Home Fries Trieste Style Recipes

HOME FRIES TRIESTE STYLE

Steps:

• Put the potatoes, whole and unpeeled, in a large pot, with cold water covering them by a few inches. Bring to a steady boil, and cook just until they are easily pierced with a fork or a sharp knife blade-don't let them get mushy or fall apart. Drain, cool, and peel the potatoes. Break them up into irregular chunks, roughly 1 inch or larger, with a sharp utensil. I use a large serving spoon with a thin edge, so the pieces have curved surfaces; avoid forking them apart, as the potatoes tend to crumble.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the skillet over moderate heat. Stir in the onion and heat until sizzling gently. Gather it on one side of the pan to cook and soften in a small area, and spread the cut bacon in the rest of the skillet. Fry the bacon, tossing and spreading it out, until the fat is rendered and the pieces are getting crisp, while the onion wilts and starts to color, 5 minutes or more.
• Stir onion and bacon together, spill the potato chunks in the pan, and toss to mix everything. Raise the heat slightly, season with the salt and freshly ground pepper, and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil all over. Keep tumbling and tossing until the potatoes are hot and sizzling, spread them to fill the pan in an even layer, and press the top flat with a spatula.
• Lower the heat, and cook without disturbing until the underside of the potato disk is caramelized and crispy, 5 minutes or longer. With the spatula, lift and turn the potatoes, breaking up the disk and bringing the crusty bits to the top. Stir and spread the potato chunks, and press flat, as before, and cook until the bottom is golden.
• Repeat the sequence of turning the potatoes, pressing them into a flat disk or cake, caramelizing the bottom for a few minutes, then tumbling it over, about a half-dozen times.
• After 40 minutes, or longer, when the potatoes have been crusted all over-and there are browned bits in every bite-season with salt and pepper to taste, press flat, and crisp the bottom well for a couple of minutes over medium heat. Place a large plate on top of the skillet and invert, dropping the cake out of the pan, then slide it back into the skillet for a final crusting.
• Slide or invert onto the plate, and serve right away.
• Garden vegetables are very important in Trieste, especially salads. Radicchio zuccherino, a small, green, leafy cluster from the chicory family, might as well be on the local flag, it is so popular; it is enjoyed with just some wine vinegar and olive oil tossed in a bowl that has been rubbed with garlic. The first cut, or primo taglio, is the most prized, each leaf being no bigger than a thumbnail. As the season progresses, the radicchio grows dense like grass and is recut at the root four or five times, each time becoming a little tougher and a little more complex and bitter. I love it at that stage, but I also love when it gets older and is mixed with hard-boiled eggs and cooked cannellini beans to soften it.
• Radicchio goes well with fish preparations such as grilled branzino (Mediterranean sea bass) or grilled orata (gilded bass) as well as grilled or fried calamari or seppia (cuttlefish) braised in a sauce and served with polenta. So try some of these dishes at the local eating places when you are in Trieste.
• You'll also find mussels doused with white wine and finished with some bread crumbs (Steamed Mussels Trieste Style, page 43) in bowls on trattoria tables. And in season there are mackerel and sardines in saor (Sardines in Onion-Wine Marinade, page 45), an onionand- wine-vinegar marinade. It is all good, straightforward eating that you'll get in Trieste.

QUICK & CRISPY HOME FRIES

Steps:

• Arrange potato pieces evenly on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high until just tender, about 4 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Cut potatoes into bite-size chunks.
• Heat butter and olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When butter melts and starts to turn brown, swirl the pan and add the potatoes. Shake pan to arrange in an even layer. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
• As potatoes brown, toss them and keep turning them every few minutes until they are crusty and crispy-edged and a rich reddish-brown color, 10 to 12 minutes. If potatoes seem to be cooking too quickly, reduce heat to medium. Serve topped with chopped chives.

HOME FRIES

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook chopped bacon over medium-low heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Remove bacon drippings from pan and reserve. , Working in batches, add 1/4 cup bacon drippings, potatoes, onion, salt and pepper to pan; toss to coat. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until potatoes are golden brown and tender, 15-20 minutes, adding more drippings as needed. Stir in cooked bacon; serve immediately.

QUICK AND EASY HOME FRIES

Steps:

• Rinse potato cubes with cold water, and drain well. Melt butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Place potatoes in the skillet, and stir to coat with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, and cook for another 10 minutes, turning frequently until brown and crisp on all sides..

HOME FRIES

Steps:

• Add the oil, salt and 1/3 cup water to a medium cast-iron skillet; whisk to combine.
• Add the potato cubes in an even layer. (It's very important to not crowd the pan.) Turn heat to medium, cover the skillet and cook the potatoes, undisturbed, for about 6 minutes.
• Uncover, give them a toss or shake. Cook, uncovered and undisturbed, until the underside turns golden, then carefully flip. Repeat on all sides until the water evaporates and the potatoes are crispy all over and tender inside, about 9 minutes total.
• Transfer the home fries to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Serve hot.

HEAVENLY COUNTRY-STYLE HOME FRIES

Steps:

• Place diced potatoes, onion, paprika, garlic powder, salt and black pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Toss to evenly coat the potatoes.
• In a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt butter.
• Increase skillet heat to medium-high and add potato mixture. Toss to coat evenly with butter.
• Cover skillet and cook for 10-12 minutes, turning and scraping the potatoes to prevent burning.
• When potatoes are fork-tender, remove skillet cover.
• With the back of your spatula, pat potatoes down into an even layer in skillet. Allow to fry untouched for 2 minutes. Then turn potatoes over and do the same for another 2 minutes. This will nicely brown and crisp the outside of the potatoes.
• Serve immediately.