How to fry crispy potatoes in a pan: a step by step recipe with a photo

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

It's hard to even remotely imagine how many different recipes the world knows from this root crop. But our faithful heart (and stomach) has always been close to fried potatoes. Today we will learn all the subtleties of how to fry crispy potatoes in a pan. The number of fans of this dish is growing every year, despite the abundance of various delicious dishes. Fried potatoes stay with us forever. Maybe this is due to its inexpensive price, and perhaps due to the fact that it is very easy to cook it. Even a teenager can do this dish.

Expectations and reality

Crispy fried potatoes cooked in a frying pan are a great dish on their own and a great side dish. It is thanks to its qualities that this root crop is one of the most necessary in our kitchen. Despite the fact that fried potatoes are very popular and everyone can cook them (as mentionedabove), there is one main nuance in this dish: the most correct option for how to fry crispy potatoes in a pan.

Many are familiar with the bitter (without exaggeration) situation when they wanted to please or even surprise their loved one (or the whole family) using a win-win option - fried potatoes. But instead of the expected dish with a fragrant crispy crust, the potato falls apart right in the dish with which it is cooked, and turns into a kind of mashed potatoes, interspersed with scorched parts of the former even pieces. Why this happens, and how to make crispy fried potatoes in a pan, we will tell you right now.

Variety of varieties: good or bad

Before proceeding directly to the preparation of the root crop, you need to pay tribute to the variety of root crop varieties and choose one that responds well to frying. For many, it is not news that there are many varieties of potatoes and each is bred taking into account in which dish it is best to use it. The high starch content will allow you to create excellent, tender mashed potatoes from root crops. Crispy fries in a high starch pan will never turn out no matter how hard you try.

Of course, there is such a way to get rid of excess starch, such as soaking or washing many times in cold water. But if there is a lot of this substance, then the problem will not be solved in such a simple way.

Tuber color

More experts in this field give invaluable advice for those who love and want to learn how to cookjust crispy potatoes in a frying pan: choose a root vegetable based on the color of its skin. In their opinion, tubers with a more yellow skin and rich shades of red are better suited for frying. Their flesh does not darken when peeled and pre-cooked more than light-skinned tubers (white-yellow).

Old or young

Pan-fried potatoes with a crispy crust will not work, both from young, recently dug up tubers, and from old ones. We consider old shriveled potatoes that have lain in the basement for about six months. Such tubers are difficult to peel and look unpleasant. The finished dish may turn out tough and not at all like what we need to get in the end.

Correct dishes

How to fry crispy potatoes in a non-stick pan? That's right - no way. Therefore, if you are going to often feast on mouth-watering fried potatoes, pay attention to the correct selection of the pan. Non-stick coating is the enemy of frying, which means that we will choose a new pan without a non-stick layer.

Stores provided a huge range of all kinds of pans. But we are looking for the very best, in which any recipe for crispy fried potatoes in a pan will be a success. Thin aluminum models are also unlikely to suit us for this purpose.

Aluminum

Of course, you can buy dishes made of this metal, which have a thick bottom, and turn it into more or less suitable for frying potatoes by repeatedly calcining it. But it’s worth learning in advance - at least a month will pass before the first fried potatoes. While newthe pan will fry and the bottom, soaked with oil, will stop burning everything that got into the aluminum brazier.

Cast iron

Buying a cast iron pot is one of the surest ways to fry crispy potatoes in a pan. We choose dishes with high sides and a thick bottom. In such a pan, a constant temperature is maintained for a long time, and the bottom of the dish is heated evenly (as well as the sides). High sides are also beautiful because potato cubes do not jump out of the pan during the frying process, or rather, while stirring. After buying a new cast-iron skillet, carry out all the necessary preparation manipulations. Any new frying pan requires preliminary action.

Frying oil

Before you make crispy potatoes in a pan, choose the right oil. Vegetable oil, which has no aroma (refined), is well suited for cooking. It can be sunflower or olive - to your taste. However, it is worth remembering that Extra Virgin olive oil is not used for frying. This olive oil is only for making salads.

Do not use unrefined varieties for frying potatoes either. They have a certain amount of water in their composition, and this fact significantly affects the final taste and appearance of fried potatoes. Those who have fried potatoes at least once using this type of vegetable oil note that it foams and takes away its flavor from the potatoes. Also, this oil contributes to the destruction of potato bars.

Additional products forfrying (lard or butter)

Always add butter when you are done cooking. If you fry potatoes using it from the very beginning, then there is a high probability that you will have fried potatoes with a rancid aroma and taste. However, this is not surprising: this product is not suitable for such heat treatment.

Many people like a dish cooked in lard or lard. Such a potato will be satisfying, but will slightly change its own unique flavor. The crust on the pieces of the root crop will turn out darker and less beautiful. If this fact does not bother you, feel free to experiment.

Sometimes they prefer to fry in refined vegetable oil, but with the addition of lard, it will also turn out tasty and beautiful.

How much oil to pour?

Very burning question about how much oil should be poured into the dishes before making fried, crispy potatoes in a pan. The main rule: sliced potatoes should not be completely in oil (float in it), but the scarcity of fat for frying does not contribute to the appearance of a fragrant crust. Therefore, it is not worth saving on vegetable oil. On average, cooks advise pouring oil with a layer of 6-7 millimeters. At the same time, the root crop itself should not be "to the eyeballs", that is, you need to leave space for mixing the roasted pieces. A root layer of no more than five centimeters will help you enjoy the crunch of potatoes.

You need to place prepared potatoes for fryingonly after the oil is well heated. Haste in this case will harm the correct cooking process. Warming up causes the potato bars to crust relatively quickly and do not have time to absorb a large amount of oil.

Cutting is not important

You can cut root vegetables for frying any way you like. But the culinary world has its own rules in this regard. For example, bars go well with fried meat pieces or fish. For a side dish for fish dishes, it is customary to cut the tubers into circles and fry them in this form. Pancake fried potato slices are prepared for baked meat dishes. Cutlets and steaks are served with fried potatoes in the form of straws.

And now that we've covered in detail every point that matters in cooking crispy potatoes in a pan - a recipe that is simple, but allows you to get an incredibly tasty dish. Practicing cooking fried potatoes.

The easiest way is the fastest

Let's get our cast iron skillet and see if we have everything in stock:

• potato tubers of medium diameter - 6 or 7 pieces;
• lean oil (unflavored) - half cup;
• favorite seasoning "for potatoes" - 10 grams;
• to taste - garlic;
• s alt is a generous pinch.

Cooking technology

We wash the tubers and clean them from inedible elements. Cut into medium wedges orcircles, but it will be more convenient to fry thinner slices of potatoes, so correctly calculate your own strength while chopping root crops. Rinse in very cold water. You can use a colander for this purpose and wash the potatoes under running water. You can put potato slices in a deep bowl and, pouring several times, rinse the potatoes in this way until the water becomes clear. This simple procedure helps to remove excess starch from the surface of the root bars.

Now drain the water and dry the potatoes using multi-layered paper towels. To make the process faster and more reliable, spread the potatoes in even layers on towels.

We diligently heat vegetable oil in a frying pan. It is better to heat it on high heat. The oil should click slightly - this is a sign: pour the potato sticks into the boiling fat. Slightly reduce the fire (to moderately strong) And now do not touch anything for one or two minutes. From below, the crispy crust we need will begin to form.

Don't s alt the dish! The s alt will help increase the absorption of fat by the potato. After two minutes, mix the potatoes very gently and do not touch the same amount again. In general, there should be only a few stirrings during the entire cooking process. Three or four times will be enough. It is better to stir the dish every five to seven minutes. Make sure that the crust has time to form and reach the condition you need (color and thickness).

Stir with a wooden spatula or a metal spatula (in a cast iron panthe use of a metal spatula is justified). However, all actions must remain gentle on the condition of both the potatoes and the pan.

Forget about the lid while cooking crispy potatoes! The lid will trap the steam inside the pot and thus soften the resulting roast and destroy the pieces themselves.

Let's prepare the garlic: crush it through a press or chop it in another convenient way. S alt the dish as it cooks, allowing the s alt to dissolve. Be careful, potatoes may seem uns alted at the very beginning and the first impulse, of course, will be to s alt them again. Sprinkle spices over roasted potatoes. Stir the dish and wait again for five minutes.

The fire is also reduced only after the dish is half cooked. At the same time, crushed or chopped garlic can be introduced into it.

A few minutes before turning off the stove, you can add a small piece of butter. It will give an interesting shade to the finished dish. However, potatoes are fine without it.

It is better to eat cooked fried potatoes immediately after removing from heat. A cold dish is not famous for its taste.