Getting to Yes and Peach-Ginger-Mustard Potatoes with Fresh Basil and Romaine Peach Salad with Goat Cheese

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury



A head start on my reading for the year lead me to spend the last two days downing "Getting to Yes", a book that details a method of negotiation developed by the Harvard Negotiation Project.

The major points of the method:
1. Separate the people from the problem
2. Focus on interests, not positions
3. Invent options for mutual gain
4. Insist on using objective criteria

The book clearly outlines a rational approach to negotiation, and provides a variety of examples of different venues in which negotiation is necessary. Useful and interesting, especially considering how positional negotiation involves the ego in a way that is especially harmful for relationships.

With all respect to the Harvard Negotiation Project, I'm pretty sure this recipe might be an equally successful approach to negotiations.

Yes Potatoes (Peach Ginger Mustard Potatoes with Fresh Basil)



Loosely based on the Dijon-roasted potato recipe that was such a hit with my mom (as evident here)

Ingredients
5 red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed, skin on
2 tbsp peach-ginger butter (made for my french toast extravaganza, recipe here)
2 tbsp dijon mustard
a drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
1 small bunch fresh basil, sliced thin

Method
Preheat oven to 425. Wash and cut potatoes, and place in a small bowl. Add butter, mustard, oil, salt and pepper, and basil-- mix. Lay tin foil on a a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Lay potatoes in a thin layer on foil, and bake until golden brown and delicious, about 25-30 minutes.

Romaine Peach Salad

Romaine lettuce, 2 leaves
1/2 peach, chopped
Goat cheese with honey
Fresh basil, sliced
Balsamic vinegar

A delightful mix of creamy goat cheese, sweet and juicy peaches, crunchy lettuce, and fresh basil on top. Lovely compliment to the potatoes. Add Trader Joe's chicken sausage, and you have a complete and nutritious meal! I even stuck the sausage into the oven for the last 10 minutes of baking with the potatoes. Sneaky, I know.

Persuasiveness is an art. I think peaches and goat cheese usually help.