I’ve been in Amsterdam this past week, had a face to face with Rembrandt’s magnificent “Nightwatch” and marvelled in Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”. My feet held up their side of the bargain; marching over canals, lingering beside antique stores, storming past innumerbable fast food chains, shuffling past hordes of people, trotting hastily over tram lines, scampering out of the way of rattling bicycles, stopping at a bench for a quick sketch and plodding often into a coffee shop for some welcome repose.

…Montlouis version of “patat met mayonnaise”…

Back here in Montlouis sur Loire, our September days are beautiful …blue skies, warm autumn sun and playful shadows…which allow for some playful eating. Like some “patat met“…mayonnaise. Served at the snack bars all over Amsterdam. The most popular sauce is mayonnaise, but you can also have your fries as patatje oorlog, literally  meaning “war fries”, which comes with mayonnaise, ketchup, peanut sauce and onions. I chose to stick to mayonnaise…

For a little fun snacking here at home, I made these “patat met”…, and tried to make them a little healthier by baking them in the oven, serving with a little salad on the side and with some good mayonnaise.

“Patat met” mayonnaise.

1. Het the oven to 210 degrees C.
2. Peel some big potatoes and dry thoroughly…11/2 -2 potatoes per person is plenty!
3. Cut the potatoes into fingers/chips, keeping them close to the same size.
4. Dry the chips thoroughly and spread in a single layer onto a baking sheet, covered with baking paper.
5. Drizzle with melted coconut oil, or olive oil and gently turn the chips with your fingers to give them all a coating of oil. Sprinkle with some fresh thyme and bake the chips for 15 minutes, turning over when nicely carmelized. Test one and bake for a further 10 minutes if still hard on the bite.
6. For a nice colour, caramelize the chips for a few seconds under the grill.
7. Serve immediately in a cone made from brown paper, or plain white paper, lining the inside with baking paper.
8. Finish off with a sprinkling of fleur de sel, a turn of the pepper mill, a dollop of maynnaise, thyme and a pinch of paprika for colour.
9. Serve with an ice cold beer, or enjoy a cold coke..tomorrow we’ll go back to water!
10. Variation: I prefer enjoying a little green salad, drizzled with a white balsamic vinegar, alongside for some freshness…

*click on each image for a larger view.

…catch up on the latest…

 …toppling over…

…pedal with flair…

…‘tulips” from Amsterdam…

…well deserved rest…

…sneezing at the flowermarket…

…up and down canals…

…going home…