Perfect Crispy Potatoes Recipe Courtesy Melissa Darabian Recipes

PERFECT CRISPY POTATOES (RECIPE COURTESY MELISSA D'ARABIAN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the potato cubes and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Saute stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Turn the heat up to high, add the water, stir, and cover the pan with a lid. Steam the potatoes until the water evaporates, about 3 or 4 more minutes. (Every 1 to 2 minutes, open the lid long enough to stir the potatoes so they don't stick.) Lower the heat to medium, and saute another 1 to 2 minutes until all traces of water are gone. Toss in the butter and stir to coat the potatoes. Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until the potatoes are crisp and browned to your liking, about 15 to 25 minutes depending on how dark you want them. Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl and serve.

POTATO-BACON TORTE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse the butter, flour and fine salt in a food processor until the mixture looks like wet sand. Add 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the dough just begins to clump together. Divide the dough between 2 resealable plastic bags and pat into disks. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 10-inch round on a floured surface. Fit the dough into a 9-inch pie plate and refrigerate.
• Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. Let cool, then crumble.
• Bring the cream and thyme sprigs to a bare simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat; let steep 5 minutes. Remove the thyme.
• Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. Remove the pie plate from the refrigerator. Add a layer of potato slices over the dough in a circular pattern, overlapping; season with kosher salt and pepper and sprinkle with about one-quarter of the bacon. Continue layering until the pan is nearly full. Top evenly with the gruyere. Gently pour the cream over the torte, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices.
• Roll out the remaining disk of dough into a 10-inch round on a floured surface. Lay the dough over the filling; press the edges of the 2 crusts together and crimp them closed. Beat the egg yolk with a splash of water and brush on the top crust. With a sharp knife, cut a few slits in the center of the crust to let steam escape. Put the torte on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is browned and the potatoes are cooked through, 50 minutes to 1 hour. (Cover the edges with foil if they brown too quickly.) Let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges. Top with thyme leaves.

MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• For the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cook the potato slices for 5 minutes (do not cook longer) in heavily salted, boiling water. Meanwhile, slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch slices, brush with the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoons salt and the pepper on both sides. Place on a baking sheet and cook in the oven, 6 to 7 minutes per side. Set aside the potato and eggplant slices for assembly.
• For the meat sauce: In a large saucepan, sweat the onions with some salt in the olive oil over medium heat. After 5 minutes, add the ground beef and cook until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg and garlic, and cook until fragrant. Turn the heat up to high, and then deglaze the pan with the red wine, allowing to bubble and reduce for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and lower the heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.
• For the bechamel: In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour, whisking to make a paste. Whisk constantly for 2 minutes, allowing the mixture to bubble. Add the warm milk slowly, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Once the sauce starts to come to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes, whisking very frequently. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg, and set aside.
• For assembling the moussaka: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Before assembling, taste each of the 4 layers and confirm that they are properly seasoned. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with vegetable oil. Lay out the potato slices, pressing gently into the pan. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Place the eggplant on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle with another 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Spoon the meat sauce on top, followed by 3 more tablespoons of Parmesan. Finish with pouring over the bechamel and top with the last 3 tablespoons of Parmesan. Cover with foil (sprayed lightly with vegetable oil) and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes.

CLASSIC MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes, cut in half, and place in a pan, then cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and continue cooking until the potatoes fall off the fork when pierced, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes. Gently press the potatoes through a sieve (or potato ricer) into a large bowl, using a rubber spatula.
• Mix in the butter, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper and stir to blend. Add a tablespoon or 2 more of warm milk, if necessary to obtain the desired consistency. Salt and pepper liberally and serve.

POTATO-BACON TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate and set aside. Crumble the bacon when cool to the touch.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the thyme and cream over low heat to a bare simmer. Turn off the heat and let steep for about 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs.
• Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then finely slice the potatoes. Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust, stopping to season each layer with salt, pepper, and about 1/4 of the crumbled bacon. Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full. Top with an even layer of the cheese and gently pour cream around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices. (You may not use all the cream.)
• Roll out the remaining disk of refrigerated dough. Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape, and put the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes. If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of aluminum foil. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.
• Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps. Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the torte ingredients.

CRISPY POTATO CAKE

Steps:

• In a nonstick 10-inch saute pan, heat the vegetable oil and butter over medium heat. Press grated potato into pan. Season with salt and pepper. Let cook undisturbed until crisp on bottom, 8 to 10 minutes. Gently flip onto a plate and then slide other side into pan to cook. Salt and pepper second side. Cook another 5 to 10 minutes, until potato cake is cooked through and nicely browned. Cut into wedges, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

5-MINUTE INDIVIDUAL POTATO GRATINS BY MELISSA D'ARABIAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Spray 8 muffin tins with vegetable spray.
• Layer potato slices, cheese, and onions into each muffin cup.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Top each gratin with 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
• Cover with foil.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the foil halfway through cooking time. Invert gratins onto plate and serve.