That’s very sad for her (and having lost a parent recently and had the other have an accident and major surgery a month later I feel for her more than I might ever have been able to before).
That SE recipe is pretty much what we make (proportions aside) except the tomato paste (which doesn’t exist as an ingredient in India) which I assume is an umami booster.
One interesting/weird thing about potato chops (at least Goan and Anglo) is that a typical way to eat them is to drizzle local vinegar (cane or toddy, malt is the closest option elsewhere) on top — my dad ate them that way, but as a kid it was too sharp for me, so I ate (eat) mine with ketchup, lol.
Yes, their mashed potatoes are etheral! It has been ages since I’ve tasted them. If there is anyone that frequents HOPR and knows the secret to their PR seasoning, please tell. They do not respond to emails and I’d like to get my hands on a few jars to gift the roomate who insists it is the only seasoning for fried eggs.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
44
I’ll never forget the first time I saw mayo used as a dipper for ‘French’ fries or ‘chips’.
I was treating our daughter’s German roomate to lunch here in the US and she ordered a nice salad, fries on the side and a side of mayo. I didn’t know what to say, and she explained it all to me. Mayo with fries is like my lemon wedges with any kind of fried potato. To me, the lemon cuts the greasy taste. Now, the first time I heard and saw the mention of ‘fry sauce’ was puzzling, too. “You want fry sauce eith that, Hon?” What? Nah, I’ll pass.
Not that complicated but you do need a few special Ingredients. I also make a Hasselback fusion with the same spicing.
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
47
Which is why we Britons always put malt vinegar on our chips.
I mentioned the town of Ieper upthread, which we’ve visited several times. One of our “must have” dinners there is mussels and fries. A vast dish of mussels and another of fries. A sharp seafood “cocktail” sauce for dunking the mussels. And a dish of mayo for the fries. Perfect dinner when it’s warm enough to eat outside in one of the places that line the town’s main square.
Yum! Those would be fun for an appetizer. I can see putting those and ‘Pigs in Blankets’ side by side at a party with an assortment of dipping choices. Is there a name for these, other than tasty? Thanks for the idea!
Potatoes, one of my favorite food groups. We ate a lot of taters growing up as my Mom was the Admin Assistant (called the Secretary back in the day) for the biggest seed potato producer in the Midwest. Yes, lots of potatoes on the table. I remember my Mom making rum balls at Christmas out of mashed potatoes. Yikes! Still I love to keep it simple.
Simple twice bakers. Large potatoes oiled and salted on the outside, baked in the oven. Scoop out and combine the flesh with 1 T butter and 2 T sour cream PER potato and whip up with a hand beater, season with s&p. Maybe some freshly grated cheddar folded in. Refill the skins. Reheat
Mashers made with nothing but butter, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Whipped up with a hand mixer.
Shredded potatoes, seasoned with s&p, pressed into a cake about a half inch thick in a skillet, coated in butter and a bit of neutral oil until crisp on the outside, creamy on the inside and topped with a perfectly poached egg.
And in the patties / pattice category there are endless variations, as expected: I was looking for our stock home plain kind (that we eat as is or with ragda) which is just mashed potatoes, salt, a pinch of sugar, and a squeeze of lemon juice to balance, and I found about 5000 other kinds.
Another home favorite is the same plain potato base stuffed with smashed, spiced green peas (tempering + scant dry spices + a pinch of fresh grated coconut) — maybe one of your local Gujarati places serves it. My grandmother always made these for us when we visited, and sent home a giant box of the formed patties to be freshly fried later.
They use Lawry’s Seasoning Salt on their salad and salad dressing (not in mashed potatoes, of course). I’ve asked them not to add to my salad. In fact, they add too much salad dressing so I ask for light amount or dressing on the side.
I have lots of “comfort cuisines”, and Indians incorporate plenty of other cuisines’ dishes into their own comfort repertoire
In the potato category, I recently had two delicious versions of what I assumed was the same dish: first, Sichuan matchstick potatoes in NYC, the second, an Indian take on those in Mumbai, crisp-fried batons then coated in an Indianized “Schezwan” sauce. Both absolutely delicious!
But not a lot of potatoes in Chinese food (one of my comfort cuisines) that I’ve come across though. Big tray chicken is one a few tasty exceptions, reminiscent of an Indian saucy dish where the potatoes soak up the flavors so fabulously.
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
57
Just had a look at both that are local. Unfortunately not.
Def a German thing, although “pommes rot-weiß” (red-white i.e. with mayo and ketchup) are pretty popular as well. I just didn’t like ketchup growing up, so mayo was my groove.
I will put lemon on almost anything, and love them over Greek fries.
I also like Hollandaise on fries.
Breakfasts or Brunch poutine often has eggs and Hollandaise, sometimes with lobster or bacon as well, on top of fries or frites, without the gravy and curds that’s associated with standard poutine…
