Breakfast of Potatoes

[juan_bernado]

the thing with taters is you need some time to grow into them. i needed around 19 years to love them. here in germany all older folks eat taters everyday. my grandma is in her 80s and still grows rows of Taters (Kartoffeln). I think next year i'm filling a few rows with old varieties from germany, england, france etc.

cheers

[garnetmoth]

we took about half the taters Ive harvested so far to a friends cook out last night. lil red store potatoes, just cut up 2 that had eyes- planted in compost/ rabbit manure/ little potting soil.

they were tasty!

[dice]

Real potatoes:
http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/pc-wr...corps/ukraine/

[Lamb Abbey Orchards]

Originally Posted by Tom Wagner

I cooked a pan full of potatoes. Two tubers each, boiled in the jackets, and sampled variety by variety with only a bit of margarine and salt. It was only about two pounds of potatoes but with just a cup or so of coffee, I feel sated and reasonably happy.

If you really want to feel sated and reasonably happy with your potatoes, pick up some high-butterfat butter, such as Lurpak from Denmark, Kerrygold Pure Irish butter, or Vermont Sea Salt Butter. I know this recommendation may just sound snooty and pretentious, but these butters are generally at least 85% butterfat (compared with 80% butterfat + 5% extra water of most grocery store butters) and that 5% difference is quite pronounced in the flavor and mouthfeel. They're truly out of this world on potatoes.





I found all three butters via a great gourmet food site called iGourmet.com. They occasionally run out of stock, but usually get them back in pretty quickly.



John

[phicks48]

looks really good . One thing tho where are they geting Sea Salt In Vermont? Lol Paul

[Lamb Abbey Orchards]

Probably the same place I get it. They buy it.

[Robert Brenchley]

Boiled potatoes with butter is the British way as well. It's OK, but I had rather a surfeit when I was a kid, and tend to avoid it nowadays!

[Lamb Abbey Orchards]

I wasn't thinking about boiled potatoes. That's just bland. You've got to roast them.

I was thinking more along the lines of this Gordon Ramsay recipe:


* * * * *

Sirloin of beef with roasted Charlotte potatoes and red wine shallots

Serves 4

Charlotte potatoes are in the premier division of potatoes - they are waxy, with a dark-yellow colour, incredibly flavoursome and the best potato to roast. At the Boxwood Café we use ribeye of beef for this recipe, but at home I suggest you use sirloin, or an individual ribeye. Even the T-bone steak, the retro classic, can be used as an alternative to sirloin. Don’t be scared to serve this warm - there is nothing worse than being pressured into thinking you’ve got to serve it hot. I personally enjoy beef much better when it’s warm, as it’s been able to rest sufficiently, which tenderises it.

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 x 1kg sirloin beef
Olive oil
1 head of garlic, broken into cloves
A few sprigs of fresh thyme and a few thyme leaves
12 large Charlotte potatoes, peeled
150g unsalted butter
16 medium shallots, peeled
285ml port
285ml red wine

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Season the sirloin well, then heat some olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meat all over. Transfer it to an ovenproof dish. Add the garlic cloves, a sprig or two of thyme and a little fresh olive oil. Cook in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven and set aside. With this timing the sirloin will be nice and rare - cook it for longer if you prefer.

2 Meanwhile, in another pan, heat some more olive oil and colour the potatoes all over until nice and golden. Add a few more sprigs of thyme, plus the butter, and cook slowly until they are soft in the middle - 15-20 minutes.

3 In a small pan, sauté the shallots in olive oil until slightly coloured. Drain off the excess oil and add the port, red wine and thyme leaves. Simmer until the liquid has reduced, and the shallots are cooked and glazed like rubies. Cut the beef into generous slices and arrange in a serving dish with the potatoes, shallots and garlic.

* * * * *

If you're doing your potatoes proper justice, they should NOT end up looking like this:





But rather like THIS:





Kinda makes your mouth water, eh?



John