It's a good weekend to finish off a 20 pound bag of potatoes! Sunny, but still only in the 40s.
We'll be thinking about St. Patrick's Day and corned beef soon.
The potato is a native tuber-bearing plant of South America. It was introduced to northern Europe in the mid-1500s. The chemist Antoine August Parmentier declared the potato "safe and edible" for France in 1773. The bistro style preparation of "Potatoes Parmentier" is still popular today: cut peeled raw potatoes into half inch cubes, fry in butter, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve with roast meats. We all love the versatile potato.
Two classics and a low cal fast cooking variation will be discussed today. Pommes de terre a la dauphinoise (American scalloped potatoes) and Pommes de terre a la savoyarde (scalloped with broth instead of cream) and the ubiquitous "oven fry".
OK--they're all simple to make. Let's dive in.
The classic: Potatoes a la dauphinoise (gratineed or browned crisply in oven)
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Prepare the milk covering liquid:
Put all ingredients into a small sauce pan, over low heat:
1 cup whole milk (add more if needed)
2-3 large cloves garlic, peeled and flattened
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground white pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg (about ten gratings of whole nutmeg give the most taste)
Next:
Peel and slice into rounds 3# baking potatoes (do not rinse after slicing--surface starch is needed)
Arrange overlapping slices in a lightly buttered oven proof dish (about 9 x 13 for this amount)
(see photo)
Bring milk to a boil and pour over potatoes. Shake pan slightly to distribute liquid.
Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in oven until most of milk is absorbed (15-20 minutes).
Heat 1 1/2 cups heavy cream in the same saucepan.
Remove potatoes from oven, uncover, and pour over potatoes. Dot with 3 tablespoons butter and return to oven.
Bake uncovered another 20 - 25 minutes or until potatoes and cream topping have turned golden brown (see photo). Turn dish if your oven heats unevenly. You'll be able to tell.
When done, let sit for 5 minutes and then cut into wedges and serve. Goes well with grilled meats and fish, or as a main course with green salad and a glass of wine. Great leftover.
The Bistro Style (a la savoyarde)
This style is much lower fat, and can be eaten more often!
Follow the same procedure as above, but use your "white" broth instead of milk and cream. Also omit nutmeg, which is a flavoring touch used for white cream sauces only. Chicken stock, veal stock, vegetarian stock will be excellent choices. Adjust salt as needed.
Use any potatoes you wish--varietals, waxy, russet bakers, etc.
Use about 2 1/2 cups boiling broth (don't forget the garlic)
Add several springs of fresh chopped parsley
Add some thyme, herbes de Provence, etc., if desired.
After first baking under foil, remove from oven, uncover, and sprinkle with grated cheese
(Swiss, Parmesan, or your choice).
Return to oven and bake until edges of potatoes are brown and crusty (up to 40 minutes in all)
Oven Fries
Use any kind of raw potato, including sweet potatoes or yams. Experiment with root vegetables!
Preheat oven to 450 F
Line a cookie sheet or baking plaque with aluminum foil and place in oven to heat while you are working.
Peel (optional) and slice raw potatoes into wedges or French fry sized sticks (see photo)
Toss slices in 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil, salt, and any herbs you desire (I used rosemary and black pepper for the wedges, and paprika and bits of dried onion for the sticks. Any herbal combination you like is fine. Balance with what you are serving. Don't use too much oil--they'll be lower cal and stay crisper.
Carefully remove hot baking sheet from the oven and quickly scatter slices over the surface. The pre-heating gives them a fast start.
Lower heat to 400 F and bake about 20 minutes, until done. Test one. Turn once if needed for more browning, but if the oven is hot enough it probably won't be.
Eat immediately! If you are preparing oven fries for a dinner menu, you can prepare slices ahead and bake at the very last minute. They do not hold well.
In an emergency, leave in the oven with heat turned off until you can serve them.
Enjoy.
KGC
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