Are you afraid of cooking? I thought there was blood in the mashed potatoes the first time I ate red potatoes. I’d been cautioned before, while peeling potatoes, that if I wasn’t careful I’d cut myself and we’d have to eat bloody mashed potatoes. Bloody mashed potatoes. That’s an awful way to start a post about kitchen adventures but there it is. Seth here. Let’s talk red potatoes. Well, red-skinned potatoes, at least.
My encounter with what I thought was bloody mashed potatoes as a child is just one of my early memories of encountering food in a new way. I was raised in a household that valued individualism and, in particular, the ability to fend for oneself. Trying new things and not complaining about them if they weren’t preferred was another part of the mix that brings me to where I am right now.
I am not afraid to make $5 mistakes in the kitchen.
I wish that weren’t a remarkable statement. But the more people I meet the more I realize how few of us are actually comfortable walking into a kitchen and just whipping something together. Technology allows us to have even baking temperatures, super-hot cooktops, and access to millions of recipes. But instead of using all those capabilities as a springboard to try new things, many of the people I know have a culinary repertoire of 20 or fewer dishes!
Expanding fearlessness in the kitchen is where the red potato (and this narrative, cough) leads. The next time you’re at Trader Joe’s stocking up on heat-and-serve dishes, snag a bag of small potatoes. It’s a little harder to get the red ones now in some places so get some white ones if you must. Just make sure the potatoes are very much on the smallish side. That way their skin will be thin and you can get away with only slicing them once and not have to peel them.
Once you get your potatoes home, wash them thoroughly and place the five smallest potatoes in a pot that’s large enough for twice as many potatoes as you have in total. Take the remaining potatoes and slice them into halves or thirds as-needed so they are similar in mass to the smallest potatoes already in the pot. Put them into the pot as you slice them. Once all the potatoes are in the pot, fill the pot with cool water until it covers the potatoes by an inch. Add a pinch of salt. Place over medium heat, cover, and wait 20 minutes.
After 10 minutes, take a fork and if the potato splits away from the fork as you insert it, the potato is done. A second method is to remove a piece of potato from the boiling water, set it on a plate, and slice in half. If all but the very center of the potato is bright white, you’re probably good to go. The larger the dark shiny portion in the middle of the potato, the longer the potatoes need to stay on the stove.
You’re probably wondering, “Dude, if I follow all your directions I end up with some boiled potatoes. What’s the point of that?!” I can obviously read your mind which is pretty cool but not the answer you were hoping for. Here’s that answer: A bowl of perfectly-boiled small potatoes is a canvas upon which you can make inexpensive mistakes on your way to taking big risks and serving up a masterpiece.
The red potato is just the beginning.
If you can boil potatoes perfectly, you can make unbelievable hot or cold potato salads just by adding a savory sauce and some vegetables. If you can boil potatoes perfectly, you’re one step closer to being one of the few people I know who will try just about anything in the kitchen.
It’s simple. It’s easy to try. You are loved and appreciated. Go forth and cook!
Stay blessed,
Seth