Another recipe by request, hot on the heels of the tuna salad. I thought the first seven requests had all been from Dylan, but I forgot about the egg quesadilla recipe that Cassie asked me to post when she started cooking for herself. Less than three hours ago, Cassie texted me that I "should put a recipe for breakfast potatoes on the blog." After some clarification from Cassie and Mom that we're referring to home fries, not hash browns, and that Cassie had in mind the home fries that she gets at a certain restaurant in Tallahassee, which are onion-less, unlike many recipes, I did a little research.
Many recipes call for parboiling the potatoes first, then pan-frying them. That was more work than I had in mind for Cassie, so I looked around for something with pan-frying or baking only. The baking ones were a little obnoxious, so I settled on pan-frying. One recipe ("The Best Home Fries You've Ever Tasted") used a lid for the first 10 minutes, which is similar to the technique I like for roasting potatoes, because the potatoes steam first and thus cook through faster before you brown them with the lid off. We had lots of potatoes around, so I got right to testing and these turned out great on the first try. Mom said they were "awesome," and Brad asked if he could finish off everything that was left (once he woke up), so three thumbs up. Request to fully fledged recipe, with photos, in under three hours. Not too shabby!
Home Fries
Inspired by Mashed
Time: ~25 minutes
You have to use some butter in this recipe rather than all oil. Unlike oil, which is pure fat, butter is about 18% water, which turns to steam when the butter melts and helps cook the potatoes through when you cook them for the first 10 minutes with the pan covered. I know 1-centimeter cubes sounds finicky, but I think ½-inch cubes are too big and ⅜-inch is ridiculous; metric measurements are better anyway (long live grams!). You can season home fries however you like—many recipes use onions, bell peppers, and/or garlic, but Cassie wanted them simple so that’s what I went with here.
~1¼ pounds/570 grams (2 medium-large) Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter (see note)
2 tablespoons (27 grams) olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika or a mixture of regular and smoked paprika
1. Cut a very thin slice off the side of a potato to make a flat, stable base. Stand the potato up on the base you just cut. Carefully slice the potato lengthwise into even quarters. Stack 2 of the quarters, then cut the stack lengthwise into 1-centimeter sticks (they should look like regular French fries at this point). Rotate the sticks 90 degrees (a quarter turn), then slice crosswise into 1-centimeter cubes. Repeat with the other stack and then the other potato.
2. Place the butter and oil in a 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet (that has a tight-fitting lid) over medium heat. When the butter has melted, stir in the potato cubes until they are coated with the fat. Season generously with salt and stir again, then spread the potatoes into a single layer. Cover the pan and cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes, until the bottoms are browned and crisp.
3. Remove the lid. Stir the potatoes and season again with salt. Cook, stirring frequently but gently, until the potatoes are cooked through (a paring knife inserted into the center of one of the bigger cubes should meet no resistance) but not falling apart. This can take from just a few minutes up to 10 depending on how small you cut your potato cubes.
4. Remove from the heat. Season with another pinch of salt, a few twists of pepper, and the paprika. Toss to coat, then taste again for seasoning. Serve promptly. Serves 2 to 3.
Time: ~25 minutes
You have to use some butter in this recipe rather than all oil. Unlike oil, which is pure fat, butter is about 18% water, which turns to steam when the butter melts and helps cook the potatoes through when you cook them for the first 10 minutes with the pan covered. I know 1-centimeter cubes sounds finicky, but I think ½-inch cubes are too big and ⅜-inch is ridiculous; metric measurements are better anyway (long live grams!). You can season home fries however you like—many recipes use onions, bell peppers, and/or garlic, but Cassie wanted them simple so that’s what I went with here.
~1¼ pounds/570 grams (2 medium-large) Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter (see note)
2 tablespoons (27 grams) olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika or a mixture of regular and smoked paprika
1. Cut a very thin slice off the side of a potato to make a flat, stable base. Stand the potato up on the base you just cut. Carefully slice the potato lengthwise into even quarters. Stack 2 of the quarters, then cut the stack lengthwise into 1-centimeter sticks (they should look like regular French fries at this point). Rotate the sticks 90 degrees (a quarter turn), then slice crosswise into 1-centimeter cubes. Repeat with the other stack and then the other potato.
2. Place the butter and oil in a 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet (that has a tight-fitting lid) over medium heat. When the butter has melted, stir in the potato cubes until they are coated with the fat. Season generously with salt and stir again, then spread the potatoes into a single layer. Cover the pan and cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes, until the bottoms are browned and crisp.
3. Remove the lid. Stir the potatoes and season again with salt. Cook, stirring frequently but gently, until the potatoes are cooked through (a paring knife inserted into the center of one of the bigger cubes should meet no resistance) but not falling apart. This can take from just a few minutes up to 10 depending on how small you cut your potato cubes.
4. Remove from the heat. Season with another pinch of salt, a few twists of pepper, and the paprika. Toss to coat, then taste again for seasoning. Serve promptly. Serves 2 to 3.
No comments:
Post a Comment