What are These Fried, Extruded Mashed Potatoes Called?

[JohnT]

Okay, here is something I came across in Cadiz, Spain, about 10 years back and am looking for what it is called or anybody who can shed some light on the process, which appears quite simple to me (but may have a few hidden tricks involved).

Outside a Carrefore supermarket near the fresh produce market there was a street vendor who was making deep fried "fries". He had a tank of what must have been mashed potato, with a flexible pipe and a nozzle, similar to a large star tip on a piping bag, and a hand valve. He then had a small deep fryer heated with LPG. On order, he extruded the mash mixture, in about 4 to 5 inch lengths, directly into the deep fryer and in a short time scooped the cooked fries out, placed them into a cardboard cone and, after a quick shake of salt over them, presented the fries to the customer. He was doing a roaring trade!

Anybody know what this process is called or can point me to a web site that explains exactly how it is done?

[Simon Lewinson]

That sounds exactly like the churro vendor I saw in Pueto Vallarta a couple of years ago. It was linke a big wok with an extruder wit a nozzle and crank handle. He cranked on it and sliced off lengths with a large knife then picked them out of the oil and doused them in cinnamon sugar.

Yours sounds like a savory variation.

Simon

[Darienne]

Speaking of Churro vendors.  The best I EVER had was extruded into an old cement mixer at la Bufadora in Mexico sometime in 1970s.  :wub:    It's the ONLY time in my life that I saw my Father make a pig of himself...I OTOH am accustomed to doing this when confronted with yummy stuff...  We didn't save even one for my Mother who stayed by the car.    

[CatPoet]

Oh I know what that is!!   Pommes Lorette  or  as another  old cookbook  calls them Spanish potatoes. Here is the recipe I have used and I write it down as it is written.

 

½ kilo of cooked pressed potatoes , 2 tablespoon butter,  2 egg yolks.   For the  Panad ( do not know the English word for this) 1½ tablespoon butter, 150 ml water 4½ tablespoon  flour,  1 egg.  For deep frying:  Lard/ dripping ( good, not rancid)  or crown oil ( do not know what that is at all).

 

The potato needs to be cooked with peel, then steamed ( put the pot back on the stove to evaporate)  and peel while hot, let the children help.  Rice the potato and weigh the purée.  Pour back in the pot and  let it steam off  over a low fire. Stir constantly  and add the  egg yolks and butter and stir and set aside.

Time to make the panad.  Stir flour, butter and water to a soft paste over the fire and  cook  a few minutes until soft and smooth.  If the  helper is lazy this must be put through a fine mesh sieve , the panad must be smooth.  Add the eggs  and  the panad is reheated  while string, add the potato purée and  season  well.  ( I guess add salt ). Add the  batter to a  strong piping bag with a  nozzle not thicker then a  pinky.  Heat  the oil until a  soft wispy smoke   and pipe the batter in,  Do not  overcrowd the pan nor pipe too long sausages.  Serve  with fish or meat.

 

The other recipe doesn't salt the batter but adds the salt afterwards and has a little bit of cayenne in the batter and I mean little  less then a 8 th of teaspoon.

[Lisa Shock]

It's essentially 50% seasoned mashed potatoes, 50% pate a choux. We learned this in the starches portion of 'Basics' in culinary school. The mixture can also be piped out into shapes (think large rosettes, stacked rosettes, a solid base with an edge ring for retaining gravy) and baked. You used to see the baked version at French restaurants or fancy banquets. They keep nicely and are a great way to manage portion control. The batter can be kept for several days in the fridge and piped as needed. Obviously, they can be flavored all sorts of ways.