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Fried Potatoes (German)
Cut up half a dozen firm boiled potatoes in slices 1/4 of an inch thick. Put these into a saucepan with 2 ounces of fresh butter, and shake them over the fire until they are lightly browned. Sprinkle over them a little pepper and salt, 1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley, 1 teaspoonful of finely minced onion, and the juice of 1/2 a small lemon. 1 teaspoonful of good brown gravy may be added or not. Serve very hot. Time, ten minutes to fry the potatoes.
A straightforward saute of cold boiled potatoes, finished with parsley, onion and lemon. The only real technique is getting the slices browned without breaking them.
- Start with cold potatoesThe recipe asks only for "firm boiled potatoes," but slices a quarter-inch thick hold together far better if the potatoes are cold, so boiling them ahead helps. Waxy varieties keep their shape better than floury bakers.
- "Saucepan" means a frying pan"Saucepan" here means frying -- the recipe says saucepan but the time note calls it frying; a wide skillet lets the slices sit in one layer. Crowded potatoes steam rather than brown.
- Shaking, not stirringThe instruction to shake the pan is deliberate. Tossing keeps the slices intact where a spoon would break them; turn them once with a thin spatula if a shake will not do it.
- Two ounces of butterThat is 4 tablespoons for six potatoes, which is generous but correct for the browning. Butter alone will darken at frying heat, so keep the flame moderate or add a spoonful of neutral oil to raise the smoke point.
- Add the aromatics at the endParsley, raw minced onion and lemon juice go in off the heat or in the last few seconds. The onion stays sharp by design; if you want it mellow, soften it in the butter before the potatoes go in.
- The optional gravyA teaspoon of brown gravy is a seasoning here, not a sauce -- it adds savour and colour. A few drops of concentrated stock or a pinch of good demi-glace does the same job.
- TimingTen minutes assumes a hot pan and cold potatoes; expect 12 to 15 in practice, most of it spent leaving the slices alone long enough to colour.
- YieldSix potatoes serves four as a side dish.