Hot Carb Love -- Spicy Scalloped Potatoes

Before the leftovers from our first batch of scalloped potatoes were even finished, panic began to set in. Whatever would we do when they were all gone and we had no instant carb fix in the fridge? With a half sack of potatoes left and another block of sharp cheddar cheese in the fridge, it didn't take long to put scalloped potatoes on the dinner agenda again.

This time, we had a lovely collection of fresh piquin peppers we've been growing in a pot under our bedroom skylight. Very hot, these little firecrackers are, and very tasty! Originally, Brian thought he had planted a form of habanero pepper with no heat (Red Soave, I believe they're called), but as the buds began to ripen, it was clear we had something else on our hands.

One morning, before the sun was up, Brian thought he'd taste one to see what was developing, and surprise! I was still in bed and could swear I heard him actually say, "OW!" (though that has been denied vehemently). It was pretty unexpected, and I think it was the first time I've ever seen a pepper make him sweat (again, denied, but I know what I saw).

Anyway, with a rather large collection of piquins ripe and ready to go, these scalloped potatoes were going to simply glow. This time, under the influence of a rather different kind of potato urge -- couch-related -- I left Brian to his own devices in the kitchen. To tell the truth, while we love to cook together, I suspect he enjoys cooking alone equally.

Instead of the cast iron, he used a very large, stainless, shallow soup pot. The diameter of the pot was larger, so the finished dish was not as deep and so the dish cooked more evenly. However, the yogurt was not strained this time, so it could have been creamier. Making up for that in spades, though, Brian added a handful of chopped fresh piquins to the mixture and then increased the shredded cheddar on top to 2 cups. The spiciness of this batch is helping it to last longer (too spicy for me to eat two servings in a row).

Hmmm... the urge is overtaking me again... off to partake in some Hot Carb Love!