itself in the end. That is quite a resolve.

Thank you for reading until the end 😊

🍽️ Today's menu memo
• Potato (boiled whole and used as a bowl)
• White sauce (with bacon and shimeji mushrooms)
• Tomato sauce
• Cheese
• Corn
• Bake in a 230°C oven for 20 minutes

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