I haven’t eaten a baked potato in a really long time. It’s not a comfort food I crave when it gets cold. It was however something really easy to make and I needed to use up some veggies and toppings before they went off. I also baked the bacon in the oven, and it tastes so much better - crispy, flat, and the fat drips below, so it’s not cooking in it. The salad is all from the farmer’s market, and was a nice warm compliment to the potato, rather than a cold salad. Here’s how it happened:

Serves 4 (or 2, then 2 for lunch the next day)

4 Large Russet Potatoes

4 strips of bacon

1 shallot, minced

1/2 lb green beans

1 bunch of spinach

1/4 lb of Shitake mushrooms

salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375. Wash potatoes, and puncture with a fork so they don’t explode. Rub with salt and olive oil. Place on a foiled cookie sheet in the oven for 1 - 2 hours. They’re done when you can stick your fork easily through the skin.

2. Place bacon on a roasting pan, with slats, and bake in the oven with the potatoes for about 20 minutes.

3. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat add couple tablespoons of olive oil and add the shallots. Let them cook for about 2 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for another couple minutes. Add mushrooms, cook for a minute, and then add spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Salt and Pepper to taste.

4. Slice open potatoes and fill with your favorite stuff - I used creme fraiche, bacon, raw onions, and chives. Johnathan had cheddar cheese on his rather than the creme fraiche. Use whatever you have on hand!

I wasn’t sure what to call these little roll ups. I always appreciate when a cook has a sense of humor and titles something like Big Bob’s Horseshoe Rings, and I thought about calling this one Michele’s (my mom) Injury Special or something like that. But I decided to make this one descriptive, and this was such a yummy meal. I had bought the shaved ribeye from Super H here in Atlanta. I had never seen a cut like this before, and I might have a hard time recreating this up North. I had brought down some NY State eggplants and green beans and needed to use them. So I kind of brought things I like together, especially a balsamic fig reduction drizzled over everything. Rather than describing the whole thing for lines and lines, here’s the recipe:

Serves 4

3/4 lb shaved/sliced beef ribeye

2 small eggplants

1lb green beans

2 dried figs, diced

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar - use a good one, it makes a big difference

1 teaspoon sugar

salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Slice eggplants standing up, so you get thin steaks. Place the eggplant on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until soft and flexible.

2. In a small saucepan, add balsamic vinegar, figs and sugar. Let the pan come to a low boil and let the sauce reduce by about half, stirring frequently. The sugar will make it syrupy and a tad sweet.

3. Heat a stove top grill. Assemble the ribeye rolls by placing one or two slices of eggplant on each slice of meat. Roll up the meat, and continue to assemble roll ups until you’ve run out! Lightly salt each roll up and place on the grill. Let them sear and when they no longer stick to the pan, they’re ready to turn over - about 2 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, steam or boil green beans - however you like. Serve 2-3 rolls/person with a heaping side of green beans and drizzle with balsamic fig sauce.