Oh Waiter!

We have a fun group of friends that we like to travel to Mexico with. One those friends in that group, Lori Tolbert is a caterer. So she is all about the presentation when it comes to the food we eat. On one of our trips to Cabo San Lucas, I cut up some french bread to go with the dinner she was cooking us and just left it sitting on the counter covered with a dish towel. Not satisfied with my presentation, she riffled through the cupboards at the villa where we were staying and found a little basket to display the bread.

It's always fun to hear her reaction whenever we go out to eat because she totally appreciates the beauty of the dishes that are served. Her husband is relentless giving her a bad time because we have to take pictures of everything before we can eat it.

On our last trip to Cancun with these friends, I suggested we go to a restaurant called Puerto Madero. The food was out of this world and the service was even better! This was the first time any of us had ever been to a restaurant where each person had their own waiter to attend to our needs.We loved it so much we went back the next night. There was a long wait, but the manager recognized Lori because she raved about the dishes so much the night before and he snuck us in. Somehow, Lori ended up back in the kitchen and found out how to make this restaurants specialty - Fries Soufflees Potatoes, (they look like puffy little potato chips) and she was given an apron with the restaurants name on it. Next time you are in Cancun, it is worth it to visit this restaurant!

Fries Soufflees Potatoes

Scrub, peel and cut up 3 potatoes. Cut off 1/4 inch side to square the potato into a rectangle. Using a paring knife, trim the potato into the shape of a football. Using a really sharp knife, slice the potatoes lengthwise into 1/8 inch slices and put into a bowl filled with really cold water.

In one pan, pour 2 inches of canola oil and heat until it is at 320*. Fill a second pan with another 2 inches of oil.
Drain the potatoes and pat dry.

Put a few of the potato slices into the hot oil that is 320*. Flip them occasionally with a slotted spoon until they are blistered and translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the pan with the hotter oil and cook for another 5 minutes, flipping occasionally until they are puffy and browned. Take them out of the hot oil and put on a plate covered with paper towels then season with salt to taste.