The potato, certainly one of the most consumed vegetables in France today! A vegetable, are you sure? Well, no, the potato is a plant, and more precisely the tuber of the plant Solanum tuberosum!
Whether mashed, in a salad, roasted, as baby potatoes or even as fries, potatoes can be cooked in many ways.
How to cook potatoes?
There are many potato recipes! There's something for everyone, and they're a great accompaniment to many of our dishes, but what a treat!
Let’s discover together several ways to cook Lorraine potatoes.
Mashed potatoes
There are many different ways to cook mashed potatoes, such as skin-on-skin, milk-on-cream, butter-on-cream, or both. Making your own mashed potatoes is incredibly easy.
Check out our top tips below:
Debate: Should you peel your potatoes for mashed potatoes?! But it really depends on your taste!
Butter ? None, a little, a lot? We like it sweet and add 250g of butter for 1kg of potatoes.
Tip: Cook your potatoes with their skins on to avoid overcooking and waterlogged potatoes. Then peel your potatoes with a potato skewer or a tea towel, mash them, add the butter in pieces (at room temperature) and a glass of milk or crème fraîche warmed in the pan. Mix, salt, and pepper to taste. Don't hesitate to serve your mashed potatoes immediately, because reheating your dish in the microwave can dry out your preparation!
Fried potatoes
French fries are so delicious, for kids and adults alike, they are easy to make and will successfully accompany your summer and winter dishes. The best fries are cooked twice, first at a lower temperature to cook them, then again in hotter oil to make them perfectly golden. Plan on one large batch of fries per person if you are serving as a side dish. Homemade fries are an excellent accompaniment to hamburgers, meats, grilled meats!
But which potato should you choose? To make golden fries that are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, you need to choose floury potatoes. These potatoes prevent them from absorbing too much oil during cooking, and they hold their shape perfectly.
The best potato variety to use for making homemade fries is the Bintje potato. Available from September to May, they are often large and perfect for making fries.
When preparing potatoes for a perfect plate of fries, you need to cut them evenly. Don't hesitate to use a French fry cutter for best results.
Place your fries in a large bowl, using a tea towel at the bottom.
Cook according to our recipe: the best fries in the world are Lorraine!
Tip: at the end of cooking you can season your fries with herbes de Provence!
How to store potatoes?
Sort your potatoes to separate those best suited for storage. New potatoes don't have a tough skin that protects them from rotting, so be careful when handling them to avoid cutting the skin, for example.
Keep large potatoes free of puncture marks, although small cuts may harden during the curing process.
Any excessively damaged potato should be eaten within a few days.
Some potato varieties store better than others. You'll have better luck with thick-skinned russets and other potatoes with red or brown skin.
You can store your potatoes in any container that allows ventilation, such as a cardboard box, paper bag, or basket.
Avoid plastic as it causes moisture retention.
Cover the potatoes to avoid light exposure and make ventilation holes if necessary.
It's best to inspect your potatoes every few weeks to sort out any that have sprouted or are getting mushy. If left unchecked, a few rotten potatoes can ruin an entire basket!
The different varieties of potatoes
The Bintje : with its floury flesh, this is the best-selling potato in France. The ideal season for eating it is from September to May.
Charlotte : is a potato created in France with thin skin and firm flesh. It will beautifully accompany your winter dishes, steamed or sautéed.
Vitelotte potatoes : easily recognizable by their purple color, this old-fashioned potato is often used to make soups and mashed potatoes. However, this potato absorbs very little fat, making it also perfect for making fries and chips!
And you, how do you cook potatoes?
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