The Martian (In Theatres October 2nd): A Food Desert Challenge

One of the most anticipated movie releases in 2015, The Martian, starring Matt Damon, deorbits in theatres this Friday, October 2nd. Of all the geekiest, McGyver improv survivalist things that captivate you about Matt Damon’s character, the instantly likeable Mark Watney, is among his repetoire of astronaut training he is a botanist. A botanist…*crickets* Yeah, a movie about a botanist is likely to be as slow moving as the seasons, but in Andy Weir’s prescient imagination, botany is exactly the preparation which meets the opportunity to increase Watney’s chances of surviving being marooned on yet to be inhabited Mars. The rest is credited to the rigorous, painstakingly detailed NASA astronaut training and space travel destination planning.

The island girl in me, who preferred day trips with grandma and uncles out on our large, bountiful piece of Eden to playing with dolls, perked up at the mention of this very existential task of growing food from scratch. Eventually, the gastronomist took over consideration of how to make a diet of predominantly potatoes not make you hate potatoes for life. This could happen as I remember seasons of breadfruit, dasheen, flying fish, and other yields of our bountiful Edenic offerings growing tiresome by the end of the summer. That never happened with mangoes or avocados though. Go figure, they top the list of #FoodOfTheGods.

What does happen when you have an abundance of one type of food is that you get creative and start rolling off an itinery of gastronomic styles and applications that might challenge or delight the palate. I’m surprised Watney did not roll off a Bubba list of potato recipes he could use to keep things interesting. The lowly potato is not only quite nutritious, feeding Watney’s optimism for survival, but quite versatile in preparation with only a few seasonings. Simply boiled it can seem bland, but baked and served with a tablespoon of butter (you can never have too much butter on a baked potato, right, Marty? 😊*An inside joke, the rest is NSFP*), it is elevated to the privileged status of #FoodOfTheGods. From breakfast to lunch and dinner, you could easily rotate for about a week or two and have a variety of yummy dishes from just potatoes. Just Go-ogle (yes, Sergey & Brin, I can do that 😇) and you'll be as delightfully amazed that there are as many potato recipes you can think of on the Internets. Roasted, baked, fried, scalloped, mashed, gnocchi, pancakes, fritters, soups, rolls, you can have your potatoes A-Z and eat it too. You can even make alcohol from potatoes.

Assorted "space food"/NASA

Aside from agrarian and gastronomic roots, another perspective which gravitates Watney’s potatoes-for-survival solution stems from the preoccupation with astronauts’ diet on the International Space Station. Recalling what I knew of military rations from historical accounts and I thought, egads, how quickly could one tire of that on a six-month tour of duty. There are critical factors of weight, hydration, among other things when considering propelling a supply cargo ship from Earth gravity to zero-G, so understandably the options are limited. Tortillas seem to be the versatile staple in the space station’s pantry, allowing astronauts to construct breakfast, lunch, and dinner burritos while keeping crumbs to a minimum. Burrito-style cheeseburgers are quite popular with the crew.

SA Astronaut Samantha Cristoferetti assembles flatbread sandwich 
with gourmet delicacies from her native Italian region.

NASA Astronaut Terry Virts tweeted his cheeseburger creation:
rehydrated beef, tomato paste, cheese sauce

Of the usual offerings of rehydrated fare, when asked what his favorite meal was on the space station, Astronaut Reid Wiseman consistently preferred the sweet and sour pork and chocolate pudding cake. Yummy. I’m now pescatarian so I’m relying on taste memory for that evaluation; I can see how the tart, sweet flavors can keep things interesting on rotation. High protein and flavorful when tastefully prepared, pork makes a desirable accompaniment to Watney’s central ingredient of potatoes. As the Martian opens this weekend, we open an Iron Chef inspired challenge to share your tastiest potato recipe with minimal ingredients and simple preparation. Here we feature a more elaborate (awesome seasoning goodness) homecoming sit-down with potatoes and ‘the other white meat’ even Wiseman and Watney could still find appetizing after a tour.


Appetizers
Spicy Bacon-Chorizo Potato Crepes/Pineapple-Mango Salsa

• Make Pineapple-Mango Salsa and store in refridgerator until ready to serve: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/jason-wrobel/pineapple-mango-salsa.html (ditch the red peppers).
• Make Bacon-Chorizo filling (overnight allows spices to mellow, or fresh before serving): http://www.thecrepesofwrath.com/2009/07/20/ground-beef-chorizo-chili/ (ditch the ground beef and add equivalent chorizo, double the bacon too, ditch chicken stock, beer, and everything on the last line of recipe; 
• Make crepes just before serving: http://www.food.com/recipe/potato-crepes-211949
• Assemble: Spoon Bacon-Chorizo filling onto top half of crepe; mark a vertical line in middle of filling; fold bottom half of crepe up to meet edges, then fold at the demarkation line to make fan shape fold. Place on serving platter along with Pineapple-Mango salsa with a spoon and cocktail napkins to serve.

Herbed Potato Puffs Fromaggio/EVOO-Basil Marinara

• Make potato puffs: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Mashed-Potato-Puffs-896997?columns=3&position=3%2F40 (substitute Marinara for Sour Cream, or enjoy with both) 
• You can find some great marinaras a the gourmet store or you can put a little love in making your own: http://www.edgefitnessnow.com/homemade-roasted-tomato-basil-marinara-sauce
• Serve on platter along with Marinara and Sour Cream with spoons/hors d'oeuvre plates to serve.

Salad
Warm German Potato Salad on Hearts of Romaine

• Make potato salad (warm or cold): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/german-potato-salad-recipe.html
• (Keep potato salad chilled or combine warm ingredients just before serving. Purchase package of hearts of romaine lettuce for maximum quantity, spoon potato salad into hearts of romaine leaves, and serve.)

Soup
Creamy Vichyssoise

• Make vichyssoise and chill (not being snarky): http://www.food.com/recipe/anthony-bourdains-les-halles-vichyssoise-136057?photo=367273
• For a semi-vegetarian option (ditch the chicken stock): http://www.marthastewart.com/332810/homemade-vegetable-stock

Entree
Sweet & Sour Pork Tenderloins with 3-Way Potatoes (Roasted Rosemary Fingerlings, Garlic Smashed Yukon Gold, Cilantro Potato Gnocchi), Haricots Verts Almondine & Pan Roasted Carrot Spears

• Prepare sweet and sour pork loin: http://www.afamilyfeast.com/sweet-and-sour-glazed-pork-tenderloin/ 

• Prepare potatoes:

• Roasted Rosemary Fingerlings http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-rosemary-fingerlings-218656

• Garlic Smashed Yukon Gold: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/creamy_mashed_potatoes.aspx

• Cilantro Potato Gnocchi: http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/cilantro-pesto-gnocchi/

• Prepare vegetables:

• Haricots Verts Almondine: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/haricots-verts-with-toasted-almonds-and-caramelized-shallots.html

• Pan Roasted Carrot Spears: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/pan-roasted-carrots-with-mint-and-parsley-gremolata-recipe.html (Fancy things up using carrot spears)

Dessert
Tres-Leches Chocolate Cake a la mode

Substitute all-purpose flour with potato flour or mashed potatoes (will that work? Seen it done somewhere): http://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/tres-leches-chocolate-cake

Hmmm…wouldn’t it be totally rad to cater this menu for a special screening at AMC’s dinner theatre in Buckhead, or Fernbank, with an appearance from Damon, Wiseman, and Weir? …a girl can dream. And we're not counting calories here, Watney would need it. 😉