Need a good potato side

Hello all,

This Friday is my In-laws 49th Anniversary. So after we take the kiddos trick-or-treating, I was going to make them dinner. They are both kinda picky, so it's definitely been a challenge.

I finally decided on a main course of pork cutlets with lemon butter and grilled asparagus and ginger carrots. They will start with a shrimp and corn chowder. I am looking for a potato side. I really don't want to do mashed, since I have made mashed and boiled potatoes for all their meals these past few weeks. My Mother-in-law is not big on rice and my Father-in-law doesn't care for pasta, so I really need to stick with potatoes. I didn't want to do something fried, since I am frying the cutlets, and I didn't want anything too creamy, since the chowder with have cream. My father-in-law hates cheese too...so that's out, as are onions (yes, even green ones and leeks). Bacon or proscuitto would be good. Any ideas?

(Oh, if you are wondering why I am not using veal for the cutlets...my Father-in-law is allergic to beef...he doesn't like lamb, and my mother-in-law is not keen on poultry or ham...and I made salmon the other night so pork it is! it's a wonder they eat together at all!)

I really don't want to do mashed, since I have made mashed and boiled potatoes for all their meals these past few weeks. My Mother-in-law is not big on rice and my Father-in-law doesn't care for pasta, so I really need to stick with potatoes. I didn't want to do something fried, since I am frying the cutlets, and I didn't want anything too creamy, since the chowder with have cream. My father-in-law hates cheese too...so that's out, as are onions (yes, even green ones and leeks).. ....... Any ideas?

How about just throwing raw ones at their heads? You could knock them unconscious, and then not have to worry so much.
I'm all for accommodation, but gee whiz, this sounds almost impossible.

How about taking cut up potatoes, tossing them with kosher salt and olive oil in a bowl, laying them out on a sheet pan, and roasting them?
Don't you dare tell me they don't like salt, or olive oil........

Hi Maria,

How about sweet potatoes cut into wedges, tossed in extra virgin olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper and a generous amount of Herbs de Provence then baked in the oven until crisp on the outside but fluffy on the inside?

I think there is an extra special place in heaven for you after having to cook around all of the obstacles you have mentioned in your threads.

How about simply steamed red baby potatoes with butter and parsley? One of my favorites.

Good thinking John. I was still typing while you were posting.

sliced and baked in butter and maybe thyme.

sliced and baked in butter and maybe thyme.

I was originally thinking along those lines but thought that if the Father-in-Law hates cheese he probably also hates butter.

OK John...I had to LOL!! Now, now...they are from England, what do you expect?

Great ideas everyone! Oh, and they do love butter...I wonder if I could do some kind of potato tart? Sliced potatoes on puff pastry with butter and thyme? I like the roasted potato idea too. They both like Olive oil.

Howie - They do like the steamed potatoes, but I have been making them 3 times a week, alternating between them and mashed potatoes, so I wanted to see if there was something else I could try.

Dave - Thanks for the compliment...I couldn't do most of it without everyone's help here!

Maria,
My first thought was oven roasting as per John's suggestion, but what about potato pancakes? True, the traditional German version includes onion, but that can be omitted without tragedy; it also is pan-fried, which might contravene your "no fried stuff" restriction, but done properly it shouldn't be at all greasy.

Mark Lipton

Gnocci?

I discovered something -- it's probably an old idea but it was new for me. All summer we have been buying a local version of the "ratte" potato from the farmers' markets. If you don't like to think about rats, these potatoes are shaped kind of like a banana, and they have a really good flavor and interesting firm texture. We were having cod and Louise wanted a potato side dish.

I cut the potatoes in half, leaving most of the peel on, and simmered for 15 minutes in chicken broth until they started to get tender. Then took them out and let sit to dry a bit (they were brown tinted from the concentrated broth). And then set them into a frying pan with the cut side down and sauteed until brown and crispy on the bottom. Then flipped them all over to finish the other (rounded) side.

These were just great, one of the best potato sides ever. Now, I don't know where to find these potatoes but I have seen "fingerling potatoes" at better grocery stores (like Wegmans and Whole Foods) and I imagine they would have similar properties. I'm not sure I have seen the real French "rattes" -- unless they are one and the same with my farm market potatoes. The farmer didn't know a name for these potatoes.

F

Gratin Jurassien - they'll love it. If I have time time I'll post it here later today.

Maria, why not skip the potatoes and introduce them to a grain. Israeli couscous, Faro, Wheat Berries, Barley, etc. All can be made into a cold salad, which you could make the night before even. I have several cold salad recipes that are excellent. You could go Greek and use fresh tomatoes, basil, cucumbers for crunch, kalamata olives, and maybe a feta cheese if you could get away with it. They are also excellent served at room temperature or hot.

your reply reminded me of a dish i had in menetou-salon - apparently it is traditional in and around Sancerre. basically it is sliced potatoes baked in a two crust pie. the only additions might be some finely chopped shallot(they'll never find it), nutmeg and maybe chives, tarragon or parsley. you mark a small circle in the top crust before you bake it because you want to be able to remove it after. when it is done, funnel some heavy cream or creme fraiche into the hole and serve in wedges. AND Sancerre would go well with that pork thing too!

Maria, why not skip the potatoes and introduce them to a grain. Israeli couscous, Faro, Wheat Berries, Barley, etc. All can be made into a cold salad, which you could make the night before even. I have several cold salad recipes that are excellent. You could go Greek and use fresh tomatoes, basil, cucumbers for crunch, kalamata olives, and maybe a feta cheese if you could get away with it. They are also excellent served at room temperature or hot.

Yeah, like a potato eater would go for that.

You could try this one:

Potato Torte
Yield: 8

Ingredients:
Potato Torte
3 pounds waxy potatoes
3 cups crème fraîche
1 head of garlic, broken into cloves, peeled and minced
1 bunch parsley, chopped fine
salt and pepper to season
1 lb. puff pastry
1 x egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
Potato Torte
A day before making the dish, boil the potatoes whole in their skins until tender. Rinse under cold water, and set aside to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate. Stir together the crème fraîche, garlic, and parsley. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
About an hour before eating, heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Slice the potatoes into neat 1/4-inch/5 mm rounds. Roll one sheet of the pastry into an 11-inch/28 cm circle and lay it on a greased baking sheet. Leaving a 1-inch/2.5 cm margin all around, cover with an overlapping layer of potato slices. Season with salt and pepper. Spread over a layer of the cream mixture. Repeat the layering, tapering in a bit as you go, until all the potatoes and cream have been used and the end result looks like an upside-down double-crusted pie. You should have about three layers each of potato and cream.
Roll the second pastry sheet into a 12-inch//30 cm circle and drape it over. Line up the edges and roll the bottom pastry margin up over the top one to seal, scalloping as you go all the way around. Brush the torte all over with the egg and decorate the surface with the tines of a fork, if you like. Cut an opening about the size of a quarter in the top to let the steam escape during baking.
Bake 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 375°F/190°C and continue baking until hot through and the pastry well browned, about 25 minutes. If the torte starts browning too much, lay a piece of foil loosely on top. Remove from the oven and slice onto a large serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve with green salad as a main course

Spaetzle!

[Jenise]

Spaetzle!

Daddy doesn't like pasta, remember?

Maria, why not skip the potatoes and introduce them to a grain. Israeli couscous, Faro, Wheat Berries, Barley, etc. All can be made into a cold salad, which you could make the night before even. I have several cold salad recipes that are excellent. You could go Greek and use fresh tomatoes, basil, cucumbers for crunch, kalamata olives, and maybe a feta cheese if you could get away with it. They are also excellent served at room temperature or hot.

Yeah, like a potato eater would go for that.

Why not? No one loves potatoes more than my entire family, but we also love grains.

With everything else you have do, just get a bag of baby Yukon Golds; wash, dry, toss with olive oil in a glass baking dish and roast for an hour at 400 degrees.

Spaetzle!

Daddy doesn't like pasta, remember?

Pooh. You could tell him it's Bulgarian nimbleroot, an exotic tender tuber that is only in season briefly in the fall.

I can't think of anything that hasn't already been suggested, so I'll put the inestimable weight of all my electrons on sweet potatoes.

(What they deserve is Tater Tots. )

We like "smashed potatoes". Take a bunch of small Yukon Golds and boil until very tender. Drain and allow to dry for a couple of minutes. Then place them on an oiled roasting pan and give them each a whack with a meat tenderizer or some other blunt object so that the pop open and flatten out a bit. Drizzle with olive oil and a good shaking of salt. Put into a hot oven and roast until they're nicely browned. When done right, they have a nice crispy bottom and fluffy middle.

I nominate sweet potatoes as well. I make a sort of hash from a combination of white and/or sweet potatoes, olive oil, onions, bell peppers (any colors) fennel seed and red pepper flakes. This can be done hash-style on the stove top, baked/roasted in the oven or done in foil on the grill. Each has its own characteristics.

Or you could do twice-baked potatoes. One of my favorites from my childhood is to bake the potatoes, let them cool and chop them up hash style and fry with (or without) onions.

Just my 2 cents worth!

[Jenise]

We like "smashed potatoes". Take a bunch of small Yukon Golds and boil until very tender. Drain and allow to dry for a couple of minutes. Then place them on an oiled roasting pan and give them each a whack with a meat tenderizer or some other blunt object so that the pop open and flatten out a bit. Drizzle with olive oil and a good shaking of salt. Put into a hot oven and roast until they're nicely browned. When done right, they have a nice crispy bottom and fluffy middle.

That's a great idea. I cut yukon golds into fat wedges, pre-cook and then roast for 'oven fries'. They DO get a creamy center like no other potato would--your choice of potato is key here. But your smashed version is much edgier (no pun intended) than mine, and it offers better plating opportunities. Cool!