Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Best of VegCooking Spanish Style Home Fries

Amy is out this week, but that doesn't mean that the mouthwatering recipes on the blog will stop. We'll be featuring a "best of" series for the next week, highlighting some of the VegCooking blog's most popular posts from the last two years. Enjoy!

Today's potato recipe is sort of a Spanish variation of home fries. The potatoes are boiled until just tender—not too mushy or falling apart—then pan-fried with spices until nice and crispy.

spiced_potatoes.jpg

Most home fries recipes I've seen contain just a few basic ingredients, like salt, pepper, oil, garlic, and onions, but this one uses other ingredients that are more common to Spanish cuisine—paprika, parsley, and turmeric. OK, saffron is technically the ingredient common to Spanish cuisine, and turmeric is just an inexpensive way to cheat.

The spices in this recipe give it a little more kick than most home fries, and the parsley adds unexpected freshness. Don't worry, though—the comfort of your typical home fries isn't lost. It still comes through because of the deliciously crispy and seasoned skin on the potatoes. Enjoy!

Spanish Style Home Fries

8 medium red potatoes, quartered
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

•In a large pot, bring water to a rapid boil, add the potatoes, and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.

•In a small bowl, combine the turmeric, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Set aside.

•Pour the olive oil over the potatoes, then the spices, and toss to coat.

•Pour the entire mixture into a pan heated to medium-high heat and pan-fry for 10 minutes, or until the skin is crisp.

Makes 4 side servings