POTATO RECIPES

 

                            

              

  

                                                        POTATO SOUP

 

8 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large carrot, scraped and thinly sliced

2 tender celery stalks, threaded and thinly sliced

1 tbsp butter

 1½ litre (6 cups) hot, tasty chicken stock

1 small slice of ginger, peeled

500 ml (2 cups) milk

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

A good pinch of grated nutmeg

90 g (3 fl oz) thick cream

2 tbsp dill, finely chopped

 

Sauté the potatoes, carrot and celery stalks in butter for 15 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour in the chicken stock, add the ginger and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. 

 

Discard the ginger and celery stalks and puree the potatoes with a hand blender, then press them through a sieve back into the saucepan. Pour in the milk and reheat gently but do not boil. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper and a pinch of grated nutmeg to taste. 

 

Serve with spoonfuls of cream and finely chopped dill.

 

 

                                             SKORDALIA – GARLIC SAUCE

In the Ionian islands, garlic sauce is prepared with boiled potatoes and is called alliatha.

 

6 garlic cloves, peeled

4 large mealy potatoes, boiled in salted water, peeled and quartered

The juice of 1 lemon, strained

125 ml (½ cup) water

Salt

2 tbsp olive oil

 

Traditionally skordalia was prepared with a mortar and pestle.  Evidently, it is easier and much quicker to prepare it with a hand blender.

 

First, blend the garlic for a few seconds. Add the warm potatoes, the water and half the lemon juice and whip until smooth and velvety.  Taste and add more salt and lemon juice, if necessary. 

 

Serve sprinkled with olive oil.

 

 

                                                      POTATO CHIPS

 

A universal favourite, despite the unwholesome notoriety.

 

800 g (1 lb 10 oz) potatoes, peeled and cut into finger-sized chips

Sunflower oil or corn oil or mild-tasting olive oil#

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Allow the chips to soak in a bowl in order to release as much starch as possible.  Then place them in a saucepan with cold water and boil for 5-6 minutes until they start to soften.  Strain and pat dry.

 

Pour the oil, 2 cm deep (less than 1 inch), in a frying pan, over medium heat.  Add the potatoes in batches and cook for 6-8 minutes until crisp and golden.  Drain on kitchen paper and season to taste.

    

 

                                                 JACKET POTATOES

 

4 large potatoes

Olive oil

Coarse salt

Butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 

Wash and pat the potatoes dry.  Prick them all over with a fork, rub them with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.  Place in tin and bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for 1½-2 hours.

 

Cut a deep cross on top of each potato and squeeze with your fingers until the flesh oozes out.

 

The classical way to serve them is to place a teaspoonful of butter on top of each potato and season with salt and pepper.  But you could offer them with sour cream, thickly grated Cheddar and chopped crispy bacon.

 

 

                                                 MASHED POTATOES

 

When I was a child, one of my favourite supper dishes was a plate of comforting mashed potatoes, with a poached egg.

 

600 g (1 lb 2 oz) unpeeled potatoes

2 tbsp butter

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

312.5 ml (1 ¼ cup) hot milk

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

 

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, drain and when cold enough to handle, peel and mash until smooth.

 

Melt the butter in a saucepan add the mashed potatoes, grated nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.

 

Pour in the hot milk ad cook, stirring vigorously until the mashed potatoes are smooth and velvety.  Taste and season with salt, grated nutmeg and freshly ground white pepper to taste.  Serve in a hot bowl.

 

 

                             SMASHED POTATOES WITH CREAM AND SAGE

This is a lovely variation of mashed potatoes.

 

1 kg (2 lb) or more mealy potatoes, peeled and sliced

Enough tasty stock to just cover

1 garlic clove or more, peeled

1 sprig of sage

Salt

1 tsp olive oil

250 ml (1 cup) or more cream

1 tbsp snipped chives

Freshly ground white pepper to taste

 

Boil the potatoes with all the ingredients except the cream, chives and white pepper.  Strain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan and heat to remove any possible remaining moisture and discard the garlic and sage. 

 

Pour in the cream and stir gently but thoroughly to combine and simmer for 2 minutes more and taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.  Serve sprinkled with snipped chives and freshly ground white pepper.

 

 

                                                   POTATO SOUFFLE

A different version of the classical dish.

 

3 large potatoes, boiled in salted water, peeled and thickly sliced

150 g (5 oz) Gruyere sliced

90 g (3 oz) grated Parmesan, divided

 

Bechamel Sauce:

4 tbsp butter

1 bay leaf

4 tbsp cornflour

A pinch of nutmeg

625 ml (2 ½ cups) hot milk

3 eggs separated, yolks beaten, whites whipped to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt

½ cup grated Parmesan

Salt and white pepper to taste

A knob of butter

 

First prepare the bechamel sauce.  Melt the butter, add the bay leaf and sift in the cornflour and nutmeg, stirring for 3-4 minutes.  Then pour in the hot milk in portions stirring well after each addition until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Discard the bay leaf and stir in the grated Parmesan. Then taste and season with salt if necessary and freshly ground white pepper. 

 

Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool a little, and stir in the beaten egg yolks first, and then gently fold in the whipped egg whites until no streaks are visible.

 

To assemble, arrange half the amount of potato slices in a generously buttered PYREX dish.  Place a slice of Gruyere over each potato slice and cover with half the bechamel sauce.  Repeat the procedure once more, sprinkle with grated Parmesan, dot with butter and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (35 F) for 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden.

 

Serve immediately with a salad of your choice.

 

 

                                                 POTATO MOUSSAKA

2 kg (4 lb) potatoes, boiled in salted water,  peeled and thickly sliced

 

Minced Meat Sauce:

1 kg (2 lb) minced veal

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, peeled and grated

1 carrot, scraped and finely grated

2 rashers of bacon, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

 

315 ml (1½ cup) tomato juice

5 eggs whipped with a tiny pinch of salt

1 cup of grated Parmesan

A knob of butter

 

For the minced meat sauce, sauté the onion, carrot and bacon in olive oil until the vegetables are soft.  Add the minced meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and cook stirring until the meat changes colour and becomes crumbly. Pour in the wine and cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes until the alcohol evaporates. Then add hot water to cover and cook until the meat is tender and dry.  Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F)

 

Arrange half the potato slices in a buttered PUREX dish, spoon the mincemeat sauce evenly over and cover with the remaining potato slices, sprinkle with Parmesan and dot with butter and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.  Serve cut into portions, with a green salad.

 

                                                   POTATO TIMBALE

A delicious side or main dish.

 

2 kg (4 lb) potatoes, boiled in salted water, peeled and mashed

5 eggs, whipped

375 ml (1 ½ cup) milk or more

150 g (5 oz) finely grated Parmesan

2 tbsp butter

A little salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

 

Filling:

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tbsp olive oil

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

½ cup chopped parsley

 

Egg wash

Grated Parmesan for the top

 

Mix the mashed potatoes with the whipped eggs, milk, grated Parmesan, butter, white pepper, a pinch and nutmeg and a little salt if necessary, and mix until very well combined. Sauté the chopped mushrooms and garlic in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with wine and cook stirring until the liquid is absorbed and the mushrooms are tender.  Taste and season accordingly and stir in the chopped parsley. 

 

Place half of the mashed potatoes in a buttered mould. Spoon the mushroom filling over and cover evenly with the remaining mashed potatoes, brush with egg wash sprinkle with cheese and bake in an oven preheated to180 C (350 F) for 25-30 minutes puffed and golden brown.      

 

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