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Italian Pesto Potatoes


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Italian Pesto Potatoes

By Meathead Goldwyn

Pesto is a savory pasty green sauce that is the specialty of the region around Genoa, Italy, where it probably originated. The word pesto means "pounded" or "crushed" in Italian, called that because the ingredients were pounded or crushed with a mortar and pestle before the food processor was invented. The classic recipe includes basil leaves, olive oil, plenty of garlic, pine nuts or walnuts, and parmesan cheese. It is usually served over pasta, but it also tastes great on that other great starch, potatoes. You can make your own pesto or you can buy lovely pesto in jars.

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Pesto Potatoes Recipe

Makes. 1 serving

Preparation time. 30 minutes

Ingredients

12 ounces (2 baseball size) waxy potatoes

1 teaspoon pesto sauce

Table salt, freshly ground pepper, and extra virgin olive oil to taste

Method

1) Peel the potatoes (or not), and cut them into bite-size chunks. Boil until soft, but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Drain.

 

2) Toss the pesto in with the potatoes.

 

3) Add a splash or two of a really good fresh olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve. What could be simpler? Or more tasty?

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A Modern Grilled Salt Potatoes Recipe with Less Salt

Makes. 4 servings at 1/2 pound each

Prep time. 15 minutes

Cooking time. 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the potato chunks

 

Ingredients

2 quarts (1/2 gallon) water

1/8 pound salt

2 pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes or other small, waxy or new potatoes

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

2 cloves of freshly pressed garlic

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh green herbs, especially chives, parsley, thyme, or rosemary

Optional add-ins. 1/4 teaspoon paprika for color and 4 strips of bacon, crumbled.

 

Method

1) First, read my article on The Science of Potatoes. Then wash the potatoes thoroughly, scrubbing them with a scrubby sponge. Make sure you get all the soap out of the sponge, please. Cut out any bad spots or growing eyes, but leave the skin on. Cut them in half and then cut the big chunks smaller so they are about the same size.

 

2) Then bring the water to a hard boil. Add the salt and stir until dissolved. Add the taters being careful not to splash yourself. Boil until a fork slides in and out of a potato with ease, about 20 to 30 minutes.

 

3) Preheat the grill with a 2-zone fire for indirect cooking.Scissors-32x32.pnghttp://amazingribs.com/recipes/potatoes/syracuse_salt_potatoes_recipe.html

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potato_browning.jpg

The c

The color of the pan matters!

olor of the pan matters!

The potatoes above were peeled, lightly coated in oil, and cooked in lightweight baking pans about the same thickness and weight. The potatoes on the left were cooked in a stainless steel pan and the ones on the right were cooked in a steel pan coated with black enamel.

 

As you can see, the black pan absorbed and transmitted more heat doing a better job of browning the potatoes. That's why a black car is hotter than a white car on a summer day. Even though there isn't much visible light in the oven, the radiation from the heat works like light and will not be absorbed as well by a shiny or white pan. Cookie bakers learn that the darker the pan the browner the cookie bottoms, as do pizza bakers.

 

According to the AmazingRibs.com science advisorDr. Greg Blonder "Likewise, a clear Pyrex pie plate transmits infrared energy the glass to brown crust a bit more quickly, which is why so many cornbread recipes call for a clear pan. Otherwise a low thermal conductivity Pyrex pan cooks more slowly than a high conductivity aluminum pan (200 times more conductive than glass), or cast iron (50 times more conductive than glass). Other properties impact browning, such as the mass of the pans (if they were preheated) and their position in the oven."

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