Why the quick fix?

So here I am finally.
The days ar running from me. Each one much like the other, waiting to go to work and trying to figure out what to have for dinner. Today I decided to be a little step ahead of myself, not to forget fix the whole what's for dinner issue tomorrow! I'm having a sick-of-figuring-out-what's-for-dinner period. Having gone through a lot of easy fixes. Frozen pizza, frozen chicken (which my husban made...) and the likes. So yesterday I was down in my fridge and found a pig's knuckle. So I figured: let's make a good traditional norwegian dinner that will have plenty of leftovers!!
So that's what I did. So for at least one day I threw my quick fixes out the window and allowed myself to work and think. Last time I had this meal was when my mother-in-law made it.
Just for the might be interested person here is the recipe!!

You'll need:
Lots of potatoes
some flour (whole wheat will give you a bit healthier version, I like to mix the fine with the whole)
pig's knuckle or something similar (preferrebly pig)
carrots
kohlrabi (not the red one)
Sausage (thick one)
maybe some bacon

I started with the meat. Roasted is the best in flavor for this meal. Today I had both, plain and roasted.
I put the meat in a big casserole with water on full speed ahead... Just bring it to a boil as you start peeling those potatoes. So when you get all bored and lost in thought you can go an check the meat. As it has been cocking a little while you can skim off the fat foam. If you really want it I guess you can keep it, but honestly I think you might want to take it off. Being the fat and all other stuff boiling from the meat that you don't want...

As I peeled this morning, having my youngest daugther roaming through my kitchen drawers, I thought about the fast food of things. Water, potato and eventually dough on my hands I couldn't always do something about her. So she just did what she liked, pretty much. I found that she din't wreck aa much havoc as I thought she would. That's when I was done peeling ;)

The smart thing to do is to peel all the potatoes you want, or the very best thing is to be two. Then one can peel and the other one do the rest (we'll get to that). Anyway, once they've peeled you cut them in smaller pieces. If you don't have a machine to help you, don't cut them with a knife.

 Something kinda like this one, or will give you the same result. If not you can use a grater. It will take longer if you do it by hand. But still very doable.
As I now look at the more messy kitchen my thoughts are once again going to the easy fix. Yes it would have been cleaner, in this case saved me some time. But the result?? It would have been something that didn't taste half as good, and would be so much worse for my health. But why do we do it? Why do we go for the easy fix to save time. Save time for what? Sit in a chair and watch other people have a life on tv, 'cause mine is just boring???
Anyway, back to my cooking.
I use two bowls. One for the potato gush and one to make the dough in. In the potato you find starch, and when you crush the potato like this the starch mostly goes away in the liquid. So as good as I can press it out I do. There have to be smarter ways than mine, I just take a handfull off potatoe gush and press it out, then put the 'clean' potato gush in the new bowl.
Here is why the smart choice it to either peel all the potatoes before hand or do it with someone. If you do it as you go, the potato gush will turn a nasty brown/blackish color. This is not good. While you work it will become a little pinkish brown. No danger there.
So you keep at this untill there is no potatoes left. Then the fun begins!

Boiling with some fat foam...

It's weird how you tend to go the easy way, just 'casue it's less hassle. I've learned that in a lot of cases when you go the easy way, you bring more hassle. Like with my mum. I try to do everything as easy as I can for her, but it always seems to end up in the hardest way. But I am still learning.

 Back to cooking. At this point I take some flour and just sprinkle it over the potatoes. If you are two one can fix the meat as the other one can make the dough. As me being alone I sprinkle and fix the meat...
I take out some of the meat. Here I have the roasted knuckle  and the pale one is the plane one...
I take one out and add water if I don't have enough. As in this picture, you can see that there isn't enough. But don't go overboard with the water. To much will only make it spill over.

Some of my daugthers mess...

 The potatoes with flour on top. This to keep it from turning black.

 The cutted meat!
As I've passed this point I find myself feeling happy, glad to cook. And yet I don't do it often enought. Why? Because the sosiety has thaught us that we have to hurry, hurry for this and that. I teach the same to my kids. We're running late, hurry. Hurry we have to be there in 5 minutes. Be where? At piano, swimming, soccer whatever. Who chose that? We did. Will the end of the world come if we are late? No, obviously not since we tend to be late a lot. I get that you have to learn to not be late for work. But sometimes we have to teach them that there are more important things. Sometimes you have to be late, just so you can catch a real moment.

 Back to my potato dough. You put enough flour for it to become a paste between the potatoes. Add just a bit of salt and even less pepper. Specially if you use roasted or salted pig, and salt sausage. Sometimes I have to add a little water so it doesn't get dry. You should be able to press your hand in it and make you palmprint, like I have done here. Now it's very important that you check the water in the casserole. You don't have to cut a lot of meat. Just the skin or some of the fat. You know the 'good' stuff. The water with the rest of the meat should be boiling good at this point.

 If you are making a big portion, or don't have a big casserole you should take the meat out on a ålate, just to make sure there is enough place in the casserole. I've taken out this large piece, the rest is in the casserole.

 So as I make sure the water is boiling I dig in the dough. I take a handfull and then some and make a round potato ball. I make a little hole into the middle and put some off the fat/skin bites into it. And cover up. Then you put it in a spoon (maybe to little) or something and gently put them into the boiling water. Kinda the way you do with eggs.

 At this stage I've all the potato ball in the casserole and have put the meat back in. As you also can see I've cut the big piece into some smaller ones. I let it boil 'hard' for about 5 minutes, then I lower the heat. Now you can leave it there for hours if you like. So when I make this I usually start in the morning and then leave it pretty much on it's own untill dinner time. Half an hour before or so I put the vegetables and sausage in.

Carrots and kholrabis are in

it's not a small casserole. ..but then again I have dinner for tomorrow as well!!

After this last picture was taken I put the lid on top of the casserole. Then the vegetables don't have to boil.
So during my busy day dinner made itself... well after I did all the work. But my payment... A fantastic dinner. In our home, this is a BIG favorite!!
So why don't I make dinners more often? Because todays work sosicety means that you're pretty much dona at work the minute your body wants dinner. So why use all the energy you don't have for a meal you really need. So you end up with a quick fix... sadly...
I really try to stay away from quick fixes on all the other areas in my life. It's not easy, but it really do pay off.

Enjoy the meal, regardless if you made my dinner or not!! Feel free to ask if you didn't get my recipe and would like to try this.
And may God bless you