Infused Flautas de Papas con Queso

Rolling a flauta is like rolling a joint.

Flauta is Spanish for flute and is also just a cute way to call this easy, economical weeknight or weekend dish. Recipe after the jump. (Receta en español abajo)

Like most grade-school children, I was encouraged to play the flute in the elementary school band. I took to it and enthusiastically studied and practiced from age nine to sixteen. For a brief moment, I even earned the position of 2nd chair but was quickly demoted when one of my rival twins (I cannot remember their names) returned to the band after a long spell of sickness. It felt like a conspiracy. So in 11th grade, once I discovered weed and the agency to “do what I want”, I quit the high school band. The music teacher pleaded with my mother for me to stay. But I was convinced that I was morphing into a band geek. Apparently, at the time, it wasn’t a good look.

Later on in life, a boyfriend who heard the same sob story bought me another flute. It’s sterling silver, similar to the one from my childhood, but it’s not the open-holed flute that took my entire adolescence to work my way up to proficiently playing. While I still know a few musical scales by heart, it’s been humbling to read sheet music again. But I still love the flute and went so far as to curate a playlist dedicated entirely to flute solos. It’s a grounding mix of mostly jazz—perfect for cooking.