Jedi mind trick

Your opinion of the new Star Wars movies may have been unfairly influenced by Russian bots, sock puppets, and trolls. (Remember when "sock puppets" meant Lamb Chop and other relatively harmless creatures?) Wait, you're thinking, don't Russians only interfere in our elections? Well, those, too. In fact, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has studied political speeches, ads, and debates for the last 40 years, concluded in her new book (Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President) that "Russia very likely delivered Trump's victory." You can read all about it in Jane Mayer's recent article in the New Yorker, "How Russia Helped Swing the Election for Trump."

As if giving us the Tweeter-in-Chief wasn't bad enough, the Russian sock puppets then really went too far and fucked with a true American institution: Star Wars. A study conducted by Morten Bay ("Weaponizing the Haters"), a research fellow at USC, found evidence of "deliberate, organized political influence measures disguised as fan arguments," the likely objective of which was to increase "media coverage of the [Star Wars] fandom conflict, thereby adding to and further propagating a narrative of widespread discord and dysfunction in American society." In particular, Bay discovered that more than half of the comments directed at The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson on Twitter to express dissatisfaction with the movie actually came from Russian bots, trolls, or sock puppets who "us[ed] the debate to propagate political messages supporting extreme right-wing causes and the discrimination of gender, race, or sexuality." So maybe The Last Jedi wasn't as bad as you thought it was; your opinion may have been skewed by a Russian conspiracy to sow widespread division by tearing down one of the foundations of American culture as part of a larger propaganda campaign. Or maybe The Last Jedi really did just suck.

On the positive side, "Russian Sock Puppets" is a fantastic name for a rock band (or a wind quintet)!

"Deal with those Russian sock puppets, I will."

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The vegetable season is winding down at the City Market, but I still managed to find all of the ingredients I needed to make this dish there, including the chorizo from Free Union Grass Farm. Much like Brother Juniper's Spanish Lentil and Sausage Soup, just about all of the flavor in this recipe comes from the sausage, so you really need to use something flavorful like chorizo or spicy Italian sausages.

Chorizo with Fajita Vegetables and Potatoes

Adapted from Emma Laperruque via Food52 (with video)

Time from start to finish: 55 minutes

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound chorizo or spicy Italian sausages (see note), each link pierced once with a fork
1 pound baby potatoes, halved or quartered depending on how small they are
kosher salt
2 bell peppers, roughly chopped into ¾-inch pieces
1 large (200 grams or more) red onion, roughly chopped into ¾-inch pieces
⅓ cup (80 grams) water

    1. Place a 12-inch cast-iron or stainless steel skillet that has a lid over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until shimmering. Swirl to coat the pan, then add the sausages. Sear until browned over most of the surfaces, about 5 minutes total. Remove to a plate.
    2. Turn the heat down to medium. Return the pan to the heat, and swirl in another tablespoon of the oil. Place the potatoes in the pan with a cut side facing down. Season with a good three-finger pinch of salt. Cook, without moving, until the bottom side is brown, about 4 minutes. Flip each potato (tongs work well here); if you quartered the potatoes, flip so the second cut side is facing down. Cook, without moving, for 4 minutes. Remove to the plate with the sausages.
    3. Swirl the remaining tablespoon of oil into the pan. Add the peppers and onions, and season with another good three-finger pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until the vegetables are softened.
    4. Pour the water into the pan and cover. Cook until the potatoes are cooked through (a paring knife will slip in and out of a potato easily), about 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the heat down as needed to maintain a gentle simmer (probably down to medium-low eventually). Remove the lid for the last few minutes of cooking to boil off some of the excess liquid. Serve promptly with a piece of crusty bread to sop up the tasty juices. Makes 4 servings.