Wedding Fever: Day 1

I am so excited.  Will and Kate are finally tying the knot on Friday.  I plan to attend remotely, and I will be dressed in my 4:00 a.m. best.  I will be wearing my cozy p.j.s and my slippers.  Look, it's the middle of the night and it's not like anyone else in my house will be "attending".  Besides, my tiara is in the vault.

I watched the wedding of the last century.  Looking back at the news coverage of Chuck and Di, if we all hadn't been so excited by the fairy tale of it all, we could have seen the writing on the wall.  Diana looked positively terrified.  And the dress.  To say that it was big and fruffy would be a sad understatement.  The thing was huge.  Obviously no one ever told poor Shy Di that less was more.

Kate, on the other hand, is my kind of girl.  No overdone ruffles for this future queen.  Simple, classic, well cut, elegant.  That's what being 29 will do for you.  Hopefully she won't look back on her wedding dress and say "how did I let them talk me into this"?  I doubt anyone is talking her into anything anyway.

Just to give you fair warning, this is Royal Week and I plan to prattle on about the wedding all week.  What can I say, I'm a romantic and I love a good wedding, especially one with a girl who knows what looks good on her.

In honor of Will and Kate making it legal, here's day one of what will a cavalcade of British specialties.

Recipe:  Bangers and Mash
(Ina Garten, 2010)

*Note:  Leave it to Ina to make something as simple as Bangers and Mash so special.  I found bangers at Whole Foods, but feel free to substitute other veal or chicken sausages if you can't find the bangers at your local grocery store.

Ingredients:


2 pounds fresh veal or chicken sausages (8 large sausages)
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted bitter, diced
1/2 cup whole milk
4 ounces creme fraiche
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons whole-grains or coarse mustard
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:


Preheat the oven to 425F.

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the sausages in one layer on the baking rack.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the sausages are just cooked through.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a large saucepan with 1 tablespoon of salt and enough water to cover the potatoes.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender.  Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the saucepan.  Add the butter, creme fraiche, milk, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, dry mustard, 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper and beat the potatoes in the pan with a handheld mixer on low speed until very smooth and creamy.

To serve, mound a generous portion of potatoes on a dinner plate and top with sausages that have been cut in half diagonally.  Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve.