Comfort food – A Lesson in Potatoes

With all of us in lockdown, it seems we’re all doing a lot more cooking. I know I am, and I already cooked a LOT, so it feels like Restaurant Central every night up in here at the cottage. As I promised this blog would include a lot about FOOD, I figure it’s a good time for a cooking post.

We all want comfort food right now, and what is more comforting than potatoes?!? Potatoes are so integral to the cuisines of so many European cultures, it’s always a shock to remember that they originated in the foothills of the Andes. I visited Ecuador several years ago, and was amazed at what was cultivated in small plots on incredibly steep slopes. I was there in the spring, which was fall in the southern hemisphere, and saw potatoes of every color and shape being harvested.

It boggles my mind to think that if you had lived, oh, say, in the court of Henry the 8th (I like to imagine myself swanning around with Jane Seymour, but I’d probably have been a kitchen wench…), you would NOT have eaten: beans, corn, peppers, tomatoes or potatoes, much less chocolate, coffee, pumpkins, peanuts or avocado. No chocolate or coffee? Kill me now! Actually, in the early 1500’s, most people would have been happy to have any food at ALL, never mind chocolate! But yes, ALL those foods are from the New World, and were unknown in the eastern hemisphere before they were introduced, promoted and cultivated.

Even worse, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes are all members of the deadly nightshade family, and people thought they were poison (the leaves actually are!). But accept them the Europeans eventually did, and they are loved today around the globe.

Potatoes like colder climates, and are grown in northern US states like Idaho, Washington, and Wisconsin. CHINA is actually the largest producer of potatoes in the world, followed by the EU and then INDIA – all surprises to me!

Potatoes can be divided into two distinct groups depending on their physical properties, and this is important to know to choose what types of potato to use for what.

STARCHY potatoes are oval-shaped, and cook up crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They are best for baked potatoes (aka “jacket potatoes” in the UK), twice-baked potatoes, mashed potatoes and french fries. They tend to fall apart when cooked without their skins. They can also absorb larger amounts of butter and cream – YAY!!! Examples of starchy potatoes are russets, which are also known as baking potatoes. Idaho potatoes are russets which are grown in Idaho (like how parmesan cheese should come from Parma, or Roquefort cheese from Roquefort, France).

WAXY potatoes tend to be round, and they hold their shape when cooked. That makes them better for putting in stews, in potato salad, or any dish where you don’t want them to disintegrate. Examples are red-skinned potatoes and yellow potatoes, such as Yukon Golds.

One reason we all love fried potatoes is what happens when their flesh comes in contact with hot fat and turns golden and crispy. But I hate frying things on my stovetop in a lot of oil – I hate the smell, the mess, and getting pinged with hot grease – although I have discovered a new product I’ll be writing about soon that helps with some of that…but they usually don’t get cooked all the way through, are overcooked or just too greasy.

But I’ve discovered that I don’t have to fry potatoes from their raw state to get this crunchy, golden goodness. If you boil or steam the potatoes first so they’re cooked through, you can then lightly fry them and get the same effect with less mess.

I started this dish with 4 whole gold potatoes, washed and cut into 6 pieces each, unpeeled (I like potato peels for the taste, the vitamins, texture AND that they keep the pieces from falling apart). I steamed them for about 8 minutes, or until a fork goes into them easily – cooked all the way through – lid on pot, no mess…

I then added @2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large cast iron skillet, heated it to medium-high and added the steamed potatoes. You want to make sure each of the pieces has a cut-side down rather than a peel-side.

Season with salt & pepper, and let cook until the first side is golden brown, then stir gently. Use a spatula to lift and move the pieces.

When all pieces have at least one golden side, turn the heat OFF and sprinkle @1/2 cup of grated Manchego cheese over the potatoes, and stir again. The skillet will have enough heat to melt & brown the cheese without burning it.

A note about cheese: I’m one of those people who thought they were lactose-intolerant, but it turns out I’m just sensitive to cow’s milk dairy products. It doesn’t mean I don’t indulge in ice cream or lovely brie from time to time, but I try to avoid them on a regular basis. I can, however, eat to my heart’s content of dairy products from goats and sheep. I have goat yogurt almost every day (and no, you’d never know), and we eat a lot of goat cheese around here (I sub the creamy kind for fresh mozzarella). Sheep’s cheese is harder to find, but manchego has become popular enough to find easily. Grated, it also makes a wonderful substitute for parmesan. Also be aware that feta cheese is traditionally made from sheep’s milk, but the cheaper kinds are made from cow – check your label carefully.

The golden-fried potatoes are now ready for lovely toppings – the minced fresh herbs of your choice, finely chopped green onions, arugula, crumbled bacon or ham, sour cream or yogurt (goat for me, please), or blobs of pesto. Think of it like nachos! It makes a wonderful side dish, or with the right additions, a main course.

You can also get a similar effect without using your stovetop at all. Place a cast-iron skillet into a 400-degree oven to heat up. Take 4 raw potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled, cut into large chunks, and toss in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt & pepper. Remove the hot skillet from the oven and carefully place the potatoes in a single layer in the skillet. Return to the oven and cook, for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, or until cooked through and crispy on the edges. Feeds 2 adults.