The famous cottage potatoes thing started because I couldn’t make hash browns correctly. There was just no way the hash browns were able to develop the texture I desired and when I really thought about it I had to admit that the hash browns in the restaurant were not much better.
It is true that McDonald’s hash browns are crispy enough but they deep fry them and that is cheating in my book. So I guess the cottage fried potatoes are the next best thing if, like me, you try not to eat deep fried foods. Especially since I fry things in olive oil. The prodigality of filling up a deep fryer with olive oil is almost enough to curl my toes. The very thought. No.
Thus the famous cottage potato recipe. Pan frying is efficient for oil use and just about as delicious as deep fried hash browns, but without the health concerns.
I learned from Nora Ephron in her novel Heartburn that you must always soak potatoes before you fry them.
That was a game changer but it didn’t completely solve the problems. Potatoes fried in the skillet often failed to develop a golden crust. They break apart and are too hard or too soft.
I worked out the kinks so that these things wouldn’t happen. And now I can fry up these potatoes reliably anytime I feel the need.
Visitors Seek These Potatoes
My daughter Joline, who is a plenty good cook herself, has the habit of asking me, when she comes home, if I will make the famous cottage potatoes for her and when I ask why she says “because no one makes them like you,” and Andrew agrees.
I have considered the possibility that they are just saying this so they won’t have to cook themselves.
But the truth is I agree with them no one else makes these things right and I have to cook it myself.
So the recipe for the cottage fried potatoes:
Recipe: Famous Cottage Potatoes
4 medium russet potatoes
Salt, about two teaspoons
Oil, preferably olive oil.
Cut up the potatoes into 1 cm cubes. Cut them in half lengthwise then cut the halves again lengthwise laying the half down flat on the cutting board and slicing them first lengthwise and then crosswise.
Put them in water for at least 10 minutes. This allows the starch to leach out. If you fry them still starchy, it creates big problems for the frying process.
The Heat’s the Thing …
Heat up some oil in a cast iron pan or electric skillet . Enough to coat the bottom of the pan. I would call the temp “medium” heat. On my stove it’s a 5.5 out of 10. In an electric skillet it’s 350. You could also use a stainless steel pan but I have found that the temperature will not be stable enough if you use a thin pan. This can cause the potatoes not to cook evenly and that can cause them to break apart. A cast iron pan has a stable temperature and an electric skillet is pretty reliable as well.
Pour the water off the cut up potatoes and dump the potatoes directly into the pan. Begin to stir the potatoes. Add a teaspoon of salt. Add more oil if necessary.
You need to stir the potatoes about every minute or two. The potatoes will sizzle. Don’t allow them to stick to the pan. If they do stick to the pan scrape them off and put more oil down.
Rotate the pan from side to side once or twice during cooking and in the second half of cooking it may be helpful to cover the pan with a large lid.
The most important part of this process is to go slowly. Haste ruins the potatoes. It takes at least 20 minutes to cook them. Often 30. Keep stirring. If the pan is dry, put more oil in and close to the end add a little more salt.
You can tell the potatoes are done. They are golden or at least mostly golden.
It would not be a bad idea to try one to make sure the texture is good. Of course you can only cook them more you can’t uncook them.
When you’re done cooking remove them to a cooling plate. Call the person you are cooking for.
I find it difficult to cook more than four cups of potatoes at a time which can be frustrating since around here that really only serves two to three people.
So this is a meal for a quiet conversation among close friends not for the whole family.
I use the cottage potatoes in Andrew’s burritos and when I do that I have to cook two batches.
So there it is, bon appetit. I like to serve the potatoes with ketchup and, if, you’re really feeling fancy, a nice scrambled egg.
Nothing says I love you like famous cottage potatoes.
