April 2020
By David Buckman
I’m responding to Capt. Mike Martel, who ran on about his famous chowder and clam-cake recipes in the Midwinter issue. I mean, it’s bloody boiled fish. Aboard the sloop Leight, we aspire to greater culinary heights, amply demonstrated by this photo of my home-fries, steak, pickled beets and red-wine dinner.
The home-fries are the pièce de résistance. A 60/40 mix of potatoes and onions, it requires constant tending in a hot, oiled pan to achieve that elusive sweet spot between well caramelized and badly burned. The steak, a sirloin, is aged at least four days in the Leight’s bilge, and slowly sautéed to the rare side of medium-rare, with a splash or two, or five, of wine.
The best wine for this is a cheap Chilean red. I recommend Santa Rita 120, priced at $5.82. It’s possessed of grape overtones, a gnarly finish, and aged at least a month. Aunt Nellie’s pickled beets provide an acidic counterpoint that melds all the flavors into a symphony of deliciousness.
Eat your heart out, Mike.
David Buckman
s/v Leight
Round Pond, Maine