A dozen eggs and tastiness hides below that surface.

I wanted to add a few more things to this, but I actually started running out of room in the pie. My idea was originally inspired by a recipe on Epicurious. I ended up ditching most of my planned changes as the recipe came together though. The filling just got too large to allow for the extra stuff I wanted. You are welcome to try my changes though… here is what I would do: use only one onion, add wilted spinach (or kale, or some kind of bitter green), and add a little bit or parm before closing up the pie.

Still I have a few tricks that I did do that I would really recommend. Check below the break the find out.

Cross section! Layered from the bottom: Dough, onion, potato, prosciutto, egg, and dough.

A few tips:
If you want to boost the flavor of this whole thing and reduce the sharpness of the onions, caramelize them first.
Be gentle when cracking the eggs, try not to break the yolks. One of mine actually broke, but it’s hard to tell once the top layer of dough is added.
Bacon can be substituted for the prosciutto, just cook it first.

Eggy Pie
Makes about 8 servings.
Ingredients:
1 lb package frozen puff pastry, thawed (many come with two sheets in a pack, we’ll use both)
2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
4 to 5 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 large russet potato (10 to 12 ounces), sliced as thinly as you can
12 large eggs
salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp thyme

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Lightly flour a counter and roll out each piece of dough into a 12-13 inch square.
3. Gently spray a 9 inch baking pan with non-stick baking spray and lay one of the dough pieces into it. Make sure that there are no air bubbles trapped beneath. The dough should only just drape over the edges.
4. Combine the chopped onions, 1 tsp thyme, and about 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Put all this into the baking pan with the dough.
5. Evenly cover the onions with prosciutto, then the sliced potato, (overlap where needed, don’t worry). Sprinkle on the remaining thyme. Crack the eggs on top of potatoes. Try to evenly distribute the yolks so they don’t clump in one place. Crack some more black pepper over the whole thing.
6. Cut some slits of various lengths in the remaining rolled-out dough. Carefully lift it and drape it over the eggs. It’s perfectly fine is some of the yolks are visible (you want a few visible, it adds to the color). Crimp the edges, then trim and tuck the crimped part under (between the dough and the vertical part of the pan.
7. Bake until pastry is golden brown and puffed, 50 to 60 minutes. If it browns too rapidly, tent with foil, if after 55 minutes it hasn’t browned enough, turn on the broiler and cook for about 5 minutes (monitor closely!).

Gratin Dauphinois.... MMmmmm, starchy...

Though nearly every potato gratin dish involves some sprinkling of cheese, it isn’t necessary. In fact, if you want to call the dish “Gratin Dauphinois”, adding anything else is forbidden. The combination of starches in the potatoes and the cream/milk is enough to create a thick, creamy consistency. Don’t get me wrong, adding cheese isn’t a bad thing, Kyle’s dish was fantastic. The addition of cheese allows for different flavor profiles and can compliment the flavors of other additions. But each time someone adds cheese and calls it Gratin Dauphinois, a large tear wells up and rolls down the cheek of a Frenchman living in Dauphiné. Well, maybe not, but if you add cheese, you have lost the right to call it Dauphinois.

All the other flavors in this dish are there to augment the cream and potatoes. A dash of nutmeg brings a mild nutty-earthiness to the dish. Garlic is added too, but only as a hint of flavor by rubbing the baking dish with a garlic clove. If you are wondering about the use of white pepper instead of black pepper, it’s simply to keep the color of the dish consistent. Black pepper is perfectly fine, but would leave black specks throughout the dish.

I like to use mostly all heavy cream when I make this, but some people may find that very rich. You can tame the richness of the dish by using lower fat creams, half and half, or even whole milk. You may have some success with part-skim milk, but I have never used anything less than whole milk. Last night when I made this dish, I intended to use all heavy cream, but I have been stealing some from the container for my coffee so I had to make up the difference with about 1/2 cup of whole milk.

If I have it on hand, I like to use a bit of crème fraîche in the recipe as well. I find the tangy, nuttiness appealing and think it complements the flavor of potatoes nicely. I’m not sure how authentic that addition is, but I like it. I find that I get good results when I replace a bit (1/4 to 1/2 cup) of the 2 cups of cream with crème fraîche, feel free to use more.

Gratin Dauphinois
Use a 2 quart baking dish. Recipe serves about 6.
Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, (any waxy kind will do, I typically use the red ones)
2 cups heavy cream (whole milk or half and half will work too, avoid skim though)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tsp white pepper (black pepper is fine)
up to 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 clove garlic, cut in two
1/4 cup heavy cream (or even creme fraiche)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Peel and rinse the potatoes. Slice them on the thin setting of your mandoline or food processor (1/8 of an inch, about 3mm). A knife works well too. The goal is consistency in the slicing so use whatever tools you have that can help. NOTE: Do not rinse the potatoes after slicing them! That will remove some of the starch that is needed in this dish.
3. Place a large saucepan over medium heat and combine the potatoes, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer (reduce the heat as necessary) and cook for 8 minutes. Stir the bottom of the pan to prevent the potatoes from sticking to each other or the pan. The milk or cream will thicken slightly during this time.
4. Rub the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish with the garlic clove. Add about half the potato/milk mixture to the baking dish, then about half of the unused heavy cream, then the rest of the potato/milk mixture, then the last of the heavy cream.
5. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the edges are bubbly and the top is browned. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
- Leftovers are good cold, but can be reheated in the oven at 400F for 10-15 minutes.

Potato & Mushroom Gratin

Alton Brown’s first show was about steak, so naturally the next episode, “This Spud’s for You”, was about potatoes.  There are so many different options when cooking potatoes.  I have already covered oven fries, and William has already covered chips, microwave chips and fries.  For a slightly different dish I decided to follow AB’s Potato/Portabello Gratin Recipe.

The gratin looked really amazing and fairly easy to make so I thought I would give it a try. It yields a dish that is amazing in flavor and texture.  The cheese on top becomes crispy and delicious and the inner layers melt in your mouth.  The asiago cheese complements the mushrooms and potatoes perfectly.  This dish is amazing as a side for your steak or even served along with some eggs for breakfast (that’s how I dispersed with some of my leftovers).

Closeup of the Gratin

A gratin is basically very thinly sliced potatoes layered with other goodies, usually topped with cream and then baked.  Preparing this will be significantly easier if you have a v-slicer or mandoline (I’ve never met anyone with cutlery skills that can outpace one).  This is the one I have, although you may be able to find a similar one for less money.  You just want to make sure it can cut chips and fries in various sizes (that’s mostly all I use mine for).  I also switched out the mushrooms in the recipe because that’s what I had on hand, but you can follow his recipe if you like.  Other than cutting the potatoes, the assembly takes little time, so this is a great dish to serve with labor intensive entrées (you can cook while it cooks).  I hope that next time you are looking for a starchy side dish, that you will consider giving this recipe a try.

Assembly of Layers

Ingredients:
5-6 Yukon Gold Potatoes, Peeled
6 oz of small mushrooms (white button or I prefer baby portabella), Sliced
1 cup Grated Asiago Cheese
3/4 Cup Half and Half
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400 F.  Slice the potatoes into thin chips about 1/8 inch thick (using a v-slicer if you have one).  If your mushroom aren’t presliced you can quickly slice them using an egg slicer (see photo below).
2. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cheese for the top of the dish.
3. Using a baking dish 13 x9 put one layer of potatoes on the bottom and then add salt and pepper, 2-3 Tablespoons of cheese, and about 8 mushroom slices.  You don’t want to put too many mushrooms in each layer or the layers of the final dish won’t set after cooking.
4. Continue making layers until you’ve use all your potatoes.  Pour about 2/3 of a cup of half and half on top of the layers and push down with both hands.  If you see cream bubble up you don’t need to add any more, if you don’t then pour the rest of the half and half on top.
5. Top with the reserved 1/2 cup of cheese and bake uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour.  Depending on your vessel you may want to check at 45 minutes.  You can test the doneness by sticking a knife through the layers, if it’s done there won’t be any resistance.

V-Slicer Action

Slicing Mushrooms

Potato Chips

Apart from the shape, there is really only one difference between these and the french fries: Fry them once at the high temperature and not twice. Like most fried food, these are best fresh. I can’t really tell you how they are the next day as there are typically none left. 

Several months ago I posted about making potato chips in the microwave. You can quickly get your snack on with that method, but it doesn’t quite match the fresh-out-of-the-fryer taste. The microwave chips had some benifits: arguably a bit crunchier, harder to burn the chip (and yourself), and less mess. If you are looking to make chips for one or two, use your microwave. If you want chips for 5 or more, deep frying them is the way to go.

I might as well describe the process in detail for those who like specifics (me!), so click through…

I used the same set-up as for my French fries last week: three quarts oil in the pot, probe thermomenter sticking in, large slotted spoon to get things out of the oil.

Frying potato chips.

Ingredients

Idaho or Russet (or nearly any potato)
two to four quarts oil (peanut is preferred, but canola or even olive oil–not extra virgin–can be used)
salt (kosher, table, or popcorn salt) 

Recipe

1. Don’t bother peeling the potatoes, just scrub them and remove any of the more offensive looking parts. Using a mandolin on the thinnest setting, or a sharp chef’s knife, cut the potatoes into thin disks. Rinse the potato disks in cold water until the water is clear and let them soak them in a large bowl of ice water. The potatoes can be made to this point and held for about 12 hours.
2. Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with your oil, attach your fry thermometer or probe thermometer and heat over medium-high until 375F degrees. (I normally set my thermometer to 360F and start there.)
3. As the oil heats, dry the potatoes thoroughly with kitchen towels–water and hot oil don’t mix.
4. When the oil is hot, add a large hand full of the chips to the oil and fry until golden brown. Stir them a bit when you first drop them in so that they do not stick together.
5. Transfer to a clean, thick paper bag or paper towels. Return the oil to 360 degrees and repeat with remaining chips. Season the chips as they are removed from the oil to help the salt stick. Eat the crispy goodness.

Potato chips.

Burger and fries.

Fresh French fries are everything that frozen, fast food fries are not: crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, and a true potato flavor. Contrary to what many people think, French fries are neither difficult nor particularly messy to make. A pot, oil, potatoes, and salt are all you really need. Once it is set up, large batches can quickly be made–which is a good thing, as these are fairly addicting. Not that the basic recipe needs any changing, but I borrowed a trick from Cooks Illustrated to get these extra crispy.

A big plate of fries.

Click through for the recipe and tips on frying.

Deep frying is not hard, but the one thing that greatly simplyfies and adds a huge degree of control to the process is to have a thermometer. I have some friends who can ‘just tell’ when the oil is ready, others who throw in a pinch of flour and know how that is supposed to react. I like to be more precise and to use a thermometer (see the wire probe in the picture below). I don’t have a dedicated frying thermometer, my oven probe thermometer on a wire works perfectly. It has a temperature alarm to let me know when I reach the proper temperature and it displays a constant read of the temperature of the oil.

I use a standard ‘twice-fried’ method for cooking French fries. The first fry is at a lower temperature (around 320F) to cook the inside gently. The second fry takes place at a higher temperature (around 375F) to crisp the outside. Frying them allows for a contrast in texture: a crunchy crisp exterior and a light fluffy interior.

Frying fries.

Ingredients
(serves 4)

3 pounds russet or Idaho potatoes (about 4-6 potatoes)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
3 quarts peanut oil
salt (table salt, kosher salt or popcorn salt all work fine)

Recipe

1. Don’t bother peeling the potatoes, just scrub them and remove any of the more offensive looking parts. Cut the potatoes into about quarter inch disks, then cut those disks into about quarter inch strips (the typical French fry shape). If you have a mandolin, it makes this process go much faster (mind your fingers though–I know from experience!). Rinse the cut potatoes in cold water until the water is clear. Soak them in a large bowl of ice water. The potatoes can be made to this point and held for about 12 hours.
2. Spread the potatoes pieces onto kitchen towels and dry them thoroughly. Dust the potatoes with cornstarch and toss until evenly coated. Let the potatoes rest for about 20 minutes, a white coating should form on them. (Separate the potatoes a bit so they are not all piled.)
3. While the potatoes are resting, fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with peanut oil, attach your fry thermometer or probe thermometer and heat over medium-high until 325F degrees. (I normally set my thermometer to go over at 275F to give me plenty of warning and make sure the temperature doesn’t shoot past 325F.)
4. Add about a third of the potatoes, a handful at a time, to the hot oil. Increase heat to high to compensate for the drop in temperature. Fry, stirring to prevent the fries from sticking. Remove the fries when they start turning from white to blond, 4 to 5 minutes. They should be soft and fairly limp at this point.
5. Transfer fries to a thick paper bag or paper towels on top of the rack. (The paper will hold the oil without letting the fries get soggy.) Return oil to 325 degrees and repeat with remaining potatoes in one or two more batches.
6. Increase heat under the oil to high and heat until the oil is 375 degrees. Add the first batch of fries back to the oil and fry until golden brown and puffed, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to another (clean) thick paper bag or paper towels. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining fries. Season fries with salt and serve immediately.

Other suggestions for fry seasonings: Fresh black pepper, Old Bay Seasoning, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, malt vinegar.