NOVEL WEB Chapter 37
When You’re Feeling Peckish, Let’s Make Some Potato Galettes
Guuuu.
At the sudden sound of growling stomachs, everyone stopped what they were doing. Incidentally, it wasn’t just one person; several stomachs were growling, making it sound like a chorus. When Yuuri turned around to look, the owners of the growling stomachs were looking away awkwardly.
“…Eh? Everyone, we just had lunch, and you’re already hungry again?”
Yuuri tilted his head and asked, and after a moment of avoiding his gaze, they all nodded reluctantly. The culprits were Argus, Camille, Yakk, and Kurresh as a bonus. Magg and Yuuri looked at each other and shrugged. Magg, having a relatively good fuel efficiency, rarely had a growling stomach. However, his policy was to eat when there was food, so if food appeared now, he would definitely join the hungry kids in eating.
That being said, half of the reason they were hungry was Yuuri’s fault.
It was a very nice day, and Yuuri had been excited about the perfect laundry weather. It wasn’t just any laundry; he had mobilized all the apprentices for a major laundry day, airing out all the bedding in the hideout. Even Kurresh, who happened to have the day off, joined in, making for a fun half-day.
After airing the bedding, it was only natural to clean the areas where the bedding had been. In the morning, they split into the laundry team and the bedding airing team, and after lunch, everyone cleaned the areas where the bedding had been. Cleaning using muscles they weren’t used to left the boys feeling tired and hungry.
“Well, it can’t be helped… I wasn’t planning on having tea today, so there are no snacks. For now, I’ll make something in the kitchen, so someone come help.”
“I’ll do it. I’m on kitchen duty today anyway.”
“Alright then, Camille and I will prepare something, so the rest of you can bring in the aired bedding.”
“”Understood!!””
With very obedient and energetic responses, the boys, led by Kurresh, ran off. Watching them go, Yuuri looked at Camille and they walked to the kitchen together. Camille seemed to be walking with a light, happy step, but Yuuri didn’t notice.
All the apprentices were captivated by Yuuri’s cooking. In fact, almost everyone in the Scarlet Lynx had fallen for Yuuri’s food. Among them, Camille was particularly devoted to Yuuri’s delicious meals, but he didn’t show it. He was also sharp enough to buy appealing ingredients and ask Yuuri to cook them.
So, Camille was very much looking forward to what Yuuri would make.
“It shouldn’t take too long; I’ll make potato galettes.”
“Galette?”
“It’s originally a dish made with buckwheat flour, but it means something round and thin, so anything made like that is called a galette.”
Yuuri smiled as he took a large amount of potatoes out of the fridge.
Yes, a galette was originally a dish made with buckwheat flour, said to be the predecessor of crepes. However, while crepes are sweets, galettes are savory, topped with meat, fish, vegetables, or eggs. Because of their round, thin shape, many variations using different ingredients have emerged.
Yuuri’s potato galette involved julienning the potatoes. Although mashing or slicing the potatoes thinly might be more common, Yuuri’s homemade version used finely shredded potatoes with a slicer. It’s just home cooking, after all. Even grated potatoes, though releasing a lot of water, can make a delicious galette if cooked properly.
“I’ll peel the potatoes first, Camille, can you use the slicer to julienne them?”
“Got it.”
Next to Yuuri, who was peeling potatoes at a speed twice that of Camille and the others, Camille pulled out the slicer. It was the same type of slicer attached to a tray that Yuuri remembered from his home.
Of course, this slicer was a prototype made by a craftsman at Yuuri’s request to Hallows. There were grater-like tools, but no slicers. The current slicer had julienne and thin-slice types, and by adjusting the width, various arrangements could be made. Hallows had made a big fuss, calling it a revolution for home cooking, but Yuuri just wanted a convenient tool for himself, indifferent to the talk of patent fees. With mayonnaise and choux pastry ingredients being practically free, he had more savings than he knew what to do with, making troublesome rights issues unnecessary.
Originally, the grater-like tools were used for grating cheese. Yuuri was also trying to get graters suitable for daikon radish and yam made, as he liked both grated daikon and yam puree.
Yuuri mainly wanted everyone to enjoy delicious food, but also often made dishes he felt like eating himself. Seeing the ingredients and thinking of something he wanted, he’d make it, and it was often well received by everyone, which was very fortunate.
“Yuuri, should I put this in a bowl?”
“Yes, go ahead and keep doing that.”
“Got it.”
With Camille slicing the potatoes, Yuuri prepared the frying pan. Adding oil to the heated pan, he then spread out a handful of the sliced potatoes, flattening them with his fingers to avoid touching the pan, and waited for them to cook.
Meanwhile, he prepared pepper and cheese. This cheese was pre-sliced by Yuuri for convenience during busy mornings. It saved time not having to slice it each time.
When the edges of the potatoes turned white, showing they were cooked, Yuuri flipped the galette with a spatula. The potato starch acted as a binder, so there was no need for additional flour. As soon as he flipped it, he quickly sprinkled pepper and layered thin slices of cheese on top. By the time the cheese melted, the potatoes were fully cooked, and the galette was ready.
Yuuri made one galette for a taste test, sharing it with Camille. One advantage of being on kitchen duty was tasting the food first.
“Freshly made, the cheese is melty and delicious.”
“……”
“……Camille?”
As Yuuri enjoyed the stretchy cheese and chewy potatoes, he noticed Camille silently eating the galette, too focused to respond. Seeing Camille so serious about the food, Yuuri figured he liked it and decided to focus on making more.
If he had a hot plate, he could cook a lot at once, but the hassle of setting up a griddle made him opt for two frying pans on the stove, cooking three palm-sized galettes in each pan, totaling six at a time. The simple cooking process allowed him to keep turning out galettes one after another.
Clearly, the palm-sized galettes were destined for multiple servings per person.
After bringing in the bedding, the boys crowded into the dining room. Yuuri calmly plated the cooked galettes and handed them out. Camille, with peeled potatoes still left, continued using the slicer. No matter how much he sliced, the potatoes were quickly consumed. It was scary.
While the potatoes turned brown upon exposure to oxygen, they looked bad but returned to normal once cooked. So, neither Yuuri nor Camille paid it any mind, slicing and cooking the potatoes continuously. When they ran out of pre-sliced cheese, Yuuri cut more.
“Yuuri, seconds!”
“Me too!”
“Over here too!”
“Alright, I’m cooking more, so line up. And no eating so much you can’t have dinner later, okay?”
“”Got it!””
They seemed to really like the cheese-topped potato galettes, eating them rapidly. Magg, who had a discerning palate, even requested less pepper, claiming too much pepper upset the balance with the cheese. While this was a matter of personal preference, Yuuri complied.
Camille, busy with the slicer, shouted, “Someone take over! And don’t eat my share!”. But was ignored by the ravenous boys. Fortunately, Yuuri anticipated this and set aside some uncooked portions.
When Ali and Jake came by later, they also enjoyed the potato galettes. Ali preferred more pepper, while Jake wanted no pepper and less cheese, favoring lighter flavors. Jake appreciated the sweetness of the cooked potatoes and the subtle saltiness of the cheese.
There were variations of potato galettes with shredded bacon or mayonnaise on top, but Yuuri wisely kept quiet, knowing it would cause an uproar.
Later, word of the potato galettes leaked outside, and Yuuri, casually sharing the recipe, left Hallows lamenting over the missed opportunity to patent it. But that’s another story.