Fortunate are we, those who can be soothed by mountains and find bliss in a simple meal.
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Yes, it's one of those (profound?) columns.
The mountains brought us to Tasmania and it's the beauty of our ragged peaks that brings me peace during these messy times.
Our first escape during COVID 2020 was to Craggy Peaks, Storey's Creek, under Stacks Bluff.
Stacks Bluff is king of a story-telling landscape. It is a place to walk, read and restore.
It's the type of mountain that connects you to a place. When dumped with snow, it signals peak winter. When bathed orange/pink at sunrise, it owns the day.
So, for our 29th wedding anniversary we packed the car and within two hour's drive last Friday, arrived at Craggy Peaks, Stacks Bluff; it was our fifth visit in 12 months.
It's become our default when travel plans fall through ... Melbourne, three visits, and last week, Mildura ... Stacks Bluff silently waits.
When friends ask what we've been up to, as friends do, the answer has become standard ... "work and Craggy Peaks for the weekend".
Previously, at Easter, I took Robbie Arnott's Flames and this time Amanda Lohrey's Labyrinth.
Husband oversaw sweets and treats - a little pink-iced CWA marble cake and two wedges of café-baked carrot cake.
I planned the anniversary dinner for Saturday.
Nothing fancy, just sausages, mash and spinach.
Gourmet reader, I hear you think, "there's nothing celebratory about sausages and mash on a pile of spinach".
Depends on the mash, the sausage and the egg.
The sausages were thin beef from Kirk and Gina at St Georges Square, the mash was truffled, from Dan Alps, the egg was just laid, the spinach fresh and organic.
It's the type of mountain that connects you to a place. When dumped with snow, it signals peak winter. When bathed orange/pink at sunrise, it owns the day.
It was no accident that our dinner turned out to be one of the 'great meals'; among the very best we've experienced.
The lean sausage, the smooth truffled mash topped with a soft egg was a formidable competitor for 'top plate' in our home-cooked repertoire.
The egg and snag thing started a year ago, on our first weekend at Craggy Peaks.
Fast, easy, comfort food for cold mountain Tasmania.
Given the special occasion, I went the full food snob with the same concept.
I nearly didn't buy the mash - it cost $7.20. Dear reader, if you're old enough to believe buying mash sinful, think again.
I'd suggest that Dan Alps has the market cornered on truffled mash - it is a revelation.
His mash, those snags and a Tassie pinot.
Give it a try - don't omit the soft egg - it really sings with the other ingredients.
And, don't be tempted to put each element separately on your plate: First a mound of spinach, sausage/s, topped with mash and soft egg on top of the lot. A serve can be as large or small as you fancy.
Friday night dinner was another matter.
After a short, wet and wild late afternoon drive from Launceston to Avoca we nipped into the servo to buy milk and a newspaper.
Emitting a golden glow at the cash register, was the Bain Marie of doom. The day's last two potato cakes rested alongside the usual dim sims and Chicko rolls.
Nothing says wet Friday evening road trip more than a potato cake, steaming between the newspaper and milk.
They were not just any potato cakes - one of them was loaded with ham and cheese.
That is, two potato cakes with ham and cheese filling, battered and deep fried.
Hereinafter referred to as "never again'', because it tasted way to good.