Double Quota

"I move on to the potatoes. I know I'm in trouble when Julia says that 'the cooking is rather exacting.' 'If you were living in France,' says Julia, 'you would buy smooth oval potatoes 2 to 2 1/2 inches long, with yellowish flesh, pommes de terre de Hollande.' Well, we're none of us in France. So instead I spend the better part of an hour cutting new potatoes into 'elongated olive shapes all the same size.' I 'cut them smoothly, so they will roll around easily and color evenly when they are sauteed.' Julia doesn't mention the bit about the vodka tonic, but I find that it smooths the process a bit."

from The Julie/Julia Project