Boiled Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pare the potatoes and soak them in cold water for 1–2 hours.
Boil
Place the potatoes in a kettle with boiling water to cover them.
Boil for 15 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of salt for every 12 potatoes.
Boil for an additional 15 minutes.
Dry and serve
Pour off all the water and cover the kettle with a clean towel for 3 minutes to allow them to dry.
Shake the potatoes.
Transfer them to a hot dish.
Serve immediately.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Starchy flesh that cooks until soft and fluffy, forming the body of the dish.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the potatoes as they boil, flavouring them from within.
The step that matters
Drying the potatoes after boiling. Excess surface water left on boiled potatoes dilutes flavour and makes them soggy. Draining fully and letting steam escape under a towel lets the surface dry, so they stay floury and hold seasoning better.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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