Showing posts with label fried. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fried. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

French Fry Diary 674: Hungry Jack Hashbrowns


I saw these on a recent trip to the grocery store, and just had to pick them up, if for no other reason than to write about them. Packaged in a small paper milk carton, these Hungry Jack Original Hashbrown Potatoes, Diner Style, promised to be ready in minutes if you just add water.

These gluten free hash browns have the appearance of shredded potatoes, but when you shake the carton, it sounds like hard rice or like you're about to throw Yahtzee. A cross between shreds and long hard rice is kinda what it looks like as well. The directions instruct to fill the carton with hot water, let sit, then pour into a frying pan and cook. Sounds like magic to me.

I have to say it appears the magic worked. I wouldn't have believed it, but it did. I never would have guessed these were made from dried potatoes if I didn't know better. These were as good if not better than the shredded breakfast potatoes one could get at a diner.

You can season as you please once the potatoes are in the frying pan, and add onions, cheese, peppers, or bacon if you want, they will be awesome. Thumbs up.

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Random Tater Pic of the Day #119



Friend and FFD enabler Marni recently went to Red Lobster and got the Crab Bake, here are her observations: "Got the Crab Bake at Red Lobster and in it are these crispy potatoes. Lightly crispy fried potato chunks." Thanks, Marni!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Boxty!


It's that time of year again, here's a recipe from Chow.com by Christine Gallary:

Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake that contains a mixture of mashed and grated potatoes, resulting in a unique texture that’s part pancake, part hash brown. While suitable on an Irish breakfast or supper table, boxty pairs well with so many cuisines. For example, try topping it with smoked salmon and crème fraîche for a fun twist on blini. Game plan: If you only have salted butter in your fridge, it’s fine to substitute it for the unsalted butter called for here.

INGREDIENTS: 2 pounds (3 to 4 large) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, 3/4 cup whole milk, 1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt, plus more for seasoning the potatoes before cooking, 1 large egg, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 200°F. Chop half of the potatoes into large dice, place in a medium saucepan, salt generously, and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the potatoes uncovered until fork tender, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, grate the remaining potatoes on the large holes of a box grater. Toss with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and place in a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl; set aside.

When the boiled potatoes are ready, drain them, return them to the pot, add 1/4 cup of the milk, and mash until the potatoes are smooth.

With a plastic spatula, press the grated potatoes against the sides and bottom of the strainer to remove any liquid. Add the grated potatoes to the mashed potatoes (no need to stir though).

Place the egg, remaining 1/2 cup milk, flour, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and whisk until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the potatoes and stir until evenly incorporated.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple of drops of cold water in it: If the water bounces and sputters, the pan is ready to use; if it evaporates instantly, the pan is too hot.

Once the pan is ready, add enough butter to lightly coat the bottom when melted. Drop 3 dollops (about 1/4 cup each) of the batter into the pan and spread each to about 1/4 inch thick. Cook until the pancake bottoms are golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes more. Place on a baking sheet and set in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter. Serve warm.

Thursday, March 08, 2012

French Fry Diary 348: Simply Potatoes Homestyle Slices

I've mentioned it before, one of our Christmas morning traditions is a big breakfast. The potatoey portion of that tradition goes back a long way in my family. One of my father's favorite meals, breakfast or otherwise, was "fried eggs bacon and potatoes", said just like that, as if it was all one word.

This was a breakfast tradition on Sunday mornings. Sometimes there would be pancakes, or sometimes bakery stuff, and later McDonald's, both after church, but for most of the time, it was fried eggs bacon and potatoes. I/m old, and nobody was counting calories or checking cholesterol back then, suffice it to say. I do realize now that my mom would make boiled potatoes for dinner at least once during the week, good for mashing yourself with a fork, but there was an ulterior motive at work. She was making more than enough boiled potatoes in prep for Sunday, when she would slice them up and fry them in the bacon grease. That extra step, boiling the potatoes, was important.

I've never really been able to duplicate my mom's fried potatoes, though I've tried, and I've come close but they're never perfect. Others have also come close. Monticello's on South Street back in the 1980s came very close with their Monti-Fries, but they're not there any more. The next best thing would be the Simply Potatoes Homestyle Slices from Crystal Farms in your grocer's cool section, as opposed to the freezer.

They are already peeled, already sliced, and already cooked. It kinda does almost the same thing as boiling them a couple days earlier and storing them in the fridge. Because they are prepackaged, they will also keep longer, and bonus, they're gluten-free. They are ready to go at a moment's notice into hot bacon grease (or a more healthy substitute if you wish) and become a yummy cholesterol filled memory from childhood. Most of the time that works out pretty well.

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Another Potato Latkes Recipe

These thin onion and potato pancakes make a tasty accompaniment to any meal. The key to their crispiness is draining all the liquid from the grated potatoes and onion before frying.

12 Servings
Prep: 20 min.
Cook: 20 min.

Ingredients:

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
1 medium onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Oil for deep-fat frying
Applesauce

Directions:

Coarsely grate potatoes and onion; drain any liquid. Place in a bowl; add green onions, egg, salt and pepper. In an electric skillet, heat 1/8 in. of oil to 375°. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into hot oil. Flatten to form patties. Fry until golden brown; turn and cook the other side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with applesauce. Yield: 2 dozen.

Originally published as Latkes in Taste of Home's Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook Annual 2001, p. 243

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Monday, December 26, 2011

French Fry Diary 316: Trader Joe's Shredded Hash Browns

This year The Bride and I decided to do something different on Christmas Eve. Not just running around last minute shopping and gift wrapping, that is. As our meals for Christmas Day had been all planned out already, and our traditional Christmas morning breakfast had been traded out for IHOP, we decided we'd have the regular Christmas morning breakfast for dinner Christmas Eve night.

So along with the traditional ham, there was also -who would have thought it- breakfast potatoes. Not wanting to do a lot of work, I got frozen, and wanting to make The Bride happy, I got shredded as it's her favorite kind. I myself prefer diced, or especially sliced, but I kinda like her and all, ya know?

In this case I got Trader Joe's Shredded Hash Browns. I cut the bag open at the side, but should have looked closer. They have a handy zip lock opening for resealing and later use. Great innovation. Now why doesn't Trader Joe's have those for their notoriously unopenable potato chips?

I have to give Trader Joe's props on these potatoes. They were individual shreddings, almost matchstick fries. Usually this kind of breakfast potatoes when come in chunks that have to be broken up, but not these. I'm tempted to try to deep fry them or bake them as matchstick fries next time.

They fried up rather quickly. I recommend frying a few slices of bacon in the pan first to give the potatoes that flavor, but using cooking oil works too. Flipping and patting the potatoes a few times is all that's needed for perfect breakfast potatoes. I did burn the second batch a little but that's okay, The Bride likes them like that. It was a good meal, and a good Christmas Eve.

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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Potato Latkes for Hanukkah: Two Different Recipes

This recipe is from BarbH at the [just-potatoes] Yahoo! Group:

This was her Great Grandmother's recipe

Potato Latkes (Pancakes)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups grated raw potatoes rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon matzo meal ground
2 eggs beaten
pinch of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 small onion grated

INSTRUCTIONS: Mix well, drop by the tablespoon on hot greased skillet (rendered chicken fat is traditional) . Flatten, when browned turn and brown to golden.

And the above picture is from the wonderful "The Delicious Life" blog and its terrific 2009 entry Basic Potato Latkes Recipe for Hanukkah – My Inner Jew Wants Out, which features another wonderful recipe for this holiday treat.

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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

French Fry Diary 237: Trader Joe's Hash Browns

It's always great when a normal everyday purchase turns into something unexpected and fun. That's what happened with Trader Joe's Hash Browns.

These are just regular hash browns, polygon flat chunks of processed potatoes, pre-fried, frozen and just waiting to be heated up and devoured for breakfast or a late night snack. What makes them different is the packaging.

Simple but whimsical, it caught my attention after I had first opened the package. The witty sayings, "When I grow up I want to be Trader Joe's Hash Browns" and "Bacon & eggs really dig Trader Joe's Hash Browns."

The one that really got me was on the bottom by the UPC code. It was a tiny image of a fork and plate with a fried egg, and an arrow pointing to the plate saying "insert hashbrown here." Cute.

I baked my hash browns, although they can also be fried or nuked in the microwave. I just like 'em that way best. If you break them a few times when it's time to turn them, you can get very crisp edges. Mmmm...

Trader Joe's Hash Browns, get 'em for the packaging, get 'em for the hash browniness. Mmmm...

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