Chere Sarah,

Man, that was quite a week. One of those long ones where I felt like I was limping across the finish line to Friday. Most nights I threw together one of our usual no-cook dinners -- you know, scrambled eggs, kale salad, or 718-499-9888 (that would be the number of our local pizza place) -- poured a generous glass of wine, and called it a day. By the time the weekend rolled around, though, I was itching for some time in the kitchen. Some friends had invited us over for ribs on Sunday and asked if we’d bring the potato salad.

Let me start with the former. So I’m not sure I’ve ever confessed this to you, but I’ve never…ever…made my own ribs. I’ve always loved to eat them but have been intimidated by the fact that everyone seems to have their own recipe for “the best ribs ever” and I just never had one to throw down myself. Plus, we have a pretty fantastic BBQ restaurant on our block and they’ve been able to satisfy the occasional craving…

…until now. Let me tell you Sarah, these were the most incredible, flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth ribs I’ve ever had. I don’t think I’ll ever eat another rib without comparing them to the standard that was set last night. Malaika, our host, uses a recipe she got from her neighbor, who is not only French, but a chef. Double whammy. The best part was hearing how easy the recipe is. No excuse not to try them yourself! And if you want to gauge just how good they were, you can ask my meat-loving two-year-old who was STILL smacking his lips when he crawled into bed last night.

Malaika’s Neighbor’s Ribs

Makes one full rack of baby back (pork) ribs

Dry Rub:

1 TBSP salt
1 TBSP dried oregano
1 TBSP ground cumin
2 TBSP garlic powder
2 TBSP paprika
1 TBSP onion powder
½ TBSP cayenne
2 TBSP brown sugar
½ TBSP chili powder

Rub the dry rub mixture all over the ribs. Can be left overnight but isn’t essential.

Place ribs on cookie sheet.

Oven should be set at 275-300 degrees. Cook for 3-4 hours. (Malaika puts a small pot of water in the bottom of the oven during cooking for moisture.)

After taking the ribs out of the oven, lightly brush them with the BBQ sauce of your choice.

Oh – and a quick shout-out for the potato salad I made, which I saw in Bon Appetit’s June issue and thought it looked delicious. And by “delicious” I mean that it had lots of dill and vinegar, and didn’t have any mayonnaise in sight. My kind of potato salad.

German Potato Salad with Dill

2lbs small waxy potatoes, halved

1/4 C olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1/4 C apple cider vinegar

4 scallions, sliced

2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1 tsp caraway seeds, toasted

salt and pepper

Cover potatoes with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender; drain and transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, heat cup olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in apple cider vinegar. Add to potatoes along with sliced scallions, chopped fresh dill, and toasted caraway seeds and toss, crushing potatoes slightly; season with salt and pepper. 6 servings.