A Southern Gallimaufry
I make a blond roux with butter and add enough whole milk to make a thin sauce, which I season with salt and white pepper. I then parboil waxy potatoes, peel and slice thinly, layer them in a glass or porcelain baking dish, spooning the sauce between the layers. This is baked in a medium-high oven (350 or so) until the potatoes are tender through and the top browned.
Rich, savory, and light as a cloud, this is a go-to potato recipe for formal dinners. Like most simple recipes—four ingredients—success is in preparation, which is admittedly involved. It’s worth the trouble. The recipe serves 12 generously.
Wash, peel, and cut into chunks ten medium russet potatoes. Cover with water, drain and rinse, then boil in salted water until done through. Drain and rinse again. Mash well or–even better–rice while still warm, add a sliced stick of butter, a half-pint of whole cream, and 8 oz. of sour cream. Mix at low speed. When smooth, add another cup each of cream and sour cream. Set mixer to high, and whip until light and fluffy. Serve warm.
Wrapping in foil before baking ensures a steamed potato, which is wonderful and nostalgic, but lesser fare than the crisp skin and fluffy center of dry baked. Wash potatoes, dry thoroughly, and coat with salted oil. A 12 oz. russet will take an hour in a 400F oven.
Take two cups mashed potatoes from dried or frozen , add two beaten eggs, a half cup freshly grated onion, and enough flour to make a stiff batter. Season with salt and pepper. Drop by spoonfuls into a hot oiled skillet, and cook until browned and edges crisp.
Teaching kids how to cook is a multi-faceted experience; simply doing something together gives everyone a chance to talk about what’s going on.
Learning how to cook also helps make kids curious about foods in general, bearing potential to expand the palate of a picky child. It’s also a confidence-booster, as anyone who has pulled a beautifully-baked cake out of the oven can attest. Reading and interpreting a recipe trains reading comprehension and math skills, and it’s also the best introduction to chemistry and botany in the home.
Here’s how to make oven fries. Take a large baking potato and cut it into thick wedges or strips. Brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, place on an oiled pan, and bake in a very hot oven. Stir once or twice to brown evenly.
There you go. So simple even a kid can do it.
