Post by Byzesion on Aug 15, 2014 19:36:26 GMT -5
There are few foods more universal, and yet more taken for granted, than the potato. It's become one of humanity's staple crops, despite taking some two hundred years to gain widespread acceptance in Europe.
While most of the blame for the potato's slow spread belongs with the feudal system, there was also suspicion of the tuber because of its heritage. Like the tomato and both chili and bell peppers, the potato belongs to the Solanaceae family, which also includes the highly toxic nightshade. While potatoes do contain this poison, it's in such small amounts that one would be sick from overeating well before the toxin would take hold.
Potatoes as we know them today can be broken up into three broad categories:
High-starch or baking potatoes generally contain twenty percent starch or higher and have a fluffier, flour-y texture when cooked, which suits them to baking and frying.
Low-starch or boiling potatoes tend to have between sixteen and eighteen percent starch and usually have a waxy skin and insides suited for smooth mashed potatoes.
Medium-starch or hybrid potatoes can be used for virtually any dish but may not perform as well as a potato from either the high or low starch camps. Like the old saying goes, “Jack of all trades but master of none”.
1 pound (453.6 grams) Russet or similar baking potatoes
1/2 pound (226.8 grams) Red pontiac or similar boiling potatoes
2 ounces (56.7 grams) butter (salted or unsalted) or margarine
1/4 cup (59.14 milliliters) milk or half-and-half (1/2 cream, 1/2 milk)
3/4 teaspoon (3.75 milliliters) salt
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 milliliters) ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon (0.75 milliliters) garlic salt
Depending on the amount of texture you like in your mashed potatoes, you can peel your potatoes or skip it outright. Personally, I like to peel them and save about a quarter of the peelings to chop and add in. Dice the potatoes into half inch pieces – they don't have to be perfect, but the closer you get, the more evenly they'll cook. I tend to rinse the pieces in a bowl of cold water to get some of the surface starch off, but again, that's optional.
Dump the diced potatoes into a saucepan and just cover them with hot water – anything between a quarter and a half inch (one half to one and one half centimeters) above the potatoes should be fine, but too much more than that and risk having soggy potatoes. Put the potatoes over medium heat and cover. Ideally, you'll have a good, tight fitting lid but anything that completely covers the top of the pan will work in a pinch.
Once the water begins to boil you can remove the lid (or what-have-you) and allow it to continue boiling for ten to fifteen minutes, or until the potatoes crush when you gently squeeze them with a pair of tongs. Once they do, drain them through a colander quickly before they overcook, because overcooked potatoes are gummy and sticky and just all-around terrible.
Put the cooked potatoes back into the pan, add the milk (or half-and-half) and butter (or margarine) and start mashing. When you're about half-way done, add in the seasonings and continue mashing until the whole mixture has a smooth consistency.
Mashed potatoes (see above)
One egg
1/4 cup (59.14 milliliters) water
1 1/2 pounds (680.39 grams) ground lamb (Shepherd's Pie) or ground beef (Cottage Pie)
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) canola oil
One cup chopped onion
Two carrots, peeled and diced small
Two cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 milliliters) ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) tomato paste
1 cup (473.1 milliliters) chicken broth
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) chopped thyme
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
For the record, Shepherd's Pie and Cottage Pie are functionally the same, and the latter is the older term, dating back to the late 1700s when potatoes became a cheap, plentiful staple for the poor, namely those who might live in cottages.
First, get the mashed potatoes going by following the above recipe. At the same time, start preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Once the water starts boiling, it's time to work on the filling. Put the canola oil into a twelve inch skillet over medium heat. Once the oil gets hot (a good way to check is a light overhead: the oil acts like a mirror and once it gets hot, the reflection will wobble and shift), add in the carrots and chopped onion and fry them until they just start to brown, it should take around three or four minutes. Then stir in the garlic and let it start to brown; when it does, add in your chosen meat and the salt and pepper, cooking until the meat is brown and cooked through.
Next, sprinkle the flour over the mixture and toss it to get a good coating. This will help to thicken up the sauce that will go into the filling mix. Speaking of the sauce, add in the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, and thyme, and let the whole thing come to a good boil - this should take about ten minutes. By now, your potatoes are probably done or close to it, so keep a good eye on them – remember, it should only take a little pressure to crush them.
Once the filling just starts to thicken, add in the corn and peas, and then give the whole thing a good stir to get the vegetables evenly mixed in, and then pour the whole thing into a casserole dish. Now top the filling with the mashed potatoes, starting at the edges (to keep the filling from boiling over the top) and spreading it towards the center.
Once that's done, put the whole thing, uncovered, in the oven for about twenty-five minutes. You'll know it's done when the potato crust just starts to brown. Now, this step is completely optional, but you can add a bit of egg wash on top of the potatoes to make them nice and brown. Mix together one egg and quarter cup of water and brush a light coating on top, then put it back in the oven until you get the browning you want.
While most of the blame for the potato's slow spread belongs with the feudal system, there was also suspicion of the tuber because of its heritage. Like the tomato and both chili and bell peppers, the potato belongs to the Solanaceae family, which also includes the highly toxic nightshade. While potatoes do contain this poison, it's in such small amounts that one would be sick from overeating well before the toxin would take hold.
Potatoes as we know them today can be broken up into three broad categories:
High-starch or baking potatoes generally contain twenty percent starch or higher and have a fluffier, flour-y texture when cooked, which suits them to baking and frying.
Low-starch or boiling potatoes tend to have between sixteen and eighteen percent starch and usually have a waxy skin and insides suited for smooth mashed potatoes.
Medium-starch or hybrid potatoes can be used for virtually any dish but may not perform as well as a potato from either the high or low starch camps. Like the old saying goes, “Jack of all trades but master of none”.
Mashed Potatoes
1 pound (453.6 grams) Russet or similar baking potatoes
1/2 pound (226.8 grams) Red pontiac or similar boiling potatoes
2 ounces (56.7 grams) butter (salted or unsalted) or margarine
1/4 cup (59.14 milliliters) milk or half-and-half (1/2 cream, 1/2 milk)
3/4 teaspoon (3.75 milliliters) salt
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 milliliters) ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon (0.75 milliliters) garlic salt
Depending on the amount of texture you like in your mashed potatoes, you can peel your potatoes or skip it outright. Personally, I like to peel them and save about a quarter of the peelings to chop and add in. Dice the potatoes into half inch pieces – they don't have to be perfect, but the closer you get, the more evenly they'll cook. I tend to rinse the pieces in a bowl of cold water to get some of the surface starch off, but again, that's optional.
Dump the diced potatoes into a saucepan and just cover them with hot water – anything between a quarter and a half inch (one half to one and one half centimeters) above the potatoes should be fine, but too much more than that and risk having soggy potatoes. Put the potatoes over medium heat and cover. Ideally, you'll have a good, tight fitting lid but anything that completely covers the top of the pan will work in a pinch.
Once the water begins to boil you can remove the lid (or what-have-you) and allow it to continue boiling for ten to fifteen minutes, or until the potatoes crush when you gently squeeze them with a pair of tongs. Once they do, drain them through a colander quickly before they overcook, because overcooked potatoes are gummy and sticky and just all-around terrible.
Put the cooked potatoes back into the pan, add the milk (or half-and-half) and butter (or margarine) and start mashing. When you're about half-way done, add in the seasonings and continue mashing until the whole mixture has a smooth consistency.
Shepherd's/Cottage Pie
Mashed potatoes (see above)
One egg
1/4 cup (59.14 milliliters) water
1 1/2 pounds (680.39 grams) ground lamb (Shepherd's Pie) or ground beef (Cottage Pie)
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) canola oil
One cup chopped onion
Two carrots, peeled and diced small
Two cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 milliliters) ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) tomato paste
1 cup (473.1 milliliters) chicken broth
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) chopped thyme
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
For the record, Shepherd's Pie and Cottage Pie are functionally the same, and the latter is the older term, dating back to the late 1700s when potatoes became a cheap, plentiful staple for the poor, namely those who might live in cottages.
First, get the mashed potatoes going by following the above recipe. At the same time, start preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Once the water starts boiling, it's time to work on the filling. Put the canola oil into a twelve inch skillet over medium heat. Once the oil gets hot (a good way to check is a light overhead: the oil acts like a mirror and once it gets hot, the reflection will wobble and shift), add in the carrots and chopped onion and fry them until they just start to brown, it should take around three or four minutes. Then stir in the garlic and let it start to brown; when it does, add in your chosen meat and the salt and pepper, cooking until the meat is brown and cooked through.
Next, sprinkle the flour over the mixture and toss it to get a good coating. This will help to thicken up the sauce that will go into the filling mix. Speaking of the sauce, add in the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, and thyme, and let the whole thing come to a good boil - this should take about ten minutes. By now, your potatoes are probably done or close to it, so keep a good eye on them – remember, it should only take a little pressure to crush them.
Once the filling just starts to thicken, add in the corn and peas, and then give the whole thing a good stir to get the vegetables evenly mixed in, and then pour the whole thing into a casserole dish. Now top the filling with the mashed potatoes, starting at the edges (to keep the filling from boiling over the top) and spreading it towards the center.
Once that's done, put the whole thing, uncovered, in the oven for about twenty-five minutes. You'll know it's done when the potato crust just starts to brown. Now, this step is completely optional, but you can add a bit of egg wash on top of the potatoes to make them nice and brown. Mix together one egg and quarter cup of water and brush a light coating on top, then put it back in the oven until you get the browning you want.
