Potato deficient!!! please help

Subject: Potato deficient!!! please help
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking

From: Suzie Higgins (diamond at whitepine.com)
Date: Sat, 28 Mar 1998 21:47:02 -0600
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i am a potato idiot. i cannot seem to make even mashed potatoes. but my husband can, so that is not my plea tonight. if it is not boiled, my husband (the distractible one) has a better than average chance of burning it. so _i_ want to be able to make fried potatoes. you know, hot, crusty, not burnt?? all of them done at the same time??

what i did tonight in another futile quest to achieve this was:
i peeled six or seven potatoes, washed them in cold water, cut into 1/2 inch dice. put (unfortunately electric) burner on med, melted couple tablespoons of bacon fat, tossed in potatoes. decided to salt and pepper in pan, rather than each person at table. turned them so they wouldn't do the no-no of burning--looked good at this point, so decided could also use oregano and lemon juice in a somewhat misguided attempt to 'greek' them--added one lemon's juice and visible sprinkling of oregano. turned again. seemed to go downhill at this point..... ended up with some soggy potatoes, some underdone, none crispy. what am i missing??

thanks for any help
suzie the potato idiot

From: damsel at dacmail.net (Carol)
Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 04:05:20 GMT
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Here's how I make them. Start with leftover baked potatoes. Cut into 1/2 - 3/4 inch cubes (I leave the skin on). In a frying pan, heat Crisco shortening at somewhere around medium-high. Fry potatoes until browned to your satisfaction. Season to taste (I just use salt and pepper), and chow down. I've been eating them this way since I was a little girl. They're great!

From: homecooking.guide at miningco.com (Peggy)
Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 05:14:55 -0400
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Try par-boiling them or even completely cooking the potatoes first, then cool and fry them up with your favorite seasonings.

From: valerielkhan at webtv.net (Valerie Khan)
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 13:50:41 -0500
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The trick is to cut thin; no more than a 1/4", and to fry twice.

From: Porter_C at *gonzo.tch.harvard.edu (Christine)
Date: 30 Mar 1998 20:58:09 GMT
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Adding the lemon juice during cooking was where you went wrong. It's impossible to fry something crispy if you have liquid in the pan. If you're going to fry potatoes, they need to have no moisture in with the oil. This also means the potatoes should be patted dry before added to the fat, and should not be crowded in the pan. If you're starting from raw potatoes, it takes a *really* long time for them to cook in oil. And they usually need a lot of oil in the pan (more than a couple tablespoons). If you are looking for truly crispy fried potatoes, you have to have enough fat or oil to really emmerse all the potatoes. And they should not be crowded.

Sometimes boiling the potatoes for awhile, drying them, then frying or roasting in fat is the best way. Pre-cooked potatoes can brown in less fat - though they won't be really crispy.

If you want to add lemon to fried potatoes, squeeze on some juice after they are removed from the pan. Otherwise, plan on a stewed rather than a browned/fried dish.

From: Christine Cockey (cockey at aim.com)
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 16:06:17 -0800
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The way I do this, is to grate the potatoes (I have a big, fat grater). Put fat in the pan, and dump in potatoes. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Never add liquid. Let the bottom layer brown and crisp before you turn them. Then turn them and brown the top. They will always be
crispy and good.

From: Sasha Mobley (amobley at ucsd.edu)
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 15:35:02 -0700
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I Make my fried potatoes like this.

I cut them into manageable pieces (rounds or cubed is fine) and boil until a fork goes into them with little effort. Drain them in a colander.

Brown some chopped onion in bacon grease and then add the potatoes one layer deep. Turn them when they get nice and brown. Drain on paper towels. Salt and pepper to taste.

Sure, its a heart attack on a plate, but they are really good.