cooking potatoes

Phil_aka_Pip

following the bacon thread ...

Boiling. I'll cut mine into 4mm slices so that they cook quicker.

Roasting. Sliced first lengthways across the fattest part, then again lengthways at right angles to that. They cook quicker.

In a stew: diced into 10mm cubes.

I always leave the skin on. 

breakstuff

Come on Phil,you know you're not allowed parody threads in Off Topic

PolarityMan

actually its kind of festive everyone seems to go on at great length how they make roast potatoes at xmas time.

Sambostar

microwave 10 minutes, but can't be arsed to wait so get a 5 minute micro Indian instead.

On the subject of potatoes, this year has been a bad crop, as it's been wet, but you can grow them in your compost/leafmould pile with loads of last and this years leaves and they will grow massive and blight free.  Just don't add treated grass.  Just leaves and maybe an odd carrot or two (More alkaline pH as they decompose - leaves not the carrots)

axisus

I loves potatoes. Mmmmnnnn .......

thumpingrug

par boil 5-8 mins and steam dry prior to roasting, gives a nice crispy crust.

Phil_aka_Pip

thumpingrug said:

par boil 5-8 mins and steam dry prior to roasting, gives a nice crispy crust.

I actually like a crispy crust. Par boiling then swirling round in the saucepan after draining sometimes give you that effect

Axe_meister

Par boil with a handful of rosemary for 10 to 12 mins.

Pour water away, put lid back on the pot and shake up and down so the outside of the spuds are all floury then leave to steam dry.

Then shove in around the roast for a good hour with a good lashing of olive oil and some fresh herbs, turn every 10 to 15 mins.

Phil_aka_Pip

@Axe_meister that sounds well good!

edit

something my mum once said: if you have oil in the roasting tin make sure the potatoes sizzle before committing them to roasting, otherwise they won't go crispy

Axe_meister

Phil_aka_Pip said:

@Axe_meister that sounds well good!

edit

something my mum once said: if you have oil in the roasting tin make sure the potatoes sizzle before committing them to roasting, otherwise they won't go crispy

Yep the smashing of the outside gives you a nice uneven texture with some really nice crispy bits, it also helps suck up the blood/oil from the roast.

TheMarlin

Axe_meister said:

Par boil with a handful of rosemary for 10 to 12 mins.

Pour water away, put lid back on the pot and shake up and down so the outside of the spuds are all floury then leave to steam dry.

Then shove in around the roast for a good hour with a good lashing of olive oil and some fresh herbs, turn every 10 to 15 mins.

Can't argue with that. I use a variation.

For best results, potatoes have to be slightly over cooked.  This makes the outside super crispy roasties, and the inside soft and fluffy,  I just peel, then half the potato, and cook until the potato is slightly over cooked Then, bash around in the pan to get fluffy potato coating (be careful not to destroy them into a mush).   I then take a small bowl, pour in rapeseed oil, a tea spoon of paprika, a quarter tea spoon of turmeric, and spoon over the fluffy potatoes. You want the potatoes covered, not swimming in oil. Add rosemary, add garlic, and sea salt, and cook at 180 degrees until crispy and golden.  

For the best mash, cut potatoes into 1" cubes, boil in very salted water until cooked.  Drain, and let steam for a while.  Push cooked potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl, and add a HUGE knob of salted butter (I use anything from a quarter to half a pack, depending on how many i'm feeding (a half pack of butter for mast to feed 7)), and a good glug of full fat milk (maybe even a spoon or two of cream), and mash hard for at least 10 mins.  I actually end up beating some air into the mash, and it becomes light and unctuous.

Any leftover mash, i make fishcakes.

M

littlegreenman

What about baked potatoes?

Wrapped in tin foil at the edge of a camp-fire and "squidged" a bit every 10 minutes or so for the best results here. Then lots of butter and cheese and/ or chiili. Or the same approximation in a very hot oven. EU regulated gloves required, LOL.

Microwaved in an extreme emergency, but generally, no.

TheMarlin

actually, the best mash you can make is from baked potatoes.  They're sweeter, fluffy, with a deeper (slightly smokey) flavour.  Plus, you can make loaded skins with the leftovers !!

littlegreenman

TheMarlin said:

actually, the best mash you can make is from baked potatoes.  They're sweeter, fluffy, with a deeper (slightly smokey) flavour.  Plus, you can make loaded skins with the leftovers !!

Yep, I are did actually do that yesterday. 'Twas very nice Cheese and Mayo in the skins!

Hootsmon

hey, why don't we all get together and knit a cardigan?

holnrew

I'm craving baked potatoes now. For best results you should karate chop them open, it makes the steam leave all at once and the inside all soft.

Col_Decker

Roasted yes. Mashed yes. Chipped yes. New .... ummm ok but only if there isn't chips.

 

 

But baked and boiled can fuck right off.

strumjoughlamps

Panasonic combi oven, doesn't matter what you do roasts come out kickass... don't ask me why as I do not know but I have had other branded combis in the past and never got such good results.

FX_Munkee

Handy hint: If you leave new potatoes whole you can chuck them in a stew in the slow cooker for the whole day and they're perfect at tea time. Cut them up and they'll be overcooked.

I'll just go get my knitting patterns for sharing....