Bella Notte

Oh this is the night
It's a beautiful night
And we call it bella notte
Look at the skies
They have stars in their eyes
On this lovely bella notte
Side by side with your loved one
You will find enchantment here
The night will weave it's magic spell
When the one you love is near
Oh, this is the night
And the heavens all rise
On this lovely bella notte...

This song will always remind me of two things. The first is Lady and the Tramp, which then makes me think about spaghetti and meatballs.

But that's not what I am cooking up tonight. What I am cooking up tonight is what the second thing this song reminds me of - accordions.

Yes, accordions are a little weird to be cooking up... But I'm not literally cooking accordions. I'm just making a side dish that resembles the instrument!

Accordion Potatoes

4 medium potatoes, washed
4 cloves of garlic, very thinly sliced into chips
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch of salt and pepper
Plain yogurt or sour cream, butter, fresh herbs, and whatever else you'd like to garnish with

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Slice your potatoes into accordions. Starting from one end of each potato, slice 1/4 inch slices almost to the bottom of the potato until you reach the other end of the veggie. Just be careful not to cut all the way through or you'll end up with pieces of accordions instead of one full sized accordion potato.

This is the only tricky part of this side dish if your knife skills aren't perfect, but not to worry because I have a trick of my own.

Lay a pair of chop sticks butted up against the potato as you cut it, one on either side of each of the long ends. This way your knife will stop at the chop sticks and prevent you from cutting through the veggie.

Just be sure to use the wooden giveaways at takeout restaurants, then no one will be disappointed if their souvenirs from Japan get broken.

3. Squeeze a garlic chip into some of the crevices you've created. Use as much or as little garlic as you prefer.

4. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until the middle of the potato and the garlic are soft and the sliced top of the potato begins to brown and crisp.

5. Top with butter, sour cream or plain yogurt, and fresh herbs. Enjoy!

Now eat and maybe enjoy a little bit of music while you do so on this bella notte....

Luke and I met this man playing for us in the streets of Old Quebec. It was lovely to listen to him play. 

And these accordion potatoes are just as good as his music!