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I love potatoes. They are my absolute favorite vegetable. I could not live without them. A day without a potato is not a good day for me. In fact, you could take away my chocolate, and I might protest a bit . . . but if you tried to take away my potatoes, I would be really upset.
They are an important part of my life and have been since I was a child.
I used to think a potato was a potato was a potato. I came to learn later in life, and after much experience, that all potatoes are not the same. I have also learned that certain potatoes are better for certain preparations than others.
With some 4000 different varieties of potatoes available worldwide at any given time, it's easy to see where someone could be quite confused when it comes to potatoes and their uses.
There are basically only two main categories of potatoes, with only a few exceptions. Floury potatoes, and waxy potatoes.
FLOURY POTATOES - Floury potatoes (also called mealy potatoes) are high in starch with a low water content. These tend to be older and larger and become almost fluffy when cooked. These are the best for roasting, baking, mashing and chipping. They tend to break up easily when boiled, so aren't really suitable to prepare just as boiled potatoes.
WAXY POTATOES - Waxy potatoes are much lower in starch, with a higher water content. They are firm in texture and normally have a shiny skin. They tend to keep their shape when cooked, which makes them an excellent choice for boiling, making salads, sautéing or using in gratins.
Potatoes are also classified as being new or old. You will find most new potatoes are best in salads and the like, but old potatoes are much better for mashing. I can remember an occasion when I was a much younger woman and tried to make mashed potatoes for our thanksgiving dinner using new potatoes. I ended up with glue.
HINT - HOW TO STORE POTATOES
Potatoes don't like light or cold, so are best stored in a cool dark place, but not in the refrigerator. I keep mine in a basket in the garage. It is dark in there and it doesn't get too warm, or too cold either.
Before I made this delicious version of mashed potatoes, I wasn't really sure if I would like mashed potatoes with the skins still in. I decided to give them a go and was quickly converted! These smashed potatoes are of a different genre of smashed potatoes. These are like a smashed mashed potato, meant to be rustic and creamy all at the same time. This totally works.
Red skinned potatoes, well-scrubbed, are simmered in water along with salt and a bay leaf until fork tender. They are then drained well and mashed together with a bit of creamed cheese, butter and chives or spring onions. The end result is a potato dish that practically melts in the mouth with tastiness. These go well with just about anything! I highly recommend!
I am no stranger to fried potatoes. That is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them! As a child, when fried potatoes were on the menu, we were all happy campers. Our mother made brilliant fried potatoes. The only difference between these and the fried potatoes, or pan fries my mother used to make is the addition of paprika. Everything else is pretty much the same.
.JPG "Fondant Potatoes")
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I have really been enjoying watching a girl on YouTube lately. Linna in Japan. Her food always looks delicious. I especially enjoy watching her grocery shopping and seeing what she purchases for her family.
I have always been a grocery store tourist. Any time I have traveled outside of my country, the grocery stores local to where I am visiting are places I really want to go! I guess I am a real foodie at heart, and I find the differences in food culture to be really interesting!
I had no idea until I started watching Linna that the Japanese also enjoyed curries. This was new to me. My brother lived in Japan for four years and is married to a Canadian Japanese girl. I was familiar with a lot of their food but not with curry.
- 8 ounces (1/2 lb./227g) lean stewing beef, trimmed of fat and cubed
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 cube (50g/1.76g) homemade curry roux (you can find that recipe here)
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
- 2 TBS red wine
- 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp grated gingerroot
- 1/2 tsp grated peeled garlic
- 1/2 tsp beef stock
- 1 TBS vegetable oil for frying
- Heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat in a medium sized saucepan. Add the onion and the garlic. Cook and stir until very fragrant. (Don't let it brown.)
- Add the diced beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and the edges are sealed. Scoop out to a bowl and set aside. (It doesn't need to be really brown, but you do want the edges sealed to seal in the flavor.)
- Add the carrots, and potatoes to the pan. Stir fry over medium heat to seal the edges. Scoop out to a bowl. (This helps to seal in the flavor and helps the vegetables to keep their shape in the curry.)
- Return the beef and any juices to the pan.
- Add the red wine and the beef stock powder. Let reduce for several minutes and then add the water and Worcestershire sauce. (If you don't like or have wine, you can use additional water.)
- Cover tightly and leave to soften the beef for one hour. Add the vegetables back to the pan and cook for a further 20 minutes until the vegetables and meat are both very tender.
- Whisk in the curry roux. Stir through until it dissolves and thickens up the sauce. Cook for several minutes.
- Serve hot with some rice on the side. (Sticky Sushi rice is traditional. I did not have any of that so used Basmati.)
- You can add a knob of butter to the sauce right at the end prior to serving.
- Add cayenne and or black pepper for extra heat.
- If you find it too spicy, add a touch of milk or some honey to tone it down a bit.
- Use ground beef rather than cubed stewing beef. In this case the simmer time for the beef will be quite a bit shorter. I would only simmer it for about 15 minutes before adding the vegetables and continuing.
- You can also use chunked sausage meat rather than the beef. Again, this will not need to simmer for as long as stewing beef.
Japanese Beef Curry, for two
Tender beef and vegetables, simmered to perfection in a delicious curry sauce. This goes wonderfully with rice.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (1/2 lb./227g) lean stewing beef, trimmed of fat and cubed
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 cube (50g/1.76g) homemade curry roux (you can find that recipe here)
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
- 2 TBS red wine
- 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger-root
- 1/2 tsp grated peeled garlic
- 1/2 tsp beef stock
- 1 TBS vegetable oil for frying
- hot cooked rice
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat in a medium sized saucepan. Add the onion and the garlic. Cook and stir until very fragrant.
- Add the diced beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and the edges are sealed. Scoop out to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the carrots, and potatoes to the pan. Stir fry over medium heat to seal the edges. Scoop out to a bowl.
- Return the beef and any juices to the pan.
- Add the red wine and the beef stock powder. Let reduce for several minutes and then add the water and Worcestershire sauce.
- Cover tightly and leave to soften the beef for one hour. Add the vegetables back to the pan and cook for a further 20 minutes until the vegetables and meat are both very tender.
- Whisk in the curry roux. Stir through until it dissolves and thickens up the sauce. Cook for several minutes.
- Serve hot with some rice on the side.
Notes
To make the curry roux you will need:
3 TBS curry powder
3 TBS butter
3 TBS plain flour
1 TBS tomato paste/puree
1 tsp honey or sugar
1 tsp garlic salt
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.
- 2 flour tortillas (7 to 8 inch)
- softened butter to spread
- 8 slices of thinly sliced deli ham, 4 for each quesadilla
- 1 cup (4 oz/115g) grated strong cheddar cheese (Swiss or Jack is also nice)
- 4 thinly sliced dill pickle sandwich stackers, pat dry with some paper towels
- squeezable Honey Dijon mustard
- sour cream or ranch dressing to serve (optional)
- Distribute 1/2 of the cheese sprinkling it over half of each tortilla and dividing it equally. Top each with 2 sandwich stackers. (Make sure you really pat the pickles dry with some paper towels to prevent a soggy quesadilla!)
- Top each with four slices of ham. You can crumple this or fold it. It's up to you.
- Drizzle some honey mustard over top of the ham. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over top, again dividing it equally.
- Fold the empty half of the tortilla over the filled half. Spread both sides of the quesadilla lightly with softened butter.
- Place into a non-stick skillet. Heat the skillet over medium heat.
- Cook until the tortillas are golden brown on the bottom side. Carefully flip over and brown the other side. They are done when heated through and the cheese is all melty, and the tortillas are crisp and golden brown.
- Remove from the skillet carefully to a cutting board. Cut each one in half and serve immediately with or without sour cream or ranch dressing if desired.
Ham & Cheese Quesadillas
Smoky Italian ham, melty cheddar cheese, sliced sandwich stackers and some honey mustard, all tucked into flour tortillas and grilled to perfection! You will need a skillet large enough to hold both tortillas folded in half.
Ingredients
- 2 flour tortillas (7 to 8 inch)
- softened butter to spread
- 8 slices of thinly sliced deli ham, 4 for each quesadilla
- 1 cup (4 oz/115g) grated strong cheddar cheese (Swiss or Jack is also nice)
- 4 thinly sliced dill pickle sandwich stackers, pat dry with some paper towels
- squeezable Honey Dijon mustard
- sour cream or ranch dressing to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Distribute 1/2 of the cheese sprinkling it over half of each tortilla and dividing it equally. Top each with 2 sandwich stackers.
- Top each with four slices of ham. You can crumple this or fold it. It's up to you.
- Drizzle some honey mustard over top of the ham. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over top, again dividing it equally.
- Fold the empty half of the tortilla over the filled half. Spread both sides of the quesadilla lightly with softened butter.
- Place into a non-stick skillet. Heat the skillet over medium heat.
- Cook until the tortillas are golden brown on the bottom side. Carefully flip over and brown the other side. They are done when heated through and the cheese is all melty, and the tortillas are crisp and golden brown.
- Remove from the skillet carefully to a cutting board. Cut each one in half and serve immediately with or without sour cream or ranch dressing if desired.
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.
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