French potatoes have a permanent place in our menus. But how to prepare them so that they are really great? In addition to other ingredients, the choice of potatoes is important.
If we were looking for the history and origin of French potatoes, we would visit France, but the food that could have given the foundation to this typically Czech dish looks a little different. Most likely, these are so-called tartiflettes, but they taste like bacon, fried onions and cheese. Czechs, as is our custom, adapted this recipe according to their tastes and needs, but we still love it (or maybe that’s why).
The Pregnant Chef also shared his recipe for French potatoes on YouTube:
Source: Youtube
Every recipe is a little different
French potatoes have the advantage that we can easily adapt them not only to the tastes of each family, but also to current stocks. It is not a problem to change the type of meat used, to leave something out, or to supplement it on the other hand. Many prepare them from leftover raw materials and cannot praise such processing. Nothing goes to waste and the family eats like in a great restaurant.
Potatoes and their types
Whatever your family recipe for this dish is, potatoes always play a leading role in it. Don’t be mistaken – there is no potato like a potato, which we are used to noticing even in stores. We know the three cooking types well, i.e. “A” mainly for salads and similar dishes, then the transitional side dish “B” and with cooking type “C” we will prepare the best mashed potatoes for a change. But what to choose for baked French potatoes?
Option A is correct
In this case, there is not much to think about. You just need to realize what the final consistency of the finished meal should be – should the potatoes remain firm in beautiful slices, like in a salad, or do we want to pull a semi-decomposed mush out of the oven?
The answer is clear: A) is correct! Therefore, do not forget to choose the cooking type A, which has the ideal structure and properties for this occasion. Such potatoes will become the basis of a real delicacy, which will also look good. And to remember Jirka Babica’s words: If you don’t have an A, put a B there. Of course, type B can also be used without major problems, but the result will not be as perfect.
Everything has its pros and cons
French fries can be made from both raw and cooked potatoes. In the first case, a longer baking time should be expected, but the food tends to have a stronger taste.
All the ingredients that we add to the potatoes will have enough time to fully develop their taste and aroma (this is usually smoked and other meat, soft salami, or a piece of bacon, but also peas, onions, cheese and, above all, spices according to own taste). But if you have leftover boiled potatoes from the previous day, there is nothing easier and better than using them in this way.
Faster and more economical
The advantage of preparing French potatoes from boiled raw materials is, of course, the shorter preparation time itself, because there is no need to bake anything until soft, but just heat everything together together with a dressing made of milk with a beaten egg. The result will be just as delicious and you won’t feel guilty about wasting food.
As Chef Pohlreich…
Do you want to prepare french fries like a real chef and bring them to perfection? We can be inspired directly by Zdeněk Pohlreich, who cuts raw potatoes into slices a few millimeters thick and holds them under water until layered in a baking dish so they don’t turn black.
Then he prepares the cream, which he adds salt and pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, grated high-quality cheese and an egg. Then he combines everything perfectly and pours dried potato slices into the mixture. He then just pours the prepared mixture into a greased baking dish and after 45 minutes in the oven, he can serve it to the guests. Will you try it too?
Sources: www.toprecepty.cz, www.apetitonline.cz, neposedna-myska.cz
