How to Ruin Roasted Potatoes and Other Spuds

At New York’s Minetta Tavern, co-chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr nearly upstage their exceptional steaks with an arsenal of perfectly cooked potatoes—either fried, mashed with cream and butter or simply roasted. Here, they explain how to master potatoes at home by identifying and troubleshooting the most common mistakes.

1. Roasting raw potatoes. Simply tossing raw potatoes into the pan before roasting will guarantee tough results because the high water content will steam out over the course of a long cooking time. “You feel more like you’re eating the skin, because the structure just collapses inside,” says Hanson. “It also gets too hard. There’s crispy, and then there’s tooth-shattering.” To achieve that perfectly crispy exterior and creamy interior, parboil potatoes until 3/4 cooked, when a knife tip can pierce the potato, but it won’t slip off when picked up. Drain before roasting for about 20 to 30 minutes at 425 degrees.

2. Starting with a cold pan. Putting potatoes in a cold roasting pan increases the likelihood that they’ll stick. Hanson and Nasr suggest heating a pan in the oven then adding oil. Let that heat to just before smoking before dropping in the potatoes.

3. Crowding the pan. Leaving space between the potatoes helps them cook evenly, so it’s best to keep them in a single layer.

4. Micromanaging. It’s important to let potatoes brown completely on one side before turning them over. “As with most food,” explains Hanson, “potatoes are just not as good if they’ve been handled over and over.”

5. Adding tons of oil. Only use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan; otherwise, they’ll have a fried quality. “I prefer using duck fat, but I understand that can be hard to obtain for most folks, so olive oil or clarified butter works well too,” says Hanson. For an extra layer of flavor, the duo likes to add a few sprigs of rosemary or sage to the oil.

6. Using the wrong variety. Don’t try to roast a waxy potato like red bliss. It’s better to stick to Yukon golds. Otherwise, the chefs like German butterballs or even fingerlings.

1. Using cold butter and cream. Having your butter and cream at room temperature or warmer helps them absorb more easily into hot potatoes.

2. Over-blending. Using all warm ingredients means you shouldn’t have to overwork the mixture, which can make the potatoes gluey. “You have to treat your mashed potatoes like a mousse: Avoid whipping it too much when you add the butter and cream,” says Hanson.

3. Mashing with a fork. For a creamy result, stick with food mills or potato ricers, which act like a press, pushing the cooked potato through tiny holes. “Mashed potatoes should be smooth, buttery and hot, almost like a puree,” says Hanson. “I completely disagree with people who like chunky mashed potatoes. They may say that it’s ‘rustic,’ but I don’t get it.”

1. Using small spuds. Unless you want really short fries, Hanson and Nasr insist on finding the largest potatoes you can, like Idaho russets.

2. Frying fresh-cut potatoes. Soaking peeled, washed and cut fries in cold water overnight removes excess potato starch, which prevents fries from sticking together and helps achieve maximum crispness.

3. Cooking them only once. Hanson and Nasr subscribe to a two-step cooking process: first, blanching the fries in oil until tender but not browned, and then—when you’re ready to serve the fries—cooking them in 380-degree oil until golden and crisp.

Bobby Flay's Bistro Fries. Photo © David Malosh. © David Malosh

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How to ruin a fried potatoes and other spuds

In New York, Minetta Tavern, co chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr upstage almost their exceptional steaks with an arsenal of perfect potatoes - boiled mashed with cream and butter fried, or simply roasted. Here they explain like potatoes at home to master the correct identification and the most common errors.

1. Raw potatoes roasting. Warf will guarantee hard results simply raw potatoes into the Pan before roasting, as is the high water content in the course of the long cooking time from steam. "You feeling more you eat the skin, because the structure only inside, reduced", Hanson says. "It will be too hard." "It is crispy, and then there is breach of the tooth." To achieve that perfect crispy domestic and creamy, parboil potatoes until 3/4 If a knife tip can pierce the potato, but it is boiled, not on pickup slip. Drain before roasting for about 20 to 30 minutes at 425 ° c.

2. Starting with a cold Pan potatoes in a cold frying pan place, increases the likelihood that they'll keep. Hanson and Nasr beat a pan in the oven heating then add oil. Let the heat just before smoking before dropping in the potatoes.

3. Crowding the Pan leaving the space between the potatoes helps them evenly, so it is best to keep cooking them in a single layer.

4. Micro-management. It is important to let the potatoes Brown completely on one side before they turn around. "As with most food," said Hanson, "potatoes are simply not as good if she treated again and again have been."

5. Adding tons of oil. Use just enough oil to the bottom of the Pan coat; Otherwise, they have a fried quality. "I prefer duck fat, but I understand, which can be difficult to obtain for most people, so olive oil or butter works well understood," says Hanson. For an extra layer of flavor, the duo like a few branches of Rosemary or Sage to the oil.

6. Use of the wrong sort. Not attempt to fry a waxy potatoes such as red bliss. It is better to Yukon gold stick. Otherwise, such as the cooks of German butter ball or even breed.

With cold butter and cream 1. Butter and cream at room temperature or warmer helps make them lighter in hot potatoes.

2Nd over-blending. All the warm ingredients means that you should not overwork the mixture, which can make the potatoes sticky. "You have to treat your mashed potatoes like a mousse: to avoid, it moves too much when you add the butter and cream," Hanson says.

3. Mashing with a fork. For a creamy result stick with food mill or potato of Ricers, which pushed as a press, serve the boiled potato through tiny holes. "Mashed potatoes smooth, buttery and hot, should almost like a puree," says Hanson. "I agree the love chunky mashed potatoes at all not with people." "You can say that"rustic", but I get it it not."

1 With small spuds. Unless you want really short fries Hanson exist and you can Nasr in search of the largest potatoes like Idaho Russets.

2. Fresh-cut potato FRY. Soak peeled, washed and cut French fries in cold water overnight removes excess starch which prevents that French fries stick together and helps achieve maximum sharpness.

3. Cooking them only once. Hanson and Nasr subscribe to cooking steps: first of all the French fries in oil until tender but not browned, blanching and then - when you are ready to serve the fries - cooking them in 380-degree oil until golden and crispy.

Bobby Flay's Bistro fries. Photo © David Malosh.

View the original article here