DELICIOUS POTATOES' DISHES.
Denise Marchessault deliciously delineates some of the infinite possibilities of the lowly tuber.
I went on a potato spree at culinary school, dragging home bag after bag of potatoes each night to practice my knife skills. Potatoes were cheap (still are), and I learned all the classic knife cuts with them. What I didn’t slice, dice or carve, I mashed and stuffed into pastry bags to practice my piping skills. My potato crusade left me with pounds of leftover potatoes, which I diligently consumed, experimenting with every cooking technique imaginable. (Adjusting the button on my chef’s pants seemed a small concession.) Potatoes are simple to cook, but it helps to know which ones to select because not all potatoes are created equal. High-starch, low-moisture potatoes like russets make light and fluffy baked or mashed potatoes.
They’re also the best for deep-frying. Thin-skinned waxy potatoes, like fingerlings or new potatoes, are dense with a firmer bite and tend to hold their shape well. They are best boiled, roasted and pan-fried and are delicious in salads. Of course, you can always fall back on the ubiquitous all-purpose, medium-starch variety, but I prefer potatoes with a purpose. Whatever potato you choose, show your tuber a little respect by cooking it properly. Over-zealous boiling, for example, can rob potatoes of their texture—leaving them soggy and shaggy edged. If you place (cleaned) potatoes in room temperature salted water and bring them to a gentle boil until a knife easy pierces them, you’ll have perfect potatoes every time. It’s not difficult but, like all cooking techniques, it takes a bit of patience and a watchful eye. However you enjoy your potatoes, cut them in relatively uniform shapes to ensure even cooking. It’s a common sense technique that’s often overlooked.
I’ve provided three simple recipes that will have your guests lining up for seconds: mashed potato croquettes spiced with ginger, garlic and peppers; crispy grated potatoes with bacon and goat cheese; and sliced potatoes baked in cream and topped with cheese. Croquettes are my favourite way to use up leftover mashed potatoes, but my family loves them so much I sometimes skip the plain mashed and move directly to croquettes. I rarely make the same croquettes twice because my inspiration comes from whatever happens to be in the fridge or pantry at the time. In this recipe, I combined the mashed potatoes with Indian-inspired flavours of ginger, serrano peppers, garlic, lemon, turmeric, coriander and cumin. The potatoes are portioned and shaped into disks or logs and dredged in flour, dipped in beaten egg, then covered with panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) and fried until crispy.
Rösti is as straightforward as it gets: grated potatoes pressed into a sizzling, well-oiled pan. Traditionally, rösti potatoes are flat and crispy, but I nudge them into a little potato nest with a ring of chopped bacon and a coin of goat cheese. The trick to rösti is making sure both top and bottom are crispy, which involves flipping (gasp!) the potatoes. This is easy with the help of a plate. Cover the pan with a dinner plate, flip the pan onto the plate to release the rösti, then slide it from the plate back into the pan and voila! Smaller pans make the task more manageable than larger pans. If you’re craving comfort food, a potato gratin is like sitting by the fire, wrapped in your favourite blanket.
If you don’t mind splurging on calories now and then, a potato gratin made of sliced potatoes baked in cream and cheese is worth the extravagance. A mandoline or hand-held vegetable slicer (available at kitchenware stores) is a handy tool for cutting the potatoes in thin, even slices. Gratins can be baked in individual ramekins or made into oblong terrines. Grab a bag of potatoes this fall and discover the infinite possibilities of the mighty spud!
Individual Potato Gratins
Serves four.
5 new potatoes (about 1½ pounds), peeled and washed
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup cream
1 tsp salt
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 ramekins, 3-inch-by-2-inch
Preheat oven to 350F°
Slice potatoes thinly with a mandoline or a sharp knife. (A mandoline will make the job much easier.) In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the melted butter, cream and salt. Stack the potato slices into the ramekins, sprinkling them with grated Parmesan every third layer, or so. Press the potatoes firmly into the ramekins to form even layers, ending with grated Parmesan on top.
Place the ramekins on a tray and bake for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender when tested with a knife. If the gratins begin to brown too quickly, cover with foil and continue baking. Allow the ramekins to cool slightly and pour off any excess fat. Run a knife around the ramekin and invert the potato gratins onto a plate or serve directly in the ramekins. Leftover gratins can be cooled in their ramekins, covered with plastic and stored in the refrigerator for three days. To reheat, remove the plastic, place the ramekins on a tray, cover with foil and reheat in a 325F° oven until warmed through.
Spicy Potato Croquettes
Makes about 18 croquettes, 4-inch-by-¾-inch
2 pounds of russet potatoes, about 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
¼ cup butter
2 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ tsp finely grated fresh ginger
½ tsp finely grated fresh garlic (a microplane grater works well for both ginger and garlic)
1 finely chopped serrano pepper, seeds removed (use less if you don’t like too much spice)
½ tsp turmeric
For the breading:
2/3 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs)
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
Place the potatoes in a saucepan with enough room temperature cold water to cover the potatoes by one inch. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender when tested with a knife. While the potatoes are cooking, toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small dry skillet just until fragrant. When they have cooled, grind them together using a mortar and pestle or a spice blender.
Drain the water from the potatoes. Mash the potatoes in a large bowl, using a ricer, food mill, potato masher or fork. (A ricer or food mill yields the smoothest texture.) Add to the potatoes the ground spices, butter, salt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, pepper and turmeric and blend until well combined. Taste to adjust seasoning, adding more pepper, lemon or salt if desired. Scoop about 3 tablespoons (about 1 ounce) of the potato mixture onto your work surface and gently roll into a 4-inch log with the palm of your hand. Trim the edges and place on a parchmentor wax-paper lined baking tray. Repeat with remaining mixture, being careful to roll logs into even sized shapes. Refrigerate the potatoes about half an hour—this will firm them up and make them easier to coat.
Using three shallow bowls (glass pie plates work well) fill one each with flour, beaten eggs and panko (or breadcrumbs). Remove the potato logs from the refrigerator and, one at a time, dredge each log in the flour, then roll it in the beaten eggs, and then in the panko or breadcrumbs. Once the breading is complete, the logs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a day before shallow frying.
Fill a medium-sized cast iron or heavy-duty skillet with enough oil to cover the croquettes halfway with oil. Heat the oil until an instant-read thermometer reaches 350°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil by adding a small cube of bread: if the bread sizzles and turns golden in about a minute, the oil is ready. Carefully add the croquettes to the oil, one at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan. Rotate the croquettes with tongs or a fork, making sure all sides are golden. Drain the croquettes on a baking rack covered with a paper towel and sprinkle immediately with salt. Place the croquettes in a warm oven while you continue cooking the remaining croquettes. Serve immediately.
Potato Rösti
Serves one person as a main dish or two as a side dish.
1 large new or Yukon Gold potato, washed (no need to peel)
½ shallot, grated
Pinch of kosher salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, rendered bacon or duck fat
1 Tbsp goat cheese
2 slices cooked bacon, drained on a paper towel and diced
Freshly ground black pepper In a medium saucepan, add the potato (whole) and enough water to cover the potato by one inch. Bring the water to a gentle boil and parboil (partially cook) the potato for about 8 minutes until it is still firm when pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove the potato from the hot water and plunge into cool water to stop cooking and cool the potato.
Grate the potato into a bowl and combine it with the shallot and kosher salt. In a 8-inch non-stick pan (cast iron is ideal) heat the oil until shimmering. Add the grated potato, levelling the mixture with a spatula. When the bottom is well browned, place a plate on top of the skillet, flip the pan onto the plate to release the potatoes, then slide the potatoes from the plate back into the hot pan. Cook the potatoes until well browned, then nudge the sides of the potato into a little nest with your spatula. Slide the rösti onto a clean plate, season with kosher salt and garnish with goat cheese, chopped bacon and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
By Denise Marchessault in "Eat Magazine" September-October 2012, Canada. Adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.
They’re also the best for deep-frying. Thin-skinned waxy potatoes, like fingerlings or new potatoes, are dense with a firmer bite and tend to hold their shape well. They are best boiled, roasted and pan-fried and are delicious in salads. Of course, you can always fall back on the ubiquitous all-purpose, medium-starch variety, but I prefer potatoes with a purpose. Whatever potato you choose, show your tuber a little respect by cooking it properly. Over-zealous boiling, for example, can rob potatoes of their texture—leaving them soggy and shaggy edged. If you place (cleaned) potatoes in room temperature salted water and bring them to a gentle boil until a knife easy pierces them, you’ll have perfect potatoes every time. It’s not difficult but, like all cooking techniques, it takes a bit of patience and a watchful eye. However you enjoy your potatoes, cut them in relatively uniform shapes to ensure even cooking. It’s a common sense technique that’s often overlooked.
I’ve provided three simple recipes that will have your guests lining up for seconds: mashed potato croquettes spiced with ginger, garlic and peppers; crispy grated potatoes with bacon and goat cheese; and sliced potatoes baked in cream and topped with cheese. Croquettes are my favourite way to use up leftover mashed potatoes, but my family loves them so much I sometimes skip the plain mashed and move directly to croquettes. I rarely make the same croquettes twice because my inspiration comes from whatever happens to be in the fridge or pantry at the time. In this recipe, I combined the mashed potatoes with Indian-inspired flavours of ginger, serrano peppers, garlic, lemon, turmeric, coriander and cumin. The potatoes are portioned and shaped into disks or logs and dredged in flour, dipped in beaten egg, then covered with panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) and fried until crispy.
Rösti is as straightforward as it gets: grated potatoes pressed into a sizzling, well-oiled pan. Traditionally, rösti potatoes are flat and crispy, but I nudge them into a little potato nest with a ring of chopped bacon and a coin of goat cheese. The trick to rösti is making sure both top and bottom are crispy, which involves flipping (gasp!) the potatoes. This is easy with the help of a plate. Cover the pan with a dinner plate, flip the pan onto the plate to release the rösti, then slide it from the plate back into the pan and voila! Smaller pans make the task more manageable than larger pans. If you’re craving comfort food, a potato gratin is like sitting by the fire, wrapped in your favourite blanket.
If you don’t mind splurging on calories now and then, a potato gratin made of sliced potatoes baked in cream and cheese is worth the extravagance. A mandoline or hand-held vegetable slicer (available at kitchenware stores) is a handy tool for cutting the potatoes in thin, even slices. Gratins can be baked in individual ramekins or made into oblong terrines. Grab a bag of potatoes this fall and discover the infinite possibilities of the mighty spud!
Individual Potato Gratins
5 new potatoes (about 1½ pounds), peeled and washed
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup cream
1 tsp salt
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 ramekins, 3-inch-by-2-inch
Preheat oven to 350F°
Slice potatoes thinly with a mandoline or a sharp knife. (A mandoline will make the job much easier.) In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the melted butter, cream and salt. Stack the potato slices into the ramekins, sprinkling them with grated Parmesan every third layer, or so. Press the potatoes firmly into the ramekins to form even layers, ending with grated Parmesan on top.
Place the ramekins on a tray and bake for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender when tested with a knife. If the gratins begin to brown too quickly, cover with foil and continue baking. Allow the ramekins to cool slightly and pour off any excess fat. Run a knife around the ramekin and invert the potato gratins onto a plate or serve directly in the ramekins. Leftover gratins can be cooled in their ramekins, covered with plastic and stored in the refrigerator for three days. To reheat, remove the plastic, place the ramekins on a tray, cover with foil and reheat in a 325F° oven until warmed through.
Spicy Potato Croquettes
2 pounds of russet potatoes, about 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
¼ cup butter
2 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ tsp finely grated fresh ginger
½ tsp finely grated fresh garlic (a microplane grater works well for both ginger and garlic)
1 finely chopped serrano pepper, seeds removed (use less if you don’t like too much spice)
½ tsp turmeric
For the breading:
2/3 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs)
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
Place the potatoes in a saucepan with enough room temperature cold water to cover the potatoes by one inch. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender when tested with a knife. While the potatoes are cooking, toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small dry skillet just until fragrant. When they have cooled, grind them together using a mortar and pestle or a spice blender.
Drain the water from the potatoes. Mash the potatoes in a large bowl, using a ricer, food mill, potato masher or fork. (A ricer or food mill yields the smoothest texture.) Add to the potatoes the ground spices, butter, salt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, pepper and turmeric and blend until well combined. Taste to adjust seasoning, adding more pepper, lemon or salt if desired. Scoop about 3 tablespoons (about 1 ounce) of the potato mixture onto your work surface and gently roll into a 4-inch log with the palm of your hand. Trim the edges and place on a parchmentor wax-paper lined baking tray. Repeat with remaining mixture, being careful to roll logs into even sized shapes. Refrigerate the potatoes about half an hour—this will firm them up and make them easier to coat.
Using three shallow bowls (glass pie plates work well) fill one each with flour, beaten eggs and panko (or breadcrumbs). Remove the potato logs from the refrigerator and, one at a time, dredge each log in the flour, then roll it in the beaten eggs, and then in the panko or breadcrumbs. Once the breading is complete, the logs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a day before shallow frying.
Fill a medium-sized cast iron or heavy-duty skillet with enough oil to cover the croquettes halfway with oil. Heat the oil until an instant-read thermometer reaches 350°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil by adding a small cube of bread: if the bread sizzles and turns golden in about a minute, the oil is ready. Carefully add the croquettes to the oil, one at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan. Rotate the croquettes with tongs or a fork, making sure all sides are golden. Drain the croquettes on a baking rack covered with a paper towel and sprinkle immediately with salt. Place the croquettes in a warm oven while you continue cooking the remaining croquettes. Serve immediately.
Potato Rösti
1 large new or Yukon Gold potato, washed (no need to peel)
½ shallot, grated
Pinch of kosher salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, rendered bacon or duck fat
1 Tbsp goat cheese
2 slices cooked bacon, drained on a paper towel and diced
Freshly ground black pepper In a medium saucepan, add the potato (whole) and enough water to cover the potato by one inch. Bring the water to a gentle boil and parboil (partially cook) the potato for about 8 minutes until it is still firm when pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove the potato from the hot water and plunge into cool water to stop cooking and cool the potato.
Grate the potato into a bowl and combine it with the shallot and kosher salt. In a 8-inch non-stick pan (cast iron is ideal) heat the oil until shimmering. Add the grated potato, levelling the mixture with a spatula. When the bottom is well browned, place a plate on top of the skillet, flip the pan onto the plate to release the potatoes, then slide the potatoes from the plate back into the hot pan. Cook the potatoes until well browned, then nudge the sides of the potato into a little nest with your spatula. Slide the rösti onto a clean plate, season with kosher salt and garnish with goat cheese, chopped bacon and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
By Denise Marchessault in "Eat Magazine" September-October 2012, Canada. Adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.
0 Response to "DELICIOUS POTATOES' DISHES."
Post a Comment