Potatoes

[bbro]

I have some potatoes that I want to cook for dinner (with some ham steak and applesauce), but I normally cook potatoes sliced, in a skillet with onions and butter and salt and pepper. I wanted to change it up. My parents are big fans of cutting them up into chunks and throwing them on the grill in foil. I am going to try this, but in my oven.

I was thinking of using some rosemary with olive oil to spice then, but that seems so plain (although I like rosemary). What spices have you tried with potatoes? Traditional or otherwise.

Also, what temp do you think my oven should be on? How long would it take to cook them? Do you think it would even work this way?

Thanks for any suggestions (before 5:30 EST )

[Clodfobble]

Thyme goes really well with potatoes. I also like a lot of salt with my potatoes, but that may just be me.

And of course everything's better with cheese, but it doesn't sound like you're looking to do a cheesy potato thing.

[bbro]

Oooo, I didn't think of Thyme. That's an idea.

Nah, not really looking for cheesy potatoes. The only cheese I have in my fridge is Kraft singles and gouda.

Thanks!

[skysidhe]

I've been wanting potaoes too.

I've heard people sometimes put ranch dressing dry mix on them like a shake and bake thing. I've never tried it.

I personally like garlic.

[bbro]

I have a mix of spices that I think might be good. It has these in it - garlic, coarse salt, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, black pepper

Toss it all with a little olive oil. OK, now I am hungry!

[Stormieweather]

Take a whole potato and scrub well. Place it on a large square of tinfoil. Slice it fairly thinly but keep it in potato shape. Insert thin slices of onion and a tiny dollop of butter in between each potato slice. Sprinkle it with your desired spice mix (I like a garlic and parsley mix). Wrap the foil around the potato tightly and bake over hot coals or in an oven until done.

Definately not low fat, but very tasty!

Stormie

[chrisinhouston]

I love potatoes tinfoil cooked or just plain roasted with a little EVOO or butter and Herb de Provence!

Twice baked, mmmmmm.
I miss being able to eat all the taters I want. (they cause swelling)

[Beestie]

Mom's mashed potatos: One 5 pound bag of potatos.

Peel. Rinse. Cut into small peices. Cut an onion into small peices. Boil both for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain. Put in mixing bowl.

Add 1 stick of butter and one pint of sour cream . No margarine or low-fat sour cream - don't do this often but do it the right way. Add season salt, onion powder, celery salt and a little bit of garlic powder.

Mix with a cake beater for a good while till fluffy.

Serve hot. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

With mashed potatoes, incorporate plenty of baked garlic. Garlic makes smashed taters happy.

I generally bake potatoes in a batch, in a casserole dish, covered and with a little water to keep the skins tender. Thus I have either baked potatoes straight up or a feedstock for something else. I've not tried baking the potatoes for bubble-and-squeak, not yet.

Yoghurt as sour cream substitute, butter/margarine, some salt, plenty pepper. Stuffing baked potatoes with everything from ground beef and cheese on top to canned black beans w/seasonings is another popular one. Try beans plus Spam.

[Griff]

I'm partial to salt potatoes. Boil small potatoes in salt water then drown them in melted butter. yum

[bbro]

I ended up putting them in foil and baking them. I couldn't wait long enough so I threw them on a cookie sheet and they ended up cooked that way. I used the above spices and they turned out pretty good. I think next time I am just going to cut them up, boil them, then spice them. Takes less time that way.

Thanks for all the sugggestions though!

IMO, sour cream butter and just a bit of whole milk makes the best mashed (whipped) taters. I use Yukon Gold.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Certain varieties of potatoes bake and mash best; others deep-fry best. Neither is entirely satisfactory as a substitute for the other.

Now the following doesn't qualify as recipes, exactly. Stuff to put on popcorn.

Olive oil. EVOO adds a flavor the second-pressing stuff doesn't, so according to taste, then.
Shaker cheese and salt. If you want salt that behaves like superfine popcorn salt, put sea salt in a coffee grinder and flog it up fine.
Fine grated cheese, too -- cheddar, gruyere...
A very light sprinkle of any rich soy sauce you like. Don't put a lot in, because the liquid sogs up your popcorn, so you sacrifice crisp popcorn texture for the flavor. Sprinkle a minimum, then toss popcorn to distribute. I do this with something else from this list as well.
Spike -- the kind with salt.
Madras curry powder and salt.
Some lime and salt mixes -- these can be iffy.

[Aliantha]

My favourite way to have mashed potatoes is to boil scrubbed potatoes in the skins till they're tender all the way through. While they're cooking, I chop a whole head of garlic, and a nice brown onion. I fry these in olive oil with diced bacon.

When the potatoes are cooked I use a hand masher to break them up, then pour everything out of the fry pan into them and mash for a few minutes. After that, I add some mayo (whole egg if you have it) and put it all in a baking dish, top with some sharp tasty cheese and bake till the cheese melts.

It's a dish with texture AND flavour! Delicious!!!