Tag: potatoes

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Brabant Potatoes

This old New Orleans side dish is different from most pan potato recipes such as hash or fritters which usually call for waxy potatoes. This one uses starchy white/baking potatoes, and the result is a pan full of golden cubes with a crunchy crust and a fluffy center.

The recipe for Brabant potatoes in The Picayune’s Creole Cookbook (1901) doesn’t include garlic, but most contemporary recipes do. And by the way, Brabant is a region in the Low Countries; how this Crescent City side came by the name is unknown. New Orleans is city of mystery.

For four servings, peel and dice two large russet potatoes. Place in a colander and rinse until the water runs clear to get rid of the surface starch. Dry thoroughly between paper towels. Heat about a half inch of vegetable oil in a skillet. I don’t recommend olive oil because it has a lower burn, and you want the oil hot to fry the cubes. Vigorously shake and the toss potatoes until cubes are uniformly brown, then drain the oil, add about a quarter stick butter and two finely minced cloves of garlic, and stir potatoes to coat. Salt and pepper to taste.

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Roast New Potatoes

Parboil potatoes  until just done, pat dry, and toss in oil with black pepper, minced garlic, and salt. Bake at 350 in a heavy pan, tossing occasionally, until coated and tender through. Great with grilled meats.

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Lemon Potatoes

Cat Cora says that her family probably used canned potatoes for this recipe in their Jackson, Mississippi, restaurants, the Elite and the Mayflower. She recommends Yukon golds, but you can use any waxy potato. The olives are optional, but add a nice salty accent.

Blend well equal parts of chicken broth, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add oregano, finely-chopped fresh rosemary, minced garlic, and salt to taste. Cut waxy potatoes into wedges, or in half for smaller ones, and parboil with bay until just tender. Drain, coat with seasoning mixture, and bake in a very hot oven until crispy. Toss with pepper, lemon juice, and olives before serving.

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Deli Breakfast Potatoes

Our grocery deli serves these potatoes—along with two kinds of grits and rice—as sides on its breakfast buffet. Cube red potatoes and parboil until just firm. Drain, dust with seasoned salt and pepper, then pan fry until done through and crusty.

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Two Potato Bake

Peel and slice on the thin side waxy white and sweet potatoes, layer in a lightly buttered casserole, gratin, or skillet–be artistic–with sprinklings of salt, pepper,  and thyme. Brush lavishly with melted butter and bake at 350 until the tops crisp and brown.

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Potato Pea Salad

Quarter, parboil, and drain small red potatoes. Blanch fresh or frozen peas; you want them firm. Mix both with diced scallions and chopped parsley. Toss in a vinaigrette made with vegetable oil, white vinegar, and creole mustard seasoned with black pepper.. Chill thoroughly. Coat with a squeeze of lemon before serving.

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Kale and Potatoes

This simple, hearty recipe is a perfect side for pork. The Irish call it calcannon, but you don’t have to.

Use two large starchy potatoes  to a packed cup of raw, chopped kale. Cut potatoes into chunks, boil vigorously until soft through, and whip with milk and butter., salt and white pepper. These don’t have to be perfectly smooth; in fact, they’re better a little lumpy, if you ask me (and I know you didn’t).

Stew greens, drain, and toss with a melted butter. Mix potatoes and kale, adjust salt and pepper.  Some people cook onions with the kale, but they’re better as a garnish.

 

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Pearl Potatoes

Wash and clean two pounds very small potatoes. Blot dry, toss with oil seasoned with three cloves minced garlic and a tablespoon each of onion powder, salt, and pepper. Spread in a deep pan and roast at 350, stirring every five minutes or so until the larger ones are soft through. Toss with a light vinaigrette before serving.

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Scalloped Potatoes with Spam

Spam brought back memories for those soldiers who–like  my great uncle Pete and grandfather Tom—served in South Pacific during WWII, and millions of my generation who grew up in small towns across the South–likely across the nation–recognize Spam and potato recipes as a familiar side on the dinner table, at church potlucks, and dinners-on-the-ground.

Many people use cheese in their recipes. I don’t, opting to use a thin, lightly pepped cream sauce ladled between layers of sliced parboiled potatoes (peeled or unpeeled) and diced or sliced Spam. Chopped onions are an option. Bake in a medium-high oven (350 or so) until the potatoes are tender through and lightly browned.

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Yancy’s Cajun Potatoes

Cut red potatoes into chunks and boil with Zatarain’s liquid seasoning (I use a lot) until just tender. Drain  and toss with vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. Bake in a well-oiled shallow pan in a hot oven, stirring until browned but not crisp.