Potato Recipes | RecipeTin Eats

Make-ahead Mashed Potato Casserole

Nagi — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 05:37:44 +0000

Mashed Potato Casserole is an outrageously delicious yet highly practical way to make mashed potato ahead of time! A layer of cheese and bacon prevents the mash from drying out as it reheats in the oven, while transforming this humble side into something extra-devilish and decadent. Oh the power of cheese (plus bacon)!

Make it fresh, or assemble ahead and reheat when required. Serve in place of plain ole’ mash.

Make-ahead mashed potato

With the holidays fast approaching, I thought it would be timely to share my favourite way to make mashed potato ahead of time.

The thing with make-ahead mash is that you cannot simply reheat it in the microwave or oven. You might think a splash of milk and good stir is all it takes to restore it. But I can tell you that’s the path to a mouthful of gluey horridness.

While there are nifty ways to reheat cold mashed potato successfully*, a big dish of creamy Mashed Potato Casserole takes the prize for the most foolproof-yet-show-stopping way I know! It also wins the prize for the lowest effort on the day-of because you literally just pop the pre-assembled dish into the oven. It’s a win-win, 10/10 – nothing could be more fitting for your holiday feast menu!!

* How I reheat plain mashed potato: Cold mash in hot cream (recipe here, but note it’s more work on the day) or in heavy duty piping bags submerged in boiling water, a trick caterers use (see my demo here on Instagram).

Is there such a thing as too much bacon??

Confession: I think I was a little heavy-handed with the bacon in the photos while being a tad short on the stuff for the recipe video!! So the recipe card as written is a happy medium. 😊

But actually, looking at the photo below, it does look pretty enticing with almost full bacon coverage on the surface. And … is there even such a thing as too much bacon?? (Yeah nah)

What you need for Mashed Potato Casserole

Here’s what you need to make Mashed Potato Casserole:

Potato – Floury and all-rounder potatoes work best to achieve a fluffy yet creamy mash without fussing with potato ricers and other gadgets.
– Australia: the cheap dirt-brushed potatoes sold everywhere (called Sebago) are ideal
– US: Russet
– UK: Maris Piper
Milk – Our liquid to loosen the potato up to form mash. If making ahead, we add extra (see How To Make section for more).
Sour cream – I prefer using sour cream rather than cream in mashed potato casserole because the slight tang makes a nice counterpoint to all the other richness going on here (butter, cheese, bacon). It doesn’t make it sour in the least. It sort of adds creaminess into the mash without adding cloying richness. Does that makes sense??
Butter – Mash without butter is not mash. #strongopinions!
Cheese – I use a combination: Mozzarella for excellent melty-cheesy-stretchiness. Then Red Leicester for flavour (it’s savoury and a bit sharp, like aged cheddar), and to add a lovely orange hue to the mash surface. If you’re in the States, your orange cheddar is ideal here.
Otherwise, use any melting cheese you like (colby and Monterey Jack are other personal favourites). If you opt to use mozzarella as your main cheese, add a handful of parmesan for flavour because mozzarella alone is actually quite bland and lacks saltiness.
Shred your own – One of my five non-negotiable rules stated loudly on the first page of my cookbook is, “Always shred your own cheese”! Store-bought pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agents which prevent it from melting as well as freshly-grated. I use a standard box grater for the work.
Pack your cups of cheese – For consistency I prefer weight over volume to measure cheese. So I’ll weigh a hunk of cheese before grating it. But if you are using cup measures, be sure to pack your cups tightly when measuring the shredded cheese otherwise you will be short. Nobody wants to be short on cheese, ever!
Bacon – For sprinkling over the casserole surface. Note: I always use streaky bacon. Because fat = flavour! Also, fatty bacon crisps up and colours better, without drying out.
Green onion – For a touch of oniony freshness and colour.

How to make Mashed Potato Casserole

No rocket science here. We make mash, spread it into a casserole dish, top with cheese, bacon and then stop here if making ahead. Finally, on the day of your do, bake it!

Cut potatoes – Peel and cut the potatoes into even sized pieces.
Boil until soft – Place the potatoes in cold salted water. Bring it up to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat down to medium high or medium so it is simmering rapidly. Cook for 15 minutes (no lid) or until the potatoes are very soft. They should fall apart when you jab it with a fork.
Mash – Drain the potatoes well in a colander and pour them back into the empty pot. Mash with the butter, milk, sour cream and salt.
MAKE-AHEAD ADJUSTMENT – If you are making this dish with the intention of serving it the next day, then add an extra 2/3 cup milk. The mash will seem too loose, but this is intentional. It is to factor in the fact that mashed potato firms up when refrigerated overnight. So once reheated, it has the same consistency as when it is freshly made!
Potato masher – I like to use a potato masher that is like a round disc with holes in it, as pictured above. It’s the fastest and most effective tool for a smooth mash without using a potato ricer (which I reserve just for Paris Mash, when seeking that next-level-luxe, ultra-smooth, 3-Michelin-restaurant result!).
Spread in a casserole dish.

Top with the cheeses and bacon. (Yes you eagle-eyed spotters, I was short on bacon for these shots 😂)
For make ahead – At this stage, the assembled dish can be popped in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just take it out of the fridge 2 hours ahead so it has time to de-chill. This will make it reheat faster and more evenly in the oven.
Cover with foil then bake for 20 minutes at 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan), if freshly made. Add an extra 15 minutes if you’re reheating a make-ahead casserole you prepared the day before.
Uncover – Remove from the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes until bubbly and golden.
Voila, ready to serve! Crack through that molten cheese surface and marvel at how creamy the mash underneath is!

How to serve Mashed Potato Casserole

This is a dish designed to be a side. (I know we can all picture it moonlighting as a standalone dish after a big night on the turps or a shocking day at work, but it’s meant to take the place of traditional plain mashed potato, I swear.) Because actually, though this has cheese and bacon on it, underneath is all creamy plain mashed potato.

So place it on the table or on the buffet alongside the mains and let everybody dig in and help themselves! Try to get in first though. Because you know full well the first in line are going to take more than their fair share of that cheese bacon topping – and we know full well we also cannot blame them….. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Mashed Potato Casserole

Recipe video. This is an outrageously delicious yet highly practical way to make mashed potato ahead of time! A layer of cheese and bacon prevents the creamy mash from drying out as it reheats in the oven, while transforming this humble side into something extra-devilish and decadent. Oh the power of cheese (plus bacon)!

Make it fresh, or assemble ahead and reheat when required. Serve in place of plain ole' mash.

Course Potatoes, Side Dish

Cuisine Western

Keyword mashed potato bake, mashed potato casserole

Servings – 12

Calories 333cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

1.75kg/ 3.5 lb potatoes (Sebago (Aus), Russet (US), Maris Piper / King Edwards (UK)(Note 1)
1 tbsp cooking / kosher salt , for cooking potatoes
2/3 cup milk (preferably full fat/whole milk but lite ok)
2/3 cup EXTRA milk , for make-ahead option only (Note 2)
75g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 1cm / 1/2″ cubes
1/2 cup sour cream (or yogurt), full fat best
1 tsp cooking/kosher salt , or to taste
1 1/2 cups (tightly packed) mozzarella , freshly shredded (Note 3)
1 cup (tightly packed) Red Leicester, cheddar or other flavoured cheese(Note 3)
200g / 6 oz bacon (streaky), chopped (Note 4)
1/4 cup green onion , finely sliced

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Cook bacon:

Place bacon in a cold non-stick pan over medium heat (no oil). As the pan heats up the bacon fat will melt. Once you see some melted bacon fat, turn the heat up to medium high and stir for 3 minute or until golden.
Drain on paper towels.

Mash:

Potatoes – Peel then cut into 3cm /1" chunks.
Boil – Place in a large pot and cover with water so it’s 10cm / 4” above the potatoes. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat so it’s simmering rapidly. Cook 15 minutes or until potatoes are very soft (jab with fork to test, they should fall apart).
Drain well, then return into pot. Leave for 1 minute, shaking pot every now and then, to encourage evaporation of water.
Mash – Add milk (including EXTRA milk if making-ahead), butter, sour cream and 1 tsp salt. Mash until smooth. (Do not use food processor, blender or beater, makes it gluey!)

Make-ahead directions:

Fridge – Allow to fully cool on the counter then cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate.
Dechill – Take out onto counter 2 hours prior to reheating.

Assemble:

Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan).
Spread the potato in a 2 litre / 2 quart baking dish (Note 5). Smooth the surface.
Sprinkle – Sprinkle potato with the cheeses, then bacon.
Bake covered – Cover loosely with foil. Bake for 20 minutes covered (if freshly made) or 35 minutes (make-ahead option).
Bake uncovered – Remove foil then bake a further 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
Serve – Sprinkle with green onion then serve! It stays warm for a good 20 minutes thanks to that protective layer of cheese. Oh, the powers of cheese!

Notes

1. Potatoes – Any starchy or all-rounder potatoes suitable for making mash will work great.

2. Extra milk for make-ahead option makes the mash looser to factor in that mash firms up when refrigerated. This is the amount required so that the reheated dish ends up with the same consistency as when it was freshly made!

3. Cheeses – Mozzarella for excellent melting qualities, plus Red Leicester or US cheddar for colour and flavour (sub with other cheese of choice like colby, gruyere, Swiss, tasty).

SHRED YOUR OWN for the best result! Store-bought pre-shredded is coated with anti-caking agents so it doesn’t melt as well.

PACK your cups tightly when measuring shredded cheese, else you’ll be short. And nobody wants to be short on cheese, ever!

4. Bacon – You need to use streaky/fatty bacon to use this no-oil method of cooking bacon. If you use lean bacon, you will need to preheat oil. I know which option I prefer!

5. Dish – A 2 litre / 2 quart baking dish is the ideal size, it will be filled to the brim. A 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ dish (3L/3 qt) works fine too – will be filled about 2/3 of the way up.

6. Make-head – Keeps for 3 days in the fridge, uncooked, fully assembled except for the green onion. Be sure to take it out of the fridge 2 hours prior to reheating to take the chill out of the it so it reheats more evenly.

Freezing – A former team member reported excellent results freezing the assembled dish, thawing then reheating. But I never tried it myself – I will come back and update if (no, when!) I do.

Leftovers will keep for 3 days, but the mash won’t be as creamy. Consider using it to make mashed potato cakes instead!

7. Nutrition per serving assuming 12 servings, as part of a larger banquet.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

People have been wondering how Jeff is, our friendly local who lives at my local dog park (Bayview, in Sydney’s northern beaches), an official RecipeTin taste tester. He is doing well! This is how I start every weekend – coffee for Jeff, a ham and cheese croissant for his dog Cubby (sometimes Jeff gets a bite) and Dozer, waiting for scraps – until he gives up and gallops down to the beach to join his mates in the water!

Photo captured by Kevin of Unleashed Northern Beaches, a local photographer. Wonderful gift idea: voucher for a private pooch photo shoot!

The post Make-ahead Mashed Potato Casserole appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Perfect Crispy French fries

Nagi — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Finally, here it is – The perfect french fries recipe! Based on a ground-breaking method from the legendary Kenji López-Alt’s The Food Lab, these hot chips are so crispy they stay that way even after they’ve gone cold. It’s rare to find fries this good even at up-market bistros!

No false promises – these french fries really stay crisp!

There’s nothing more deflating than going to all the effort of making your own fries from scratch, only to find they start losing crispiness before they even hit the table. Which is what happens if you use the standard way of cooking homemade fries – soaking in water followed by a double fry.

Well, it’s taken me years but with the help of the impressively thorough french fry research documented in Kenji López-Alt’s The Food Lab, Chef JB and I have finally nailed down the recipe for the perfect homemade french fries. Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside – and stays crispy well beyond the time it takes to eat the fries and, say, a big juicy Cheeseburger. The ideal french fry!

Really, the crispiness endurance is insane. These french fries are still crispy even after they’ve gone cold!

Heads up – this post is quite long because I cover the “why” and also want to arm French fry first-timers with the confidence to make this recipe. So if you’re a pro, skip to the recipe , recipe video or better yet, Dozer!

French fries recipe overview

Cut fries with a serrated knife (secret crispiness tip #1)
No soaking, just rinse
Gently simmer 10 minutes in vinegar water (secret crispiness tip #2! And no, you can’t taste vinegar)
Shallow-fry twice

Skip to the Recipe | Video | Dozer

Background: Rethinking the french fry method

The conventional way of making french fries involves firstly soaking the raw fries in water followed by a double fry. This was (still is?) the way students were taught at cookery school and is still the default method used by many restaurants and pubs.

This method will yield crispy fries when they are piping hot, straight out of the fryer. But the first problem is that within minutes, before they even hit the table, they start to lose crispiness. I also found this classical method is heavily dependent on the potato. You get varying levels of crispiness depending on the potato quality and even season, as the starch / sugar levels of potatoes vary throughout the year. This is true even if you use the ideal variety of potato.

Well, this won’t-stay-crispy problem and unpredictability just won’t cut it anymore. So, old school method ditched. It’s time to look at modern methods with better and more reliable results!

Actually it’s not just me. Times have changed generally and restaurants around the world use all sorts of methods these days in pursuit of the ultimate crispy French fries. Some go to extreme lengths like triple or quadruple frying, overnight resting, or frying in pure beef drippings.

But we don’t need to dabble in any such tedious restaurant kitchen shenanigans. This method I’m sharing today is one that any home cook can do. It is adapted from Kenji Lopez-Alt’s french fries recipe from his iconic cookbook The Food Lab. It’s not particularly technical. But you do need to be comfortable frying in oil. That said, in this recipe we only shallow fry and not deep fry – always a bonus!

These fries only need to be shallow fried, not deep fried, to crispy perfection!

What you need

Here’s all you need to make your crispy french fry dreams a reality. Yep, this is all!

Potato – The type is important. Starchy, floury potatoes are the potatoes you need for crispy fries.
- Australia: Sebago (the common dirty brushed potatoes you see everywhere)
- US: Russet (also known as Idaho potatoes)
- UK: Maris Piper or King Edward.
Vinegar – For simmering the potatoes, it is one secret weapon for perfect fries. There is no trace of vinegar flavour once cooked. See Step 4 below for the why.
Salt – For seasoning the water so the potatoes are seasoned all the way through.
Oil – For frying. I use vegetable or canola oil which are neutrally-flavoured oils. Re-using the oil: The oil can be re-used 3 to 4 times, or more. It won’t even need to be strained. Just cool, pour into jars and keep in the pantry, and have a browse in this recipe collection to decide what to make next!

How to make stay-crispy French fries

To get ahead or cook big batches, make the fries up to the end of Fry #1, cool then freeze until you’re ready to cook. Then do Fry #2 from frozen. Handy!

1. Cut fries

First, we have to cut our fries. A neat little crispy fries trick you may not have seen before: use a serrated knife to cut the potatoes. Though not visible to the eye, it makes the surface rougher therefore creating more surface area to crisp up = crispier fries!

What size to cut the fries: 6 mm / 1/4″ batons is the ideal size for optimum crispiness and fluffy insides. Thicker = less crispy. Thinner = not enough fluffiness inside.

How to slice: Cut a whole potato into 6 mm / 1/4″ thick slices. Stack 2 or 3 slices then cut into 6 mm / 1/4″ thick batons.

2. Keep in water to prevent browning

Keep cut fries in water to prevent them from browning as you continue cutting. No soaking time is actually required. A simple rinse followed by simmering the potatoes in vinegar water takes care of this for us.

3. Rinse

Once all the fries are cut, place in a colander then rinse under tap water for 15 – 20 seconds. This is the first step to remove excess sugars from the surface of the potatoes (more on the “why” of this below, but in short it’s to aid crispiness – of course!). Meanwhile, the insides remain untouched by water so they’ll cook up nice and fluffy.

4. Cook in vinegar water = superior crispiness

Once the potatoes are rinsed, place them in a pot with cold tap water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil on high heat then immediately turn down to low so the surface is barely rippling. Cook for 10 minutes. See below for the “why” for this step!

What is the purpose of cooking in vinegar water?

This is the really clever part, a no-extra-effort step discovered by Kenji Lopez-Alt from Serious Eats which makes all the difference. There’s a lot of technical science behind the why, but in a nutshell:

Simmering the fries in water washes away the excess sugars that can cause the fries to brown too much before they have a chance to properly crisp up when frying
The water also activates the starches in the potato. Starch, when fried, is what creates that crispy surface we want!
Meanwhile adding acid (the vinegar) to the water prevents the potatoes from disintegrating for the 10 minute simmering time required. (Like how tart Granny Smith apples don’t turn into baby food mush when cooked whereas sweet red apples do.)

In case you are wondering, yes I tried variations like no-vinegar, shorter and longer cooking times, rapid boil versus gentle simmering. The vinegar water simmering method for 10 minutes works. Don’t skip it or shortcut it!

5. Drain and dry

Use a spider or large slotted spoon to remove the potatoes from the water into a colander. Then carefully spread the potatoes out on two tea towel-lined trays to steam dry for 5 minutes. No need to pat them dry, the residual heat will do the job for us.

6. Cooking vessel and oil

Cooking vessel – Use a heavy-based, large pot that is at least 10 cm / 4″ deep. We need:
- Oil depth – 3 cm / 1.2″ of oil (1 litre/quart for the pictured 24cm / 10″ pot). It’s barely deep-frying, it’s more like shallow-frying!
- Safety headroom – 7 cm / 2.8″ headroom above the surface of the oil for safety purposes as the oil bubbles up quite a lot when we fry. ⚠️ THIS IS IMPORTANT! Oil overflow is a real risk if you do not do this. It’s scary and dangerous, as I found out first hand! Learn from my mistakes. ☺️

Oil temperature – Preheat the oil to 205°C/400°F. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature. I use a Thermapen, see my Essential Kitchenwares post for more details.

7. Fry #1

⚠️ IMPORTANT: For safety reasons, please follow the directions to pause 10 seconds between adding batches of more potato into the oil! As you can see in the photos below, the oil bubbles up quite high and vigorously as soon as you add some potato. If you add all the potato in one go, the oil will bubble up even higher and faster, which is risky. I’m speaking from first hand experience here!

Cook the fries in 3 batches – Separate the cooked potatoes into 3 even piles (batches). We will be doing Fry #1 in three batches in a 24 cm / 10″ pot. If your pot is larger or smaller, adjust the number of batches accordingly so all the fries in one batch can float in a single layer in the oil.
Add 1/3 of Batch #1 – Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully add 1/3 of the first batch into the oil.
⚠️ WAIT 10 seconds then add another 1/3 of batch #1. Pausing before adding more fries is important to ensure the oil doesn’t bubble up too high. Use this time to load up, ready to add more fries.
Repeat – Wait 10 seconds, then add the final 1/3 of Batch #1.
Fry 50 seconds – Once all the fries are in, start the timer and fry for 50 seconds, moving the fries around once or twice.

8. Cool 30 minutes

Remove the fries from the oil using a slotted spoon and spread onto a paper towel-lined tray in a single layer. They will be pale and not yet crispy.

Carry out Fry #1 for the remaining two batches using the same staggered approach (ie. 1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3) within each batch. Ensure the oil is back at 205°C/400°F before starting each batch. Then cool all the fries for 30 minutes on some paper towel-lined trays.

9. Fry #2 – crisp them up!

After cooling the fries, heat the oil to 205°C/400°F again. Now fry half all the french fries for 4 minutes until they are a gorgeous golden colour and wonderfully crispy.

Remove with a slotted spoon into a large paper towel-lined bowl then repeat with the remaining fries.

Why a bowl instead of tray to hold the fries? A bowl keeps the cooked fries warmer whilst still allowing for oil drainage. This way the first batch you cook will still be hot by the time you finish cooking the second batch. The bowl also doubles as a suitable tossing vessel once sprinkled with your favourite seasoning, as you’ll see later!

How to cook lots of fries and serve them all hot? Completed fries can be flash-fried for an extra 30 seconds to 1 minute to reheat. This way you can serve up all the fries piping hot!

10. Seasoning!

Now that your fries are done, sprinkle with salt or your favourite fries seasoning while hot so the salt sticks. Toss, then serve! Remember, these fries will stay crispy for more than 15 minutes, though of course they are best consumed piping hot!

Tip: Remember these French fries are also pre-salted inside because we blanched them in salted water. So don’t go too crazy with the seasoning salt. Sprinkle judiciously, taste (I know, I hate to ask that of you), and then sprinkle more if you think it needs it.

Seasoning options:

Salt – table salt or sea salt flakes. Larger-grained cooking or kosher salt doesn’t stick as well.
Rosemary salt (recipe) – made with fresh rosemary. My favourite!
Fries seasoning (recipe) – a savoury fries seasoning blend. Addictive!
Nori seasoning (coming soon) – made with finely ground nori (dried seaweed). Très trendy!

Fries seasoning (Shaker Fries)

Rosemary salt

Nori salt (coming soon)

Phew!

I know that’s a lot of information to digest for just some bits of fried potato 😂. But for this recipe, I thought some people might find the why behind certain steps interesting (we tested these fries a LOT!!!). Also, I want to give everyone the confidence to try this even if you aren’t experienced frying in oil. Remember, these chips are shallow-fried not deep-fried! Shallow-frying is easier, cleaner, safer and less resource-intensive than deep-frying – all good reasons why you should give this a go. ☺️

Homemade fries with a Cheeseburger! Does it get any better than this??

Truly worth making

I know frying is something that many people are not so comfortable with, or at least gives pause to wonder if it’s worth all the effort.

These fries? Hand on heart, they are worth the effort! It is rare to find fries this good even at really up-market bistros and restaurants, never mind the money you’ll shell out for them. Maccas fries (McDonalds, to you non-Aussies!) are incomparable – they’re dry and tasteless compared to homemade. Believe me – my memory is still fresh from when I ate them side by side as a test yesterday! 😂

I really hope you try these one day, so you get to experience the rare pleasure of truly amazing french fries, cooked fresh in your own home. And if you do, share your thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to know what you think – especially all you french fry connoisseurs!! – Nagi x

Serve with…

Cheeseburger – double or single

Crispy Beer Battered Fish

Fried Chicken

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with BBQ Sauce

Doner Kebab Meat – beef or lamb

Homemade Chicken Doner Kebab recipe

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with BBQ Sauce

Oven Pork Ribs with Barbecue Sauce

Watch how to make it

Perfect Crispy French Fries

Recipe video above. If you want French fries that stay crispy for a good 15 minutes – even after they've gone cold(!) – this is the recipe for you. Adapted from a ground-breaking method documented in The Food Lab by the legendary Kenji López-Alt, read in post for why this recipe works and makes the best French fries!

I really hope you try this one day so you can experience the awesomeness of homemade French fries. McDonald's is incomparable!

Course Side

Cuisine Western

Keyword french fries, homemade chips

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Cooling 40 minutes

Servings

Author Nagi

Ingredients

1 kg / 2 lb (3 – 4) floury potatoes (Note 1, Aus: Sebago/dirt aka brushed, US: Russet/Idaho, UK: Maris Piper, King Edward)
2 tbsp white vinegar (Note 2)
1 tbsp cooking salt / kosher salt (Note 3)
1 litre/quart canola/vegetable oil

Seasoning (choose):

Salt – table salt or sea salt flakes
Shaker fries seasoning
Rosemary salt
Nori salt (coming soon)

Instructions

Cut: Peel the potatoes. Cut into 6 mm / 1/4" French fries using a serrated knife. (Note 4)
Keep cut fries submerged in a bowl of water to prevent them from going brown while you cut the remainder. (No need for actual soaking beyond this.)
Rinse: Transfer potatoes to a colander and rinse under tap water for 15 – 20 seconds.
Simmer: Place fries in a large pot with 2 litres/quarts of cold tap water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat then immediately reduce stove to low so the surface is rippling gently (Note 5), not big bubbles. Cook for 10 minutes then carefully remove using a slotted spoon into a colander (do not tip into colander, fries will break).
Dry 5 min: Spread the fries on 2 tea towel lined trays. Leave to steam dry for 5 minutes.
Pot: Pour 3 cm / 1.2" of oil in a pot that is at least 10cm/4" high (⚠️for safety, need at least 7 cm / 3" from oil surface to rim of pot, Note 6)
Separate the fries into 3 Batches (for cooking).

Fry #1

Heat oil to 205°C/400°F over medium high heat.
⚠️10 sec pause (Note 7): Lower 1/3 of Batch 1 fries into the oil using a slotted spoon. WAIT 10 seconds, add another 1/3 of the fries, wait 10 seconds, then add the remaining Batch 1 fries.
50 sec fry: Fry for 50 seconds, moving them around once or twice. Then remove with a slotted spoon onto 2 paper towel lined trays, spread out in a single layer. The fries will still be white and floppy.
Repeat Fry #1 with Batches 2 and 3, ensuring the oil is back at 205°C/400°F before cooking.

Fry #2

30 min cool: Leaves fries to cool for 30 minutes.
Line a large bowl with paper towels – for draining and tossing.
Fry #2: Heat oil to 205°C/400°F. Fry half the French fries for 4 minutes, moving them around twice, or until golden brown and crispy. Drain in the lined bowl, then repeat with remaining fries.

Season & serve!

Sprinkle fries with salt or seasoning or choice. (Note 8) Toss and serve!
Fries will stay crispy even once cool. See note for large batch cooking tip.

Notes

1. Potato – the potato type matters! Floury/starchy potatoes make crispy fries with fluffy insides. Waxy potatoes won’t be as crispy. If you aren’t familiar with the potato types listed in the ingredients, google the potato you have – “Are XX potatoes starchy?”. If yes, or it’s an “all-rounder”, it’s fine to use!

2. Vinegar – just plain white distilled vinegar. Keeps the potato from turning into mush with 10 min blanch time required to remove sufficient starch so the fries become crispy. See in post for details!

3. Salt – If you only have table salt, use 2 teaspoons.

4. Serrated knife creates a rougher surface = crispier fries. But not the end of the world if you don’t use one – still super crispy!

Cutting fries: slice the potato into 6 mm / 1/4″ thick slices. Stack 2 or 3, then cut into 6 mm / 1/4″ fries.

5. Simmering for 10 minutes is a key step for ultra crispy fries. This washes away excess sugar from the surface which causes fries to brown too quickly, before they have a chance to become crisp.

You don’t want bubbles because if the water is bubbling too rapidly the fries will cook too much / too fast and break.

6. Pot size – Important to ensure there is sufficient head room to allow for oil bubbling. My pot is 24cm / 10″ wide and 10cm / 4″ deep.

My pot requires 1 litre/quart of oil to have a 3cm/1.2″ depth.

Re-use oil 3 to 4 times. Cool then store in jars. The oil shouldn’t need to be strained after cooking the fries. Browse Fried Recipes collection to choose what you’re making next!

7. 10 second pause between adding more fries into the oil for Fry #1 is important to reduce the amount the oil bubbles up. If you add them all in one go, the oil bubbles up more rapidly and higher.

8. Seasoning – Remember the fries already have some salt, so season then taste and adjust as needed.

9. Large batch – If you scale up the recipe, you can flash-fry earlier batches for 30 seconds to 1 minute to reheat.

10. Freezing – Freezes 100% perfectly! After Fry #1, fully cool the fries then freeze on a tray (you can stack them all on one tray). Once frozen, they can be tipped into a container or ziplock bag for freezing – just like store bought frozen fries! Cook from frozen for 4 1/2 minutes.

11. Nutrition – Impossible to calculate but I know every calorie is worth it. 😇 Have salad tomorrow.

Life of Dozer

Behind every door, there’s a Dozer….

The post Perfect Crispy French fries appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Cheesy Mini Potato Gratin Stacks (Muffin Tin)

Nagi — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 02:00:00 +0000

These adorable Potato Gratin Stacks are the mini version of Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise). Layers of thinly sliced potato baked in a muffin tin with cream, cheese, garlic and thyme, the best bit are the crusty caramelised cheesy edges!

Serve as a potato side for dinner. Breakfast with eggs. Party food bites. So many possibilities!

Mini Potato Gratin Stacks (Dauphinoise)

All you need to know is that these Mini Potato Gratin Stacks are cheesy, creamy and ridiculously irresistible. I mean, let’s be blunt. Potatoes + cheese + cream + garlic + butter. BAM! That’s a home run right there!

Actually, they’re a mini version of French Potato Gratin / Dauphinoise. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – everything is better in mini form, not just because it’s cute. But because you get the whole thing to yourself.

Right? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Besides not having to share, making these in mini form means you get nice golden cheesy edges on each piece which might be my favourite part. No golden edges when you make Dauphinoise the usual way!

What you need to make Mini Potato Gratin Stacks

Here’s what you need to make these:

Potatoes – Use starchy or all-rounder ones so they become fluffy when cooked and absorb flavour. Sebago (the common dirt brushed potatoes in Australia), Russet (US), Dutch creams, King Edwards and red delight are all ideal.
If you use waxy potatoes, the layers sort of slip apart when you cut into them.
Shape – Opt for long thin ones so you have less offcuts when trimmed into a cylinder shape to cut slices that fit the muffin thin.
Cheese – Gruyere and Swiss cheese are my favourites here, for their melting quality and flavour. Any cheese that melts will work just fine – cheddar, Colby, tasty cheese. I tend not to use mozzarella because it doesn’t have as much salt / flavour as other cheese but you can if you wish.
Shredded and sliced – I find it best to use slices of cheese between the potato layers and shredded cheese on top.
Cream – Thickened / heavy cream works best because it’s thicker so it pools on the layers better.
Garlic – For flavour, to infuse the cream sauce.
Thyme – Classic herb flavouring for Dauphinoise.

How to make Mini Potato Gratin Stacks

Assembling each gratin stack does take a little more effort than making one big bubbly Dauphinoise for sharing. But it’s worth it – especially for the golden cheesy edges that you never get when you make one big gratin bake!!

1. Cutting the potato slices

Peel and trim – Peel the potatoes then cut the base so it is stable when standing upright. Then trim the potato to make a (rough!) cylinder shape. It doesn’t matter if they are not a perfect round – mine aren’t!. Once they are cooked, you can’t really tell if your potatoes are a little more hexagon-y or octogon-y, or even rectangular or triangular!!!
Check size – The cylinder should be the size of the muffin tin holes.
Potato cylinders – Repeat with remaining potato. To fill a standard 12 hoc muffin tin, you will need 3 potato cylinders cut from 1.2 kg / 2.4 lb of potato.
Slice thinly – Using either a mandolin or a sharp knife, cut the potato into 2mm / 0.1″ thin slices.
Separate slices – Use your fingers to separate the slices as they have a tendency to stick. We want to make sure the creamy sauce seeps between all the potato layers!
Cream sauce – Melt the butter in a saucepan then sauté the garlic for 20 seconds or until it smells amazing. Then add the cream and salt, and simmer for 30 seconds to bring the flavours together.

Now, we’re ready to assemble!

2. Assembling the gratin stacks

Fill halfway – Place a stack of potato slices in the muffin tin hole so they come up halfway.
Pour over cream – Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of cream over the potatoes. No need to be exact here, just use about half the cream.
Cheese slices – Top with a slice of cheese.
Potato and cream – Top each stack with another stack of potatoes so they are just higher than the rim of the muffin tin. We want to make them taller because they sink slightly once cooked.
Then drizzle the remaining cream over each stack.

3. Bake!

Thyme – Sprinkle each stack with most of the thyme. Reserve a bit to sprinkle on at the end. A hint of fresh thyme is a really nice finishing touch!
Cover and bake – Cover loosely with foil then bake for 40 minutes at 180°C/350°F or until the potato is cooked. Check by inserting a knife all the way to the bottom – there should be no resistance.
Cheese then oven – Top with the shredded cheese and return to the oven uncovered for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and there are some lovely golden spots on the surface.
Garnish with thyme & serve! Sprinkle the top with the remaining thyme, then serve immediately!

What to serve with Mini Potato Gratin Stacks

You will want to eat them straight out of the oven, and they are certainly tasty enough to do so! But actually, they are intended to be a side dish.

I tend to pull these out for special occasions when we want a side dish that’s a bit special. Think, holidays and celebratory gatherings, alongside things such as:

a standing rib roast
the most glorious buttery, herby, garlicky roast chicken
the roast pork of your dreams (because it’s completely encased in crackling)
a grand Thanksgiving Turkey (brined is the only way!)
a big juicy steakhouse steak

If you make these for just-a-usual-midweek-dinner, I wish I was you. I could eat these everyday and never tire of them. There’s a reason my nickname was Potato Girl when I was growing up!! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Cheesy Potato Gratin Stacks (Muffin Tin)

Recipe video above. When you combine potatoes, cream, cheese, garlic and butter, you just can't go wrong. These individual size portions made in a muffin tin are great as a side, for breakfast with eggs (and bacon!) OR as finger food for a party!

Course Finger Food, Side

Cuisine French

Keyword mini potato gratin, potato dauphinoise, potato side

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings

Calories 169cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Oil spray
1.2 kg / 2.4 lb starchy potatoes , large long ones (Note 1)
30g /2 tbsp butter , unsalted
2 garlic cloves , finely minced
1/2 cup heavy / thickened cream
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 3/4 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper
75g / 2.5 oz gruyere cheese sliced into 12 squares to fit into muffin tin (or other melting cheese, Note 2)
3/4 cup gruyere cheese (or other melting cheese), shredded

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C (all oven types).
Brush muffin tin with butter: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat then use what you need to lightly brush the muffin tin holes with butter. (Remaining butter is for the cream sauce)
Cream sauce: Into the remaining butter, add garlic and cook for 20 seconds. Add cream and salt then bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 seconds, then remove from stove and keep warm.
Slice potato: Peel potatoes. Trim base so it stands upright. Then cut into cylinder shapes that fit tge muffi tin. Cut into 2mm/ 1/10" slices using a mandolin or sharp knife.
Assemble stacks: Place potato slices into the muffin tin so they go halfway up the muffin tin holes. Try to match by size to make them into neat stacks.
Cream: Drizzle each potato stack with 1 tsp of cream mixture – use 1/2 of the mixture.
Cheese slice: Top with cheese slice.
Top with potato, cream then thyme: Top each stack with remaining potato slices so the height is about 1cm / 1/3" above the rim of the muffin tin (they sink once baked). Drizzle with remaining cream mixture and sprinkle with most of the thyme (reserve some for topping).
Baked 40 minutes: Cover loosely with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until potato is cooked through. A small sharp knife should go through without any resistance.
Top with cheese, bake 10 minutes: Remove from oven, sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake without foil for 10 minutes or until golden.
Garnish with thyme: Sprinkle with remaining thyme.
Stand 5 minutes then remove to serve. Use a tablespoon or butter knife to help scope them out. (Note 3)
To Serve: Dinner – serve as a side. Finger food – serve warm as is. Breakfast – serve with eggs and bacon.

Notes

1. Potatoes – You need to use starchy or all rounder potatoes as they breakdown when cooked, becoming nice and fluffy on the inside. The layers won’t stick if you use waxy potatoes. Best to use are Sebago (dirt brushed potatoes in Australia), Russet (US), Dutch creams, King Edwards, golden delight, coliban and red rascal all work great.

Shape – Get long large ones that are suitable to cut into cylinder shapes.

2. Cheese – Any melting cheese works just fine here, though gruyere is my favourite for flavour and melting qualities. Swiss follows as a close second, followed by Colby and Monterey Jack, then cheddar and tasty cheese. I tend to give mozzarella a miss because it doesn’t have as much flavour as the other cheese.

3. Make ahead – Fantastic for making ahead! Bake per recipe then either freeze them (defrost before reheating) or keep them in the refrigerator. Them pop them in a 180C/350F oven for 10 minutes just to heat through.

4. Nutrition per piece.

Nutrition

Originally published September 2015. Updated November 2021 with improved recipe, new instructional photos and better video. SaveSave

Life of Dozer

Happy to help with the washing up….!

This is how I deal with dishes on big recipe development days for the cookbook – pile them into tubs to keep them out of the way then do giant loads at a time. The amount of dirty pots and pans we generate on big cook days is pretty phenomenal…!!!

SaveSave

The post Cheesy Mini Potato Gratin Stacks (Muffin Tin) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Spiral Sweet Potato Bake

Nagi — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Meet your new favourite sweet potato recipe! Set in a mesmerising ringed pattern, this Sweet Potato Bake is simple to make, eye-catching and tastes even better than it looks. Here’s an excellent, special occasion-worthy side dish that’s still easy enough for dinner tonight!

A sweet potato side dish to impress!

I actually don’t have that many sweet potato side dishes in my repertoire. I think it’s because when I think of potato side dishes, I tend to think crispy (like Duck Fat Potatoes) or creamy and cheesy (like Potato Dauphinoise). So sweet potatoes are never my natural choice. For one, cream + cheese + sweet potato sounds like an odd combination to me (perhaps someone can prove me wrong here). Secondly, sweet potato just doesn’t properly bake up to be crispy like regular potatoes do.

So I decided it was time to expand my sweet potato collection. This spiral Sweet Potato Bake is what I’ve come up, to put an eye-catching spin on an otherwise straightforward bake!

What you need to make this Sweet Potato Bake

Here’s what you need to make this dish:

Sweet potatoes – To make this dish look neat, look for long, evenly-shaped ones so the slices will be as similar size as possible. But really, if the sweet potato you find aren’t exactly shaped like the above, don’t let that stop you from making this!
Rosemary – I often pair rosemary with sweet potato. The strong, woody flavour and aroma goes so well, and as a hardy herb it can also stand up to the 50 minutes it takes to bake. Dried herbs would also work here: rosemary, thyme, oregano or a herb mix all come to mind;
Garlic – For flavour. Not many savoury dishes happen around here without garlic!
Butter and oil – Butter for flavour, oil to promote some nice crispy edges.
Did you know? Butter is ~20% water and dairy solids. This is enough to stops things from baking up to be crispy. Oil on the other hand is 100% fat and makes things truly crispy. We love butter for flavour, though. So to get the best of both worlds, I use a combination of both!
Salt and pepper

How to make a spiral Sweet Potato Bake

Slice sweet potato – Leave the skin on and slice the potatoes 3-4mm thick. You can make short work of this if you have a mandoline that can slice them to this thickness. We don’t want them too thin or they’ll flop over when you try to arrange them;
Toss – In a large bowl, toss the sweet potato slices with butter, oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary. It’s best to use your hands. Separate the slices as you do this because they tend to stick together. We want each slice nicely coated!
Arrange in skillet – Arrange the sweet potato slices in an ovenproof skillet (mine is 26cm / 11″) in circles. (Yep, you got me, it’s not a true spiral! But rings actually make more sense here to fill the skillet properly.) To do this, gather a stack at a time (photo 3) and place them in the skillet on its side (photo 4). Continue placing end to end until you’re three quarters of the way around the skillet. Then push them over so they overlap each other. As they spread out, they should fill the perimeter of the skillet.
Other shapes: It doesn’t have to be round and it doesn’t have to be a skillet. I used my cast iron skillet because it looks great against the orange potato plus it retains heat so well. You can use a baking dish – round, oval or a 25cm/10″ square one. For square or rectangle dishes, I suggest arranging them in lines rather than spiral;
Arranging in skillet (continued) – As described in step 3 above;
Fill centre – Now do a small overlapping circle in the centre of the skillet, to fill the space as best you can;
Bake covered – Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 180°C/350°F (all oven types). In this step, the potatoes should cook most of the way through but not completely;
Bake uncovered – Remove from the oven then crank up the oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan) to brown the top of the potatoes. Remove the foil, drizzle with olive oil (just to give the potatoes a little helping hand for the browning), and pop it back into the oven for 20 minutes or until the tops are a nicely coloured and a bit crispy.
Crispy facts: Sweet potato just doesn’t go truly crispy, unlike regular potato. It’s just a plain fact of life, sadly. We will get some nice edges, but actually they’re more chewy caramelised edges rather than crispy. Still, the caramelised bits are delicious and everyone’s favourite part!

Finally, garnish if desired with a little sprinkle of fresh, finely chopped rosemary, maybe also a little whole sprig or two, and a pinch of sea salt flakes.

Now serve your dazzling sweet potato side dish with anything and everything! The only catch is that those edges do soften over time so it’s not the best to keep. As sweet potato already struggles to get real crispiness, it’s at its peak fresh out of the oven. As it cools, the crispy edges soften and they can’t be resurrected.

After leaving it in the fridge overnight, you’ll find it’s completely soft. But that’s not to say it’s not tasty! It still is, with the lovely rosemary-garlic-butter flavour. I’ve been known to give it a freshening by pan-frying slabs of it until golden and crispy. SO GOOD! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Sweet Potato Bake

Recipe video above. Meet your new favourite sweet potato recipe! Set in a mesmerising ringed pattern, this Sweet Potato Bake is simple to make, eye-catching and tastes even better than it looks. Here's an excellent, special occasion-worthy side dish that's still easy enough for dinner tonight!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Western

Keyword sweet potato bake, Sweet potato casserole, sweet potato side

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings

Calories 239cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

1.25 kg / 2.5 lb 4 -5 sweet potatoes (each 6cm / 2.5" wide, 20cm / 8" long, as evenly shaped as possible); finely sliced, skin on; (Note 1)
30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
2 garlic cloves , finely minced
2 tbsp olive oil , plus a little extra for brushing the skillet
3/4 tsp kosher / cooking salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp rosemary leaves, finely chopped , plus more for garnish / serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Brush skillet base and sides with a little olive oil.
Slice potatoes: Slice potatoes 3-4mm thick. A mandoline will make short work of this.
Toss: Place in large bowl, pour in all butter plus 1 tbsp olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Toss well with hands, separating the slices so they are all coated with oil.
Layer in skillet: Layer potato in skillet in a circular pattern, overlapping the slices. (See post for details)
Bake covered 30 minutes: Cover with foil, bake for 30 minutes until potato is quite soft (almost fully cooked).
Brush with oil: Remove from oven, turn up to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan). Remove foil, brush potato with remaining 1 tbsp oil.
Bake uncovered 20 minutes: Bake 20 minutes until tops are golden and slightly crisp, and potato is cooked through (check with a knife or skewer).
Serve: Scatter with more rosemary leaves, a whole sprig of rosemary and pinch of sea salt flakes if desired. Serve immediately! Sweet potato loses crispiness as it cools.

Notes

1. Sweet potatoes – To fill a 26cm / 11.5″ cast iron skillet as pictured in post, you will need 1kg / 2lb of potato slices. Recipe calls for 1.25kg / 2.5lb to factor in peeling and trimming. For a neat spiral, we want to use rounds that are as similar size as possible.

2. Storage – Best made and eaten fresh when you have lovely little crispy edges. Leftovers won’t have those crispy edges, but are still tasty!

3. Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings.

Nutrition

More sweet potato love

Browned Butter Savoury Sweet Potato Casserole

Wickedly Delish Sweet Potato Salad

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

Roasted Sweet Potato Stacks

Fondant Sweet Potatoes (slow roasted)

Sweet Potato

Life of Dozer

Photo from the Golden Retriever boarder while I’m in Tasmania – this is what surrounds her every morning when she’s munching on dry toast. (That’s Dozer’s big face at the front there, shoving his way to the front of the pack!).

The post Spiral Sweet Potato Bake appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.