French Fries -- crispy outside, soft & tender inside

I don't always do this when I roast potatoes to make fries. It's an extra step, and sometimes I don't bother. But pre-boiling with some salt and acid does make a noticable difference on a crispier outside and still soft inside. Not quite as good as the texture achieved with deep frying, but this one skips the oil/fat!

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes

1 T cider vinegar

2-3 T olive oil

2 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Bring  a large pot of water (5 or 6 cups) to boil; add vinegar and 1 tsp salt.

Slice potatoes into ½ inch thick wedges & sticks. Add to boiling water; cook about 10 minutes until just beginning to become tender. Gently remove potatoes, draining off excess water (pat with paper towel).

Gently toss potato fries with olive oil in a medium bowl, coating evenly. Spread fries in a single layer on a baking sheet -- line with parchment or foil for easy clean-up -- and bake 20 minutes. Use tongs to turn fries; return to oven for an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Sprinkle remaining salt over hot fries to serve.

Smashed Potatoes

Yup -- Smashed; then broiled so they get nice and crispy on the outsides!

Ingredients

1 lb baby potatoes

2 T olive oil

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

salt & pepper

Directions

Place potatoes in a lage pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce to simmer and cook until potatoes are tender (20-25 minutes). 

While the potatoes boil, stir minced garlic into olive oil in a medium bowl (so the flavor can infuse the oil). Let sit until potatoes are ready.

Remove potatoes from heat; drain. Toss potatoes in garlic olive oil. Place potatoes -- spacing them apart from each other -- on a baking sheet lightly oiled or lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Smash potatoes using a spatula, or the bottom of a small small sauce pan (or anything really!) -- also coated with non-stick cooking spray. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.*

* Of course, you could certainly season your potatoes with more than just salt & pepper at this point!

Broil potatoes, flipping them at least once, until they are golden and crisp.

These are great just as they are -- I brushed a little butter on mine, but you could top them with sour cream and chives or gravy. Or ketchup, like fries; or...get creative!

Potato-Cheddar-Bacon Tart

Saw this in Food & Wine last month. Since it's wrapped in bacon, it looks like a LOT of bacon. Considering it serves 8-12, it's no more than a couple slices per person. And it makes an impressive presentation! I reduced the recipe and made it in a smaller dish (8.5inches...original recipe for a 10 inch skillet), and eliminated tarragon -- I'm not a fan. I also increased the salt (after tasting the final product); you'd think with all the bacon it wouldn't need it, but it's a lot of potatoes...sprinkle the salt between layers.

My version/measured amounts below... (VERY similar to Food & Wine's).

Ingredients
1 lb bacon
1 tsp black pepper
1 T salt
1 small yellow onion, fine chopped
2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh sage
8 oz shredded cheddar (white)
1+ lb Yukon Gold potatoes
     I used 4 medium-large potatoes

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

The photos are even better than descriptive directions. It helps to stagger the bacon strips, laying every other strip starting a couple inches away from the center so the very center doesn't get too thick. (I think I'd also trim the ends of the bacon strips if I made this again in this slightly smaller dish so there's not so much overlap on the top, center.) Salt and pepper each layer of potatoes (4 or 5 layers), then the onion-herb mixture, then cheese, then more potatoes...

Bake, covered, 1½ hours. Uncover; bake an additional 1½-2 hours.
This is a bit more than the original recipe indicates. My potatoes needed the additional time. The tricky part is draining off the drippings before serving...

Lemon-Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Complete recipe is on Food Network's site. This was a pretty easy fix...and I had everything except day old sourdough bread (I used breadcrumbs) and fresh parsley, but with a little improvisation it was a zingy, crunch side to my dinner. Don't overlook the squeeze of fresh lemon just before eating!

Ingredients
3 lbs baby red, Yukon gold potatoes...or a 'mixed bag' like I used
4 C cubed day-old sourdough bread
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan (about 1 ounce)
lemon wedges

Directions
...at FoodNetwork.com/recipes

Buttery, Roasted Potatoes

Two recipes: one, I  think, from Eating Well magazine (though I couldn't find it on their website, and my page of the magazine I ripped it from was incomplete), the other from Cooks Country. I've reduced each recipe to 1# of potoatoes, which serves 1-2, though they're both easy to double (or triple...) as needed. Though they're both good...Cooks Country wins, hands down!!

"Melting Potatoes" - Eating Well (?)
I didn't have whole cloves of garlic, so had to use pre-minced. I like garlic, but this was too garlic-y for me. Whole cloves releasing flavor while roasting in the broth would likely have been better.

Ingredients
1 lb yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold)
1 T butter, melted
1 T olive oil
1 t fresh thyme, finely chopped
 t fresh rosemary, finely chopped
½ C chicken broth (chicken, beef, vegetable...)
2-3 smashed garlic cloves
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 500°F.

Peel potatoes; slice into ¾ inch thick pieces. Toss with melted butter, olive oil, thyme and rosemary.
Season with salt and pepper.

Place slices in a single later in a 9x13" pan; Roast, flipping once, until browned (about 30 minutes).
Add broth and garlic cloves to the pan. Continue roasting until broth is aborbed (about 15 minutes more). Season with additional salt & pepper as desired. Serve hot.

"Butter Roasted Potatoes" - slight variation on a recipe from Cook's Country
These might benefit from herbs, like the Melting Potatoes above, but prepared this way they had amazing texture -- crispier outsides, very creamy (and buttery!) insides. They're a little more effort (more steps, though nothing difficult), but in my opinion...worth it! Delicious!!

Ingredients
1 lb yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold)
2 T butter
1 t salt
1 t vegetable oil
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place a rimmed baking sheet (jelly roll pan) on center rack in oven.

Melt butter over medium-low heat; cook, stirring constantly, until butter is nutty brown (about 5 minutes). Set aside.

Peel potatoes; slice into ½ inch thick pieces. Bring pieces to boil in a pot of water with 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat, simmer until potatoes are firm, but tender (about 5 minutes). Drain; blot with paper towels (blot well, or the butter won't be absorbed). Immediately place potatoes in a shallow dish in a single layer. Drizzle with browned butter; season with salt and pepper. Let sit until butter is abored (about 15 minutes, flipping once).*

Remove hot baking sheet from oven and brush with vegetable oil. Place potato slices on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until crisp and golden brown (about 40 minutes), flipping halfway through. Season with additional salt & pepper as desired. Serve.

* Even with thorough blotting, all the butter never did absorb into my potatoes. I drizzled the extra over them before roasting.

Potato Puffs

This is a recipe that's been in one of my files for YEARS (from Food Network Magazine, December 2013!) I finally made them. A little time consuming, though not difficult. Very similar to making choux pastry (pâte à choux); maybe somewhat healthier with the potatoes, but less so due to deep frying. Makes me wonder about trying to bake them instead -- like choux pastry. Maybe... It would be healthier (and easier just to pop them in the oven) and easier since the challenge is maintaing the oil temp so these cook all the way through (without soaking up much oil!) and are golden brown on the outside, not too dark. 

Ingredients
1 lb russest potatoes, peeled
¼ C whole milk
4 T butter
½ C flour
1 egg
3 egg yolks
salt
oil for deep frying

Directions - Food Network recipe & directions here
If I retry this recipe (or something close) and bake them...I'll update this post with directions of my own.

Peruvian Causa

Peruvian Causa is so named because when Peru was at war -- fighting for independence from Spain -- women would make this layered potato dish, and sell it in the streets to raise money for 'the cause' and support their husbands/soldiers. The recipe below (from allrecipes.com) uses canned tuna. That may not be the most traditional form of fish/seafood, but it's easy to get and worked for our purposes in Culinary Arts.

The recipe indicates a layer of hard boiled egg slices on 'top' before inverting the causa, so they end up on the bottom. We liked it better when the egg slices -- and a sprinkling of cilantro, common in other causa recipes -- were added after the causa was inverted so that they were visible on top.

INGREDIENTS:

8 russet potatoes, peeled 1/2 cup vegetable oil, or as needed 2 tablespoons minced aji amarillo salt and ground black pepper to taste 2 (5 ounce) cans tuna, drained

1 small red onion, diced small 1/2 cup mayonnaise, divided 2 avocados, cut into thin strips 3 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
2.	Mash potatoes with a ricer or hand mixer until smooth. Gradually stir in oil until potatoes come together; add aji amarillo, salt, and pepper. Cool potato mixture in the refrigerator, about 20 minutes.
3.	Stir tuna, onion, and 1/4 cup mayonnaise together in a bowl.
4.	Line a casserole dish with plastic wrap. Spread 1/2 the potato mixture on the bottom of the dish. Spread 2 tablespoons mayonnaise over the potatoes, spread the tuna mixture over the mayonnaise, and place the avocado slices in a single layer on top of the tuna mixture. Spread the remaining 1/2 of potato mixture over the avocados, and top with remaining 2 tablespoons mayonnaise. Place sliced eggs over the top. Cover casserole dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
5.	Invert casserole dish onto a serving dish or baking sheet to remove potato casserole from dish. Remove plastic wrap and cut casserole into squares.

Hasselback Baked Potatoes

From Cooking Light's September 2013 issue..."Hasselbacks" -- which get their name from Hasselbacken, the Stockholm restaurant where they were first served.

A "baked-potato-meets-oven-fries" approach to herbed, seasoned potatoes. Other Hasselback recipes include parmesan, romano, or other cheeses along with the olive oil and herb drizzle, seasoned with salt & pepper. So...plenty of variations to explore!

I kept mine fairly simple: olive oil, salt & pepper, garlic, and rosemary...mostly because that's what I had on-hand fresh. Find the recipe (more instructions than a full recipe) here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/79518/hasselback-potatoes/

Cauliflower Stuffed Baked Potatoes

My ongoing effort to increase my vegetable repertoire...

The puréed cauliflower in this recipe (from the Food Network) makes a wonderfully creamy twice-baked-potato without the extra fat of cream, butter or sour cream. And it tastes great! They do still get topped off with cheese and bacon...


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/super-stuffed-baked-potatoes-recipe/index.html

 

Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette

This was a Bobby Flay/Food Network recipe I tried today (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/greek-potatoes-with-lemon-vinaigrette-recipe2/index.html). I love a good vinaigrette; the lemon and oregano really add a fresh, light zip to roast potato wedges.

Potato-Leek Soup with Bacon

This soup tasted good -- especially with the bacon -- but the Culinary Arts students thought it was a little thin...and I agree! We're adding extra potatoes (a few more blended and some extra diced chunks as well) to thicken it up before serving it again. :)

Ingredients

2 Tbls butter

8 slices bacon, chopped

3 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

8 C chicken broth

4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and ½” diced

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 C heavy cream

3 C frozen peas (do not thaw in advance)

½ C chopped scallions

Directions

Cook the bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp (about 8 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, reserving about 2 tablespoons fat in the pan.

Add 2 tablespoons butter to pan, then add leeks and garlic; cover and cook until tender (about 5 minutes).

Add broth, 4 cups water, potatoes and salt and pepper; cover and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring just occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes).

Purée half the soup in a blender (remove the filler-cap to let steam escape), then return to the pot. Add cream and bring to simmer.

5 minutes before serving, add peas. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with crumbled bacon and chopped scallions to garnish.

Another twist on Potato-Leek Soup: Potato-Leek Soup with Mini Pierogi.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Rosemary and Garlic

Ingredients
2 Tbls butter
2 pound root vegetables, large dice/sliced
   (carrots, parsnips, potatoes, red onion, etc.*)
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

 * I had some zucchini I needed to use up as well. It'll cook up much softer than firmer root vegetables cooked the same amount of time...unless you add it in later. Do as you please. :)

Directions
Preheat oven to 425° F.

Melt butter.In a shallow roasting pan or glass baking dish, stir together melted butter, rosemary, garlic and cut vegetables.Roast, stirring occasionally until vegetables are golden brown (about 50 minutes).

Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi are actually more of a dumpling than a true pasta.


2 lbs potato
   (You want a fairly mealy, baking potato; russets work well.)
2 egg yolks, beaten
1½ C flour
pinch salt

Bake the potatoes (350°, about an hour). Let them partially cool; while they're still warm -- easier to work with at that point -- scoop the potatoes from the skins. Pass them through a ricer, of finely mash them with a fork, then fluff them a bit.

Add flour, egg yolks, and salt to potatoes; mix until a dough ball forms (don't over-mix).

Dust the work surface with flour and roll portions of the dough into logs or 'snakes' about 3/4" in diameter. (Again, work with the dough lightly; don't press or knead it excessively. You want light, fluffy gnocchi, not dense chewy dough balls.) Cut the dough into 1" lengths. Using a fork (or your finger, but the indentations of the fork are great for catching pasta sauce!), gently roll across each gnocchi to create a slight indentation and give the gnocchi a curved, almost shell like shape.

At this point, the gnocchi are ready to be cooked; but you can also lay them out flat on a baking sheet, freeze them, then put them in air tight plastic bags/containers to freeze for cooking later.

To cook the gnocchi, simply boil them in lightly salted water like you would any other pasta. Depending on the thickness, 3-7 minutes should fully cook fresh gnocchi (slightly longer for frozen/thawed gnocchi). Generally...when they rise to the surface, they're done!

Serve with your favorite pasta sauce.

Baked Potatoes

MHS: Introduction to Foods and Nutrition *

(I realize that many who read this blog are not in need of a 'recipe' for baking a potato. However, for the students in my beginning Foods class at school, I'm making all of the recipes we prepare in class available.)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Depending on their size, potatoes will take 50-90 minutes to fully bake.

Wash the potatoes and remove any eyes and bruises. Dry with a paper towel. Using your hands, lightly coat the potato skins with olive oil, or butter. Randomly prick each potato with a fork.

Optional (affects the texture of the potato skins): Wrap potatoes in foil. If not wrapping in foil, place a sheet of foil under the potatoes so the oil or butter doesn’t drip and burn on the oven floor.

Serve warm with butter, salt & pepper; or…other toppings of your choice.

Possible toppings: sour cream, chives, ranch dressing, bleu cheese dressing, shredded cheese (cheddar, parmesan, cottage cheese…), crumbled bacon, onion (fresh or sautéed/caramelized), salsa, tobasco sauce, sliced or diced green/red/orange/yellow peppers, sliced or diced mushrooms (fresh or sautéed), broccoli, diced tomatoes, chili, dill, garlic, cilantro, tarrogon, thyme, marjoram, pesto…

* * * * * * * * * *

For our baked potato lab in class, butter, salt & pepper will be provided. Your group may choose three (3) additional toppings. Be sure to put them on the “market order” section of your Lab Planning Sheet.

* This recipe is one used in the introductory culinary course I teach.

(Vegetables/Starches)

Flavored Butters

Honey butter and garlic butter are delicious, but...nothing new. Still, flavored butters are an easy way to dress up a meal! Use them on breads, veggies, potatoes...

Soften butter to room temperature. Add ingredients to taste.
Here are some other flavor combinations to get you started:

* sun dried tomato and caper butter
* chile-lime-tequila butter
* curry butter
* diced, caramelized mushroom & shallot butter (pictured)
* rosemary and thyme butter
* cardamom-honey butter
* tarragon and lemon zest butter
* cabernet-gorgonzola butter

To really go all out: Roll butter into a log; chill, then slice into ¼" pieces before serving.

Herbed Yukon Gold Potato Latkes

3½ lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
5 eggs
½ C matzo meal
¾ C chopped fresh chives
½ C chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbls salt
1 tsp pepper
vegetable oil for frying
10-12 oz smoked salmon
sour cream
garnish with: thinly sliced red onion, capers, chives...

When I made these, I had fresh chives and thyme, but I used dried parsley and rosemary. Of course, fresh is best, but let's be realistic folks -- who has all these fresh herbs on hand year round? Do the best you can. :)

Yukon Gold potato skins are so thin that there's no need to peel them; simply remove any brown spots or eyes. Grate potatoes and soak in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes.

Drain potatoes in a colander; squeeze out excess water: wring out potatoes, by handfuls, in a kitchen towel and return to bowl. Use a fresh towel when needed.

In another bowl, stir together eggs, matzo meal, herbs, salt and pepper. Pour over potatoes and mix well. (If liquid ever begins to pool in the bottom of the bowl, drain it off, or...more matzo meal can be added, 2 Tbls at a time.)

Pour ¾" oil into a 10-12" frying pan over medium-high heat until it reaches 350° on a candy thermometer. Scoop ¼ C of potato mixture from bowl, using a wide knife or spatula to flatten and shape into a patty about ½" thick, and gently slide pancake into hot oil. Don't crowd latkes in the pan. Cook until edges are crispy and well browned and undersides are dark golden brown (about 3 minutes each side).

Transfer latkes to paper towels to drain, keep warm in a 200° oven while cooking remaining latke pancakes. Serve hot with smoked salmon, sour cream, red onion, chives, and/or capers.

This recipe didn't list it, but I've often seen latkes paired and served with applesauce.

Zesty Mashed Potatoes

8 lg baking potatoes
½ C sour cream
8 oz cream cheese @ room temperature
½ C butter @ room temperature
½ milk
1-2 cloves minced garlic
salt & pepper
optional: 1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Peel and cube potatoes; cook, drain.
Coat a 9x13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Beat potatoes until smooth. Add sour cream, cream cheese, milk, garlic, salt & pepper. Beat until thoroughly mixed. Pour into baking dish.

Optional: Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. (Or use a different cheese of your choice.)





Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes at 400°.

Sweet Potato Soup (or ANY vegetable!)

2 Tbls olive oil
1½ lbs sweet potato (4-5 cups)
1 lg onion, diced
1 Tbls butter
3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
3 C chicken broth
1 to 1½ C cream (or half & half, whole milk)
salt & pepper
SEASONING & SPICES: ½ C brown sugar, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp cayenne pepper
Optional GARNISH: chopped honey-roasted peanuts or cran-apple relish


Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1" chunks.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in large/deep sauté pan. Add sweet potatoes and onion; sauté, stirring very little at first, then more often, until potatoes and onions start to turn golden brown (about 7 or 8 minutes).

Reduce heat to low and add butter and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are caramel in color (about another 10 minutes). Add spices and continue to sauté until fragrant (less than a minute).

Add broth; bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender. Purée until very smooth. (I use my immersion blender and purée right in the pot.)

Add cream, blend. Salt and pepper as desired. Serve hot with chopped honey-roasted peanuts or cran-apple relish as a garnish. A splash of hot sauce also adds a tasty zip to this sweet and creamy soup.


VARIATIONS: This basic soup recipe can do a LOT just by substituting different vegetables and spice/herb blends instead of the sweet potato and sugar/ginger/nutmeg/cayenne used above. Try any of these or experiment with your own:

Potato Rosemary Soup:
Vegetable: 1½ lbs peeled russet potatoes (You may not want to purée all of the potatoes; leaving some in chunks adds texture to the soup.)
Spices: 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp rosemary
Garnish: crumbled bacon

Carrot Curry Soup:
Vegetable: 1½ lbs carrots
Spices: 2 Tbls curry powder
Garnish: chopped roasted pistachios

Cinnamon Butternut Squash Soup:
Vegetable: 1½ lbs peeled, seeded butternut squash
Spices: 1½ tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ cayenne
Garnish: store-bought apple chips

Broccoli Mustard Soup:
Vegetable: 1½ lbs broccoli (7-8 Cups), peel stems before chopping to 1" chunks
Spices: 1½ tsp dried mustard, ½ tsp basil, ½ oregano, ¼ cayenne
Garnish: toasted pine nuts (To toast, heat skillet over medium-low heat. Add pine nuts; stir and shake skillet frequently until nuts are fragrant and golden brown.)

Italian Stew

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken
2 Tbls olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves
1 Tbls capers, drained and minced
1 lemon
1/2 C white wine
2 C chicken broth
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1 8-oz pkg/jar artichoke hearts
1/2 C flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 C pitted green olives
salt & pepper
optional: lemon wedges

Cut chicken, potatoes and artichoke hearts into approximate 3/4" cubes.

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook, turning at least once, until browned (about 5 minutes). Remove from pot and set aside. (While chicken is browning, press or mince garlic cloves; zest and juice lemon.)

Reduce heat. Add minced garlic, minced capers, and lemon zest; stir just intil fragrant (1 minute or less). Add wine, scraping browned bits from chicken off bottom of pan; simmer until reduced by about 1/2 (2-4 minutes). Add broth, potatoes, and chicken and return to simmer. Lower heat slightly to maintain simmering. Cover,and cook 20-30 minutes.

Add artichoke hearts and parsley, stirring to combine. Simmer until heated through, or until potatoes are tender.

Cut olives in half if desired. Add olives shortly before serving, allowing time for them to get thoroughly heated. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot, with lemon wedges on the side.

Italian Roast Vegetables

This is easy, tastes delicious.

4-6 C cut mixed vegetables
2/3 C +/- Italian salad dressing
1 C shredded parmesan

Cut up--in fairly large chunks--whatever vegetables you like: potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, peppers (red, green, yellow), broccoli, cauliflower...you could even throw in string beans, snow peas or corn (baby corn would be great...loose kernels could work too though).





Pour salad dressing over veggies in a large bowl; toss to coat evenly. Pour all the veggies into a casserole dish lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 375° until veggies are tender-crisp, roasting lightly on top (almost an hour - depends on the size of your veggie chunks). Stir once or twice during cooking to re-coat vegetables with dressing. When veggies are almost finished, top with shredded parmesan for the last 10-15 minutes.

I use baby potatoes (or fingerlings). I sometimes mix a little extra cheese--grated fresh or from a shaker jar (like you'd put on spaghetti)--in with the dressing and vegetables before cooking instead of or in addition to the cheese topping at the end.

For a variation, try ranch dressing; try a different kind of cheese.