Tonight's effort, along with some chopped smoked chuck roast.

Yes, I realize I just made giant french fries, but I don't see this very often for some reason. I love the c r a g g y edges it gets after it boils, which increases the surface area and creates more crunch, juxtaposed with the creamy, fluffy interior.

Boil the potatoes until basically falling apart tender, then fry until crisp, then season how you want. Of course my wonderful wife suggested grated parm on top for next time.

I would eat that.

I noticed somebody do this on the Food network Tournament of Champions. Boiled the Yukon gold potatoes, put them in a mixing bowl with a smaller bowl on top of them to squish them down to flatten them just a bit. Turned around and threw them in the fryer. Like crispy twice baked potatoes.

Cheers! Hopefully, someone here tries it and reports back! Super easy "recipe" and weeknight side dish.

Side dish? That's dinner!!

Willy Wonka said:

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I noticed somebody do this on the Food network Tournament of Champions. Boiled the Yukon gold potatoes, put them in a mixing bowl with a smaller bowl on top of them to squish them down to flatten them just a bit. Turned around and threw them in the fryer. Like crispy twice baked potatoes.

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I do this and then immediately out of the fryer toss them with garlic softened in a bit of olive oil, grated Parmesan (real deal, not green can), and fresh chopped parsley. It's usually my go-to with blackened fish

*also, adding a tsp. of baking soda to the boiling water somehow helps as well according to Kenji

I did similar thing with potatoes, cabbage, onion and carrots from my corned beef tonight.

Put in a non stick pan with some butter and smashed the potatoes and cooked until crispy.

FIDO*98* said:

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Willy Wonka said:

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I noticed somebody do this on the Food network Tournament of Champions. Boiled the Yukon gold potatoes, put them in a mixing bowl with a smaller bowl on top of them to squish them down to flatten them just a bit. Turned around and threw them in the fryer. Like crispy twice baked potatoes.

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I do this and then immediately out of the fryer toss them with garlic softened in a bit of olive oil, grated Parmesan (real deal, not green can), and fresh chopped parsley. It's usually my go-to with blackened fish

*also, adding a tsp. of baking soda to the boiling water somehow helps as well according to Kenji

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I don't really know all the chemistry involved, but raising the ph increases the speed of the maillard reaction (browning). The same technique is used on bagels and pretzels which are boiled in a solution containing lye (or sometimes baking soda) before being baked.

Also, you can rub baking soda on the skin of a pig (or whatever critter) before roasting it to get a crisper cracklin. (Be sure to rinse the soda off and thoroughly dry before cooking)

chilidogfood said:

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FIDO*98* said:

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Willy Wonka said:

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I noticed somebody do this on the Food network Tournament of Champions. Boiled the Yukon gold potatoes, put them in a mixing bowl with a smaller bowl on top of them to squish them down to flatten them just a bit. Turned around and threw them in the fryer. Like crispy twice baked potatoes.

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I do this and then immediately out of the fryer toss them with garlic softened in a bit of olive oil, grated Parmesan (real deal, not green can), and fresh chopped parsley. It's usually my go-to with blackened fish

*also, adding a tsp. of baking soda to the boiling water somehow helps as well according to Kenji

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I don't really know all the chemistry involved, but raising the ph increases the speed of the maillard reaction (browning). The same technique is used on bagels and pretzels which are boiled in a solution containing lye (or sometimes baking soda) before being baked.

Also, you can rub baking soda on the skin of a pig (or whatever critter) before roasting it to get a crisper cracklin. (Be sure to rinse the soda off and thoroughly dry before cooking)

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Don't forget wings!

I've done the baking soda thing for potatoes and did enjoy the results. I might try that in combination with frying next time. Hell yeah on the parsley, garlic, and Parmigiano combo.

I tried this last night and I couldn't keep them together in the oil. They tasted good but it was basically hashbrowns. A little disappointed.

Interesting. Were they peeled or skin on? And how long between boil to fry?

You boiled them a bit too long. You want them just short of fully tender and they'll finish in the fryer

FIDO*98* said:

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You boiled them a bit too long. You want them just short of fully tender and they'll finish in the fryer

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While I do agree that there is a line that you can cross for cooking these (hence the "basically" falling-apart tender, don't boil the ever-living **** out of them), my thought is that leaving the peel on should help provide some structure should you happen to go too far. Versus well done peeled potatoes are more likely to fall apart in the agitation of the hot oil. Leaving the peel on also helps enhance the crunch factor and is downright delicious.

They were red potatoes and I left the skin on. I used the back of a spatula to flatten them. I did probably boil too long. Should I not have flattened them?

It's possible that it could be a combination of both over boiling as well as flattening. It would make sense that flattening would reduce any structure that it had left and cause it to fall apart. I'm planning to do this with Yukon Gold this weekend, and will try a more waxy type later on, such as a red to see how it holds up.

Thanks for trying it at any rate. Better luck next time!