Oh Crap!

A real blog has linked to my blog. I should really have something worthwhile to read...

When I started this blog, I promised myself I wouldn't write about food. I made this promise for one simple reason, I didn't really expect anyone outside of my family to read it, and if they wanted to read, they could read a food blog written by a real journalist (and the best new food writer). Oh well, it didn't take long for me to break that promise.

For a St. Patrick's Day potluck at work, I made candy potatoes. The recipe sounds easy enough, but that is what candy recipes do, they lull you into a false sense of security with their minimal ingredients, and their short, simple sounds instructions.

Anyone who has tried to make candy realizes that the only reason that the instructions sounds easy is because it either works with a fantastic outcome, or you fail and end up with a pound of burnt sugar cemented into the bottom of your pan. I am about 50/50 on the different outcomes, mainly because I don't try the more difficult candies very often (caramel and toffee, compared to the more difficult fudge).

I tried a test batch on Saturday, it turned out like I thought it would, a mess. It seemed to grain up much too fast resulting in half of the mixture turning to a sugary/sandy concoction, and the other half cemented to the bottom of the pot (not burnt, but cemented none the less).

Tonight I tried my second batch (early enough to initiate plan B,) but it actually turned out. The candy seems to taste alright and there is minimal burnt sugar chunks in it.

I would like to say/warn that the step "Beat syrup until creamy." is the biggest misstatement you can have in a in a recipe. The concoction is neither a syrup nor beatable. It resembles a quickly setting glue or (I have already said it too many times) cement. And while I might not have a problem acting out this instruction if I were Lincoln Hawk in "Over the Top" or if my job comprised of more arm curls and less sitting at a computer. Neither one of these is true so it turned out to be the biggest test of strength since the rope climb in elementary gym class.

Luckily with a few minutes of stirring the candy began to set and I began forming potatoes wildly. Once you roll the things in Cinnamon they actually look like something that resembles a potato. We'll see if I can convince my co-workers they aren't animal turds tomorrow.