JOANNA'S FOOD: family cooking, from scratch, every day


Sunday, September 16, 2007

Quick crushed roasted potatoes

I am aware that, for a heart-healthy blog, there's been a recent emphasis on roasting potatoes. My family are all very keen on roast potatoes (although I'd happily forego them), and, I suppose, I keep on experimenting in the hope that I've found something both healthy and properly crunchy and delicious. My defence, therefore, is that I'm trying to crack this problem ... but it would be true to say that I also think that food should be joyful, and, in this house, that means roast potatoes.

I managed to blog about Nigella's squid without actually confessing that I now have a copy of the book of the TV series. This time I can't get away with it; the method you are about to read is in a show that has yet to be aired. (This week? next week? I've saved you the bother of all that irritating simpering.)

This is what you do: wrap little new potatoes loosely in a clean tea cloth, and bash them with the end of a rolling pin until they are all crushed open. Tip them into a roasting dish, toss in as little oil as you can manage, and roast them in a hot oven for about 35-40 minutes. (Nigella gets the cooking time down to under 10 minutes by frying them, but I think you'd really have to use a lot more oil, and, besides, you have to watch them.)

Notes:

I'm using a tea towel because I can't bear the idea that everything we eat involves plastic, ie oil, ie geo-political problems. This is a small start, and an easy one, because you don't notice a tea towel in the next wash.

If you have a large mortar, you could probably pestle them. Mine is too small, but I'm rather taken with this one belonging to David Lebovitz

The whole exercise is rather therapeutic

6 comments:

Katie Zeller said...

I like the idea of bashing potatoes... Roasting them is nice, too!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Joyful food has an aspect of heart healthy too!
I'm with your family, roasted potatoes are not to be lived without!
And bashing potatoes . . . bring it on! Very good!

Anonymous said...

I noticed that about Nigella's book to Joanna - there's quite a lot of using disposable stuff like foil roasting trays and plastic bags. Still, at least they are generally easy parts of the recipe to change!

Amanda at Little Foodies said...

You're spot on as ever Joanna, I try to use tea towels in place of lots of things, particularly kitchen roll, which if left unchecked we could get through a role a day.

Karen Baking Soda said...

Now this is a Kodak-opportunity if I ever saw one...
Interesting idea! I know there is a bread recipe (can't remember which, I think Joe Ortiz) that calls for bashing the dough into oblivion. Great stress reliever! "No honey I'm not mad I'm fixing dinner!"

mrsnesbitt said...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I dont know why I read food blogs, I always come away hungry! LOL!
Nigella is on tonight! Porn in the kitchen! LOL!