vegan achmed larlene - serves 3 or 4

Diced potatoes in a “creamy” celery sauce, baked to perfection with crispy bread crumbs on top. The name of this one have you scratching your head? A long time ago, back in the funky 80’s, my father was a Disc Jockey and he was doing a gig at a mansion. The host’s name was Achmed, a rich middle eastern oil man. His wife’s name was Larlene, a southern bell. They served this dish and my Dad flipped. It was so delicious he had to get the recipe. He tried it at home, everyone loved it and, never really knowing what to call it, it became “Achmed Larlene”. Now veganized, this dish continues to be my favorite, I think you’ll love it too.

You will need:

• 1 Bag frozen Potatoes O’Brien.
• 1 Cup Kikkoman Japanese style Bread Crumbs

For the “cream” sauce:

• 4 Stalks Celery (diced)
• 4 Tbs. Vegan Butter (Earth Balance works well.)
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• 1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbs. Celery Seed (Ground works best.)
• Unsweetened soy/rice milk
• Salt and Pepper

Directions

1. First step is to pre-heat the oven to 350. Now, make the ‘cream’ sauce. In a sauce pan, melt the ‘butter’ on a low heat. Let it simmer slightly. Add the flour until it is a thick paste. Now add the soy/rice milk until the mix is thick and creamy. You now have a basic roux (which you may use for many other recipes). It will thicken as you continue to cook, so you may have to add more milk as you go. Add the diced celery to the mix with a pinch of salt and a good amount of pepper. Now, add the celery seed and garlic powder. Also try, if you have it, some celery salt. Continue to simmer until the celery is tender.
2. If your sauce pan is large enough, you can add the potatoes. If not, put them into a casserole dish and pour the sauce over. Mix well and sprinkle a little more celery seed/salt over the top. Now it’s time to put on the bread crumbs. If you haven’t spiced them up, that’s fine, but I always prefer to blend them with some basic herbs. Now bake at 350 for about 30 minutes (if the potatoes are frozen, 1 hour will be needed). You can turn on the broiler in the last few minutes to get that crunchy top if you like.
3. Do I even need a third step to tell you to let it cool for a few minutes before serving and enjoying? I think not.