Cursed Potatoes

Why? All I ask is Why? I made a new dish last night that had potatoes in it. For as long as I can remember, no meal with potatoes in it were ever fully ready on time. My mother couldn't cook an instant potato much less a baked one. Even the box mix au gratins were a challenge. As you can see where this is going...my dish didn't turn out either. The recipe called for quartered red potatoes (first mistake, I should cut them in eighths or sixteenths). Then it said to nuke them for 7 minutes. I did 10 since I know my luck with them. Then I was supposed to add them to a dish and bake for 50-55 minutes at 350. Well...I put them in the oven and 90+ minutes later with the heat turned up to 450 by the end, they were still rock hard! Of course it wouldn't have been so bad but I had invited friends over for dinner and I know this wasn't the first hard potato experience with them. The dish tasted good as long as you skipped the potatoes. Looking back, it said to bake it in a 13x9 greased pan but I had an air bake pan...do you think that could have made the difference? Hmmm...from now on, I will stick to only mashed potatoes that come in a package where all you do is boil water, add contents of package, and fluff.

In other news...Jess is running her marathon today. She should be crossing the finish line soon and I am anxious to hear how she did. Her blog is full of well wishes so I know with that much cheering going on, she will surprise herself with her own running success.