Fries/Chips

Somehow it didn't really occur to me just how many random words were changed between the British and American editions of all the Harry Potter books. I now realize that it must be immense. While I don't own the British edition myself, I can only assume that they would list our next item, fries, as chips. But regardless of what they're called, today, in the American vernacular, we are making french fries.

"He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs" (Sorcerer's Stone 123).

Who doesn't like french fries? Umm, nobody, that's who. We'll be using Dinah Bucholz' recipe.

You Will Need:

6 large Idaho potatoes (or however many you want-- I used four medium ones, and there were plenty of fries for two very generous servings)

Oil for frying (Peanut or Vegetable)

Salt to taste

1. Wash your potatoes and peel them if you like. I didn't.

2. Slice the potatoes into 1/4" (ish) slices. Then cut the slices lengthwise into 1/4" sticks.

3. Rinse the potato sticks in cold water until the water runs clear and dry them with paper towel. Wrap the potatoes in paper towel until you are ready to fry them (otherwise they'll get all starchy again).

4. Fill a medium saucepan or deep skillet with about 1-2" of oil and heat it until it reaches 350 degrees. 

5. Add the potatoes in batches, frying them until they are darker yellow, about 3-5 minutes.

6. Remove the potatoes from the oil with a slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain. Be sure to check between batches that the temperature is still at 350.

7. Just before you're ready to serve them,  re-heat the oil to 350 and fry the potatoes again until they are golden brown and a little crispy, 1-2 minutes. 

8. Drain on paper towels and salt to taste. Serve asap and enjoy!

These are pretty delicious, and unlike french fries you might pick up for 99 cents at a drive-thru, they actually taste like potatoes! What a thought!

Roast Potatoes

More Potatoes!

"He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs" (Sorcerer's Stone 123).

According to Dinah Bucholz' book, back when potatoes were first introduced in Britain, people thought they were poisonous. Realizing they were not poison and a cheap source of food, one man boiled them until they were unrecognizable and fed them to poorhouse residents. Maybe this is where the British practice of boiling everything to mush began :) But the recipe for Roast Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary in The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook is quite delicious!

You Will Need:
6 red potatoes (about 2 lbs), scrubbed and chopped into 1/2" (ish) pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced (my garlic was icky, so i used a bit of garlic powder instead)
black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine diced potatoes with the oil, salt, rosemary, garlic, and black pepper in a bowl. Mix together, making sure to coat the potatoes thoroughly and evenly.

3. Spread the potatoes in a large, shallow roasting pan  or rimmed baking sheet.
4. Roast the potatoes for about 45 minutes, until the potatoes are slightly crisp around the edges and soft in the middle. Halfway through baking, remove the pan briefly and toss the potatoes again and then replace in the oven to continue roasting.

These potatoes are super easy and super flavorful. They would be an excellent side dish with a lot of entrees. Enjoy!

Boiled Potatoes

Finally we've returned! Last week kind of ran away from me, but we're back and ready to cook! We're entering a brief smorgasbord of potatoes; in case you forgot the sentence we're still working through:

"He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs" (Sorcerer's Stone 123).

And we're finally returning to Dinah Bucholz' book, The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook! We'll be making her "Boiled Potatoes with Herbed Vinaigrette." Note that I halved the recipe but included the measurements for a full recipe, so my photos will look different than your process.

You Will Need:

3 pounds small New Potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbs tarragon vinegar (or other kind you have available; I used balsamic)

salt to taste

black pepper to taste

2 Tbs chopped fresh dill (or half as much if you use dried)

1. Scrub the potatoes and place them in a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes.

2. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.

3. Drain the potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl. At this point, I cut most of my potatoes in half because they were pretty huge.

4. Add the oil, vinegar, and spices, and toss to combine.

5. Serve warm and enjoy!

Having grown up in a family where potatoes were served almost every night, and nine times out of ten they were mashed or baked, I'm always looking for new ways to prepare potatoes. I will definitely add this recipe to my repertoire-- it tastes both unexpected and delicious!

Potatoes

We have reached another paragraph filled with glorious foods. That's right, we've reached the very first Hogwarts feast! This first item initiates Harry's shock at food which magically appears (thanks to the excellent ministrations of the House Elves):

"He's [Dumbledore's] a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry? Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food" (Sorcerer's Stone 123).

Potatoes are mentioned over and over throughout the Harry Potter series, but only four times does Ms. Rowling not specify how the potatoes have been prepared. Since this is one of those times, I shall make the executive decision on what kind of potatoes Percy offered to Harry at his first Hogwarts feast. There is one (perhaps among many, I don't know for sure) classically British dish that is never mentioned in any of the seven Harry Potter books: Bubble and Squeak. And since the main ingredient in Bubble and Squeak is potatoes, and since I've never made it before (and since its name is such fun!), today we shall cook Bubble and Squeak! This recipe comes from the Linda Doeser's cookbook, 100 Best Recipes, Vegetarian.

You Will Need:
1 pound unpeeled potatoes (5 or so should equal about a pound)
generous 1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper
8 oz cabbage (a little less than 1/3 a cabbage)
2-3 Tbs water
4 Tbs corn or vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
a heavy-bottomed pan with lid, and a plate at least as big as the lid.

1. Place your potatoes in a pot of lightly salted water and cook 25 minutes or until tender.
2. Drain, cool, peel, and dice the potatoes into a large bowl.

3. Add all but 2 tsp of the butter to the potatoes and mash until no lumps remain. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Meanwhile, shred the cabbage and place in a heavy-bottomed pan with the remaining butter and 2-3 Tbs water. Cover and cook over low heat, shaking the pan occasionally, for 10 minutes or until tender.

5. Mix the cabbage into the mashed potatoes and season with salt and pepper as needed.

6. Heat half the oil in the heavy-bottomed pan and add the onion. Cook , stirring occasionally, about five minutes or until tender. Arrange the onion evenly over the bottom of the pan.

7. Add the potato-cabbage mixture to the pan and press down with a wooden spoon (or your hands, carefully) to make a flat, even cake.

8. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown. It won't burn, I promise. I was nervous too.
9. Place the plate over top of the pan and invert the potato cake onto the plate.
10. Add the rest of the oil evenly to the pan and return the potato cake into the pan to cook the other side for 15 minutes, until golden brown. This is the point where I learned where the name "Bubble and Squeak" comes from! It really does squeak while it cooks! Loudly! Make it and you'll see what I mean!

11. Transfer back to a plate, cut into wedges, and serve.

Enjoy! For a simple cake of potatoes and cabbage, originally developed to use up leftovers, Bubble and Squeak is pretty delicious!