When done right, potatoes are the single most delicious food on the planet. These hints, tips and cheats will make peeling, preparing and cooking potatoes a whole lot easier – and a whole lot tastier.
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Choose the right variety: baking and mashing
Different potato varieties should be used for different dishes. Floury or starchy potatoes (such as Russet and King Edward) work well for mashing and baking. They have a soft, dry texture when cooked and are not suitable for just boiling as they disintegrate.
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Choose the right variety: soups and salads
If you’re making a potato salad, gratin or soup, waxy varieties are good because they’re low in starch, smooth, hard and hold their shape. Waxy varieties include Charlotte, Désirée and Red Bliss.
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Choose the right variety: all-rounders
All-purpose potatoes are somewhere between floury and waxy in terms of starchiness. Maris Piper, Yukon Gold, and blue and purple potatoes are good all-rounders. Grab a bag of these for roasting, mashing, baking and making fries or wedges.
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Store potatoes correctly #1
Potatoes are best kept in a cool, dry and dark place such as a pantry or cupboard, or in a paper or hessian bag away from heat sources. They do not fare well in the fridge – the cold can affect the flavor as well as lead to dampness and spoilage.
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Store potatoes correctly #2
Make sure you store potatoes in a separate place to your onions. Both potatoes and onions release moisture and gases that will cause the other to spoil faster, so it’s best to keep them apart.
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Invest in a good peeler
Potato peelers can be fiddly at best and time-consuming at worst, so it’s worth investing in a good one. Y-peelers (pictured) are the best and generally the safest.
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Boil from cold
When boiling potatoes, always place them in cold water with a sprinkling of salt and then bring up to a boil. This helps them to cook evenly. If you place them in boiling water, the outside of the potato can cook before the heat reaches the inside.
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Make perfect mashed potatoes
After bringing to the boil in salted water, simmer peeled potatoes until tender (around 20 minutes), drain well and – this is key – mash with a hand masher. Using an electric device can overwork the mash which results in a gluey finish. Add room temperature butter, milk and seasoning after a good mashing to remove lumps. Finish with a short, vigorous whisk to blend in the dairy.
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Make potato purée
For an even silkier finish, whip up potato purée. The secret to make it super velvety is to add a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt to the peeled, chunked potatoes as they boil. Drain once soft then add more olive oil and a pinch of nutmeg, and mash. It’ll add a gourmet touch to any meal.
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Make gnocchi with leftover mash
Did you know that you can make gnocchi from leftover mashed potato in under an hour? Add seasoning and flour to the mashed spuds, mix and bring together to form a dough. Knead, roll into a sausage shape and cut into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for a few minutes and you’re done.
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Have a go at Duchess potatoes
Duchess potatoes are a 1960s classic and we think there’s always room at a dinner party for these fancy spuds. Boil or roast Russet potatoes, pass through a ricer, enrich with egg yolk, butter and nutmeg, then pipe onto a baking tray. Stars or spirals make dainty shapes. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden on the outside and soft in the center.
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Make perfect baked potatoes
For fluffy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside baked potatoes, pick a spud with firm skin then wash in cold water, dry and pierce with a fork. Rub with olive oil or softened butter, sprinkle with salt and cook for 60–90 minutes at 395°F (200°C) or, for extra crispy skin, 120–150 minutes at 350°F (180°C).
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Save time in the microwave
If you’re in a rush, there’s no need to wait an hour or more for a baked potato. Prep the potato then microwave on high for 2–3 minutes (check with a knife to see if it’s softened inside) before rubbing with butter and salt, and placing in a preheated oven for around 20 minutes at 430°F (220°C). You’ll get a potato with perfectly crispy skin in a fraction of the time.
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Leave the foil off
Don’t use foil in a conventional oven as the potatoes will steam. Foil is best used when the potatoes have direct contact with flames, such as on a barbecue or campfire. Instead, in an oven, place the potatoes on a baking sheet to allow the air to circulate so the skins go brown and crisp. Remember: foil should never go in the microwave.
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Try tasty twice-baked potatoes
Take your baked potato to the next level by scooping out the middle and mashing it with your favorite ingredients, before returning to the oven to crisp up. To give it a go, remove the potato from the oven when it has nearly finished cooking, slice in half, carefully spoon out some of the potato flesh and mix it with butter, scallion, feta and herbs. Stuff the mixture back in the potato skin and return halves to the oven.
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The ultimate potato salad
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Leave the skin on
As a general rule, if you’re boiling potatoes, it’s best to keep the skin on as it’s a good source of fiber and nutrients. New potatoes have particularly thin skins and are delicious simply boiled and crushed with a little butter.
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Make a potato skin snack
If you prefer your potatoes skinned, don’t discard the peel. Potato skins can be boiled, seasoned and baked for a snack or added to stock for extra flavor.
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Get perfectly crispy roast potatoes
For perfect roasties, parboil peeled and quartered potatoes (the aim is to soften not cook them), then drain and place in a clean pan. Put on the lid and shake vigorously to fluff up the edges. Do this in batches if necessary. Next, sprinkle with a little plain flour and salt to lightly coat then add the potatoes to a preheated oiled pan for roasting.
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Prevent butter burning when sautéing
Sautéed potatoes (parboiled and then fried in butter until crisp) work well as an accompaniment to everything from fish to steak. The tip to keeping them golden is to clarify the butter first, removing impurities that can burn and add bitterness. To do this, heat the butter until completely melted then skim off and discard the foam. You’ll be left with clear, clarified butter.
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Trick for easy potato gratin
Potatoes and cream are a match made in heaven. There are few more delicious things you can do with potatoes than slice them thinly then slowly bake and bubble in garlic-infused cream. For an easier, quicker version, grate the cooked, just-tender potato instead of slice. Use a waxy variety like Désirée and don’t press it down when in the dish – you want a light, fluffy end result.
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Make incredible potato fries
The secret to twiggy French fries is parboiling potatoes first and deep-frying them twice. Slice Russet potatoes to a quarter of an inch thick, blanch them in boiling water for five minutes, then air dry for 10 minutes. Next, fry them in small batches at 300°F (150°C) to cook evenly, and drain on paper towels. For the second frying, crank up the heat to 350°F (180°C) and sizzle until golden brown, roughly three minutes. Drain, salt and serve immediately.
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Expand your fries repertoire
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Make rösti with your grater
Hash browns and rösti are super simple to make at home. Just be sure to squeeze the grated potato in a towel before you fry it to get rid of as much moisture as possible. Once you’ve cracked the basic method, experiment with adding extra ingredients.
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Have fun with hasselbacks
Hasselback baked potatoes look impressive but take little effort to make. Before you put potatoes in the oven, cut a series of small slits three-quarters of the way through the potato then rub with oil or butter. Drizzle with melted butter again once cooked, then sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
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Make bread with potatoes
Did you know you could make bread with potato? You can make unleavened bread like Irish potato farls or yeasted loaves. To make a loaf, mix mashed potato with yeast activated by the lukewarm potato water and strong bread flour. Knead, leave to prove then bake.
