I try not to keep onions and potatoes in the fridge, but in the hot time of year, it becomes a necessity to keep them from spoiling fast. This morning I checked out a bag of white potatoes on the counter and found a couple too far gone to save and a couple that needed a bad spot trimmed.

I have a recipe that originally came from Martha Stewart Living on one of the cards she has in each issue—four items you can make that add up to a nice meal and the cards are perforated so they are recipe cards to keep. The salmon meal she recommended that had grilled fish, steamed asparagus, and potatoes (I don't remember the dessert) is one we eat often.

The small or new potatoes are simmered until you can pierce them easily with a sharp knife. Let them cool a few minutes (or save them in the fridge to finish later) then heat a small skillet with a generous pat of butter and each potato is put on a work surface and using the heel of your hand gently compress it until the skin splits and some of it extrudes, but the potato is still in one piece. Place these in the gently heated butter and let them cook until they are browned on each side and those little edges sticking out have started to crisp a little. I use salt and fresh ground pepper and that's it. I always thought of them as Martha Stewart's potatoes, but my son and his girlfriend were telling me about a meal they made that included "smashed potatoes" and I asked what that was. Apparently they needed a name for that MS recipe and it works. So I'm making smashed potatoes to use for meals this week.

I also have some larger potatoes that I cut into chunks (usually about an inch on one side is the largest) and they saute in olive oil and get the salt, fresh pepper, and some seasoning (sometimes smoked paprika) treatment. They reheat nicely. And this is what I use to put in tacos when vegetarian friends come over and can't eat the fish or beef.

Cooking things in the morning so you don't have to heat up the house during the afternoon or evening is a practice in this hot climate. It's going to be in the high-90s or low 100s (in the 37C range) for the next few weeks. Cooking outside is also popular. See Charmion's discussion of spatchcocked chicken, for starters.