Crispy Buffalo Baked Potatoes

Monday 19 October 2020

Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes


I have long said that my favourite potato is the humble potato.  That seems kind of fitting I suppose, seeing as I was born on Prince Edward Island, which is the potato capital of Canada! They grow a lot of potatoes on PEI! 

I have never met a potato I did not like.  Baked, boiled, fried, mashed, chipped, scalloped, you name it. The potato is one vegetable I just could not and would not want to live without!

Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

 My oldest daughter does not share my love. I can't understand that! Surely the apple has not fallen too far from the tree?  Alas it has. She does like them as French fries (who doesn't!) and of course potato chips (again who doesnt!) but those are the only two ways she enjoys them! 

I would choose a potato as a side dish over any other side dish on offer.  No questions asked.  That's why low carb does not really work for me.  Maybe its my Irish heritage coming through!

Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

 This potato dish is a littl bit unsual in that you will need to bake the potatoes twice. I adapted the recipe from one I found in an old BBC Good Food magazine from November of 2012. 

It required smallish desiree potatoes. For those of you who don't know, Desiree potatoes are a red skinned potato, probably similar to a Yukon gold. they have a yellowish flesh, and are good for just about anything except for use in salads or steaming.

Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

This potato is awfully hard to beat when used for mashed, chips, boiled and yes baked.  I did not actually have any desiree potatoes today, but I had some smallish King Edwards which my friend Tina and her husband had grown in their garden.  They were the perfect size.

I think in North America you could use a great basic all rounder. You just don't want a waxy variety, of the kind that works best with potato salads.

Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

 These potatoes are baked twice. Once on their own, simply in a very low oven, until they are meltingly tender inside. Because they are smallish you don't want to be baking them for this first bake time in a hot oven.

A hot oven would over cook them, create something far too crisp. You want to be able to gently smash them down a bit into a bit of a cake.

Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

 They are not tossed with anything for that first baking. No seasoning. Nothing. You simply spread them onto a baking tray and bake them at a low temperature for about 2 hours. 

You want them to be really soft in the middle. Not firm. And you don't want the skins to be crisp.  This will happen after.

Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

 Once they are really tender you take them out of the oven. They then get tossed with a mix of olive oil and buffalo sauce in a bowl. The original recipe called only for oil.

I thought that adding buffalo sauce would interject a lovely flavour filled kick to these. I am really fond of buffalo flavours.  It is buttery and spicy hot and somewhat vinegary. It works very well here.

Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

 Along with the sauce there is some seasoning and plenty of spring onions. Sprin onions are also know known as scallions.

I slice them fairly thin. You will need six. Four will be added to the potatoes and two will be reserved for the final garnish.

Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

 Along with the onions, seasoning, buffalo sauce and oil, you will need fresh thyme leaves. I am very lucky I have thyme growing in my garden. 

My mother had thyme growing in her back yard. If you walked across it you could smell it. It was not something she had ever cultivated. I think it was there from whoever had owned the house before her.

Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

There is something really nice about having your own fresh herbs on tap in the garden. I hope that I will always be able to have fresh herbs in my garden, or even in pots on a balcony or windowsil. We will see.

You take the seasoned, herbed, onioned, oiled  potatoes and you smush them gently down into a shallow casserole dish to fill it. You don't want the skins to break open, so do be gentle.

 
After that you drizzle them with a tiny bit more oil and then bang them into a hot oven. They will bake for a further half an hour or so.
 
Until they are beautifully crisp and flavourfilled on the outsides.  Meltingly tender inside.  Beautifully flavoured through and through.
 
 

 Finally they are garnished with a drizzle of blue cheese dressing. Try to use a good one. I used Brianna's which I buy at Ocado. It has a lovely rich flavour and bits of actual blue cheese in it. 

I also threw some additional spring onions on top for colour and a bit of sharpness.  A few fresh thyme leaves add additional fresh flavour and colour as well. You don't need many. You could also use chopped fresh flat leaf parsley.



Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

 I am thinking you could also throw some crisp bacon bits on top as well.  Just a suggestion. From one Glutton to another.

Altogether these were incredibly deliciously satisfying. I would be happy with a plateful of these and nothing else at all! If the potato is your favourite vegetable too, I can promise you that you will fall in love with these!
 

Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

Print
Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes
Yield: 6
Author: Marie Rayner
prep time: 20 Mincook time: 2 H & 40 Mtotal time: 3 Hour
with their deliciously crispy skins and tangy sauce, these fabulously simple to make potatoes please on many levels.

Ingredients

  • 3 1/3 pounds (1 1/2 kg) of smallish all purpose potatoes
  • 4 TBS olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 TBS buffalo sauce (If you like lots of heat use 2)
  • 6 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 TBS fresh thyme leaves
  • black pepper
  • fine sea salt
  • 6 TBS good quality blue cheese dressing (I use Brianna's)
To garnish:
  • additional thyme leaves
  • cracked black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 140*C/300*F/ gas  mark 2.  Place the potatoes on a baking tray and bake for about 2 hours until soft in the middle.
  2. Increase the oven temperature to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.
  3. Toss the baked potatoes with the olive oil, buffalo sauce, thyme leaves, seasoning and about 2/3 of the spring onions in a bowl. 
  4. Have ready a buttered baking dish which you can place them into in a single layer. You will want a snug fit. 
  5. Place the potatoes into the baking dish. Using the back of a spatula, squash them into the dish tofill, creating a sort of flatish compact potato cake.  Drizzle them with a little bit more oil.
  6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until golden and crisp. Drizzle with the Buffalo Dressing and sprinkle with the remaining onions.  Garnish with cracked pepper and some additional leaf thyme if desired. Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen
Created using The Recipes Generator
Buffalo Crispy Baked Potatoes

These potatoes are meltingly tender in the middle and moreishly crisp and flavourful on the outside. They are beautiful with roasted and grilled meats, poultry or fish. Why not enjoy them with some roasted BBQ pork and possibly some coleslaw on the side? 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again! 

 Follow my blog with Bloglovin

8 comments

  1. Replies
    1. Birds of a feather Monique, we are two birds of a feather! xoxo

      Delete
  2. I was never much of a potato fan growing up, but since moving to the northern hemisphere, I've learned to love and embrace them.

    I had to google "buffalo sauce" and was quite relieved to see that it was not made of buffalo :) You know that I was horrified when an Australian friend moved to Toronto and started to tell me how much they adore eating Beaver Tails. I think I was almost in tears at the thought of all of the little, furry, tail-less beavers until she assured me that they were the most incredible fried dough pastries shaped like a beaver tail and drenched in cinnamon and sugar. Then I wanted one desperately! It's funny how your brain immediately fears the worst when you see some phrases - hee, hee.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL you made me chuckle with your story of the Beaver Tails! They are most delicious! Bu, yes not real beaver tails! Its like porqupine meatballs.They are made with beef not porcupine. (Although people do eat porqupine.) Then there is city chicken which is actually pork. Language is certainly an interesting topic! I love words. Always have. Love and hugs, xoxo

      Delete
  3. I never liked potatoes much when I was younger but I really enjoy them now. So much depends on the variety you choose.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are right. Variety does make the difference. Not all potatoes are created equal, yet all have their uses and qualities to be enjoyed in certain dishes! xoxo (Not sure if that made sense, but hoping it did!) xoxo

      Delete
  4. I'm not world's biggest potato fan, either but these look awfully good. And Rick is a HUGE potato boy so this one may well be on the menu, especially as things cool off this season.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you so do not be shy!


BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT OR RATING, ASK YOURSELF:
Did you make the recipe as directed? Recipe results are not guaranteed when changes have been made.

Is this comment helpful to other readers? Rude or hateful comments will not be approved. Remember that this website is run by a real person.

Are you here to complain about ads? Please keep in mind that I develop these recipes and provide them to you for free. Advertising helps to defray my cost of doing so, and allows me to continue to post regular fresh content.

Thanks so much for your understanding! I appreciate you!