I think one of the most difficult things to take on when you are trying to decide if you have the time to cook dinner or not, is the responsibility. Just for a minute, I want you to forget the idea that dinner means hot, or that dinner means absolutely the most fanstastic thing you ever ate, or that dinner means loads of food on the table, all cooked by you, and then at the end, you are over there by the sink, singing and having a great time doing the dishes. This is no good for you, and it’s only give you bad dreams and make the takeout industry even richer.
The next time you shop, just for the heck of it, throw a little pack of those fancy homemade sausages in the grocery cart (seafood sausage, duck…I love chicken and apple). Walk over to the vegetable aisle, feel no guilt about not buying anything else, just pick up a bag of prewashed baby spinach, a head of garlic, four big potatoes, and walk on out.
When you get home, you don’t have to start worrying about anything, just kick your shoes off, pour yourself a glass of something good to drink, and get out a big, heavy bottomed frying pan or any pan with a cover. Fill the pan with just two inches of water, and add some salt. Peel your potatoes, cut them up into cubes, and drop them in the water. Sit down for fifteen minutes and read the paper. Drain the potatoes when they are tender. Dry out the pan. Drizzle some olive oil in there, and mince three big cloves of garlic. Set the heat on low, add the garlic, and as soon as it gets a little golden, turn off the heat. Spoon this over the potatoes, with an extra drizzle of oil if you need it, and salt and pepper to taste. Get a little more olive oil in the pan. Add the spinach. Stir it around with a pinch of salt and pepper. It will be wilted in about two minutes. A drop more olive oil in the pan, and add the sausages. If they are thick, cut them in half length-wise. Saute until they are cooked through. Serve everything together. If your heart is palpating that it won’t be enough food, buy a few kinds of cheese, one hard, and one soft and have a cheese course after dinner instead of dessert.