POMMES DE TERRE CHÀTEAU
[Potatoes Sautéed in Butter]
...for some reason this recipe has three titles - maybe because Julia says that she strictly rationed herself on potato recipes...
...Julia describes French potatoes as smooth oval potatoes 2 to 2 1/2 inches long with yellowish flesh...but you can't find anything of the sort here in North Dakota...so I got the smallest red potatoes I could find...
...peeled them...
...and shaped them into fiddly little 2 inch ovals...
...cute aren't they?...look at that pile of left over bits...Oh...and I should mention that the potatoes need to be dried on a towel and not rinsed at all...
...I did as Julia suggested and used the leftover bits for potato and leek soup...
...that was delicious too...
...you'll need a bunch of Earth Balance...about 4 Tablespoons...you need to coat the bottom of a heavy skillet with 1/16th inch of melted butter (Earth Balance)...you can add some oil if you prefer...
...put the dry potatoes in the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes...
...shake the skillet to coat the potatoes with the melted Earth Balance...
...continue cooking for 4-5 minutes...they should now have a protective film that will prevent them from sticking to the pan...
...sprinkle with salt and pepper...
...cover and cook for about 15 minutes...shaking the pan every 3-4 minutes...
...continue cooking until nice and golden brown and the potatoes yield to gentle pressure...
...at this point you're supposed to add more butter...but really...they were just cooked in butter (and by butter I mean Earth Balance)...so I didn't...but do if you want to...and sprinkle with parsley...which I forgot - at this point I think I was sort of rushed to get them outside to the table...
...turn onto a hot vegetable dish...
...I do so love potatoes...just about any way you can fix them...I love them...and this buttery dish of potatoes was so very good...they weren't crunchy at all...but there was that brown and buttery outer layer that gave way to the creamy white starchy potato-y inside...absolutely delicious...
Substitutions: Earth Balance for Butter
Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking
pp. 526-528
