Sexy Breakfast Potatoes

Complexity— when is it optimal?

Jul 11, 2024

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What’s Been On My Plate

Guys. I’ve been vibing. Well, for the most part.

I had my birthday, which involved the usual, anticipated, and sporadic celebrations I discussed in my last newsletter; letters and packages from family reaching me randomly in the days before & after my birthday, a picnic by a lake in Seattle complete with a thoughtful mini-cake one of my new & lovely intern friends brought, as well as a delightful evening of drinks, gelato, lava cake, and conversation with another Warner Bros. girly on the actual day of my birthday. And then, of course, there was the birthday gift I gave to myself: a trip to Montana for some beloved horsey-time during the long 4th of July weekend.

I’m already looking back on the trip fondly, however, I feel a bit swindled. The ranch I stayed at was advertised as an “all-inclusive ranch stay” with horseback riding and western activities at the foothills of Glacier National Park. The ranch was owned by a snarky couple from the UK who moved there about 15 years ago and (so it seems) as a way to make ends meet, they have guests stay in their house and ride their horses for a pretty penny while they carry on with their usual business. The husband seemed to think he was the most clever man in the world and the bathroom was shared among other guests and didn’t have a lock.

I certainly ate like a Brit— one of the lunches I was served consisted of canned noodle soup, potato chips, ketchup (?), butter on white bread, and lemonade. I realize I may have seemingly ordained tastebuds and that they were trying to feed several people in a cheap way, but it’s not like I was expecting peach panzanella, grilled shrimp, and homemade pavlova out in Montana each day. However, when the meal-portion of my vacation bill cost $280 for a three day trip; I was not pleased. Give me $280 of grocery money for 3 days and you’ll enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner, at the very least.

Despite my complaints, I got what I came for— time out West with horses. I ate s’mores, befriended a mustang, played with feral kittens hanging around the barn, wore my boots, and went to a rodeo. The details will soften and evolve into silly memories with time, as most hinderances tend to.

This past week has been about returning to routine in Seattle; a routine I’m beginning to enjoy and settle into. I have the places I like to visit, the days I reserve for groceries, the friends I like to see, and the routes I like to walk. Seattle has had an unforeseen heatwave (we reach about 93 degrees each day) and most places don’t have AC. Before bed, I hop in the shower, cold, for about 20 seconds, seldom dry off, and jump into bed, no bedsheets or blankets, with a wet dishtowel I now keep in the freezer cradled in my collarbone. Next, I pray I don’t wake up until morning. The other night before bed, I stuck my meat thermometer on the wall just for shits and gigs and it read 89.7. I have a fan, but it seems to be the sort that blows warm air. Discomfort reminds us of the things we are grateful for.

a maple-glazed long John & cold brew, a fact-check on my room temp, a cute dog staying cool, and today's recipe!

Thoughts, Feelings, and Opinions

Complexity, by definition, is “the state or quality of being intricate or complicated.”

I’m not sure about you, but I can apply “complexity” to just about every aspect of my life. Decisions can be complex, relationships can be complex, history and facts can be complex, routines can be complex, motives can be complex… the list goes on.

With the famous “a rectangle can be a square, but a square can not be a rectangle” statement in mind, I do think “complexity” and “hard” are not synonymous. Just because something is “complex” (a decision, a relationship, a routine, etc) does not mean that it must be “hard.” But! I do believe that when something is “hard” it is usually hard in part of the fact that it’s complex.

While they aren’t synonymous, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the role complexity has in my world, its necessity, and if it’s beneficial for my person. A while back, I wrote this line in one of my poems, “Hosting”:

“Life really is simple if simple is required.”

Sounds like a “duh” statement, but many people seem to forget this (myself included). I’m not sure all things in this life need to be so complex.

Complexity isn’t an issue; it’s part of what makes life special and unique and it’s part of what makes humans innovative.

It would suck to have surface-level relationships with everyone, to wear simple clothes and live in a simple house and eat simple food and read simple books and think simple thoughts.

Two observations I have regarding complexity: 1) It seems we place complexity wherever we care the most. And 2) the more time we have on our hands, the more complex we make things.

You get really creative with the things you do to your coffee? It’s probably because you care about your coffee and enjoyment of the little things in your life. You do deep dives into artists and certain movements in art, be it paintings, poetry, fashion, or music? It’s probably because you care about that art form enough to understand, inspire, and adopt it. You examine yourself and certain relationships in your life? It’s probably because you care about them!

All this being said, I do think complexity risks becoming hard or draining when it’s everywhere. There’s a fine line. I don’t want everything to be complex, there is simply too much to consider!!! And I will consider it if I feel like I should be considering it (thanks anxiety, lol). Complexity looks different for everyone but I do think people with more free-time have more of it.

That single working mom cares less about making dinner complex and more about getting it on the table for a reason.

I believe that phones and social media have created a plethora of unnecessary complexities. We now consume so many ideas about things we may not have previously considered. It’s cool at times— we’re learning a lot? But it’s draining more times than not.

I think back to an Instagram account I stumbled across months ago— the page was dedicated to baby-names. Each post was about trending names, what the names mean, where the names came from, who your baby will be if they assume said name, etc etc. And hey, that’s a totally valid thing to make complex if you so see fit. But this serves as a prime example on how social media has made a killing off catering complexity to us regarding every little thing.

It’s natural— humans seek complexity as a way to feel a belonging. But, as individuals in this day and age, I think we need to have more awareness about the things in our life which we allow to become complex.

I came to Seattle without a single plan— aside from the plane ticket. My whole plan was about getting here, and the mere idea of a summer in Seattle felt like a lifeless reality— one I could seldom picture until it happened.

In stepping away from the comfortable complexities I became accustomed to in my life pre-move, I’ve returned to simplicity where I need it. And it’s been nice. I’m keeping the things I care about complex, but I’m dropping the complexities which don’t serve me. I’ve gained time, but also peace. Serenity?

I think of the world I witnessed in Montana. There, each day is about caring for the cattle, animals, and surviving the land. The people there are happy despite how long and demanding those days are— there isn’t time to get complex about every little thing. Some days flip you so hard that you can’t imagine taking a peek at the stars before bed.

I’m not saying ranchers don’t have problems and I’m not saying we should all run away and live in the mountains. But I am saying that when we get busy living (in whatever way that works for us), we may not need to make everything so complex.

Because I don’t want to consider the complexity of my skincare and if I’m doing enough emotional work and if I’m advocating for my rights and if I’m standing up for everyone else’s rights and if I’m optimizing my time and if I’m resting enough and if I’m planning for the future and if I’m present in the current moment and my lift regime and every nutrient I should consume at each meal, day, & month and my hair health and wash cycle, and what I’m wearing and whether or not all the decisions I’m making are helping or hurting the environment and I think you get the point.

I’m delighted to place complexity where I care, but I’m also happy to let the rest occur naturally. Not everything needs to be such a thing. “Life really is simple if simple is required.”

What Will Be On Your Plate

Sexy Morning Potatoes

Crispy & craggly melted cheese, a dippy yolk, and flavorful breakfast potatoes. Sexy.

Alrighty, everyone. It’s about time we discuss something actually important. Potatoes. They aren’t complex and that’s why we love ‘em! This recipe yields breakfast potatoes that are cheesy, easy, speedy, healthy, and the best possible way you could kick off your day.

I bought an iced americano and made these for breakfast on my birthday and was like “wow, I should shoot & share this with my Substack fam.” So here we are. My recipe takes less than 10 minutes to execute, so you could whip this up on a Tuesday morning. There’s no need to save lovely breakfasts for the weekend!

We kill two birds with one stone thanks to a method called “starch retrogradation.” This simple act, done in two minutes the night before, makes our potatoes come together quickly the next day AND makes them a bit healthier. Since you may be curious, Starch retrogradation is when you cook and then fully-cool a starch (a potato, in our case) before eventually eating it. This process creates resistant starch, which feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut microbiome. It’s a whole thing and it’s exciting (to me). The more you know.

And because we’ve cooked the potato in advance, all that’s left to do is to season and crisp them up in a skillet before topping the whole thing with an egg and enjoying them. I like melting cheese on top and adding some avocado but please know this dish was made for bacon and whatever else your heart desires. The other day, I added mushrooms, feta, and avocado to my breakfast potatoes and that was a delight. Get creative, get complex— make these potatoes sexy if you’re feeling it!

Ingredients

for 1 (can easily be multiplied for 2-12 people)

1 medium potato, cooked & cooled, and then cubed

1/4 tsp (or a few sprinkles more!) of your favorite spice mix: Lawry’s is ideal. But garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne is good, too.
1-2 tablespoons of butter (this is the difference between a Tuesday potato & a Saturday potato)
1-2 eggs
toppings: cheese, green onion, avocado, bacon bits, caramelized onions, crumbled sausage, sliced tomato, mushrooms, the list goes on. Get complex as you’d like :)