Inside the bubble that is my today, all is peace and tranquility. Outside this bubble, even through the muffling effects of both choice and double glazing, farm machines are ceaselessly thrumming. Those outside of my bubble are marching to the beat of a different thrum. Thoreau’s advice rings in my ears but I shall not be stepping to that beat, however near it may be, as I simply don’t want to. The corn is high and, this morning, the sun of recent days has been replaced by the rumble of thunder, the clatter of raindrops on tin roofs, the rhythmic drone of machines as stern faced farmers slug it out with careless Mother Nature and the muted clack of a keyboard as I adjust the colours of the season with the clear knowledge that they will be a pale reflection of the original which, unlike the image, is an intrinsic part of a whole too big to grasp, to comprehend. I can only take tiny spoonfuls from the edge of the dish and marvel at the infinity of tastes to come.
Deftly sidestepping any further idolisation of that Prima Donna let us move on to another. We seem, of late, to have been eating a lot of potatoes which quickly brings to mind the baked potato costume of a recent post. A diet of potatoes would certainly encourage an appearance that would suggest that one was permanently wearing such a costume, which knowledge councils us to consume them in moderation. Potato abuse is rife, and is to be avoided. However, when it comes to people who have devoted their lives and money to the avoidance of being a baked potato look- alike, Joan Collins must top the list for her generation. This being the case it surprised me to hear it said that, in her list of favourite dishes, a baked potato filled with cream and caviare reigned supreme. I have no idea how much truth there is to be found in this rumour, but it has been enough to allow us, guiltlessly, to eat a cut price version of this delicious creation on a regular basis. Creme fraiche and lumpfish replace the choice filling of the heroine of ” The Stud”….read into this what you will.
Food, Photography & France 
Brilliant Roger – you had me chuckling at the title. It’s just the perfect day for a jacket potato here – it looks like I’m living up Witch Mountain right now…
Pretty witchy here today as well:)
Whoa! That looks so delicious! You just made me salivate Roger and I’ve just eaten.
I know you, Rosemary, you’ll do it with caviare. I’ll just have to enjoy it vicariously:)
You learn something new every day. Today, I learned what “crème fraîche” and “lumpfish” are. I thank you for that, Roger.
They taste better than they sound:)
Fantastic! I’m going to give it a try too. Looks delicious and if Joan Collins likes it to. 😉
..what more could you want:)
As much as I like Joan Collins, I’d go for the spud and caviar 😉
Good choice:)
Do you have to have a square mouth to enjoy this?
It can be eaten in pieces as well, or have I missed something? 🙂
Joan Crawford always painted her mouth into a rectangle – probably in protest against the Cupid’s bow favoured by most of her contemporaries in Hollywood. Sorry – I was being facetious 🙂
Nice one…..I’ll remember that and, undoubtedly, use it one day :=)
“The Stud” may just strut onto the dinner table tonight, who can resist?
Sounds like it’s going to be a good evening:)
Might have to don shoulder pads next time I eat a baked potato.
I believe underwear is equally suitable for such a dish:)
Looks gorgeous, Roger. Spuds and cream: I remember the old Berni Inn jacket, sour cream and chives. Very seventies, but moreish 😀
I bet it was good, although I’m writing that through gritted teeth. It’s not easy writing through gritted teeth as you bite the end of your pen off. It’s just the words Berni and Inn that did it 🙂
Temporary lapse of judgement on my part ;-D
🙂
Who mentioned underwear?.. Stunning shot of the humble spud and even more stunning shot of the lonely leaf. We are hot here, hot and picking grapes. Gorgeous weather.. my research and fumbling about trying to take beautiful food shots lately has left me with even more respect for the perfect images you present. Have a gorgeous day… c
Lucky person have hot weather. Hope you have a successful vendange and keep going with the pics.
Caviar on a potato? That’s splurging!
Is splurging a good thing? I guess it must be if caviare’s involved:)
Yum. I am now seriously hoping for some spuds in my farm share.
Look for the caviare, Andra 🙂
Just caviar please, Beluga not Sevruga . . . altho’ that roe atop the potato does look moreish ~ just as well the kitchen chimes just said ‘Sunday lunch’ 🙂 !
Roe is our limit, more’s the pity:)
Uhuh! Know the feeling 🙂 !
Some of us just have a slow Metabolism (as I tested out in 2004) and put on weight at the mere sight of food. My best friend is skinny as a rake and eats far more than I do. My Dr assures me that in times of famine I would last far longer than my skinny friends – trouble is that in Australian cities it’s unlikely we would have a famine.
Great food photography. That baked potato & caviar looks absolutely delicious. I’m not a fan of sour cream though. Too much dairy makes me ill.
Since I’m just thinking of doing some food photography…….Roger, is that all natural light you have on the caviar & potato? Or have you got some extra light on the subject?
Thanks for the comment, Vicki. The food photography was shot in daylight with no extra illumination. The tones have been enhanced in Photoshop as, unlike film, all digital images need some work to bring out the best in them.
Thanks Roger.
My pleasure.
A real spud stud 😉 Looks like a very Russian dish too — dacha meets palace 🙂
You’re right. Like the Faberge egg, something glorious has been made by adding extravagance to a modest beginning.
That combination looks divine 🙂
And so it is, Tandy:)
Can’t say I am particularly devoted to Joan Collins but I do thank her for greenlighting this post (in a manner of speaking) because, wow, that is one succulent baked potato.
Lack of devotion to Joan is good…no one could be more devoted to Joan than she herself is:)
I was chuckling at the thought of caviar on a jacket potato. Then I saw the picture. We have fresh harvested potatoes, wonder if I can find caviar. 🙂
Get started on sturgeon farming:)
Just need to sneak that past my husband!
It’s not easy sneaking sturgeon past anyone…good luck:)
I’d have to dress it up as something non-fish! And whistle casually.
It’s not going to easy….but caviare was never going to be easy:)
🙂
I’d be happy to eat that every day.
🙂
Gorgeous shots!
Many thanks:)
I’ve had something similar as an amuse bouche…a small round slice of cooked potato topped with creme fraiche and caviar and it was delicious. I know I would love your baked potato with your generous toppings.
There is a feeling of luxury about it, even though it is just a humble baked potato.
As a French cricket (Yes, they exist!) player I still remember my English captain commenting on my bowling as throwing spuds! LOL
Now, I must say I wouldn’t mind for being made fun because of cooking such a beauty!
here in Japan we make good use of all kinds of colored potatoes. Can you imagine of the possibilities?
Love the description of your bowling! The coloured potatoes sound amazing…A black potato with pink salmon eggs!
This is the idea!
Actually we regularly eat dark violet, red, pink and yellow and extremely white-fleshed potatoes here so you can imagine all the combinations when as you mentioned that we red (not really pink in Japan!) salmon roe, orange flying fish roe or here in Shizuoka fine orange rainbow trout roe!
Sounds fabulous…very envious:)
It is a pleasure to tease you! LOL
🙂
Never have I seen the humble potato look so regal! Absolutely stunning. An inspiration.
Off to cook now – try to make something that tastes as good as this looks! Thanks for sharing 🙂
The spud with caviar (or lumpfish) and creme fraiche stops being humble pretty quickly:)