To many people, “smashed potatoes” are just another more violent name for mashed potatoes, especially when the skins are left in, but those aren’t real smashed potatoes. These are real smashed potatoes, and they’re spectacular.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
They say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but that’s mostly
because people just don’t remember exactly what happened. Happily, that’s not
the case with this incredible Potatoes Romanoff recipe. About 10 years ago, I
took a trip to Las Vegas with a group of food writers, and while I don’t recall
much, I do remember learning how to make this ingenious potato gratin from Chef
John Schenk, at his restaurant, Strip House.
He credits his Mom for the recipe, but the shallots and
white pepper scream, “This was adapted by a restaurant chef!” Which reminds me,
if you do use shallots for this, be careful. Since they go in raw, a little
will go a long way. To play it safe, you can always sauté them in a little
butter to take off the sharp, raw edge. Besides shallots, some thinly sliced
green onions would be great, as would sautéed leeks, or even just finely minced
yellow onions.
This would be a great side dish for those large holiday
gatherings, since it can be made the day before, and then baked when needed. And
as I said in the video, you can embellish this with all sorts of stuff, including
such obvious choices as bacon, or fresh herbs, but no matter how you
personalize it, I really hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 portions:
3 very large russet potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds), scrubbed
clean
1/4 to 1/3 cup minced shallots, raw, or sautéed for a milder
flavor
3 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons fine salt)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, or freshly ground
black pepper
pinch of cayenne
2 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese
1 3/4 cups sour cream
- Bake at 425 F. for 30-35 minutes, or until browned and
piping hot.
I like to think of myself as a fairly adventurous eater, but
when it comes to breakfast, I usually fall into the “if it’s not broken, don’t
fix it,” school of thought, and home fries are a perfect example. I mean, what
improvement can you possibly make to perfectly pan-fried, crispy on the
outside, fluffy in the middle breakfast potatoes?
Maybe this is just semantics, since these Bombay breakfast
potatoes aren’t really supposed to be an improvement, but rather a slightly
more exotic change of pace. In any event, they were absolutely delicious, and
while definitely different than your average diner fare, they managed to
retain an acceptable degree of comforting familiarity. And for that, I will mostly
credit the texture.
Like I said in the video, even if you don’t plan on using
the Indian-inspired spicing, you’ll want to pay attention to the cook-first,
fry-later approach. While it does take a little bit of planning ahead, the pay
off is substantial. By boiling first, and then thoroughly chilling before you
panfry, the starches on the surface “gelatinize,” which makes all that
irresistible crispiness possible.
Above and beyond the textural advantages, by prepping the
potatoes the night before, you’re making things pretty easy for yourself the
next morning. Just toss them into the hot pan, and by the time your eggs are
cracked, beaten, and scrambled, your home fries should be just about done. So,
no matter how you season yours, I really do hope you give these a try soon.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 large or 4 small portions:
Spice mix:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 large russet potatoes, cut in 16ths, cooked in well-salted water
There’s nothing very unusual, or interesting about serving a
chicken or potato salad at a cookout, which is why this truly unique, Peruvian potato and chicken
salad will cause such a stir. Or should I say, “causa” a stir, since in Peru that’s
what this gorgeous dish is called. I’m told the name comes from the Inca word for
“giver of life,” which is exactly what this will do to your summer picnic
table.
Above
and beyond the bold, vibrant flavors, this is unlike any other potato-based
salad, in that we’re using mashed potatoes instead of cubes, or chunks, but it
really does work beautifully, and the smooth, silky texture makes this even
more refreshing to eat. Keep all that in mind the next time a heat wave rolls
through your area.
I
went very minimal with the cherry tomato garnish, but my Peruvian friends are
letting me know that olives are a very traditional garnish, as are hardboiled
eggs. If you do an image search, you’ll see all kinds of elaborate
presentations, and that’s half the fun of making something like this, so go
nuts. Regardless of how you dress yours up, or what ends up in your salad, I
really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 Appetizer-Sized Portions (in 6-oz
ramekins):
For the potato mixture:
1 1/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, or russet
2 tablespoons Aji Amarillo chili paste, or to taste (see
note below)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 or 2 limes, juiced, or to taste
salt and cayenne to taste
For the chicken salad:
1 large cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded
1/4 cup green peas
1/4 cup cooked diced carrots
2 tablespoons finely diced roasted red pepper
1 teaspoon minced shallot, or red onion
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 to 1/3 cup mayo, or as needed
salt and cayenne to taste 1 ripe avocado for layering with the salad
For the sauce:
1/3 cup mayo
1 tablespoon sour cream, optional 1 small crushed garlic clove 2 teaspoons Aji Amarillo chili paste, or to taste a splash of water to adjust the thickness
Please Note: If you can’t find Aji Amarillo, you can make a paste from some fire-roasted and peeled orange or red bell peppers, and red Fresno chilies for some heat. While this does get you close, you should definitely try to find a jar of the real stuff, since it does have such a unique flavor.
One of my all-time favorite things to do is take an iconic
recipe, and somehow tweak it to maybe make it easier, healthier, or tastier;
which was definitely not what happened here. This was simply a case of
me wanting hummus, not having garbanzo beans, and making it anyway with sweet
potatoes, which, much to my amazement, came out remarkably well.
I don’t blame you if you're skeptical, but this stuff really does
have almost the same taste and texture as hummus. It has a little bit of a
sweeter finish, which reminded me of a red pepper hummus, but all in all, it’s very close. In fact, my wife Michele, who has a much more discerning
palate than I do, said that if she were blindfolded, she’d have trouble
identifying this as not being actual hummus.
However, to get this close to what you think hummus tastes
like, please be prepared to adjust the ingredient amounts to your liking.
Some folks like just a hint of garlic and lemon, while others like to be
crushed by it. Same goes for the tahini, and other seasonings, so taste, and
adjust accordingly.
Of course, since the name, “hummus” comes from the Arabic
word for chickpeas, one can make a strong argument that this isn’t hummus, and
therefore shouldn’t be called hummus. But those people don’t have to worry about
search engine results, which is why I just worked the word “hummus” into this
paragraph four times. Actually, let’s
make it five, as I say I really do hope you give this easy, and delicious
alternative hummus a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 2 cups of Sweet Potato Hummus:
2 cups mashed, roasted sweet potatoes
1/3 cup tahini
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chipotle
pinch cayenne
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons cold fresh water whipped in to lighten
texture, optional
One of my earliest “exotic” food experiences was eating
potato knishes with my Dad when we’d visit Coney Island. There were the square
variety, and we’d buy them from a hot dog cart, and since potatoes were my
favorite food growing up, I was in heaven. I mean, mashed potatoes in a warm,
flaky pastry? I’ll have two, please.
Back then they were still made with copious amounts of
chicken fat, also know as “schmaltz,” which was the real secret behind their
awesomeness, but you can make a perfectly fine version without that, especially
if you have some leftover corned beef around. Regardless of how you fill these,
the technique seen herein will work, and half the fun is trying new versions. As
long as the base is mashed potato, spiked with onions fried in lots of fat,
anything goes.
I think the baked version is the easiest, but if you feel so
inclined, these can also be deep-fried, or pan-fried. No matter how you cook
them, one of the keys is getting the dough nice and thin, so your finished
product is mostly filling. Other than that, these are relatively simple to
make, and the kind of snack that fills more than just an empty stomach, which
is why I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 16 Knishes:
(Please Note: I only used half the dough in the video, and
only made enough filling for 8 knishes, but the following ingredients will make
16 total)
For the dough:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup warm water
For the filling (might make extra):
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, quartered, and boiled
in salted water until tender
1/2 cup melted butter, and/or rendered chicken fat
2 cups diced yellow onion
2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon fine salt), plus more
to taste
freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
8 ounces diced corned beef
1 cup finely chopped cooked cabbage
- Bake at 375 F. for about 40 minutes, or until golden-brown
Sorry for the late upload, but I had some mysterious modem
issues, and this German potato dumpling video took over 5 hours to upload! I
was having flashbacks to those good, old dial-up AOL days, and they weren’t good
flashbacks. I do miss that cool modem sound, but that's about it.
Anyway, it’s late, but I wanted to post the
ingredient amounts, and maybe I'll add some more info tomorrow, although these are
so basic that’s probably not necessary. The only tip I’ll give is that I
think baking the potatoes works better than boiling them whole. Peeling, quartering,
and boiling until tender will also work, but don’t overcook them, otherwise
they'll absorb too much water.
By the way, if you’re German, or know the same things they
do, I’d love to learn why we're sticking croutons in the middle of these things. I
totally get the crumbs on top, but inside? If you have an explanation, I’d like
love to hear it, and in the meantime, I really do hope you give these a try
soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 to 10 German Potato Dumplings:
2 large russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste
These crispy yuca fries are often presented as a healthier
alternative to fried potatoes, but the taste and texture is so good, I think it
would be more appropriate to describe French fries as a less-healthy
alternative to these. They really are that good, and do a great job of
bridging the gap between regular fried potatoes, and sweet potato fries.
Once fried, the texture is remarkably similar to a russet or
Kennebec potato (the variety most commonly used for fries and chips), and while
these do have a slightly sweeter taste, it’s not nearly as pronounced as a
sweet potato. Like I mentioned in the video, I always regret ordering sweet
potato fries, since, to my palate at least, they’re just not savory enough,
which is not the case with these.
Just be sure to boil them first, since they can be toxic
eaten raw in larger amounts. Why you’d ever want to eat a big pile of raw yuca is
beyond me, but the legal department wanted to mention that regardless. Anyway,
once safely cooked, they can be pan-fried crispy as seen here, or deep fried,
or place them on a foiled sheet pan, brush them with oil, and bake at 425 F.,
turning occasionally until they’re browned and crusty.
I was going to finish by listing off other ways you can use
this delicious root, but to save time I’ll just say that if a recipe works with
regular potato, it will work with yuca. And maybe even work better, which is
why I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- Yuca root (aka cassava), peeled, cut, and boiled until just tender
in salted water * Please note: on larger roots there may be a tough fibrous part running through the middle, which can be trimmed out after boiling. These didn't really have one, but you'll know if yours do.
They say your greatest strength is also your biggest
weakness, which certainly is true when it comes to sweet potatoes.The starchy sweetness that makes this tuber such
a popular holiday side dish, is also its fatal flaw, since, for me at least, it
quickly leads to palate fatigue. After a few bites of mashed sweet potatoes, or sweet potato
casserole, I’m pretty much over the experience, and I’m reaching for the
cranberry sauce to reset my tongue, but here we’ve mixed in a few ingredients
specifically selected to cut that sweetness, and push this much closer to the
savory side of town.
Lime, jalapeño, and sharp cheddar may seem like odd choices
here, but paired with the green onions, and bacon, they work wonders, and I had
no problem finishing a whole sweet potato. And by whole, I mean two. By the
way, these orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are often sold as “yams,” but they’re
not, in case that ever comes up in conversation.
Besides all the obvious reasons, this is a great choice for
your Thanksgiving table, since you can prep it ahead of time, and then bake
them when you’re ready to serve.They will
also stay hot for quite a while, which is another reason they’re nice around
the holidays, when oven space can be limited. So, whether you make these for a special
occasion, or some completely un-special weeknight meal, I really do hope you
get give these loaded, twice-baked sweet potatoes a try soon. Enjoy
Ingredients for 4 portions:
4 orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
8 ounces bacon, sliced
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup diced jalapeno
1/2 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese, plus a little bit
for the top
2 tablespoons crème fraiche, or sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste
The hardest line cook job I ever had was working the broiler
station at the Carnelian Room, where on a busy night I’d prepare over 250
steaks and chops, which wasn’t even the most difficult part. No, the biggest
challenge was actually frying these potato puffs to order, to go on all those
plates.
It was a lot of work, but a labor of love, since pomme
dauphine, as my French friends would call this, is one of the greatest foods
ever invented, especially for potato fanatics like me. However, as with most
fried foods, they can be messy to make, and unless you have an
industrial-strength hood fan, your kitchen will smell like a deep fryer for
days, which is why I wanted to try and do a baked version.
I was very happy with the results, and while the outside
wasn’t dark and crispy like the fried version, the inside was virtually
identical, and thoroughly enjoyable in their own right. Whether you’re making
them as a warm snack with a dip, or to go alongside some eggs, or a grilled
steak, the baked version should work out just fine.
Of course, since we’re getting close to Thanksgiving, if you
are one of these people who deep-fries the turkey, I would probably go with the
traditional method. Especially since you’ll be cooking outside where sneaking a
few of these while you’re working will be pretty easy to get away with. Either
way, I really do hope you give these potato puffs a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 Small Baked Potato Puffs:
(I did a tiny test batch, so I highly recommend doubling or
tripling the recipe)
1 cup cooked, plain mashed potatoes (Yukon or Russet)
salt and cayenne to taste
small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg butter for the muffin tin
For the pastry dough:
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg
- For a mini muffin tin*, butter well, and bake at 450 F for
about 20 minutes, or until browned and puffed.
- Or, deep-fry at 375 F for a few minutes until browned and
puffed.
* These might work in a regular muffin tin, but you’ll need
to bake longer.
If you’ve made and loved our Greek Lemon Chicken, and
Fondant Potatoes, then you will absolutely adore these lemon pepper potatoes,
since it’s basically the best of those two recipes put together, minus the
chicken. The only problem is, whatever main course you decide to go with is in serious danger of being upstaged.
Speaking of chicken, if you happen to be roasting one,
besides keeping the bones for stock, be sure to save the rendered fat as well,
since that will elevate this dish to even greater heights. Also, feel free to
add some garlic here, but if you do, I’d go with whole cloves, since minced
garlic may burn onto the bottom of the dish towards the end of the roasting
time.
These are incredible eaten hot and fresh, but if for some
reason you don’t finish them all, they make the best homefries you’ll ever eat.
Just cut them up, and fry in some olive oil until crispy. They’re so good,
you’ll be tempted to make them just for that purpose, although that will take
way more willpower than I possess. Regardless, I really do hope you give these
Lemon Pepper Potatoes a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 Portions Lemon Pepper Potatoes:
4 large russet potatoes
salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
1/4 cup olive oil, or enough to cover bottom of baking dish
fresh oregano springs, optional
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons lemon zest
juice from 1 or 2 lemons
- Roast at 400 F. for 20 minutes, flip and cook another 15
min., then flip again, and continue roasting until very tender and crusty.
I’ve never been a huge fan of German potato salad, for two
very good reasons. First of all, my love for mayonnaise borders on
inappropriate, and secondly, the potatoes always seem to be under-cooked.
I
enjoy many things cooked al dente, but potatoes are never, ever one of them. I
know people want clean, neat slices, but to me that’s just not a good enough
reason.
However, if they’re cooked tender, especially over some
smoky coals, I can forgive the lack of mayo, since this is a very flavorful
change of pace, and as I mentioned in the video, perfect for bringing to a
cookout. A German potato salad must be eaten warm, or at least room temp, so
placing a bowl of this on a sunny picnic table works out very well.
I use a ton of bacon in my version, because it’s bacon, but
if you do decide to use less, you’ll have to add some vegetable or olive oil to
the dressing to make up the difference. You could just use less vinegar, but
then you might not have enough dressing to really soak the potatoes, which
would be a shame. So, what I’m trying to say is, use a lot of bacon. Either
way, I really do hope you give this great potato salad a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 Portions Grilled German Potato Salad:
2 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, grilled until just tender
1/4 cup freshly chopped Italian parsley
For the dressing:
8 ounces sliced bacon
1 cup diced yellow onion
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
cayenne to taste
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
Note: If you want you dressing tangier, add more vinegar,
but if you want it less so, you’ll have to adjust with vegetable oil, since you
can’t add more bacon fat.
As the old joke goes, it takes a lot of time and effort to
make poutine, but at least when you’re finally done you get to eat soggy fries.
And, what incredibly delicious, soggy fries they are.
Once you get past the
fact that this is how they’re supposed to be, you can focus on the overall
awesomeness of the dish, especially the rich, freshly made beef gravy featured
herein.
I realize most you won’t actually use this gravy to make
poutine, which is totally fine by me, since this is so good, on so many other
things. While I don’t have any problem with you buying the cheese curds, or
using frozen fries, I really do hope you make the sauce from scratch, as it is
profoundly better than anything from the store.
I should mention that none of the “authentic” poutines I’ve
had included chunks of beef in the gravy, but I really enjoy the extra
meatiness, and this way everyone knows we made it from scratch. By the way, if
you’re of the vegetarian persuasion, some severely caramelized mushrooms, and a
decent vegetable stock (which I still need to do a video for), will produce a
perfectly fine version. Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon…at
least the beef gravy. Enjoy!
For the Beef Gravy:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or lard
1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef short rib, chuck, or
brisket, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced onions (you can also add some garlic if you
want)
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups homemade beef broth, or a low-sodium, all-natural
prepared broth
I can’t believe I haven’t posted a recipe for classic
American potato salad, especially since it was such a childhood favorite of
mine. As I mentioned in the video, this is the first food I can remember eating,
and apparently was one of my favorite baby foods.
This is my take on my mother Pauline’s potato salad, but the
actual “recipe” isn’t the main point here. This is more about what I think
are the best practices for making potato salad. As long as you follow this basic procedure, it really doesn’t matter how
you accessorize your spuds.
Speaking of which, onions are always a very controversial
addition. If you use too many, or cut them with a dull knife, their sharp taste
can overpower the salad. This can be exacerbated even more if you make it way
ahead of time. So if you are going to
use onions, I suggest a sweet variety like Vidalia, or Maui; and be sure to use
a sharp knife.
The other major factors are making sure you use enough salt,
and waiting for your potatoes the cool to room temperature before dressing
them. If you’ve ever had a bad, greasy looking potato salad, I can almost
guarantee it was mixed while still hot.So, don’t be in a hurry.
Other than that, not a lot can go wrong.So, whether you’re making this for your next
picnic, or you want to save money on baby food, I really hope you give this a
try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 portions:
3 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed clean - Boil in 10 cups of water with 1/4 cup of kosher salt
2 tablespoons finely diced sweet onions, optional
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
1/2 cup finely diced celery
3 large hard boiled eggs
For the dressing:
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus probably much more as needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
cayenne to taste
- After mixing, chill for 2-3 hours, before tasting and
adjusting the salt. You’ll definitely need more, as well as usually another
spoonful of mayo.
To many people, “smashed potatoes” are just another more violent name for mashed potatoes, especially when the skins are left in, but those aren’t real smashed potatoes. These are real smashed potatoes, and they’re spectacular. 
