045: Potatoes galore!
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Hey Berliners,
you got the potatoes, we have matching recipes! How come? Well, in our recent job posting, we asked candidates to send us their favorite potato dish, along with their application. It started as a joke, included on a whim, but wow, did everyone deliver! In this newsletter you’ll find 30+ ideas for preparing potatoes, from around the world, handpicked by real humans, every single one a favorite! Enjoy!
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I pretty much have to say **tartiflette****.** Best enjoyed when cooked with friends over a wood burning stove in a cosy little refuge in the mountains after a day snowboarding.
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Favourite potato recipe: **Quality Chop House confit potatoes**, although only made once, as it takes too long!
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I am particularly fond of **roasted potatoes** , done like this:
* Peel the potatoes and parboil for 15 minutes
* Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for 2 minutes
* Shake the colander lightly: this chuffs the edges of the potatoes, which helps for creating the crispy roasted exterior
* Toss the results in a baking tray and spread olive oil or melted butter over the potatoes, add salt and grounded black pepper
* Leave in the fridge overnight when possible
* Next day: preheat the oven to 180°C and roast until the potatoes are crisp and golden all over
* Remove the tray from the oven and gently half-squash each potato with a fork or masher
* Throw over some herb, drip a little more olive oil over the potatoes
* Roast for 20 to 30 minutes
* Enjoy the best roasted potatoes you’ve ever had
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My favourite potato recipe is a variation of the **British Jacket Potato**. I cook smaller potatoes in the microwave, then smash them a bit, add some olive oil and crisp them up in the air-fryer. Then add cheese and beans. Wonderful.
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My wife makes my favourite potato dish, a household favourite and winter warmer, **baked potatoes** loaded with bacon and cheese!
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I love to eat **gnocci** , but honestly I’d be more likely to give a potato an hour in the over and some butter.
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**Potato Fritters**
For the potato mixture: 500g of potatoes, 2tbsp of flour, 1 tbsp of rolled oats, 1 tsp of salt
For the topping: 2 yellow onions, a generous amount of oil, (optionally) bacon
Shred the raw potatoes using a kitchen appliance or by hand. Combine all the ingredients to form a thick consistency. The mixture now needs to rest. Skim or drain off any fluid.
Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Cut the onions into strips, then let them gently cook in an excessive amount of oil, until translucent. Traditionally, you would add cubed pork belly – I'm leaving this out. Season with salt to taste.
Heat a cast iron skillet on high. Without adding any oil, spoon the potato mixture into the pan, forming a thin pancake.
Flip after 1-2 minutes, when the top of the fritter appears dry. The color should be medium to medium dark.
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My favourite potato recipe is for **Potato Farls**, a traditional Irish treat that I hold great nostalgia for!
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I love my potatoes in many ways from the guilty pleasure reibekuchen to just plain mashed potatoes with cauliflower and gravy. But if i had to pick a favourite, it would be **baked sweet potato with mixed beans**.
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**Vada Pav!** Boil potatoes, mash them well, then heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, turmeric, crushed garlic and ginger, curry leaves, and green chilli (adjust for spice) and some salt. After a minute, pour this seasoning into the mashed potatoes and mix well. Shape this mixture into balls, coat them in a simple gram-flour batter, and deep fry until golden. They’re irresistible, now I’m craving one too lol.
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My favorite potato recipe: Cut into **thin strips** (a little thicker than shoestring), salt, and fry so they're crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
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My favorite recipe is simple:
1. cut **potatoes in wedges** and place them on a baking tray
2. drown them in olive oil and season with salt, pepper and rosemary
3. bake for 30 minutes at ~230°C (top/bottom heat), no turning needed
4. enjoy
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my favorite recipe for **potatoes is to roast them** , and isn't really a "recipe" so much as a technique, as follows:
* chop potatoes into largish (3cm) cubes
* spread out on a cookie sheet
* drizzle with olive oil (plain or flavored; I have a lovely citrus-infused olive oil I use sometimes)
* sprinkle with whatever dried spices seem like a good idea (I default to rosemary and oregano)
* bake at 350F/180C for about 35-40 minutes.
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**Leek and potato** sliced into strips, baked in the oven, salted and peppered = Culinary perfection.
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**Beautifully Roasted Taters**
Ingredients (4 servings): 1kg potatos, 6 cloves garlic, 5 rosemary sprigs, 1/2 cup olive oil
how to:
* Begin with peeling and slicing the potatoes.
* Place in cold, salted water and put onto boil.
* Preheat the oven to 200c/390f.
* Once the potatoes are simmering, leave for 5 minutes until fork tender.
* Drain and leave to steam dry (they should be fluffy around the edges).
* Add 1 cup of neutral oil to a baking tray and place in the oven to heat up for 10 - 15 minutes.
* Once hot, carefully add the potatoes to the oil, season generously with salt & pepper and mix well to make sure the potatoes are evenly coated in oil.
* Place in the oven for 1 hour 20 minutes, whilst turning every 20 - 30 minutes.
* Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and rosemary and add to a small mixing bowl.
* Pour in the olive oil and stir well.
* Once the potatoes are pretty much done, pour over the garlic and rosemary, mix well and place back in the oven for 3 - 4 minutes. No longer as the garlic will burn.
* Sprinkle over a pinch of salt and enjoy!
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Favorite Potato recipe ... how can I choose? A crowd favorite is **Smashers** : Red potatoes half-peeled, boiled in salt water until soft. Mash in a KitchenAid with copious amounts of cream, butter, garlic, and shredded cheese. This is not your Oma’s Kartoffelpüree.
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**Patate e peperoni sotto aceto:** Thinly sliced potatoes, slowly pan-cooked in olive oil with quite a few slices of pickled peppers (50/50 ratio). That’s it. They’re ready when the peppers are soft and the potatoes are caramelised, turning orange from the peppers’ red colour. It’s a rustic Southern Italy style dish, typically enjoyed as a simple, hearty main with bread.
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**Batata Vada****:** Mashed potato + lot of spices rolled into balls, coated with chickpea batter and deep fried!
When this is placed in between a bun, with more spicey chutney - it becomes the trademark dish of Mumbai - **Vada Pav** (also called Bombay Burger)
When served dunked in a super spicy curry, it becomes **Vada Usal**. So many derivatives from a simple mashed potato!
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One of my favorite potato recipes is one that I have only recently discovered through experimentation: **A potatoe-parsnip-carrot soup**. While it doesn't look the most appetizing on first glance, it makes up for it in its creamy consistency and spicy taste coming from quite a bit of turmeric and pepper.
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As for potatoes, i have to say that the most simple things are usually the best. I love **baked potatoes with sour cream**. Chives, herbs, some garlic. It's delicious.
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I’m always happy to share my thoughts on potatoes. As an Irishman, I’m contractually obligated to say **“boiled spuds with butter and salt.”** A baked potato instead of boiled, should the mood demand it.
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Favorite potato recipe: **Garlic-roasted smashed potatoes.** Butter, salt, pepper, and just a touch of lemon zest.
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**Spicy Pakistani Potato Stir-Fry,** thinly sliced potatoes sautéed with caramelized onions, cumin seeds, turmeric, and crushed red pepper flakes until tender and golden. It's a simple but flavorful comfort dish I love to eat with eggs in the morning.
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Best for last, I'm a true sucker for **baked potatoes**. Boil them for 10 minutes first, and then fry them with a lot of butter, rosemary, pepper, salt and thyme. Served with mayonnaise... True comfort food.
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In Morocco we have “**makoda** ”, a potato ball mixed with eggs, herbs, spices, and shallow-fried until golden. Simple, comforting, and my favorite.
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let's just say, I do like the **plantbullar && potatismos** combo of a certain corporation that also sell cute plushie sharks, that's exactly the kind of response you expected when you added that note, right?
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I do like **mashed potato** with some chicken chunks spices and alot of cheese
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Eine gekochte Kartoffel ist ja an sich schon ein gutes Gericht, aber ich werfe auch mal den **“****Döppekooche****”** in die Runde.
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Potato recipe: I am currently living in Ireland so I suppose I'll go for the infamous **mashed potatoes**
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**Kumpir**
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**Spanisches Kartoffelomelett**
Zutaten: 500g Kartoffeln, 2 Zwiebeln. 5 Eier, Salz, Olivenöl
Zubereitung: Kartoffeln schälen und in dünne Scheiben schneiden. In einer Pfanne mit viel Olivenöl Kartoffeln und Zwiebeln bei mittlerer Hitze braten, bis sie weich sind. Eier in einer Schüssel schlagen, mit Salz mischen. Die gebratenen Kartoffeln zur Ei-Mischung geben, gut umrühren. Etwas Öl in die Pfanne, dann die Mischung hineingießen. Auf mittlerer Hitze stocken lassen, dann wenden (Deckel oder Teller hilft) und die andere Seite fertig braten.
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My favourite potato recipe is **sweet potato wedges**. They’re simple, hard to mess up, easy to season in lots of different ways, and work with almost anything.
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A huge _thank you_ goes out to everyone who sent us their favorite recipe—we hope you don’t mind us publishing it on this list!
Happy cooking, talk soon and stay warm!
Harry (+ the villagers)
