I switched from my morning class to the afternoon class just for today. It was a good experience to be with a different class and a different chef. I thoroughly enjoyed Chef Udo's style and personality, and enjoyed seeing a few people I had met in the Serve Safe class. I also came away with a new appreciation of my class when it comes do doing dishes.
One potato, two potato, three potatoes.....Did you know that there are 7,000 different varieties of potatoes in this world? I see maybe 10 different types in the produce markets around here. Where are the other 6990? I recently took a trip to Argentina (via Taylor-Made Tours; see my links) and came across these beautiful wild potatoes in a cooking class.
I'm straying.....back to class.
We learned which types of potatoes worked best for the various cooking methods. Your "mealy" (also known as starchy) potatoes have a high starch content and thick skin. They are low in sugar and are best for baking, deep frying and mashing. Your "waxy" potatoes (fingerlings, Yukon gold’s, reds) have a low starch content and are better for steaming boiling and roasting. They are too glutinous for mashed and contain too much moisture for deep frying.
With that said... we took some russets and made Gratin Dauphinoise. You really can't go wrong cream and Gruyere. We then put together a nice grilled potatoes salad using red potatoes and dressing it with basil vinaigrette. Next some classic Lyonnais potatoes (fried potatoes and onions), little steamed tourners with parsley and butter and finally some French fries.
Tomorrow...
…four potatoes, five potatoes, six potatoes more.
Goodnight.
2 comments:
hi! i just wanted to let you know i enjoy reading your blog. au gratin potatoes are my favorite, i remember you made them for me one summer while i was visiting, and they were delicious. i can't wait to try the new and improved version from chef beth! - trish
Trish,
It is so good hearing from you. I'm glad you are enjoying reading my blog. Come visit me again!
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