Saturday, October 27, 2007

Potatoes (H)anna(h)


Who doesn't love a pound of butter with a potato or two thrown in? Our only objection to potatoes Anna is that it takes so long to make. So this is our quicker and dirtier version: no potato soaking, no gentle blotting with towels, no painstaking scalloping. They still need an hour in the oven, but at least you didn't have to spend another hour on prep. Make sure to use a waxy boiling potato (as opposed to a floury Idaho baking potato).

Sure, I'm Down For Some Butter

4 large or 6 medium waxy potatoes (we used 6 Russian banana fingerlings)
6 tablespoons salted butter
Freshly ground black pepper

Wait, Did You Say 6 Tablespoons of Butter?

Slice the potatoes very thinly, about 1/8 inch if you can (we don't have a mandoline, but if you do, this is why God created mandolines). Place the potatoes in a large bowl, melt the butter, and toss the potatoes with the butter to coat. Grind in some black pepper and transfer the potatoes to a cast-iron skillet or heavy baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake on 375 for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake for about 30 more minutes, until potatoes are browned and starting to crisp at the edges.


Serving suggestion: We served these with steamed pea shoots. Phoebe usually eats her leftovers (if there are any) over brown rice with Andhra tomato paste, a spicy Indian condiment you can find in Indian groceries (East Bay folks, you can get yourself a jar at Bombay Spice House). If you're feeling adventurous or if you don't live in an Indian grocery Nirvana like Berkeley, try making your own.

2 comments:

h0n0r said...

http://www.cafepress.com/iheartshirt/827007

Are you guys responsible for those shirts? Also, I love that you own a mandoline. Remember that question about your favorite kitchen gadget on the Hop entrance questionaire? I now have a pretty good lemon squeezer collection... What was your answer?

I Heart Kale said...

Hey Honor! No, those shirts aren't our baby, but they're certainly on the wish list now that we know they're out there (as is a mandoline, which we don't yet own but strongly covet). Back in my low-tech days, though, my favorite kitchen gadget, as reported on the Hop entrance questionnaire, was the rubber spatula.