Grab your fork...

A gardener's soul has many little moments of joy and fulfillment. Here's one of my favorites. Creamed Peas and New Potatoes. When you first poke those little peas into barely warm soil, and slip the seed potatoes under their staw covers, you probably have visions of this "comfort food" lurking in the back of your mind. At least I do.
As I picked the peas a few evenings ago, I realized time was almost past to enjoy another pot of pleasure. This delicacy requires meticulous timing of peas and new pototoes; once the peas are done for the season, the potatoes are just about past the "new" stage. I know, you can use frozen peas. And possibly find some little red potatoes at the market. But it's just not the same...

A shallow probe around several Yukon Gold potato plants yielded some nice thin-skinned spuds to go with the final picking of the Green Arrows.

The house trolls can always be recruited or otherwise bribed to help - especially when it's close to dinner time, they are hungry, and they can make a game of the work (a Reese's P-B cup to the most peas podded...) Thanks, fellas.
A twist on the cream sauce - Lee had just made a batch of ricotta, so we used the whey instead of whole milk. More on that project next post. Basic white sauce: knob of butter, some flour, milk (or whatever) - stir together over medium high until it thickens and bubbles.
Boil the spuds until just barely done, steam the peas for about ninety seconds, then combine the veggies in the cream sauce...
stir in a couple shakes of sea salt and a grind of pepper...
and grab your fork! My oh my. I could founder on this stuff.

The only thing that could improve this dish is some fresh herbs. Some chopped dill, or a bit of basil chiffonade...now THAT is gourmet! And when it's just for me, I indulge.

Unfortunately, some of the house trolls aren't quite convinced that gourmet is necessary. They are still struggling with the concept that peas are edible...