Chips for tea (AGAIN)

 Oh dear. I'm not sure chips for tea is a good sign, mental-healthwise. I seem to default to this in times of stress. This week hasn't been bad, exactly, but it's not been a triumph. I have found a better balance, in that my mood isn't plummeting still, but the new stable level is very far from joyfully energetic. One day in the office was (as you all warned me) really tiring, and the infrequency of when I'm likely to go back in is a bit confronting. Obviously, if I go back at all this year it's still less than the 7 months and 2 days gap I had between March and now. I suppose you feel like if you start to pick up strands of Before Life it should mean a change. But it's not, really.

But, anyway. Let's cut up a potato and cook it in lots of fat. That'll help. 

That really is my dinner: bless you, German cookbooks, for thinking this is a recipe. There is a fancier version that involves a fried egg, but I did not need that level of fancy. There's a head of broccoli in the fridge testifying to my intention to have *some* vitamins as well as the chips, but, well, it's still in the fridge. I will have double broccoli tomorrow.

 

Frying pan. Rapeseed oil and plenty of butter. Potato diced up very small. Cook. 10 minutes on medium high. I took Kat's tip and peeled a load of rather sticky pears during this, to mitigate my usual tendency to stir too often.

Then 10 minutes turned down slightly, with salt and thyme. 

 

Then ahem 5 minutes turned up a bit because that burner isn't all that strong and I wanted a bit more golden crush. 

Then blob on a plate with some dill, sour cream and a scatter of smoked paprika. 

CHIPS.

 

Do I feel better? A bit. Do I feel warmer and more cheerful for doing something simply enjoyable? Yes. Is it less healthy than a lovely jacket potato with herbs and broccoli? Clearly, but SHUSH. It's getting me through.