Desperation equals innovation

I am a firm believer that innovation is important in cooking,in fact it is the cornerstone of a good chefs skills.Sometimes though innovation is a sign of deep desperation,and today was one of those days.Desperation is also part and parcel of every cooks life so it isn't all wine and roses.Sometimes the simplest of recipes have a knack of going horribly wrong and the only thing to do is to clear ones mind,think fast and dish up faster.The chicken fry was one of those mundane recipes that have been done a million times at home so its no rocket science.But get a day when the book I was reading was so interesting that everything else had to wait and being Sunday,if lunch has to wait its cant be too good.A mad scramble to the butcher at 11 o clock and the place is crowded so another mad dash to the frozen foods shop and thank god the chicken was dressed and ready.Yes one had to pay a tad more but these things do happen.The good thing about this place is that the chicken is tender at the bone and almost melt in the mouth so there it was all ready to cook,marinade done and all.Then I go back to the book and by the time i surface its 1 o'clock and that's lunch.Now when one chooses to ignore wise council of mothers that's the warning bell that all is not well.But i simply do not learn.So without much ado and thinking I would save precious time the chicken was put in the pressure cooker and five minutes later all ready(except that the flesh was falling off the bone and there was far too much gravy for a dish that is supposed to be dry).Hmm,this needs some work I think so fry some potatoes and keep aside.Then heat oil and put in the chicken.Like i expected it was turning to shreds but then it cant be helped,also the bits of meat were sticking to the bottom of the pan and creating a crust.At the end of my patience,I did some quick thinking.So after all the pieces were fried and some bits and pieces scraped off the pan,I soaked the potatoes in the gravy and gave them a quick turn in the same pan.Voila the crust dissolved and a rich gravy emerged.So back went to chicken and one quick mix and there was this wonderful moist chicken with fried potatoes which looked and tasted so good that my mother was convinced that it was a new recipe that came from one of the books I had managed to buy at the book fair.Didn't have the heart to tell her that it was her recipe rehashed and served up as new.lesson learnt,stretch ones imagination and that the way to create new things