My favourite post-session activity is experimenting in the kitchen. It can be so relaxing to prepare a meal and it is the perfect activity to do while you wait for the munchies to kick in.

Since I use cannabis for digestion issues, I need some time after I consume cannabis for all the effects to really kick in so it gets me where I’m ready to eat. What better way to pass the time than by making myself a nice delicious treat.

I never thought of myself as someone who would get pleasure out of cooking, but when I started working from home, cooking became one of my only creative outlets besides writing. It also gave me the time and space that preparing food can take.

Munchies don’t have to be processed, store-bought foods (although that can be wonderful too, no judgment here). I also believe that good food can be made easily and quickly, but it’s not exactly easy all the time. It can take a lot of patience, back-and-forth and ultimately, confidence.

I use the internet, cookbooks, and knowledge from my mom and others, but at the end of the day I am making the final decisions and usually add my own little twist.

Beginning to learn my way around the kitchen has been a truly joyful experience for me this last year. Don’t get me wrong, cooking can also be very stressful and time-consuming, and I am no chef, but with some help and a whole lot of practice, I’ve really grown to love it.

I want to use my space here at Indiva to occasionally share with you some of my favourite kitchen tricks just in case there was anyone out there who didn’t think they could cook, because if I can do it – you can too. And more importantly, it can be quite fun and you’ll have homemade food for when you’re stoned.

So if you feel game, spark up a doobie and try my favourite potato side dish. You can make it for a snack, or a side or kick it up with some roasted peppers or fresh greens to make it its own meal.

*Recipes won’t contain cannabis but I have chosen ones in which you could easily incorporate cannabis oil or butter if you wanted to.

Cheesy Jerk Potatoes

This is my rendition of a dish I had at a restaurant in downtown Toronto. They used their own homemade jerk spice and topped the potatoes with a fondue-style cheese at the table – the dish was so good I needed to try to recreate the recipe on my own. They aren’t quite as good as the restaurant potatoes, but they are way too easy to make for something so delicious.

Ingredients

1.5 pounds of small potatoes cut in half (big ones cut into quarters)

1 heaping tablespoon of your favourite bottled Jerk seasoning, I prefer Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning (you can buy in most grocery stores or online). If you make your own jerk spice – please send me your recipe.

Grated Mozzarella or Swiss cheese

1 Tablespoon of butter

I tablespoon of oil

Salt and pepper

Fresh chives – optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Rachel Ray says “salt it like the sea” when talking about boiling water and she couldn’t be more right Boil the potatoes for about 5 mins Drain, toss in butter and then toss with the Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning Coat the bottom of a roasting pan with some oil and then add the potatoes. Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through Take out the potatoes and throw the cheese on top. Put back in your oven to broil for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is gooey and almost browning Add salt, pepper and fresh chives, and voila! Cheesy Jerk Potatoes to quell even the strongest munchies.

NOTE: Salting your water thoroughly not only flavours the thing your boiling, but it also raises the boiling point of the water, ensuring it gets as hot as possible. If you use fancy sea salt from a grinder (or from the Mediterranean), great! But do yourself a favour and get a box of regular old table salt to throw in the water for boiling.

Also, my mom taught me this tip: if you put the oil coated baking sheet in the oven for five minutes before you add the potatoes, it will make the oil hot, so when you eventually put the potatoes in they immediately crisp up on the outside from the hot oil.

I love this recipe because it’s delicious and really hard to get wrong. You can experiment with different types of cheeses (aged cheddar is great, or a mix…I often add parmesan or even fresh sour cream as a garnish) and accompanying main dishes – it packs a ton of flavour and its so easy to reheat.

If you end up trying it at home – send me a picture and let me know how you liked it!

Sarah Hanlon is a communications and culture grad from the University of Calgary with a minor in Women’s Studies. After completing a semester abroad at the University of New Orleans where she studied the culture of the city and its jazz scene, Sarah moved to Toronto to try to break into the media world, and in 2015, she won Big Brother Canada.

Since then, Sarah has hosted and appeared on a number of Canadian shows and outlets including Slice, Global Morning, ET Canada, and CHCH Hamilton. She currently works as a brand ambassador for Leafly Canada. Sarah lives in Hamilton, Ontario with her dogs Annie and Sally and her partner Scott.