Crushed potatoes

November 3, 2023 

   

This is it! The final recipe that I resolved to cook from Six Seasons. We love potatoes and cubed roasted potatoes are on regular rotation in our kitchen, usually teamed with carrots, broccoli, and Quorn schnitzels. These crushed potatoes looked better, but I was skeptical about the extra work they'd require. I'm pleased to report that they're excellent and something we're likely to make again.

I think the key here it cutting the potatoes down to the size of a new potato, to ensure that they're tender within 30 minutes of baking. Then they just need a gentle smush with a fork and they go into a cast-iron pan of olive oil for browning and crunch, with a little garlic tossed in at the end.

We ate these potatoes alongside sausage rolls and Moroccan carrot salad (without the yoghurt). Since they're quite rich, I think they'd be even better with brighter, fresher platemates than pastry - a lemony green salad, or some braised tofu perhaps. It'll be a pleasure to test out a few different configurations.

Crushed potatoes

(slightly adapted from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden & Martha Holmberg)

500g medium-starch potatoes

olive oil

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper

Preheat an oven to 200°C. Lightly oil a baking tray. 

If the potatoes are large, chop them down to the size of new potatoes (halves or thirds for mine). Place them on the baking tray, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake until tender, about 30 minutes.

Crush the potatoes with a fork so that they're closer to the shape of a thick patty. Pour about a 5mm depth of olive oil in a cast iron pan and heat it up. Add the potatoes one at a time - they should sizzle a bit. You may need to work in batches. When the potatoes are browned on the first side, flip them over. A minute before they're ready on the second side, crush some garlic into the pan and add more salt and pepper. Serve, hot and golden.