Smashed Gold Potatoes, Revisited

Here's a recipe from way back... near the very beginning of this blog. Recently I've been doing some heavy duty blog cleaning. Sweeping through each post and editing, updating, tossing. My standards for recipes and photography have come a long way in the last 20 months and some of my first photos make me cringe. So if you come across a recipe that is missing a photo, it's because I threw it out. A food photo is meant to serve one purpose- to entice you to want to make a recipe. I suspect a few of those old photos were having quite the opposite effect. It's not that those recipes aren't good. Just that my portrayal of them was really bad!

Today I'm recycling. Revisiting a old recipe and making it new. None of the ingredients have changed, just the presentation. These smashed gold potatoes are crisp on the outside and soft and steamy in the middle. They were awesome with this steak and corn salsa. I topped them with fresh chopped chives from my herb garden.

3/25/09: Instead of mashed, tonight we had smashed potatoes! I've never understood the obsession with mashed potatoes. While I'll eat my mother's (because I know what she puts in them), I never order mashed potatoes from a restaurant. Two reasons: I don't like them and they are horribly unhealthy. I read before that the average restaurant's mashed potato recipe calls for an equal ratio of potato to butter. And they still don't taste that good! (This coming from a carb lover.) When you make your own at least you can control what ingredients you use. You really only need a dab of butter and a bit of milk to achieve a creamy consistency. And in all my potato experience I have learned that Yukon golds make the best mashed potatoes. Type DOES matter. You want to avoid the waxy varieties, and while Idaho will work OK, Yukon Gold's have the best texture.

But these potatoes are not about creaminess, but rather chunkiness! These potato's skins are tissue paper-thin and have a wonderful buttery flavor. You simply par-boil them (until a knife easily pierces the skin), smash them whole, and pan fry them for a few minutes to achieve a crispy coat. A world of difference in texture (they are actually substantial), flavor (and no butter used), and goodness (healthy, finally)!

INGREDIENTS

one small bag of small Yukon gold or fingerling potatoes

salt and pepper, to taste

1 - 2 Tbsp. olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Start by placing the potatoes in a large saucepan. Add a teaspoon of salt and cover with water. Don't peel the potatoes, because the skin helps keep the potatoes together. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and cook at a low boil until they are tender enough to slide a knife in easily. It is important not to over-boil them, for golf ball size potatoes about 10 minutes or a little less. Drain the potatoes and refrigerate until you are ready to brown them in a large skillet.

2. Heat the olive in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Keep in mind it needs to be big enough to hold the potatoes, which double in size when they are smashed. Smash each potato with a masher or the bottom of a heavy glass. Season with salt and pepper and cook until crisp, and them turn and cook the other side. Sprinkle with chives, fresh herbs, whatever and serve.

(Recipe from 101 Cookbooks)