Canned Fruits and Vegetables

 By Bruce Shawkey

There is almost no fruit or vegetable that you can't buy in a can. They're all mostly terrible in my opinion, with the possible exception of peas and corn. The worst looking is the canned asparagus, seen in the lower left hand corner of the above image. This bears no likeness to any asparagus I've ever seen. The height of canned produce probably occurred in the 1950s.

Many weird recipes using canned produce and they continue today. Some of the latest ones include: 

* Broccoli Parmesan Fritters;

* Jello Fruit Cake (made in a bundt pan with fresh fruit and unflavored gelatin); and

* something called Melting Potatoes, which sounds a lot like scalloped potatoes:

6 Tbsp. melted salted butter, 

2 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped, plus more for serving 

1 tsp. kosher salt 

1/2 tsp. black pepper 

2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes 

1 cup chicken broth 

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 

5 garlic cloves, smashed 

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

In a medium measuring cup, whisk together the butter, oregano, salt, and pepper.

Peel the potatoes and trim the rounded ends. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch-thick slices and place them in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the potatoes, turning to make sure they are evenly coated.

Roast the potatoes until the bottoms are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Flip the potatoes and roast until the other sides are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.

Add the chicken broth and lemon juice to the pan and scatter over the garlic cloves. Return the potatoes to the oven and roast until the liquid is absorbed and the potatoes are meltingly tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with oregano before serving.