help with skillet roasted potatos.

[maui420]

i just got a cooks illustrated magazine special on skillet roasted potatos but seems like something is wrong since they are not coming out crisp.

here is what i did.

1. 1/4 red potatoes, soaked in cold water then dried.

2. add small amt of olive oil to skillet and browned each cut potato side till brown on high heat

3. lower heat and put lid on to cook potatoes thru.

4. after cooked, season with salt and pepper.

---------------- my problem.

potatoes are not crispy. what is a good method for good crispy potato quarters? would it be better that after i cook the potatoes, that i put them under a broiler at 450 degrees?

[maui420]

also, dumb question. is red potatoes the same as red bliss potatoes?

i just got a cooks illustrated magazine special on skillet roasted potatos but seems like something is wrong since they are not coming out crisp.

here is what i did.

1. 1/4 red potatoes, soaked in cold water then dried.

2. add small amt of olive oil to skillet and browned each cut potato side till brown on high heat

3. lower heat and put lid on to cook potatoes thru.

4. after cooked, season with salt and pepper.

---------------- my problem.

potatoes are not crispy. what is a good method for good crispy potato quarters? would it be better that after i cook the potatoes, that i put them under a broiler at 450 degrees?

←

[carswell]

I dunno about covering the skillet after browning. Seems counterintuitive. Potatoes are largely water and they release a lot of it when heated. By covering the pan, you create a humid environment in which they cook, to some degree, by steaming. Steam and crisp do not mix. If anything you should try it the other way around: with cover on to cook the spuds through, then with cover off and heat raised to brown. Or cook the potatoes in a steamer until just done, then quarter them and brown the quarters in the skillet.

Edited May 13, 2005 by carswell (log)

[Alex]

I agree with carswell -- covered cooking will not produce crispy potatoes. I'd parboil or steam, drain, heat a little more to dry them out, then coat w/olive oil, toss w/kosher salt, and roast at 400-425 until brown.

Red Bliss potatoes

[chefdg]

Majority rules, don't cover them.

[evilhomer]

I would not cover them and also not parboil them.

with smaller potatoes (like these little reds) i like to run the tines of a fork down the side of each mini spud, gouging out a bit - these little channels are a frill, but they create a lot of surface area to brown and hold onto crunchy salt and coarse ground pepper.

if they're more than a dainty bite size you can halve them, put cut side down in a HOT pan with a small amount of fat. leave them be for 2-3 minutes, then toss around with salt and pepper. then again let it just sit on high heat. I like to toss in some whole garlic cloves at this stage and put the skillet into a 400 oven. Take it out to every 10-15 minutes and in about an hour they'll be crispy crunchy on the outside and cooked through and abit fluffy inside - they can easily cook another 15-20 minutes with no ill efects but I typically am tired of waiting at that point.

[kellytree]

don't cover and use more oil and high heat

[Marlene]

I'm also with the majority that says don't cover. I'd also use some sort of fat rather than oil. Bacon fat, duck fat, lard, something like that.

[Nyleve Baar]

I get much better results if I steam the potatoes slices or chunks to near-doneness first, then toss with olive oil or whatever (and salt and pepper) and THEN brown them. That way you're not depending on the pan for fully cooking the potatoes right through, and you can use a slighly higher heat without worrying about burning them. Cook just until nicely brown and crisp and they're done. Don't cover!

[Della]

I tried the same recipe in my cooks illustrated as well with unsatisfactory results. They ended up a little to done (burnt) on the outside and not cooked on the inside and sorta soggy.

NOT DELICIOUS! And sad too~

I love crispy outside, soft fluffy inside potatoes! - I am going to stick with my old stand by of roasting them in the oven with some olive oil, salt, pepper and whatever herb is handy.

Although as a side note to get perfect breakfast potatoes I will bake an extra potato or two on the nights we have baked potatoes and toss them in the fridge. When it is time for Sunday brunch I just cut them up, toss them in a skillet with a little veg or olive oil, salt, pepper and dried minced garlis (it has to be the dried minced -not fresh - it just doesn't taste the same if you use fresh) and heat them up. The insides are soft, the outside is crispy and it take no time at all.

[Wolfert]

Youcan crisp potatoes in a covered skillet if you lift the cover off from time to time to allow steam to escape. Be sure to remove the cover so that the moisture on it doesn't drip back onto the potatoes. And each time, wipe the inside of the cover dry. Towards the end of the frying you can finish the crisping, uncovered, over low heat.

Edited May 13, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[JPW]

My method-

1)Toss with peanut oil, salt, paprika and whatever else you want

2) Place on sheet pan lined with tin foil with a coating of oil (tin foil for easy clean up extra oil to reduce sticking)

3)Place in oven at high temp (actual temp depends on whether or not I am cooking something else, but is usually 375-400)

4)Turn potatoes after 10-15 minutes. Cook until done.

[kutsu]

Easy. Brown in a cast iron skillet in hot oil (not olive, use goose fat if possible) until you see the potatoes begining to cook all the way through (you can look at the colour and tell), then sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour, give it a good shake and brown in a hot oven for 20 mins. VERY crispy, nice and soft inside, and doesn't taste like flour!

[JohnnyH]

I'll add my voice to the chorus recommending uncovered cooking over high heat. I also suggest that you add a tablespoon of unsalted butter to the oil, letting the foam subside before dropping in the potatoes.

Minced garlic and parsley toward the end of cooking for persillade are also really, really good.

[maui420]

hi everyone, thank you all for the wonderful advice.

but im still a little confused, when i brown the quatered cut potatoes on the skillet in hot oil (takes about ~6mins for both sides w/o the skin), how can i continue to cook them thru without burning them?

lower to med-low and make sure the potatoes on laying on the skin side?

i will definitly throw them in the oven next time.

thanks again.

[carswell]

but im still a little confused, when i brown the quatered cut potatoes on the skillet in hot oil (takes about ~6mins for both sides w/o the skin), how can i continue to cook them thru without burning them?

←

As several have suggested, steam or parboil the whole potatoes until they're just cooked through. Then quarter them and brown the quarters in the skillet. If you're roasting them in a moderate oven, you can forego the precooking. Just be sure to turn them a few times during the process.

[evilhomer]

i think anyone who's baked potatoes over a campfire can attest to the fact that they don't really burn, you may get a bit of surface char but i think this fear of burnt potatoes is largely unfounded. (and the burnt bits taste good anyways)

[davedemi]

Line cold cast iron with 1/4"(!) cold butter on the bottom. Place cut potatoes( I usually cut 1/2" slices), season, cover and start on really low heat. As the temp comes up, the butter slowly heats up to the point that you are poaching your potatoes (they're almost submerged). As the temp rises the potatoes will start to crisp. At this point they are very soft; loosen them carefully if they are sticking. Usually, if you start gently moving, swirling the pan when the butter starts to brown and they start forming a crust, they won't stick. After 45 min to 1 hr. they should be very soft on the top, and with a golden crust underneath. Turn over, and the other side should brown in 15-20 min. Drain while hot, enjoy.

AKA pommes fondantes(MPW), Maine/down East skillet potatoes (according to John Thorne in Serious Pig)

Edited May 13, 2005 by davedemi (log)

[SMW]

I think that the most effective way to get crunch is medium-low heat and slow, and not too much turning. It generally takes me about 45 minutes to get a really nice crunch, but by that time they are cooked all the way through.

[chefzadi]

Butter. Add butter towards end of cooking and turn up the heat, good colour and flavour.

Edited May 13, 2005 by chefzadi (log)

[Ruth]

I get much better results if I steam the potatoes slices or chunks to near-doneness first, then toss with olive oil or whatever (and salt and pepper) and THEN brown them. That way you're not depending on the pan for fully cooking the potatoes right through, and you can use a slighly higher heat without worrying about burning them. Cook just until nicely brown and crisp and they're done. Don't cover!

←

Exactly what I do. This method has an additional advantage - do the steaming earlier in the day. Browning and crisping just before service will take only a few minutes. I always use duck fat rather than oil. It has a wonderful flavor and can be used at higher heat settings than olive oil

[andiesenji]

I always cook my fried potatoes, AKA "cottage" fries, in Crisco or lard.

Crisco because I have friends who do not eat any pork products.

I have tried every fat known to man, including some rather exotic ones, and these are the ones that do the best for crisping, unless you have access to good beef suet and can render and strain it efficiently. That is the one I would use if it was as available as it was 30 years ago. I mention it only because at one time it was the preferred fat for frying potatoes in most restaurants outside of the south.

I do brown the potatoes, cover for a short time so they are cooked through, then finish at higher heat to brown. I have a rather flat lid for my favorite pan that allows me to slide it under the mass of potatoes and turn the entire batch. It is tricky and one has to be careful to avoid burns, but that produces the best result - of course I have been known to turn them into a second, heated skillet when cooking for a crowd.

[Soup]

I've done par boil and it works well but to get them really crispy I use the oven method. Don't cover anything you want crispy. You might want to reverse the cooking for the stove top as well. Cook over medium to cook the potatos and turn up the heat to finish.

The suggestion of using flour is very interesting. I will give it a try probably tomorrow night with the chicken.

Soup

[turkeybone]

AKA pommes fondantes(MPW), Maine/down East skillet potatoes (according to John Thorne in Serious Pig)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought pommes "fondant" referred to a similar method (fully cooked in butter from a raw state) but specifically to a large tourne shape.. in the same way that "chateau" is to a smaller tourne, and "risolee" to potato that has been parisienne scoop'd.

Im just nitpicking I guess... I havent met a potato I didnt like.

[Nyleve Baar]

At the risk of lapsing into broken-recordness, I must report that I made potatoes yesterday using the pre-cook method. They were perfect. I was paying attention because I knew this thread was floating around. The precooking makes it possible - as Ruth said - to partially prepare and then finish them right before you need them. Which is what I did. They browned in the oven in about 15 minutes on 425o, I turned them about twice. For pan crisping, it would be about the same. So simple and no worry that your potatoes won't be done when everything else is. Crisp and brown on the outside, fluffy inside.