What's your all-time, hands-down, favorite potato recipe?
This came to me after reading jeang's post on roasted potatoes and rosemary. It reminded me how very much I like them, and I ended up making a batch for lunch. As I happily sat down to eat them I started thinking about what my all time favorite way to eat potatoes was. There are so many choices. Mashed, roasted, baked, gratin... the list is pretty long, but I guess my favorite is pan roasted.
I dice a few red potatoes, unpeeled, into 1/3 inch dice and throw in a cast iron skillet (I don't know that it would work in anything else, I've never tried) along with a tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tbs of water and cook it over low medium heat, not stirring, until the water has evaporated and the bottom of the potatoes has started to get brown and crispy. I add salt and pepper and a bit more oil if needed and toss, raising the heat to med-high, tossing every few minutes until the potatoes are browned all over. Sometimes I'll add a clove of crushed garlic at this point and cook a couple minutes longer. I then throw in a handful of minced flat leaf parsley and toss. Cook a minute or so longer and add 1 tbs of lemon juice, cook another minute, check for seasoning and serve. It's really tasty. I don't make it often as it always seems like more of a hassle than it actually is to make. It makes an excellent side to whatever, but I inevitably end up eating just that for dinner.
What's your favorite go-to potato recipe? The one that you will never, ever get tired of.
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25 Comments:
Pommes de terre Macaire from "Julia (Child) & Jacques (Pepin) Cooking at Home".
As fancy as potatoes should be allowed to get.
srhcb at 7:28PM on 02/17/08
Or, fresh from the soil, baby spuds "in-their-jackets", boiled, buttered and salted.
srhcb at 7:30PM on 02/17/08
Cut into wedges, tossed in olive oil with some salt, pepper and rosemary, and well roasted in a hot (200C) oven. I can literally eat a kilo of these things, and I like them even when they're cold.
However, last Saturday I had a meal at a spectacularly mediocre restaurant that had one redeeming factor: their fried potatoes. I know I'm not going to shake the recipe loose from them (I think the coating contained crack), but I'm trying to figure out how to make them.
And I'm not even supposed to eat potatoes, the leave me a serious wreck.
mongoose at 7:42PM on 02/17/08
cut them into eighths, put them on a heavy baking sheet, toss with lots of salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and olive oil, and bake at 350 until brown.
my friend birgit in germany makes the most amazing potato salad. she boils them and then peels them while they're still hot, pours hot broth over them, then adds dijon mustard, raw onions, vinegar, and dill. maybe some other things. it's the most delicious potato salad i've ever eaten.
cybercita at 7:57PM on 02/17/08
My favorite is a variation of "Roesti," the Swiss/Alpine dish. We called it "Bavarian Farmer's Breakfast" in southwest Germany.
Boil up some potatoes, peel them and chop them up.
Dice up some "Speck," which is a salumi and a kind of prosciutto made in the Alps, salt-cured and smoked pork. It comes in chunks in the grocery store of butcher shop.
Chop up some onions.
Grab some eggs and stir them up in a bowl.
In a big frying pan, saute the onions in butter. Add the potatoes, then the Speck. When the potatoes are turning golden brown, add the eggs.
Add pepper and salt to taste.
When the eggs are cooked, you're done!
Notice the casualness of this recipe. It's really easy and you can adjust the amount of ingredients to your own liking. What a great breakfast! After that, you're ready for a day of working the pastures, or a day of pastoral leisure in the mountains.
I expect "Roesti" has as many variants in and around the Alps as does tomato sauce in Italy.
But the above worked well for the Schwabs.
TikiPundit at 8:28PM on 02/17/08
it's a draw between loaded baked potato soup and these boiled new potatoes with a sour cream-red wine vinegar dressing garnished with cheese and scallions.
beth1 at 8:31PM on 02/17/08
It's a draw here too, albeit a different one:-) - between oven-roasted potatoes with olive oil, salt, garlic and rosemary and pan-fried potatoes with onions, garlic, salt and black pepper. Simple, unpretentious and delicious! I could eat either one every day, but of course, I don't make them nearly as often as I'd like to. If I go for something slightly more time-consuming, it would be latkes or potato kugel (these two are certainly my husband's favourites).
brooke29 at 9:13PM on 02/17/08
my favorite way to cook potatoes is to season them with a product called charcrust then skillet fry them in duck or goose fat.
olddad at 9:22PM on 02/17/08
This is kind of a toss up.....both are from my parents and I consider them comfort food. My dad always doubled the amount of mashed potatoes we needed for dinner and the next day made potato pancakes. He flattened the cold mashed potatoes and pan fries them in butter with s&p and then topped them with grated sharp cheddar until it melts! OMG!! Heaven.
My mother on the other hand par boils potatos and then cuts them into large cubes(about 1in. x 1in.) and then pan fries those in butter, s&p. So, so good with chipped beef gravy over biscuits (wow....now the true comfort food comes out).
Actually, I could probably go on for hours with this...my mother's hashbrown casserole is something we literally fight over at Easter. Cheesy, mushroomy, potato goodness! It's ridiculously high in fat with a stick of butter, heavy cream, and that's not even to mention the cheese! Ok...must....go...wipe...up...drool...now.
jcrisco at 9:38PM on 02/17/08
I'm Irish - give me a break. Sooooo many! Twice baked russets loaded. Mashed in at least a couple of dozen ways, depending on my mood. Sometimes just milk & butter. Sometimes cream, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, parsnips, peas.....but always butter. Leftover mashed with cheese made into patties, coated with instant potato flakes and browned on a griddle in butter...they might be my favorites. Oh.....what about crusty hash browns with onions and a wee touch of green pepper. And twice fried fries? I like all varieties and am hoping to find some purple soon. I'll get several colors and roast them with root vegetables. Scalloped, gratins.......I could go on for hours! Somebody stop me, please!
PerkyMac at 11:45PM on 02/17/08
My favorite all-time potato "recipe" is a huge, steaming hot, plain baked potato & nobody to share it with.
JEP at 7:31AM on 02/18/08
@olddad: where can I get charcrust! It has been years since I thought of it, and I'd love some again.
Cary at 9:23AM on 02/18/08
Funny you ask. I'm not a big fan of white potatoes but the following dish has been in my family for years.
Gatto di Patati
5 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups milk
2 Cups grated parmesan cheese
1 lb. mozzarella, cubed or shredded (I usually cube a block of it)
2/3 lb. sliced ham cut into small dice
1 stick unsalted butter, divided
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. fresh ground Pepper
1/4 cup (maybe more?) Bread Crumbs
Boil the potatoes in heavily salted water until fork tender. Drain potatoes, then run the potatoes through a ricer into a large mixing bowl. (This pie is smooth - the ricing step is necessary). Set the milk to gently heat in a saucepan.
Add to the potatoes, the parm, mozzie, ham and 5 Tbsp. of the butter (cut into dice), S&P. Pour the warmed milk over all. Gently fold ingredients together. Potatoes will get gummy if overworked so use a rubber spatula and mix only until combined.
Pour the potato mixture into a large roasting pan that has been sprayed with veggie oil spray. Smooth the top. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the pie. Dot the top with the remaining butter.
Now...here's the beauty part... You can bake this pie at anywhere from 350 to 400. If you make it in advance and it's cold, take it out of the fridge an hour before baking. If you have something that has to bake at 350, it will take longer than if you bake it at 400 but this temperature deviation will not hurt the pie. (If you heat it at lower temp, you might have to crank up the heat at the end to get it browned.)
Bake until screaming hot and the top is slightly browned. If you can keep it on a heat source while serving, fine - but this pie holds its heat quite well. Mark my words, even at room temp, people will come back to it.
chiff0nade at 10:53AM on 02/18/08
cary, you can get charcrust at amazon.com but it's cheaper to get it on their own website charcrust.com, i remembered my mom using this and thought it was defunct but they are still in business.
olddad at 12:46PM on 02/18/08
good old fashioned fries. cut thick and fried in peanut oil. i like to make a sauce consisting of roasting garlic, dijon, mayo, a little bit of honey and paprika to dip them in. this is delicious with sweet potatoes or yukon golds.
midgepingleton at 1:53PM on 02/18/08
Oooooh, this is so tough! Love creamy mashies (combo of russets and reds or yukons). I heat the milk or half & half with butter and add that to the warm potatoes and add in either roasted garlic, fresh horseradish, scallions or cheese (like goat or gorgonzola ) and s&p (lots of fresh pepper). Or a big fat baked Idaho rubbed w/olive oil and sea salt so the skin is a nice crispy crust like freshly baked bread. Just butter and s&p, unless I have chives in the herb garden, then lots! Or scalding hot frites with lots of salt and aioli. OMG..... Or potato salad just like mom used to make. Or bleu cheese potato salad with a big juicy burger in the summer time. Or oven-roasted with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Or sweet potatoes baked whole with butter and fresh pepper. Or homemade skins with a mountain of fixings like crispy bacon, cheddar, scallions and sour cream. Or oven roasted fingerlings, simply done because they are already so perfect.
I didn't know I loved potatoes so much!
frederika at 2:47PM on 02/18/08
It has to be potatoe salad made with Hellman's - not Miracle Whip. I just made a huge bowl for a Valentine Party we had this weekend. I used Yukon Gold potatioes. It was the best!
Lavendergirl at 5:14PM on 02/18/08
this one is hard... because coming from a potato-growing family, potato is my ultimate favorite. But If I had to pick one, I guess it would have to be my aunt's potato salad... we have it at ALL our family gatherings.
My college roomate once critized me when I made this potato salad for Thanksgiving dinner stating that a potato salad is only eaten during Summer... I told her - "Not in my house, when it's 85 degrees in Thanksgiving..."
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 5:31PM on 02/18/08
Ooooooh just give me the skins-crispy, s&p, a little cheddar and a dab of sour cream-YUM!
PlanetChaos at 6:16PM on 02/18/08
I have to say, I'm not a huge potato fan. I do however,crave potato pancakes a few times a year. Hot and topped with soft cream cheese,no
not apple sauce or sour cream,cream cheese,these are a decadent delight!
GRATED red bliss potatoes
GRATED white onion(1 for every 2 potatoes)
GRATED garlic cloves(same as the onion ratio)
handful of flour
eggs(1 for every 2 potatoes)
1 bottle beer(doesn't really matter if it's a lager,ale,or a porter)
salt and pepper
Mix all of the above by hand. Squeeze out excess liquid,form into patties
and place in a skillet(cast iron is great) heated with a light oil. I like a combination of light olive oil and safflower oil. Sautee until golden.
ENJOY!!
donnie at 6:51PM on 02/18/08
This is kind of a lot of work so I don't do it that often, but my favorite potatoes are: peel and cut red bliss potatoes into chunks, parboil them, then make clarified butter and saute them in the butter with salt and pepper for about 15 minutes. Since there are no milk solids in the butter they don't burn but they get crispy and delicious on the outside while the inside stays soft. OMG so good.
Also re the potato pancake thread- we make a kind of Korean vegetable pancake in my family. You mix 1 each grated onion, potato, and carrot- mix with 1/4 cup water, 1 egg, and 3/4 cup flour- fry in patties in about 1/2 inch hot vegetable oil- and dip in a sauce of half soy sauce, half rice vinegar with sesame seeds sprinkled on top. I have never met a person who didn't love eating these. Ever in my whole life. Obviously you can kick up the potato ratio if desired.
karenita at 7:32PM on 02/18/08
Mashed potatoes made with butter, cream cheese, hot milk, salt and pepper, really creamy. They are dumped into a rocky sized single serving bowl (read VERY big for a single serving) and buried under a sea of turkey or chicken gravy. Few things are as tasty.
rockykay at 4:16AM on 02/19/08
A lot of folks have mentioned tossing them in olive oil, salt/pepper and/or herbs and baking or roasting them. I like that method for preparing potatoes best, particularly with red bliss or fingerling potatoes.
To kick them up to spectacular, I make a flavored mayo to go along with them. To about 1/4 c. of your favorite mayonnaise, add 1 clove of minced or grated garlic and 3-5 finely minced, seeded piri piri peppers (they're usually sold jarred in brine - drain and rinse them first). Add more or less of the peppers depending on your tolerance for spicy. Salt and pepper to taste. Let blend in the fridge for about the time it takes for the potatoes to roast.
Another way I like to use roasted potatoes is to toss them, while they are still warm, with blanched green beans, and a vinaigrette made from olive oil, shallots, sherry vinegar and Dijon mustard. Best potato salad in the world!
Amandarama at 2:53PM on 02/19/08
Either roasted or baked. I like the contrast between the fluffy innards of baked potatoes and their satisfyingly chewy jackets.
Christina at 3:28PM on 02/19/08
Oven roasted red potatoes with olive oil and herbs of choice (rosemary, thyme, herbs de provence, fennel rub, etc.) is the easiest side dish on the planet. But Molly Stevens in All About Braising has a similar preparation to chisai's in which new potatoes are braised in a small amount of chicken stock and olive oil until nearly done. Remove the lid so the liquid can evaporate and brown the taters in the remaining olive oil with some minced garlic. Add fresh herbs of choice. Done. For me Molly's recipe has replaced Ina Garten's from her first cookbook in which you boil new potatoes until done. Drain and let cool slightly then cut in half and dress with olive oil, chicken stock, and herbs. So there's my top 3, two boiled and one roasted. Please don't make me choose! But wait! I've got a favorite gratin recipe too from Tyler Florence that uses bacon and savoy cabbage! Potatoes just don't need an elaborate preparation to complete any meal they are accompanying.
Otabenga at 4:26PM on 02/20/08