Thursday, August 9, 2012

Extremely Crispy Potatoes!

These really are extremely crispy potatoes! And not even burned beyond recognition. Point for me :)

We were having grilled burgers for dinner the other night. Every time I see a picture of a hamburger on a bun with melting cheese I get that craving and just have to have one. Good thing The Griller's all-time favorite dinner always includes a hamburger. He never says no to a burger, even if he has to do the grilling. My ultimate burger has cheddar, grilled peppers, raw onions, fresh tomatoes, avocado and lot of fresh jalapeno wheels. Heinz ketchup. and a very large napkin. Heaven.

I was thinking french fries and went looking online for inspiration. Then I saw these, Ultra-Crispy Roast Potatoes, at Serious Eats. Perfect. And much easier than frying or in my case, burning. Not mention easier clean-up. They were fantastic! I used olive oil, no duck fat here, and I haven't seen chicken fat since I was a little kid in my grandma's kitchen. Definitely making these again. And again. They are ultra when it comes to crispy. Inside was soft and creamy. Nice combination. Especially with my ultimate burger! Or maybe with my scrambled breakfast eggs. With ketchup. Definitely.





Extremely Crispy Potatoes
Source: Serious Eats

4-5 large russet or yukon gold potatoes, rinsed well, and cut into 2-inch chunks (peeled if you like)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 8-10 sprigs fresh

Preheat oven to 500°F. Place potatoes in a large microwave-safe bowl and add cold water to cover by at least an inch. Add salt, about a tablespoon, and the vinegar. Cover with a vented lid and microwave on high for about 15 minutes. Potatoes should show a slight resistance when poked with a paring knife or fork. If not, microwave another 5-10 minutes. Drain potatoes.

Add olive oil to bowl with potatoes. Season with pepper and more salt (to taste) then toss with a large spoon until exteriors are slightly scratched up and coated in a thin layer of oil-potato mix.  Spread potatoes in one layer on a heavy rimmed baking sheet. Use two baking sheets if necessary. Sprinkle the thyme or thyme sprigs over the potatoes.

Place baking sheet in the oven and roast until the bottoms of the potatoes are very crisp and golden brown, about 20 - 25 minutes. Using a thin metal or nylon spatula, flip the potatoes and roast until the the other side is golden brown, another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately. If using fresh thyme sprigs discard before serving.

Note: Instead of microwaving, you can par-boil the potatoes on top of the stove if you prefer. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes have a slight resistance when poked with a paring knife or fork.



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57 comments:

  1. I am a potato lover - especially crispy potatoes. I am NOT a person who can fry anything beyond an egg. There is no deep-fryer in my kitchen. I will try these - I hope they work for me too.
    PS I'm with you when it comes to burgers - the best summer dinner!

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  2. They sure look good! I have a friend that uses duck fat, she wears by it. Haven't tried it myself:@)

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  3. These look so good, my mouth is watering. Thanks for the recipe, Carol!

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  4. I love the idea of these with a weekend breakfast. I could eat potatoes at any meal! I made a similar recipe to this a while back and they were delicious. Hope you're having a good week.

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  5. I always parboil mine before baking but there's nothing better than crispy roasted potatoes! I save the leftovers and reheat for breakfast.

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  6. I love this sides dish! I make a similar dish once a week!Yours look crispy and delicious!

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  7. These potatoes look extremely delicious! I make them but have never used vinegar. I certainly will give this recipe a try because I'm thinking the vinegar would give them a wonderful flavor. --------- Shannon

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  8. I make potatoes like this but never used vinegar! I'm going to try that the next time! Great photos! Enjoy.

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  9. This is exactly how my husband likes his potatoes, yum!

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  10. These look super! My perfect potatos!

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  11. These look fantastic! You're making my mouth water in the middle of the afternoon!

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  12. Hi Carol, your potatoes look and sound delicious. I like that they are not fried, I have to try these. I wonder if hubby would taste the vinegar? I like to shake some vinegar on my Ocean City boardwalk fries. YUMMY! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Hi Eileen! You don't taste the vinegar, at least I didn't. But I think maybe a little drizzle over them after they roast might be nice.

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  13. The potatoes look delicious! I've never used vinegar, but will now! I love vinegar potato chips.

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  14. Thanks for the comments :) You don't really taste the vinegar.

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  15. I want these now. Using vinegar and salt is genius. I simply must try these.

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  16. A good hamburger with great potatoes is just gastronomic heaven.

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  17. I love potatoes that are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I'll be trying this recipe for sure.

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  18. My mom used to make potatoes like this and they are the BEST. I have yet to be able to recreate them...but perhaps with this recipe I can!

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  19. yumm, I love it, give me a bowl of that and I am happy. :) Have a nice week end

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  20. I used to live in Amsterdam for 2 years and Dutch people love their chips. I like the recipe, because actually I miss it as well :)

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  21. They look wonderful! I love really crispy potatoes, especially with a big dollop of ketchup.

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  22. Mmmm, aren't crispy potatoes the best? Yours look amazing :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  23. Potatoes are one of my favorite foods. You can do so much with them! Thanks for linking up to Foodie Friends Friday party!

    Robyn from Robyn's View

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  24. Gotta try these! Did you use Russets or Yukon Golds? What does the vinegar do? And what's the deal with top of-the-stove being quicker than the microwave?

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    1. I used Russets. The recipe on Serious Eats said Yukons wouldn't get as crispy. No clue on the vinegar but I didn't taste it. The original recipe said ten minutes to simmer on the stove but I fixed it in my adaption to simmer until it's par-boiled.

      Here's the link to the article on the crispy potatoes...
      http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/11/the-food-lab-thanksgiving-edition-ultra-crispy-roasted-potatoes.html

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  25. I enjoy a good burger too! Crispy roasted potatoes is one my favorite side dishes-the cripser, the better. This is a really good recipe.

    Happy Summer to you.

    Velva

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  26. I will definitely try these potatoes Carol! They look seriously crispy and delicious!

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  27. I like the two stage cooking method..and the fact that they are not fried.

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  28. Oh wow. I know the trick to good fries is two-stage cooking but I never thought of doing it for oven fries. I MUST try these. I love homemade fries but hate deep-frying and hate the cleanup. Oh boy ... Burgers on the grill soon!

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  29. I love super crispy potatoes... thanks for sharing the recipe and the tricks!

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  30. I love oven roasting potatoes, and I'm always on a mission to make them crispier! I'm definitely trying this method! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday!

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  31. Crispy potatoes are a weakness of mine, thanks for posting this.

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  32. Hi again, Carol. Hope your week is going well. My Food on Friday:Pork is going well. There are 42 links now. Cheers

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  33. Yum! Must try these, and now you've got me craving a nice grilled burger to go with them.

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  34. I ADORE crispy potatoes, and this recipe looks like a winner. And with a burger... YUM!

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  35. Love oven baked potatoes. These look indeed so very crispy!

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  36. These look awesome. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday.
    http://marlys-thisandthat.blogspot.com

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  37. These look soooo good! I just had my evening meal and I am full but if someone happened to offer me some of these I think I would have to say yes!

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  38. Thank you for coming to the party and sharing on Foodie Friends Friday! Love the potatoes!

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  39. These sound SO wonderful but I'm afraid it might be too many steps for me (I know...). I can chop and roast and so wish that they'd crisp (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't) but the microwaving adds another dimension. Maybe I'll try next weekend--I always have potatoes on hand to roast up. Also, I usually do 425 or 450--will try bumping the temp up to 500!! Thanks!

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  40. They look fantastic, Carol! Did you have to get the potatoes really dry after draining and before adding the olive oil and vinegar?

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    1. Thanks :) I didn't dry them really at all. Just strained them. And LOL, not very good either :) But I did shake them up in the oil mix and it got a nice coating of the scruffed up potatoes and oil.

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  41. This sounds good! I am not a huge french fry eater, but there are exceptions. :)

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  42. Thanks for all the comments. I enjoy reading them and appreciate it very much :)

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  43. My dad would love these! I will have to make them for him. He never goes to a restaurant or a fast food joint without saying, "Make my fries extra crisp!". ;)

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  44. Yum! I would like some of these extremely crispy potatoes for dinner tonight. And breakfast tomorrow. And lunch, too... :)

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  45. I love extra crispy. this looks like a good cooking method. thanks.

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  46. oh wow! These potatoes look so deliciously crispy! and they're so easy to make too!! gotta make em! :D

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  47. Perfectly crisp potatoes are one of the best things in the world! Yum!

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  48. One of the best things about microwaves is cooking potatoes... Tonight I did it then sautéed them with onions before adding some cabbage pierogies.

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  49. Carol, I'm loving all your potato links. Thanks for taking the time to link them all in. We now have a great collection of potato/sweet potato ideas. 90 links at this point! Have a great week.

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Thank you for taking the time to comment. They are fun to read and very much appreciated! Sorry for comment moderation, the spam has been overwhelming lately.

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