Crispy Croqued Potatoes
Duck fat potatoes…need I say more?
Yield: 6-8 Servings
Active Time: 45m
Total Time: 1h30m (or over night, if serving later)
INGREDIENTS:
3Q (8C) Water
3T Kosher Salt
1t (4g) Baking Soda
4-5lbs Russet Idaho Potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1/3C fat of your choice, (Duck Fat, Olive Oil, Bacon Fat, any combination)
1/4C mixed herbs of your choice (Rosemary, Thyme, Dill) roughly chopped
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
Seasonings of your choice (Black Pepper, Paprika, Cayanne Pepper)
1/4C Parlsey, roughly chopped
Gangs all here!
RECIPE:
Preheat oven to 450F. Bring water to a boil in a large dutch oven. Add salt and baking soda to make a slightly alkaline water bath. Simmer potatoes until easily pierced with a fork, 10-12 minutes.
While the potatoes cook, heat your choice of fat in a small sauce pan with garlic and herbs. Cook gently, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes. DO NOT allow garlic to burn, or you will have to start this step over. Strain into a large bowl (or air-tight container, if serving later), reserving garlic and herbs. Congrats, you now have infused oil!
When potatoes are ready, drain and let stand for 10 minutes to allow water to evaporate. The potatoes should look a little weird - dry on the outside with some white stuff appearing. This is good, and will allow us to get the crunchy exterior!
OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED: Once potatoes are cooled to room temp, place in a freezer bag and freeze overnight. This will break down the cell walls inside the potatoes, making them extra fluffy inside (this is a McDonalds technique!). Otherwise, continue:
Toss potatoes in fat. Transfer to a large rimmed sheet pan.
Bake, without touching, for 20 minutes. Flip potatoes, cook again for another 20 minutes. Repeat until an hour of cook time is reached.
Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and toss with reserved garlic/herbs and parsley, and a generous sprinkle of salt.
Serve immediately with condiments of your choice!
HELPFUL NOTES:
The freezing is an important step to a fluffy interior. I learned this watching a documentary about food being moved around the country, McDonalds actually uses freezing food to their benefit in this case. Give it a try for yourself!