Ivan the Terrible’s Scalloped Potatoes

I would like to introduce my readers to Fenris Badwulf, a sweet and savory friend of mine who has been cultivating his culinary skills for the past while. With a little help and inspiration from Lisa's Kitchen, Mr. Badwulf has become an accomplished cook and so I invited him to write a guest post for the blog.

This is a recipe for scalloped potatoes favoured by Ivan the Terrible, Czar of all the Russias. As you will quickly discover, this potato dish, spiced with paprika and a favourite of the fierce horse barbarians of the steppes, is not technically a scalloped dish. Scallopes are baked; this is a sauté.

Ivan the Terrible's Scalloped Potatoes

2 teaspoons oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 small potatoes
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cup of cooked chickpeas
1 / 4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 / 2 cup grated cheddar

Method:

Slice the potatoes thinly. When the oil in the pan is hot enough, heated over medium heat, add them in. Now potatoes are treacherous and will stick to the pot, so stir them with a wooden spoon. After a short while, when the potatoes have a ‘French fry’ aroma but are not completely cooked, add the thinly sliced onions and jalapeno, along with the butter. Turn down the heat and cover, stirring on occasion.

When the onions are softened and translucent, add the tomatoes, which should be cut into smallish cubes, along with the chickpeas, turmeric, chili powder and paprika and sea salt. Let sit and simmer on low heat for a bit. Just before serving, cover with grated cheddar, but do not blend the cheese into the mixture. Just let it melt into puddles.

Serve.

The foodie who introduced Ivan the Terrible to this dish, the Scottish rogue Robert the Scot, neglected to tell Ivan the Terrible the difference between sauté and scallope.

Subsequently, it was a secret, a dark secret kept at his court, especially in the kitchens of Ivan the Terrible. He never knew that the name of this dish, Ivan the Terrible’s Scalloped Potatoes, is not quite right. For that matter, potatoes, and tomatoes were unknown at that time in Europe. One can only suspect the courtier who wrote this recipe down …. the eponymous Robert the Scot, who flourished in the late 19th century.