Warm Potato & Chorizo Salad 3.11 I Solemnly Swear

“Sookie, I’m home. I got the-” “Surprise!” “What is this?” “I made you dinner.” “It smells terrific.” “Lamb chops with Sicilian olives, rosemary and garlic, and a warm potato and chorizo salad.” “I love lamb chops with Sicilian olives, rosemary and garlic, and a warm potato and chorizo salad.” “I know.”

Ingredients:

• ½ lb fingerling potatoes, quartered

• 8 oz ground chorizo

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

• 4 slices sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

• ½ bunch asparagus, woody stems removed and cut into thirds.

• ½ red onion, thickly sliced

• 4 oz arugula

• ¼ cup pecans, chopped

For the salad dressing:

• 1 tbsp whole grain mustard

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• ½ tbsp maple syrup

• ½ tsp lemon juice

• ¼ tsp salt

• ¼tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Place the potatoes in the water and cook for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Drain from water and set aside. Cover with foil to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook until brown, about 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. To another large skillet, add the olive oil and place over medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and bread. Toss the bread to coat in the oil and garlic. Allow to toast for about 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Once the chorizo is cooked, drain and remove from heat. Place the skillet back over medium heat. Add the asparagus and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until slightly tender.

5. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté for about 2 minutes or until softened.

6. Place the arugula in a large serving bowl. Add the potatoes, chorizo, asparagus, onions, croutons, and pecans.

7. In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and stir to incorporate.

8. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

Chorizo is packed with so much flavor!

Sookie makes Jackson a full meal in this episode, but I decided on just making the salad for a couple of reasons. I didn’t want to make lamb because I’ve never really been able to bring myself to eat lamb. This may sound hypocritical because I’ll eat other meat, but there’s just something about knowing it’s a baby that I just can’t do. The lamb chops are also made with olives, which I have also never liked. I almost made the fried marshmallow pie, but I already make a lot of desserts for this project, so I wanted to mix things up a little and make a salad. You won’t see too many salads on a Gilmore Girls food blog, but here is one! You can use any salad dressing that you prefer, but I just used a simple one that I like to whip up really quickly.

I love the bright colors of these veggies.

So we’re sort of in a small stretch of episodes where not a lot really happens- or at least, not anything that interesting happens. Although the thing that I always remember most vividly from this episode is the confrontation between Rory and Francie in the parking garage. And it’s mainly the weird alarm that goes off at the end of the scene. I often listen to Gilmore Girls to help me fall asleep. I can’t actually fall asleep with it on because I’m a super light sleeper, but it helps calm down my racing mind. I eventually learned that I can’t listen to this episode while I’m trying to fall asleep though because that alarm would always startle me because I would be near sleep whenever it would go off.

This Francie plot is not one that I particularly care for. Other than to cause Paris and Rory to fight, I don’t see its purpose, and I think the girls could have had a fight between them that would have been more organic and believable. It's also weird that this is Francie’s last appearance on the show. Her character doesn’t really get any closure except for a quick appearance in A Year in the Life. It does always break my heart though when Paris tells Rory how hurt she was that Rory told Francie about Jamie and that she had considered Rory to be her best friend.

Making your own croutons is really easy, and they taste so good!

We are introduced to a new character in this episode, Alex! Now I think Alex is a pretty controversial character- fans either seem to like Alex or think he’s pretty boring. Personally, I like Alex. I think that he and Lorelai have good chemistry and other than the fishing in the next episode, I think they go on some pretty cute dates. I like their bit with Sal in this episode and how Alex is able to go along with her antics immediately upon meeting Lorelai. I wish we could have seen more of their relationship especially when we see so much of Lorelai’s relationship with Jason next season. And I really don’t like the character of Jason but more on that later. It is weird that the character of Alex also seems to disappear from the show and not get any closure.

I make this dressing for just about every salad I make. It's so good and simple.

Emily faces a lawsuit from one of her former maids in this episode. She claims that because she pays her maids so much, she can basically demand whatever she wants from them. Sorry, but that’s not how employment works, and I think Emily is definitely in the wrong here. She always fires her maids over the most trivial things, which I know is supposed to be a running gag on this show, but firing her maid for walking too loudly crosses a line. As someone who has had very loud upstairs neighbors, I get how that can be really annoying, but it's not a fireable offense. I wish the plot of the lawsuit would have lasted longer than the length of this episode, or at the very least, would have taught Emily a lesson.

Up your salad game, listen to Sookie!

Sookie is reunited with her friend Joe from the Deerhill lodge, and we find out that he’s been pining after her all this time. Sookie thinks she cheated on Jackson because she agreed to hang out with Joe without realizing he loved her. I love Sookie, but sometimes I feel like she acts like a teenager, especially when it comes to her relationship with Jackson. This is a plot that would happen between teenagers in their first relationship. But maybe I’m just being critical.

Happy Cooking from the Hollow!

I know Jackson will love this salad!

If you missed what I made last episode, catch up here!