Potato Skins

Potato skins have a bad reputation amongst people with palates. Chain restaurants have seen to that. They deep fry a thick wedge of potato and smother it in cheap cheese and sour cream. Soggy fried food, why bother.

I worked with a chef  who made these  with the leftover skins from  potato gnocchi prep. He would freeze the skins seperatly on a cookie sheet. Once frozen he would bag them up and save until he had enough to run as a special. Light and crisp these are like big thick potato chips. Only a trace of cheese, pinch of red pepper and scallions with a strong horseradish dip on the side is needed to finish this dish.

Since I don't make potato gnocchi at home (fan of the pate a choux method) I had to cheat and make a pile of baked potatoes. I used the flesh for a baked mashed potato seasoned with smoked bacon and onions. A quick pass thru the food mill a few eggs and some seasonings, into a baking dish with a little parm and voile! No waste.

Let's see how this went down in the Aga Kitchen. Feeds four to six as an appetizer

 

Gather up these tools

• 1 deep heavy pot 4 qt or bigger for deep frying
• candy or deep fat fryer thermometer
• a wire basket to remove the skins from the oil
• a pan lined with paper towels for the cooked skins

Gather up these ingredients

• 10 baked starchy potatoes, Russets or Yukon Gold work well
• 2 1/2 qts vegetable oil for deep frying
• sea salt
• 1 oz plus or minus finely grated sharp cheddar
• brunoise (very small dice) of red pepper, smart money peels the red pepper with one of those new fangled  peelers
• 2 scallions small dice
• horseradish dip, nice and strong. I don't need to tell youhow to do this do I? If you want me to I will but I'm pretty sure you can mix horseradish with mayo and sour cream.

Put the oil in the pan and into the Roasting Oven for about and hour. After an hour put the thermometer in and check temp. 340 degrees is good.

Scoop out potato flesh and reserve for anther use, homefries? gnocchi?

When oil is close to temp put your pot on the Boil Plate. Keep your eye on the temp. At 340 to 350 degrees add 1/3 of the skins and fry until golden. Do not over fry, the skin takes on a bitter flavor.

Drain on paper towel and season with sea salt immediately (the salt will stick to potato skins better) and repeat until all the skins are cooked.

Arrange skins on an oven proof serving platter and sprinkle with a little cheese. Try to get a touch of cheese on each skin. Sprinkle with pepper and scallion.

Into Roasting Oven for a few minutes until cheese is just melting. If you go to long the cheese can break and leave you with a greasy mess. Light on the cheese, light on the melting.

Thats it! Serve with horseradish dip. They will hold up for an hour or so and stay nice and crisp

Cook like you mean it, G

check out the double sunrise over my future Clam Shack. No trick, two suns

Fried Chicken Aga Style

Gotta admit this deep frying chicken was more of a struggle than I anticipated. Or was it? I did purchase two whole chickens so I had my doubts. In the restaurant world I have deep fried many things without a fryolater. Set an oven at the desired temperature, fill a pot with oil and into the oven.  When it was needed  pull the pot of oil from the oven and onto a burner with a medium flame to hold the oil at temperature while frying. My plan for the Aga was no time on the Boil or Simmer Plate. I would need to use the oven.

My first few attempts involved a non responsive digital thermometer, a heavy cast iron skillet and the Baking Oven. No bueno, the oil cooled too fast and never really came back up to temperature. Soggy chicken, may as well have steamed it.

I settled on the floor of the Roasting Oven, a stainless steel flat bottomed 3 liter deep pan and an old school deep fry thermometer. 

Now my goal here was not a fried chicken recipe but a technique for frying chicken. I used a simple dry wet dry coating and minimal seasoning. Flour, buttermilk, celery salt, cayenne, white pepper and sea salt. You can add your own family secrets.

Let's see how this went down in the Aga Kitchen

Gather up these tools and ingredients and please read the whole recipe first. It really helps with the planning and thinking ahead thing.  

• A flat bottomed stainless steel pan large enough for deep frying. The pan needs maximum surface contact with the floor of the oven. I used a 3.5 liter pan with 5 cups of vegetable oil in it 
• deep frying thermometer, you should be able to pick one up cheap at your local hardware store
• 5 cups vegetable oil, peanut oil is preferred    
• cut up young chicken, I used the thigh and drumstick bone in
• a meat thermometer to check internal temperature of the fried chicken
• a heavy fork to move the chicken, no tongs they will tear the crust
• a set up for your dredge, I went with the seasoned flour to buttermilk to seasoned flour. Do what you like here 

Put your pan with the oil and fry thermometer on the floor of the Roasting Oven to heat up the oil

Set up your dredge and cut up the chicken the way you like it. 

When oil is at 340 degrees (about 30 minutes in my Aga) dredge your first batch of chicken. If you pre dredge your chicken the crust will not adhere to the bird.  My pan only held two pieces of chicken at a time

When oil is at 350 to 360 carefully add your chicken. Start with the larger cuts. I removed the rack  so I have room for my hands above the oil.

The oil will drop in temperature immediately but will come back up. 340 degrees is the optimal temperature. I let the temperature go past 340 for the initial drop so it rebounds quicker.

The bone in thighs took about twenty minutes. The chicken will float when it's thoroughly cooked. I checked the temp on mine and hit 172 degrees, well above the recommended 165 for poultry.

Drain on paper towels on a rack in a warm place.

Let temperature fully rebound and repeat with remaining chicken.  

When you are finished let the oil cool then strain and save in an airtight container for another use. 

fried chicken crispy and juicy

This is a work in progress. I'll keep you posted as I revisit this technique. Right now I don't think I can get my wife to eat any more fried chicken.

Cook like you mean it, G 

Crispy Potatoes Aga Style

 

Some variation on this potato has been around for decades. These are made for the Aga. They will be crispier and creamier than any conventional oven can imagine. I prefer Yukon Gold but really anyone will do. They make a perfect base for protein to rest upon. We had them with my Roast Chicken Stuffed with 40 Wild Leeks, some natural juices from the bird and nice fresh zucchini and squash. Simple, light and healthy.

They can be steamed ahead of time and refrigerated for 3 days before the final cooking. Plan ahead, have a little time, steam some potatoes.

Preheat your oven to 450, just kidding. These use the Roasting Oven but I have had success in the Baking Oven. They just took longer.

Let's see how this went down in the Aga Kitchen

Crispy Potatoes Aga Style

Gather up these tools and ingredients, don't forget your timer

• sheet pan with bak-o-glide and a 3 liter pot with a nice fitting lid
• 4 washed Yukon Gold Potatoes skin on
• sea salt & bay leaf
• herbs or spices of your choice, I used a spicy Cajun blend
• olive oil or any vegetable oil

In an appropriate sized pot cover potatoes with cold salted water.

Bring to a boil over the Boil Plate

Drain almost all the water off, cover and into the Baking Oven for about 40 minutes with the rack on the floor. This is for a fist sized potato, smaller ones quicker, bigger ones longer. A sharp tipped knife should slide in easily with little resistance. Better to be over cooked then under.

On the large sheet pan put down a generous amount of oil, sprinkle with sea salt and spice.

Put the potato on the sheet pan and flatten down with your hand.

Sprinkle with oil, more salt and spice

On the floor of the Roasting Oven for 15 minutes. no rack

Slide into the top rung of the Roasting Oven and brown the tops another 10 minutes or so.

Easy breezy and great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.