It is difficult to even remotely imagine how much the world knows of various recipes for dishes from this root crop. But fried potatoes were and always remain close to our faithful heart (and stomach). Today we will learn all the subtleties of how to fry crispy potatoes in a pan. The number of fans of this dish is growing every year, despite the abundance of various delicious dishes. Fried potatoes always stay with us. Maybe this is due to its inexpensive price, and perhaps due to the fact that cooking it is very simple. This dish is even for a teenager.
Expectation and reality
Crispy fried potato cooked in a pan is an excellent independent dish and a wonderful side dish. Thanks to such qualities, this root crop is one of the most necessary in our kitchen. Despite the fact that fried potatoes are very popular and everyone can cook it (as mentioned above), there is one main nuance in this dish: the most correct option is how to fry crispy potatoes in a pan.
Many are familiar with the bitter (without exaggeration) situation when they wanted to please or even surprise their loved one (or the whole family), using a win-win option - fried potatoes. But instead of the expected dish with a fragrant crispy crust, the potato falls apart right in the dishes, which it is cooked, and turns into a kind of mashed potatoes, interspersed with scorched pieces of the former even pieces. Why this happens, and how to make crispy fried potatoes in a pan, we will tell right now.
Variety of varieties: good or bad
Before proceeding directly to the preparation of the root crop, you must pay tribute to the variety of root crops and choose the one that responds well to frying. For many, it’s not news that there are many varieties of potatoes and each is bred taking into account which dish is best used. The high starch content will make it possible to create beautiful, delicate mashed potatoes from root crops. Potatoes with a crispy crust in a pan of high-starchy varieties will never work, no matter how hard you try.
Of course, there is a way to get rid of excess starch, soaking or repeatedly washing in cold water. But if there is a lot of this substance, then the problem will not be solved in such a simple way.
Tuber color
Also, experts in this field give invaluable advice for those who love and want to learn how to cook only crispy potatoes in a pan: choosing a root crop by the color of its peel. In their opinion, tubers that have a more yellow peel and rich shades of red are suitable for frying. Their flesh does not darken during cleaning and preliminary preparation more strongly than in tubers with a light skin (white-yellow).
Old or young
Fried potatoes in a pan with a crispy crust will not work, both from young, recently dug up tubers, and from old ones. We consider old wrinkled potatoes, lying in the basement for about six months. Such tubers are difficult to peel, and they look unpleasant. The finished dish can turn out to be tough and completely unlike what we need to get in the end.
Proper utensils
How to fry crisp in a non-stick pan? That's right - nothing. Therefore, if you are going to often feast on delicious fried potatoes, pay attention to the correct selection of the pan. Non-stick coating is the enemy of frying, which means that we will choose a new frying pan without a non-stick layer.
Shops provided a huge assortment of all kinds of pans. But we are looking for the very, in which any recipe for crispy fried potatoes in a pan will be successful. Thin aluminum models are also unlikely to suit us for this purpose.
Aluminum
Of course, you can buy their dishes of this metal, which has a thick bottom, and by the method of repeated calcination turn it into a more or less suitable for frying potatoes. But it’s worth learning in advance - at least a month will pass before the first fried potato. While the new frying pan is fried and the bottom, saturated with oil, will cease to burn everything that has got into the aluminum fryer.
Cast iron
Buying a bowl of cast iron is one of the surest ways to fry crispy potatoes in a pan. We choose the dishes with high sides and a thick bottom. In such a pan, a constant temperature is kept for a long time, and the bottom of the dishes are heated evenly (like the sides). The high sides are also beautiful because potato sticks do not jump out of the pan during the frying process, or rather with stirring. After buying a new cast-iron skillet, carry out all the necessary preparations for the preparation. Any new skillet requires prior action.
Frying oil
Before you make crispy potatoes in a frying pan, choose the right oil. For cooking, lean oil that does not have aroma (refined) is well suited. It can be sunflower or olive - to your taste. However, it is worth remembering that Extra Virgin olive oil is not used for frying. This olive oil is intended only for the creation of salads.
Do not use unrefined varieties for frying potatoes. They have a certain amount of water in their composition, and this fact significantly affects the final taste and appearance of fried potatoes. Those who at least once fried potatoes using this kind of vegetable oil, note that it foams and takes away its aroma from the potato. Also, this oil contributes to the destruction of potato bars.
Additional foods for frying (lard or butter)
Always add butter when completing the cooking process. If you fry potatoes with its use from the very beginning, then it is highly likely that you will have fried potatoes with a rancid aroma and taste. However, this is not surprising: this product is not suitable for such heat treatment.
Many people like a dish cooked in lard or lard. Such a potato will be satisfying, but slightly change its own unique flavor. The crust on pieces of the root crop will turn darker and less beautiful. If this fact does not bother you, feel free to experiment.
Sometimes they prefer to fry in lean refined oil, but with the addition of lard, it will also turn out delicious and beautiful.
How much oil to pour?
A very burning question is how much oil should be poured into the dishes before making fried, crispy potatoes in a pan. The main rule: chopped potatoes should not be completely in the oil (swim in it), but the scarcity of fat for frying does not contribute to the appearance of a fragrant crust. Therefore, it is not worth saving on vegetable oil. On average, cooks are advised to pour oil with a layer of 6-7 millimeters. At the same time, the root crop itself should not be "to the eyeballs", that is, it is necessary to leave space for mixing the fried pieces. A root layer of not more than five centimeters will contribute to the fact that you will enjoy the crunch of potatoes.
It is necessary to place the prepared potatoes for frying only after the oil is properly heated. Haste in this case will harm the correct cooking process. Warming up helps the potato bars to crust relatively quickly and do not have time to absorb a large amount of oil.
Cutting is not important
You can cut root vegetables for roasting as you like. But in the culinary world there are own rules in this regard. For example, the bars go well with fried meat slices or with fish. To garnish with fish dishes, tubers are usually cut into circles and fry them in this form. Pancake fried potato wedges are prepared for baked meat dishes. Chops and beef steaks serve fried potatoes in the form of straws.
And now, when we have examined in detail each item that matters in the preparation of crisps in a pan - a recipe that is simple, but allows you to get an incredibly tasty dish. We train in the preparation of fried potatoes.
The easiest way is the fastest
We’ll take out our cast-iron skillet and see if we have everything available:
- potato tubers of medium diameter - 6 or 7 pieces;
- vegetable oil (without aroma) - half a glass;
- favorite seasoning "for potatoes" - 10 grams;
- to taste - garlic;
- salt is a generous pinch.
Cooking technology
We wash the tubers and clean them of inedible elements. Cut into medium slices or circles, but it will be more convenient to fry thinner slices of potatoes, so correctly calculate your own strength during chopping root crops. Rinse in very cold water. You can use a colander for this purpose and wash the potatoes under running water. You can place the potato slices in a deep bowl and, pouring several times, rinse the potatoes in this way until the water becomes clear. This simple procedure helps to remove excess starch from the surface of the roots of the root crop.
Now we drain the water, and dry the potatoes using multilayer paper towels. To make the process faster and more reliable, spread the potatoes in even layers on towels.
We diligently heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan. It is better to warm it over high heat. The oil should click slightly - this is a sign: pour potato sticks into boiling fat. We slightly reduce the fire (to moderately strong) And now we don’t touch anything for one or two minutes. From below, the desired crispy crust will begin to form.
Do not salt the dish! Salt will contribute to increased fat absorption by potatoes. After two minutes, mix the potatoes very carefully and do not touch the same amount. In general, during the whole cooking of a dish there should be only a few stirring. Three or four times will be enough. Stir the dish better every five to seven minutes. Make sure that the crust has time to form and reach the condition you need (color and thickness).
Stirring is carried out using a wooden spatula or a metal spatula (in a cast iron skillet, the use of a metal spatula is justified). However, all actions should remain careful to the state of both potatoes and pans.
Forget the lid while cooking fried potatoes with a crust! The lid will hold the steam inside the dishes and thus soften the resulting frying and destroy the pieces themselves.
Prepare the garlic: crush it through a press or chop it in another convenient way. In the course of cooking, add salt to the dish, allowing the salt to dissolve. Be careful, the potatoes at the very beginning may seem unsalted and the first rush, of course, will be to salt it again. Pour seasonings into the fried potatoes. Stir the dish and wait five minutes again.
The fire also decreases only after the dish is half ready. At the same time, crushed or chopped garlic can be introduced into it.
A few minutes before turning off the stove, you can add a small piece of butter. It will give an interesting shade to the finished dish. However, potatoes are beautiful without it.
It is better to eat ready-made fried potatoes immediately after removing from heat. A cold dish is not famous for its taste.