BuffaloBill Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 I'm kind of teasing. I hand-mash mine, but mostly because I like my potatoes to have a few little chunks in them. I can still work in all the ingredients, it just takes some elbow grease Chunks in mashed taters only thing worse is when the skins are left in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUFFALOTONE Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 See I hate lumps in mine. In the professional kitchen we run them through a ricer first and then mix them. Oh and speaking of elbow grease. Many years ago we went camping. It was my turn to make breakfast and I had all sorts of stuffed caked on the pans. So of course I was left to clean them while my friends went fishing. I asked how was I going to clean all that mess. One of them said "use some elbow grease!" I looked all over that damn cabin and could not locate any elbow grease. The potato ricer is fantastic, I agree on smooth mashed potatoes. Nothing worse than a few lumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 See I hate lumps in mine. In the professional kitchen we run them through a ricer first and then mix them. Oh and speaking of elbow grease. Many years ago we went camping. It was my turn to make breakfast and I had all sorts of stuffed caked on the pans. So of course I was left to clean them while my friends went fishing. I asked how was I going to clean all that mess. One of them said "use some elbow grease!" I looked all over that damn cabin and could not locate any elbow grease. Wifey uses a ricer, lots of roasted garlic plus other stuff she won't reveal even to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Chunks in mashed taters only thing worse is when the skins are left in I'm ok with chunks as long as they're not undercooked. Potatoes made anyway are good. Potatoes = Wonder Food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeviF Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I'm ok with chunks as long as they're not undercooked. Potatoes made anyway are good. Potatoes = Wonder Food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Love me some 'taters. Fried Baked Mashed Steamed Gratin Souffle Chips Anna Twice baked Salad Gaufrette Dauphine Croquette Gnocchi Rissole Had to dig deep into my memory of my culinary classics for some of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeviF Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 (edited) Love me some 'taters. Fried Baked Mashed Steamed Gratin Souffle Chips Anna Twice baked Salad Gaufrette Dauphine Croquette Gnocchi Rissole Had to dig deep into my memory of my culinary classics for some of those. Sam: What we need is a few good taters. Gollum: What's taters, precious? What's taters, eh? Sam: Po-tay-toes! Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew... Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish. Gollum: Blech! Sam: Even you couldn't say no to that. Gollum: Oh yes we could. Spoilin' nice fish. Give it to us raw and w-r-r-riggling; you keep nasty chips. Sam: You're hopeless. Edited November 3, 2011 by LeviF91 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Brown potatos, cooked in brown sugar and tons of butter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 Love me some 'taters. Fried Baked Mashed Steamed Gratin Souffle Chips Anna Twice baked Salad Gaufrette Dauphine Croquette Gnocchi Rissole Had to dig deep into my memory of my culinary classics for some of those. I'm going to have to get bussy with Google later. Anna???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I'm going to have to get bussy with Google later. Anna???? Its wonderful, but do not try unless you have a Mandolin..and be friggen careful with a mandolin..sometime I am surprised I still have all my finger tips after using that thing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pommes_Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Its wonderful, but do not try unless you have a Mandolin..and be friggen careful with a mandolin..sometime I am surprised I still have all my finger tips after using that thing http://en.wikipedia....iki/Pommes_Anna I was working in a hotel kitchen and saw one of my cooks run out of the kitchen with a towel wrapped around his hand. Uh-oh. I walked over and he had the mandoline set up slicing potatoes for gratin. I flipped the mandoline over and the tip of his finger was still stuck to it. Dude....use the gloves we bought for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I was working in a hotel kitchen and saw one of my cooks run out of the kitchen with a towel wrapped around his hand. Uh-oh. I walked over and he had the mandoline set up slicing potatoes for gratin. I flipped the mandoline over and the tip of his finger was still stuck to it. Dude....use the gloves we bought for you. OWWWW, that nmakes me wince just reading about it..i do wear gloves now when i use that thing..after having lost pints of blood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUFFALOTONE Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I was working in a hotel kitchen and saw one of my cooks run out of the kitchen with a towel wrapped around his hand. Uh-oh. I walked over and he had the mandoline set up slicing potatoes for gratin. I flipped the mandoline over and the tip of his finger was still stuck to it. Dude....use the gloves we bought for you. That puts me in the mood for au gratin potatoes...a rarely made side dish these days. Well home made at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 That puts me in the mood for au gratin potatoes...a rarely made side dish these days. Well home made at least. I have a great recipe for gratin potatoes. If you put cheese in yours let me know and I'll give you my recipe. It's simple and the best potatoes you'll ever have. Note....au gratin is not French for "with cheese." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I have a great recipe for gratin potatoes. If you put cheese in yours let me know and I'll give you my recipe. It's simple and the best potatoes you'll ever have. Note....au gratin is not French for "with cheese." Post it up dude..simple and easy and I am all for it!! I am not a huge fan of cheese in my potato dishes, but I can always just put a bit on top I assume? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Post it up dude..simple and easy and I am all for it!! I am not a huge fan of cheese in my potato dishes, but I can always just put a bit on top I assume? No cheese. Now I do mine by sight so I don't have amounts. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes and place into a bowl. Add heavy cream, garlic, salt and pepper and toss. Layer potatoes in a baking dish and pour the cream over the top making sure potatoes are pretty much covered in cream. Press down on potatoes if needed. Bake uncovered until an knife goes in easily and that's it. If they start to brown too quickly cover with aluminum foil. Au gratin actually means to brown on top. Americans have assumed it means with cheese because adding cheese to a dish such as this aids in the browning but is not needed here. People love these things and they are so effing easy to make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 No cheese. Now I do mine by sight so I don't have amounts. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes and place into a bowl. Add heavy cream, garlic, salt and pepper and toss. Layer potatoes in a baking dish and pour the cream over the top making sure potatoes are pretty much covered in cream. Press down on potatoes if needed. Bake uncovered until an knife goes in easily and that's it. If they start to brown too quickly cover with aluminum foil. Au gratin actually means to brown on top. Americans have assumed it means with cheese because adding cheese to a dish such as this aids in the browning but is not needed here. People love these things and they are so effing easy to make. three fitty i am assuming...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 three fitty i am assuming...? Tree-fitty is good. Hotter works too but keep a close eye on it. When that cream bubbles up and gets thick and that garlic......damn, I'm still stuffed from lunch but that's making me hungry. Served best with medium rare leg of lamb. A match made in culinary heaven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillsForever Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 (edited) An important step to any gratin is seasoning each layer of potatoes with salt and pepper. Otherwise your gratin is going to be bland. Don't be shy with the salt and pepper as this dish needs it. Kosher salt if you have it, not regular table salt which is harsher. That is my biggest complaint when people make this dish, always not enough salt. I also like to add thinly sliced white onion to each layer. A pinch of grated nutmeg also works wonders. Using 35% whipping cream is a must, milk sucks for this. Edited November 4, 2011 by BuffaloBillsForever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 An important step to any gratin is seasoning each layer of potatoes with salt and pepper. Otherwise your gratin is going to be bland. Don't be shy with the salt and pepper as this dish needs it. Kosher salt if you have it, not regular table salt which is harsher. That is my biggest complaint when people make this dish, always not enough salt. I also like to add thinly sliced white onion to each layer. A pinch of grated nutmeg also works wonders. Using 35% whipping cream is a must, milk sucks for this. Let me make some corrections. You don't need to season every layer. That's why I toss all the ingredients in the bowl first to season them before I layer them. In a professional kitchen speed is everything and at home as well when you're preparing a big dinner. Second. Not 35% cream. 100% cream. That is the key. Nutmeg is ok be careful. It can really overpower the dish. Sorry to make some changes in your tips but I gotta brag here. My gratin potatoes are the !@#$ing bomb. I used to love to peek out of the kitchen and watch people when they took the first bite. "What's in these things?" "Potatoes, garlic, cream, salt and pepper." "That's it? No way!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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