From: "Cook's Illustrated" <cooksillustrated_support@...
Cook's Oct. Kitchen Notes
ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO . . .
October: Fall is here. Time for comfort food--and what food provides more
comfort than potatoes? In this issue of e-Notes, we'll give you tips on the
varieties you'll find at the market, storage, preparation, and, of course, a
favorite recipe.
The Historical Root
Although we use potatoes solely for their root, they are actually an herb of
the nightshade family, which makes them relatives of the tomato and the
eggplant.
Cultivated and consumed by the Incas for thousands of years, potatoes were
not introduced to Europe until the late 1530s, where they languished for
more than a decade, under suspicion of being poisonous. Then Sir Walter
Raleigh stepped in, planting them on an estate in Ireland, and the rest, as
they say, is history.
You Say Potato . . .
Identifying specific varieties of potato can be a difficult task. Some
supermarkets categorize potatoes by their varietal name, while others do so
by their generic names. To simplify things, we categorize potatoes according
to their starch and moisture content: high starch/low moisture,
medium starch, and low starch/high moisture. This simple system allows you
to make substitutions for different varieties and gives you some assurance
as to how the spuds will cook up, even if they aren't sold under the
familiar name.
*High Starch/Low Moisture: These potatoes can be found under the name baking
potato, Idaho, Russet Burbank, or White Creamer. Dry and fluffy, these
potatoes are great for baking and frying and loved by some for mashing.
*Medium Starch: All-purpose, Yukon Gold, Yellow Fin, and Purple Peruvian are
all medium-starch potatoes. Preferred for mashing or boiling, these
potatoes have a slightly more moist and dense interior than high-starch
varieties. Yukon Golds, so named for their distinct golden color, are prized
for their succulence and buttery flavor.
*Low Starch/High Moisture: You'll find these potatoes under the name Red
Bliss, Red #1, Red Creamer, new potato, White Rose, French Fingerling, or
Red Pontiac. Best for roasting, boiling, and making salads, such potatoes
have a complex, nutty flavor along with their high moisture content.
Buying and Storing
Seek out potatoes that are firm and well-shaped, and avoid those that are
wrinkled, blemished, sprouted, or cracked.
When you get potatoes home, keep them away from the sun and moisture. Dr.
Alfred Bushway of the University of Maine in Orono tells us that when
potatoes are stressed by improper storage, the level of naturally occurring
toxins increases, made visible in the green, bitter tinge known as solanine.
Although toxic in high amounts not destroyed by cooking, solanine need not
cause you to discard the whole potato--just cut away the green portions
completely.
Ideally, you should store your potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place, and
throw in an apple. An apple? This tip was suggested by a reader of the
magazine, and when we put it to the test, we were amazed by
the results: after eight weeks of storage, the potatoes stored without the
company of an apple were soft and shriveled, while those nestled with the
apple were firm and sproutfree.
Dr. Bushway had the explanation we were looking for. As the apple ripens, he
said, it gives off ethylene gas and other organic alcohols. These gasses
and alcohols suppress the elongation of the potato cells, which is what
causes sprouts to form.
Scrubbing
When we have a bushel of spuds to scrub, we put on our loofah mitt or
bathing/scrubbing gloves and get to work. The rough-textured exfoliating
fabric quickly and easily removes all traces of stubborn dirt.
RECIPE: PERFECT ROAST POTATOES
One of our favorites, this recipe is quick, satisfying, and the ideal
showcase for dense and velvety low-starch potatoes. Never greasy or dry and
brittle, these potatoes are crisp and rich, with a moist, flavorful
interior.
Crucial to the success of this recipe is the unusual treatment of the
potatoes. We found that roasting at 425 degrees gave us an evenly colored,
crisp potato with a dense interior. Finding the interior still a bit dry for
our taste, we tried parboiling and steaming prior to roasting before we hit
upon the best right approach: covering with the potatoes with aluminum foil
during roasting to let them steam in their own moisture. To crisp up the
skins, we uncover the potatoes midway through roasting and flip them once,
being careful not to scrape away the bottom crust. We prefer a mere three
tablespoons of
extra-virgin olive oil to coat the potatoes before cooking--any less and
they were a bit dry, any more and they were overly greasy.
We've also included here our favorite variation, which infuses the potatoes
with the heady taste of garlic and herbs.
MASTER RECIPE FOR ROAST POTATOES
Serves 4
To roast more than 2 pounds of potatoes at once, use a second pan rather
than crowding the first. If your potatoes are small, as are new potatoes,
cut them in halves instead of wedges and turn them cut-side up during the
final 10 minutes of roasting.
2 pounds Red Bliss or other low-starch potatoes, scrubbed clean, dried,
halved, and cut into 3/4-inch wedges
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss
potatoes and olive oil in medium bowl to coat; season generously with salt
and pepper and toss again to blend.
2. Place potatoes flesh-side down, in a single layer, on a shallow roasting
pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook about 20 minutes. Remove
foil; roast until side of potato touching pan is crusty golden brown, about
15 minutes more. Remove pan from oven and carefully turn the potatoes over
using a metal spatula. (Press the spatula against the pan as it slides the
under potatoes to protect
the crusts.) Return the pan to the oven and roast until the sides of the
potatoes now touching the pan are crusty golden brown and the skins have
raisinlike wrinkles, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven, transfer to
serving dish (again, using metal spatula and extra care not to rip crusts),
and serve warm.
ROAST POTATOES WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY
Serves 4
Follow the Master Recipe for Roast Potatoes. While the potatoes roast, mince
two medium garlic cloves; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and mash
with the flat side of a chef's knife blade until a paste forms. Transfer the
garlic paste to a large bowl; set aside. During the last 3 minutes of
roasting time, sprinkle 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary evenly over
potatoes. Immediately transfer potatoes to the bowl with the garlic; toss to
distribute, and serve warm.