The Weekend Reset: Clooney, Counts, & Potatoes

Looking for something to switch up your weekend, or to give you an excuse to relax a little? That’s what the Weekend Reset is for. Each week we’ll pull together five things to get your weekend started. Could be something to read or watch, something to eat or listen to, or even something to do. Enjoy the weekend fellas.

 

READ: The Black Count by Tom Reiss

Alexander Dumas wrote The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. They say “write what you know.” And it seems that Dumas did just that. Because his Dad, General Alex Dumas, was a damn legend. Born in what’s now Haiti to an enslaved black mother and the white man who owned her, he made his way to France, thrived in one of the first multi-racial societies (not without intense discrimination all the same), and rose to the highest levels of military power during and after France’s revolution. Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer for Biography, this work by Tom Reiss is also a hell of an account of just how nuts France was in the late 18th century. They went from powerful monarchy to lopping off heads in a hot minute. Life moves pretty fast. Indeed.

 

WATCH: The American starring George Clooney

A lone assassin is reluctant to accept one last job and prepares to make his exit from the profession while holed up in an exotic location. Sound familiar? Formulaic? It’s not. And because of it, people hate this movie. It’s not a stereotypical shoot ’em up/assassin flick. It’s slow. Really slow. In a terrific way. It is, frankly, gorgeous. Worth watching simply for the cinematography of the scenery and architecture of small town Italy.

 

WATCH (also!): Soccer! For Cheap.

It’s kinda the only game in town right now. Whereas the big leagues will cost you some serious coin to see (The Premier League, La Liga, etc. seem to only exist on upper tier cable sports packages), you CAN see the EFL Championship and the NWSL Challenge Cup for a relative bargain. The EFL Championship (England’s second tier) is chock full of heritage teams, funny logos (go, uh… trees!) and the type of less predictable play (read: chaotic) that makes it arguably more fun to watch than the Premier League. That and it’s a fistfight to see who wins, who gets in the playoffs, and who gets relegated. Just look at the table. It’s available on ESPN+, which costs five bucks a month, and you don’t need ESPN’s cable groupings to get it. Which is great for us cord cutters. Meanwhile, stateside, you can get a fix on Saturday as the NWSL Challenge cup kicks off on CBS at 12:30 ET. Remember the women’s world cup? That was fun! And this will be too. The Challenge Cup Final will also be broadcast on CBS, but the rest of that tournament will live on CBS All Access, home of Picard, The Twilight Zone, and more. That’s $5.99 a month.

 

ROCK: Being as an Ocean – PROXY: An A.N.I.M.O. Story

For those who like modern, active (but not scream-o death thrash whatever) rock. Lush, contemplative, and hard driving. Incredible production, terrific vocals, melodies that drag you in, and crescendos to kick even the most drag-ass ass into gear. Reminds me a little of Starset. Released back in September, I’m surprised “Play Pretend,” “Find Our Way“, ‘Tragedy,” “B.O.Y.“, and “Watch Me Bleed” haven’t penetrated Rock Radio more. Or maybe they have. I guess I wouldn’t know. Haven’t been in my car in months. What’s a radio?

 

GRILL: Potatoes. Little, delicious, potatoes

This is so darn easy. Big thanks to Mrs. Dappered for hearing this episode of The Splendid Table, and then executing the following for us last weekend:

• Boil whole petite potatoes in really salty water. I probably put about 4 tablespoons of salt in. It should taste as salty as sea water.
• Boil them for 20 minutes, then drain (do not rinse) and let come to room temperature (this is a great time to grill burgers or steaks or chicken as your main dish).
• Put them on the grill and let the skin crisp up. You only need to leave them on long enough to get some good grill marks, around 6 minutes or so, rolling them around occasionally.

Like, that’s it guys. And they’re delicious. Leftovers are even great the next day as a snack, or on salads. The Nicoise was delicious!

About the Author: Joe is the the sentient tumbleweed that runs this popsicle stand. Don’t worry guys, your regular Weekend Reset assembler Michael will be back next week. He’s on deadline.