Foodspotting ... 49th Game Changer(s) Spot Lobster Macaroni & Cheese

... a chunk of lobster in almost every bite ... this is the goal with a killer lobster mac & cheese

No longer must we go blind in any city we're visiting when it comes to picking a restaurant or finding that dish that we are dying to knosh! Join Foodspotting, an on-line foodie network! Build up a trusted group of foodies to 'follow', check out their posts for restaurants that they find worthy, and when you're in town, you've got a pretty good line on 'killer eats'. Then, go where it looks and sounds best.

If you really want to get specific, search for just what you're craving and you'll get a list of visuals and short blurbs on the posters' impressions. The posting people may be unknown, but pictures don't lie and if you link to the reviews, you can make a decision pretty quickly as to whether a restaurant's dish will hit your spot ... of not.

'Tatters and Rags' - Lobster Pie a la Hannah Glasse

This post is inspired by Hannah Glasse and her cookbook called The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. Hannah Glasse was one of two women featured as Game-Changers # 10 a couple weeks ago, but life was too busy for me at the time. The idea of her lobster pies stuck with me, though.

Seafood Fra Diavolo

There is something so pretty about a cooked lobster! That shade of coral can't be found in many places and for me, it's a sure reminder of summertime and hot beach days followed by an easy boiled dinner with garden vegetables. Fall is showing signs of its approach, though, and the lobsters will soon be a thing of the past. The local season ends when the Fall storms rile up the seas off  the coast of New England, making lobstering too dangerous. So, by November it's tough to find affordable lobster that hasn't traveled too far from the sea to your plate. I have found a small local outfit, though, to which I plan to give my business right up to the time when the owner's son must stop taking his boat out for the season. (He's selling lobsters for $4.99/lb these days ... a real deal!)  And just before he stops pulling his traps, I plan to buy several lobsters to boil. Then, I'll freeze the meat in small batches and have lobster casseroles and lobster mashed potatoes, and lobster dip around the holidays. Yum!

Lobsta' Mashed Potatoes !

SB and I went, several years ago, to Charleston, South Carolina for a brief romantic junket.  Mmmmm ... Charleston is one beauty of a city ... a walker's paradise, a historian's treasure trove, and a foodie's fix. We ate really well, walked it off on the oceanside promenade, and got our fill of  Colonial and Civil War history.  One of the jewels that we brought back was a recipe for Lobster Mashed Potatoes ... a buttery mash of Yukon Golds with big chunks of steamed lobster and flecks of green herbs that is wonderful alongside a steak .

Fast forward, if you will,  to this past weekend. SB and I had old friends visiting and thought a good old-fashioned Lobster Boil would be a fun ending to a Saturday of antique fairs and flea markets. We stocked a cooler with good (and not so good ...) beers, some cold white wine, left a batch of three bean salad marinating in the fridge, bought fresh corn from 'the guy down at the Depot', and hit the Lobster Pound that has just opened up the road.  My goodness, what a great big old messy time we had! I broke tradition and slapped pads of paper towels on the dining room table ( how gauche!)  and a big bowl in the middle to accept the remains of lobster claws and tails, spent corn cobs, and wet towels (double gauche!).  We ate to our hearts' delight, topped it off with Cherry Garcia ice cream.  Then ... more beer and wine, not that we're total lushes ( OH NO!), and went on to chatter and Red Sox baseball. Talk about a perfect weekend!

Enter, Monday ... well, THAT was fun, but now, I'm looking for something a bit more 'refined'.  Oh, gee!  That recipe for Lobster Mashed Potatoes came up in conversation.  J&N left us with a nice bottle of red wine. I have two little tenderloin steaks in the fridge and an urge to have more lobster, so ...

For your enjoyment:

Lobster Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and boiled
4 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
Enough milk to make the potatoes the preferred consistency
1½ lb. boiled lobster, tail and claws removed and coarsely chopped

Mash the potatotes and add the herbs, butter, and milk. Fold in the lobster chunks and serve immediately.

Note:  Tarragon is a really strong herb. If you have not had it before or if you prefer just a hint, go easy on the tarragon measure in this recipe. You can always add more, but you can't take it out - wisdom from my mother.