Top 10 tips for cooking with potatoes
Jo Pratt shares her top ten tips for cooking the humble potato, and six great recipes to put them into practice with.
Here are some top tips on cooking with the wonderful spud. You'll never have leftover potatoes again!
Use your leftovers wisely
Transform leftover roast or boiled potatoes into a fantastic Spanish tortilla. Start by sautéing thinly sliced onion in some olive oil until soft. Add plenty of sliced cooked potatoes and stir around until heated through. Pour over enough beaten eggs to cover the potatoes and cook over a gentle heat for 10-12 minutes until the egg has set. Serve cut into wedges.
Smooth mash
For a really super smooth mash use a potato ricer to start and then press the potato through a sieve with a rubber spatula.
Don't waste your skins
Don't throw your potato skins away. They can add heaps of flavour to mashed potatoes. Wrap in a piece of muslin and add to the boiling water, or use them to infuse the milk to mix into your mash.
Cut potatoes evenly
Cut potatoes into even-sized chunks to ensure even cooking. This is especially important when boiling or steaming potatoes for mash otherwise you’ll end up with lumps.
Be gentle
Gently boil rather than rapidly boil potatoes, as the higher the temperature is the more starch is released, making the potatoes break up in the pan.
Use them for soup
Any leftover potatoes, whether they are boiled, roast, wedges or mash, can be transformed into soup. Sauté an onion or leek in some oil or butter. Add the leftover potatoes, mustard and stock. Simmer for a few minutes, then blitz until smooth. Stir through diced ham, shredded chicken, sweetcorn, fresh herbs or goat’s cheese for a change.
Re-use your potato water
My grandma used to bake her own bread all the time and would often use potato boiling water to make the dough. It gave it a fantastic flavour and texture. Something I’d also highly recommend is adding some rosemary when boiling potatoes, which not only subtly flavours the potatoes but also the bread I make afterwards.
Use the right oil
As delicious as roasties are when cooked in duck or goose fat, if it’s the purest potato flavour you’re after, use groundnut oil. It’s a flavourless oil perfect for cooking with that will crisp up the potatoes perfectly (not to mention it’s much more economical too).
Make your own gnocchi
Leftover mash is great to use for home-made gnocchi which is far easier to make than you may think. As a general rule it is two parts leftover mash, one part plain flour and one egg for every two cups of mash. Gradually work everything together with a good pinch of salt, to create pliable dough. Roll into sausage shapes and cut into bite-size nuggets.
Cook in boiling water for a few minutes until the gnocchi rise to the surface and serve with tomato sauce, tossed in butter or olive oil and parmesan, or browned in butter with sage and parmesan.
Make pancakes
Another leftover mash tip is to make cheesy potato pancakes, a real tea time favourite with my kids. Mix two cups of leftover mash with one egg, a good handful of grated mature Cheddar, a couple of finely chopped spring onions, and two tablespoons of plain flour.
Roll into balls and flatten into pancakes, adding more flour if they are too wet. The kids love to help with the rolling. Dust with flour then fry over a medium heat for two to three minutes in olive oil until lightly golden. Chopped ham or sweetcorn is a nice addition too.
This is a classic lovefood article
Six great potato recipes from Jo Pratt
Italian roast chicken with rosemary potatoes recipe
Spanish potato and egg hash recipe
Champ cakes with poached egg and bacon recipe
'Bonfire jacket' potatoes with cheese and kidney beans recipe
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