# Tips & tricks on pan-frying potatoes?



## TinCupO'Smokey (Apr 1, 2007)

Goodmorning everyone,

Recently I've gotten really into frying potatoes in a pan and trying out different combinations of spices, oils, and degree of frying/crunchiness, but there's something I can't quite work out (hence my newfound membership of this site, yay! )

A while back I went to a breakfast restaurant and had pan-fried potatoes that seamt to have been dipped in somekind of marinade that developed into a delicious random and thin crust around the potato when you fried it, and I have been wondering how to do that ever since. Do any of you know have anykind of experience with something like this?

I would love to hear everybody's potato frying tips of any kind! 

Thanks everyone,
TinCupO'Smokey


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## Half Baked (Apr 1, 2007)

Welcome TinCup!  Glad you found DC!  

I'm interested in hearing the suggestions, too.


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## BrazenAmateur (Apr 1, 2007)

I like to fry my potatoes in duck fat, I think it imparts a unique flavor.  I also tend to add some crumbled bacon and some kind of earthy mushroom.

I also sometimes will braise asparagus, sliver the stalks at an angle, toss the slivers in truffle oil, and then add to the potatoes.  MmmmmMmmmm.


Every tried frying potatoes Swiss style, aka "Rosti"?  Also very good.


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## VegasDramaQueen (Apr 1, 2007)

BrazenAmatuer said:
			
		

> I like to fry my potatoes in duck fat, I think it imparts a unique flavor. I also tend to add some crumbled bacon and some kind of earthy mushroom.
> 
> I also sometimes will braise asparagus, sliver the stalks at an angle, toss the slivers in truffle oil, and then add to the potatoes. MmmmmMmmmm.
> 
> ...


 
*When I have something in  a restaurant that I particularly like, I always ask how it is made and what  ingredients the recipe contains.   The waitstaff is usually more than happy to tell me the details and if they can't I aske the manager.   In a case like this, where this is not their specialty,  you might want to ask the next time you have breakfast there.  Then come back here and share.  *


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## TinCupO'Smokey (Apr 1, 2007)

Not a bad suggestion, Drama Queen. Thing is, the restaurant is in Boulder, CO, and I live in Copenhagen. I ate there while travelling US, and as much as I want to, I think it will be a while before I'll be back.

Rösti can be really nice and is really a topic in itself. I find that a little cabbage and onions in the rösti-dough makes it even better.

I hope someone will come around and reveal the secrets behind crunchy potato marinade, otherwise we'll have to develop a community-powered recipe, which could be fun!

Thank you for your participation - nice sunday to everybody.


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## Snoop Puss (Apr 1, 2007)

Was it a marinade or a batter?


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## corazon (Apr 1, 2007)

May not be what you're looking for but I like to buy baby potatoes, usually yukon golds.  Then I boil them, take them out of the water and let the cool for 5 mins.  Then, one at a time, I smash them inbetween two papertowels.  Then I fry them in butter, sprinkle with rosemary, sea or kosher salt and pepper.  Delicious!  Soft on the inside, crispy on the outside.  You could also roast them, making sure theres olive oil on both sides of the potato and roast at 375 for 30-40 minutes.  Either way produces crispy potatoes, though the butter version is waaaay better in my opinion.


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## bethzaring (Apr 1, 2007)

I recently read on another thread about cooking sweet potatoes first a bit in the microwave, then finishing them off in a panini press.  Today for lunch I tried this with a red skinned irish potato and it worked really well.  I still intend to try this with a sweet potato, but I had an irish potato that was really asking to be eaten.  Very quick, easy and tasty.


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## fireweaver (Apr 1, 2007)

i usually do roasted potatoes in the microwave first, too, beth.  i cut up either regular or little red potatoes into chunks, toss 'em in a clean plastic grocery sack with a half handful of water, knot the bag, and nuke for just a few minutes, until they're half to mostly cooked.  and no, because someone might ask, i'm not particularly concerned about plastic leaching into the food.  

meanwhile, i thinly slice some red onion or some leeks, and cook them in a generous bit of melted butter on the stovetop.  potatoes go in (draining off as much of the water from the bag as possible) when the microwave goes off, and after everything's starting to acquire a buttery glaze, add in minced garlic, fresh basil, herbs of your choice, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper.  

i find that part-cooking them in the microwafe first means that the insides are already done by the time the outside gets that nice crispy-edged texture.  otherwise, i have to cut the potatoes VERY thin, and they end up being too fragile for my vigorous stirrings as they cook, resulting in a lot of mashed roasted potatoes.

i'm honestly not sure if TinCup had battered/marinated potatoes, or just this sort sauteed in a lot of butter...ends up with golden brown crunchiness along corners and edges, "random and thin crust" and all...


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## Robo410 (Apr 1, 2007)

yes, par cooked potatoes, drained seasoned roughed up a bit, the roasted 375 to 400* oven in fat (duck, bacon, rendered salt pork, or lard...even goose fat) or I suppose a pure olive oil to stand up to the heat or peanut oil.  They are delish!


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## Uncle Bob (Apr 1, 2007)

*Tips and Tricks on Pan-frying Potatoes*

Old Indian trick...fry them twice. Fry the first time as usual. Drain. In about 10 minutes..fry them again. Remove from pan and season.

Enjoy


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## Half Baked (Apr 1, 2007)

corazon said:
			
		

> May not be what you're looking for but I like to buy baby potatoes, usually yukon golds. Then I boil them, take them out of the water and let the cool for 5 mins. Then, one at a time, I smash them inbetween two papertowels. Then I fry them in butter, sprinkle with rosemary, sea or kosher salt and pepper. Delicious! Soft on the inside, crispy on the outside. You could also roast them, making sure theres olive oil on both sides of the potato and roast at 375 for 30-40 minutes. Either way produces crispy potatoes, though the butter version is waaaay better in my opinion.


 
Mmmm, this sounds good.  


 I haven't cooked a duck since I can remember although it's Mr HB's favorite.  I guess I'll have to cook one up for the fat.


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## Barb L. (Apr 1, 2007)

First - Welcome to DC, you picked a good one !  I still love my raw fried pototoes in bacon grease and onion - lol , No ducks in my house lately, but always save my bacon grease !!


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## cjs (Apr 2, 2007)

another vote for duck fat, but if I don't have it - bacon grease does it for me. Love fried tatoes with onion and garlic. And then sunnyside up eggs on top for serving!!


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## Dina (Apr 2, 2007)

Try roasted potato wedges.  Toss them with extra virgin olive oil and all your favorite spices (paprika, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cayanne pepper, etc.) and roast in the oven at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  They taste just like french fries.  Drizzle with ketchup and ranch dressing (or your favorite dip) and you'll never know the difference between fried and roasted.


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## Jeekinz (Apr 2, 2007)

TinCupO'Smokey said:
			
		

> Goodmorning everyone,
> 
> Recently I've gotten really into frying potatoes in a pan and trying out different combinations of spices, oils, and degree of frying/crunchiness, but there's something I can't quite work out (hence my newfound membership of this site, yay! )
> 
> ...


 
Sounds like they dip the potatoes in a batter first. Like Chinese fried shrimp, a thin crust. I prefer using peanut oil to fry with, for one you can get it pretty hot and two, it tastes good. If the potatoes were real thin you can dip them in a batter and fry them raw. By the time the batter cooks, the potato will be cooked. If you're making alot, pick up a mandolin.

You can also fry zuchini, cauliflower, asparagus and Mars bars.

Good luck. Let us know how you made out and what you used. -J


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## TinCupO'Smokey (Apr 11, 2007)

First of all, thanks for all your enthusiam and the plentitude of good advice. I regret not having giving you guys feedback before, but a computer outage had me doing nothing but frying potatoes these last days.

I tried out Corazon's suggestion, where you beat up some semi-boiled potatoes and then fry them, which I did and added shredded bacon to get the bacon aroma, but also because bacon is nice in itself. The bacon gets best if you start with just the bacon in the pan and let it get sort-of crispy before you throw in the battered, half-done potatoes. Timing is crucial in getting the potatoes crunchy on the outside and the bacon crispy and not burnt.

Gourmet food is really something about being able to cook up delicious meals for friends out of simple ingredients on the spot, rather than prancing about the kitchen with hoidy-toidy ingredients, leaving only some miniscule serving of some sort, instead of lavish servings so we all can gorge ourselves.

Potatoes are ideal for this kind of deliciously home-cooked fast-food. I would certainly like to hear if anybody have other ideas for delicious things that can be whipped up on the spot and out of nowhere and out of accesible ingredients.

Keep smokin' y'all!


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