2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021
HOME & LIVING
POTATOES
Per serving (based on 4): 323
calories; 15g fat; 9g saturated
fat; 38mg cholesterol; 5g
protein; 45g carbohydrate;
3g sugar; 7g fi ber; 919mg
sodium; 30mg calcium
Continued from Page 1B
Pommes Anna is made
by cooking a few layers of
sliced potatoes and butter.
The butter helps the layers
of sliced potatoes adhere to
each other so that, when
the whole thing is removed
from the skillet, you have
something that resembles
a crustless potato pie. And
because it is prepared like
an upside-down cake, with
the gorgeously browned bot-
tom layer served on top, the
presentation is stunning.
Still, the best part of Pom-
mes Anna is the taste. It is
potatoes swimming in but-
ter, with salt. The only thing
that could make it better is
if the butter is browned fi rst,
which creates a deliciously
nutty fl avor that puts the
dish over the top.
I wanted to put potatoes
to everyday use, too, so I
cooked them in one of my
favorite ways, Rosemary-
Roasted Potatoes. It’s one
of my weeknight potato
preparations.
What makes this simple
method stand out is the
roasting. In the dry, hot heat
of the oven, the chunks of
potato puff out a little. They
become ethereally soft in the
middle, with a golden-brown
crust on the outside.
Actually, that wouldn’t be
bad as is, but these potatoes
are extra-wonderful because
of a few simple ingredients
that add so much to the
overall dish. With olive oil,
chopped rosemary, a few
crushed red pepper fl akes
and the all-important salt,
you can make it on Wednes-
day but it tastes like Sunday.
As much as we love po-
tatoes in this country, they
may like them even more in
Spain. So I decided to make
a Spanish dish, Patatas a
la Riojana. This classic dish
from the north of the coun-
try is a potato stew with a
delectable, spicy sauce —but
you can make it mild if you
prefer.
Several factors go into
making this stew so hearty
and satisfying. First of all,
of course, are the potatoes,
which are the textbook
defi nition of hearty and
satisfying in any language.
A substantial amount of
paprika is also important,
providing the right Spanish
piquancy to the mélange of
fl avors.
If you’re not making a
vegetarian version, sausage
also comes into play — ei-
ther a Spanish-style chorizo
or a garlicky kielbasa will
do. And surprisingly, the
starch from the potatoes
themselves adds immensely
to the texture. It mixes with
water that you add to the
pot to create a thick and
fragrant sauce that coats the
potatoes and makes you feel
good about life in general.
Each of these dishes is
better than the last. Once
again, they prove that when
you say spud, you’ve said it
all.
— Recipe from foodrepublic.
com, by Clotilde Dusoulier
ROSEMARY-
ROASTED POTATOES
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch-TNS
Potato puffs taste a bit liked mashed potatoes.
CRISPY FRENCH
FRIES
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
2 Russet (Idaho) potatoes
Oil for frying
Salt
1. Peel potatoes and cut
into long strips ½-inch wide
and ½-inch high. Heat oil in
a Dutch oven to 320 degrees.
Carefully place some of the
potatoes in the oil — do this
in several batches to assure
they are not crowded and that
oil temperature does not fall
too far below 320 degrees.
Cook until just barely begin-
ning to turn brown, about 6
to 8 minutes. Remove with a
slotted spoon to a plate lined
with paper towels. Repeat
with remaining batches.
2. Raise oil temperature to
375 degrees. In batches, care-
fully place some of the fries
in the oil. Fry until golden
brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon
to a plate lined with paper
towels, and salt generously
while still hot. Repeat with
remaining batches. Serve hot.
Per serving (based on 4): 281
calories; 16g fat; 2g saturated
fat; no cholesterol; 4g protein;
33g carbohydrate; 1g sugar;
2g fi ber; 9mg sodium; 24mg
calcium
— Traditional recipe
POTATO PUFFS
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
2 medium Yukon Gold
potatoes, about 6
ounces each, washed
Salt
½ cup milk
1/8 teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted
butter, cut into pieces
½ cup all-purpose fl our
2 large eggs
About 3 cups canola
oil, for deep frying
1. Preheat oven to 450
2½ pounds waxy
degrees.
potatoes, peeled
2. Combine potatoes, olive
5 tablespoons unsalted butter oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and
1½ teaspoons fi ne sea salt
pepper fl akes in a mixing
bowl. Toss to coat well.
3. Spread the potatoes in a
1. Preheat the oven to 425
single, even layer on a baking
degrees.
sheet. Roast, stirring occasion-
2. Using a sharp knife or
mandoline, slice the potatoes ally, until cooked through and
1/8 inch thick. (Do not rinse or lightly golden, 20 to 35 min-
utes, depending on the size of
soak the slices; the starch is
the pieces. Serve immediately.
what binds the layers.)
3. In a small saucepan, melt
the butter over medium heat Per serving (based on 4): 147
calories; 7g fat; 1g saturated
and cook, swirling the pan,
fat; no cholesterol; 2g protein;
to get it to the brown butter
20g carbohydrate; 2g sugar;
stage: First, the butter will
3g fi ber; 312mg sodium; 28mg
boil in large bubbles. Soon,
calcium
the bubbles will get smaller
and the butter will turn light
— Recipe from “White Dog
brown and smell nutty. At
Café Cookbook” by Judy
this point, take off the heat
Wicks and Kevin Von Klause
immediately and pour into
a bowl. (If you overcook the
butter, the solids will burn
and form black, acrid-tasting
fl akes. Throw it out and start
again.)
4. Generously grease the
bottom of a shallow 10-inch
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
ovenproof cast-iron pan with
some of the brown butter.
½ cup chopped onion
Cover the bottom of the pan
¼ cup olive oil
with one-third of the potato
3 pounds potatoes, peeled
slices, arranging them in a
and thickly sliced
slightly overlapping, circular
pattern. Brush with 1/3 of the 6 ounces Spanish-style
paprika-fl avored chorizo
remaining butter and sprinkle
or garlicky kielbasa, cut
with ½ teaspoon of the salt.
into ¼-inch slices
Make two more layers using
the remaining potatoes, but- 1 green bell pepper, thickly
slices, optional
ter and salt.
¼ cup fl atleaf parsley,
5. Set on the stove over
coarsely chopped
medium heat and cook,
without disturbing, to initiate 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
3 dried New Mexico
browning on the bottom, 10
or Anaheim chilies,
minutes. Cover loosely with
soaked in water
foil, transfer to the oven,
¼ teaspoon hot paprika or 1/8
and bake for 30 minutes.
teaspoon cayenne pepper
Remove the foil and bake
until the potatoes are cooked Salt
through (a knife should pierce
through easily) and the top
is browned and crusty, 20 to
30 minutes. Let rest for 10
minutes on the counter.
Per serving (based on 6): 645
6. Run a spatula around
calories; 62g fat; 8g saturated the edges and underneath to
fat; 77mg cholesterol; 5g
loosen and fl ip carefully onto
protein; 22g carbohydrate;
a serving plate so the golden
2g sugar; 2g fi ber; 425mg
bottom faces up. If any of the
Take out and Catering is Available.
sodium; 47mg calcium
potatoes are stuck to the bot-
515 Campbell Street Baker City
tom of the pan, scrape them
541-523-4318
— Recipe from “Essential off and return them to where
Pepin” by Jacques Pepin they belong. (If you don’t feel
up for the fl ipping, it is fi ne
to serve the potatoes directly
from the pan.) Slice into
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
wedges and serve.
covered with water during
cooking. Drain the potatoes.
2. When they are cool
enough to handle, peel the
potatoes, cut into chunks and
push through a food mill or
ricer.
3. Combine the milk, ¼
teaspoon salt, the pepper
and the butter in a heavy
saucepan and bring to a
boil. Remove from the heat
and add the fl our all at once,
working the mixture with a
wooden spoon until it forms
a ball. Return to the stove
and cook for 30 seconds over
low heat, stirring the mixture,
which will become a shiny,
homogenous mass. Transfer
to a bowl and let cool for 5
minutes.
4. Add the eggs to the
dough one at a time, beating
well with a whisk after each
addition, then stir in the pota-
toes (you could also put the
dough in a food processor
and, with the motor running,
add the eggs; process for 15
to 20 seconds, then combine
in a bowl with the mashed
potatoes).
5. Preheat oven to 160
degrees.
6. Heat 1½ to 2 inches of
oil in a deep 10- to 12-inch
skillet to 350 degrees. Spoon
1 tablespoon of the dough at
a time into the oil, pushing
it out of the spoon with your
fi nger; cook 10 to 15 pieces
at a time. Cook for 8 to 10
minutes, turning the puffs in
the oil to brown them evenly
on all sides.
7. As soon as the fi rst
batch is done, remove with a
slotted spoon to a tray lined
with paper towels. Keep hot
in oven while you cook the
remaining puffs. Sprinkle
lightly with salt and serve.
Puffs will lose their crispness
if they sit too long.
POMMES ANNA
front door or on a patio can lower blood
pressure. Think of adding shrubs and
Continued from Page 1B
trees for color and for shelter for birds.
Maybe build a new raised bed or start
• Garden to learn: How many times
amending existing beds. Any chore that have you looked at a leaf or an insect
will get you outside to stretch and bend and thought “I wonder”? Now is a good
is helpful.
time to make fi nding the answers a
• Garden to add beauty: Think of the priority. Learning more about insects
garden as another room to be enjoyed
might even be the encouragement you
whether you are inside or outside the
need to discontinue use of pesticides.
house. When the time is right for us,
• Garden to meet people: Gardening
looking at a colorful container near the is a great way to expand your social
circle. It’s also a great conversation
starter.
Also included in the listing of top 10
reasons were: Garden to make money,
garden to be creative — try something
new, garden for emotional needs and
spiritual connections and garden for
lasting memories. Lastly, you probably
have your own reasons. List them in
your garden journal and review them
occasionally to be sure you are still on
track.
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— Slightly adapted from
“The New Mediterranean Diet
Cookbook” by Nancy Harmon
Jenkins
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PATATAS A LA
RIOJANA (spicy
potato stew)
Per serving (based on 6): 393
calories; 21g fat; 6g saturated
fat; 25mg cholesterol; 12g
protein; 42g carbohydrate;
5g sugar; 7g fi ber; 419mg
sodium; 41mg calcium
Store is open 24 hours
1. Put the potatoes in a pot
with cold water to cover, add
½ teaspoon salt and bring
to a boil. Boil gently for 40
minutes, until very tender; be
sure the potatoes are always
Aching Feet?
1 pound red-skinned
potatoes, scrubbed
and quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh
rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1. In a deep kettle that will
hold all the ingredients, sauté
the onion in the oil over me-
dium-high heat until it starts
to soften but is not browned,
about 10 minutes. Add the
potatoes and continue cook-
ing, stirring to mix well. Add
the optional sausage, stirring,
and when the potatoes are
just beginning to brown along
their edges, about 10 minutes,
add a cup of water. Cook 5
minutes; the potatoes will
absorb much of the water.
2. Add a second cup of
water when the fi rst has been
pretty well absorbed, together
with the green pepper, pars-
ley and sweet paprika.
3. Remove the chilies from
the soaking liquid and discard
the seeds and membranes.
With a spoon edge, scrape
away the inner red pulp. Dis-
card the skins and add pulp to
the potatoes, stirring to mix
well. Cook 8 to 10 minutes,
until the potatoes are tender.
4. Add the hot paprika or
cayenne and stir carefully to
mix without breaking up the
potatoes. Taste and add salt if
desired. The potatoes should
be fork-tender with just a little
rich red sauce to spoon over
their tops. Serve immediately.
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