Boil those potatoes!

[Marlene]

Well I tested the salt theory  last night.  I can't speak for Chef Gagnaire but for me salted water yielded. . . salty boiled potatoes. 

In re cooking time, yeah they cook much faster and at a way hotter temp than a roasted from raw tater. 

Lately when cooking for just myself and my blushing bride I save cleaning a pot by broiling on tin foil in the toaster.  Last night the potatoes were tossed in duck fat to go with cod poached in low temp duck fat.

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I tested the salt theory when I did mashed potatoes the other night. Peeled. They were most definately salty.

[ned]

Peeled.

[johnjohn]

When is the best time to add chopped herbs (rosemary or thyme) to roasted potatoes. In the begining or towards the end of cooking when there is only a few minutes remaining. I have cook books that say do both and others that say don't do it in the begining because the herbs will burn.

[jfilmm]

Can the same boiling and roasting method be used for sweet potatoes? Will they acquire a crunchy exterior as well? If so, do cooking times need to be modified?

[ned]

I recently had the opportunity to work for a week in Chef Guenter Seeger's restaurant in Atlanta. Phenomenal food comes out of that kitchen and prepared by a talented and necessarily dedicated brigade. At Seeger's. a dish never left the kitchen in which each part hadn't been sampled by a cook to check it's balance, freshness, temperature saltiness, etc. Each part. Nothing left to chance, instead excellence was arrived at using emperical methods. The message that was hammered home to me is that the secret to a perfect execution is not in proscribed cooking times or good recipes or some sort of metaphysical knowing. The secret is paying close attention to what you are doing by monitering the process with your nose and hands and mouth and ears and eyes.

This particularly applies to the questions in the previous two posts regarding the use of herbs, cooking times and the prospect of using this method on sweet potatoes.

When boiling the potatoes (par boiling is best I think because the potatoes cook more evenly), sweet or otherwise, taste them often. Sample them as you go along by pulling one out and cutting it to check if it's cooked through. You'll know if it isn't if you see a halo or if the center isn't hot to the touch. Taste it to see if it's salty enough or too salty. When you determine they're cooked through, drain and set them aside until they cool to room temperature (and while that happens the exterior will by drying also). Toss them (gently so they don't fall apart or the edges get all mushed up) in some kind of fat, and salt if necessary. Put them on a roasting pan with herbs (a few sprigs here and there, not shaken out of a jar or pulled off the branch) and into the broiler or 500 oven and watch closely. If you smell the herbs burning, take them out (easy to do when they're still sprigs and just as effective in terms of what they do the the potatoes) and put in some fresh ones, or wait till closer to the end to add more. The potatoes should brown evenly. If the edges get dark fast while the rest of the potato stays light, the pan is too close to the heat or the oven is too hot. Slow the cooking down a little. Conversely, if it takes too long, the potatoes are going to break down too much. They're already cooked through. Their time there is only for crsiping the exterior.

As to the viability of this method with sweet potatoes, I'd be inclined to say it could work but that things would have to be modified a bit. If I were a cook in Chef Seeger's kitchen charged with working this out, I'd use all my senses and keep a very close eye, tasting and feeling as often as possible keeping my nose peeled during the roasting and I'd do a test or two before putting them on the menu. Sweet potatoes break down more than say yukons. They're less starchy, have less structural integrity when cooked. I'd begin experiments with the theory that they should be boiled less and roasted hotter. But don't trust me. The best way to find out is to test it yourself. Your potatoes might be different from mine, your oven, the pan you're using, the type of fat or salt. . .

Good luck.

Edited October 17, 2006 by ned (log)

[Marc Olson]

For home fries I pre-cook russets and then fry them on an open griddle. They crisp up better on the griddle after the par-cooking than if I start them raw.

[misstenacity]

Pre-gastronaut days, one of my favorite uber-starchy meals was to microwave a couple of skin-on potatoes until done, then chop them into cubes and pan-sear with ungodly amounts of Spike seasoning.

I really, really loved that meal. It was probably coming on the heels of a breakfast of pancakes (made from a "complete" mix - just add water!) or Malt-o-Meal and a lunch of Lipton "noodles & sauce". Starch-o-rama!

Andrea

in Albuquerque

[Grub]

I tried following that Fat Duck recipe (sans the garlic and rosemary), and it came out great... The dusting of flour created an almost "fuzzy" texture on the surface, which added to the amazing crispiness. I'm definitely doing this again -- with the garlic and rosemary, but maybe also a batch with things like paprika or cayenne garlic salt added to the flour.

One odd problem I've always had with roasting potatoes is that the (peeled) potato wedges will form a "skin." The skin will then separate from the potato, forming an air bubble underneath. This leaves the skin tough and leathery, rather than crispy and fragile...

Well, this recipe makes for some great, crispy skin.

[Grub]

An update on an experiment... I tried this again, with two batches -- one with hot paprika and garlic powder, and another with a mixture of roasted cumin and coriander seeds, black peppercorns, hot dried chili peppers and cinnamon, and tumeric...

The roasting process killed most of the flavors... So I don't think that's a good way to go. Oh well.

[HKDave]

Grub, what is the Fat Duck method for this?

[Grub]

Grub, what is the Fat Duck method for this?

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From ATram's pointer, it's from this thread.

[Grub]

An update on an experiment... I tried this again, with two batches -- one with hot paprika and garlic powder, and another with a mixture of roasted cumin and coriander seeds, black peppercorns, hot dried chili peppers and cinnamon, and tumeric...

The roasting process killed most of the flavors... So I don't think that's a good way to go. Oh well.

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Well, another update...

I was recruited as an entremetier during a recent culinary event (ie., a buddy wuz charring up some steaks and asked if I could do some of them roasted tater wedges again), and I thought okay, this time, I'll follow the Blumenthal recipe to a letter, and not add anything to the flour -- but instead add thyme and rosemary halfway through the roasting process...

But then I thought, "ah, screw that."

So... I added just some cayenne pepper to the flour -- and only cooked them for about 45 minutes. Well, that worked out great.

I still wanna do the rosemary/thyme thing, but I'll probably do the curry flavored thing before that. Adding spices to the flour that you dust the wedges with DOES work -- you just gotta be careful not to roast them too long, or at too high temperatures.