The great thing about potatoes is, they’re so versatile and everybody loves them. They’re great for making vegetarian dishes and brilliant for adding meat. They absorb all the other ingredients such as herbs, spices, garlic, pepper, etc. They can be used in a main dish but their true calling is being the side dish. They’re cheap to buy and they last a long time. It’s all about how you cook them and what kind of recipe you make. The real question is, what’s your favorite potato side dish? Here are some examples to help you figure it out.
A French titan
Why make things complicated with potatoes? At least, that’s the French approach when it comes to gratin dauphinoise. All you need is milk, double cream, garlic, and gruyere cheese. And the potatoes should be either Maris Piper or King Edward. You don’t need to do much but for maximum flavor, take your time. Allow the flavors to melt together. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Drop in some garlic cloves and bring to a simmer. Add the sliced potatoes in and keep simmering until cooked. Don’t allow the potatoes to sink and stick to the bottom. Remove the potatoes and pour the mixture from the saucepan into a deep baking dish. Then add the potatoes. Grate over the Gruyere cheese and bake for around 25-30 minutes. Creamy, garlicky, cheesy potatoes. Delicious!
An orange breakfast
Sweet potatoes are more popular than ever. They’re healthy, provide a lot of nutrition and they don’t have as many carbs which is great for dieting. However, they can be made into a breakfast dish as well as a side dish. You can visit Loaves and Dishes and see how to make a sweet potato hash brown dish. There’s a step by step list of instructions as well as images to go with each stage. You’ll need like red and white onions as well as different colored bell peppers. Each bell pepper has its own unique flavor so it’s not just for adding a splash of color. Chop and gently fry 1 large sweet potato in olive oil. Then comes the smoked paprika. Add to taste; some like it hot some like it mild. And don’t forget to squeeze half a lemon over the top to bring out the maximum possible flavor.
Italian roast
If there’s one potato dish that goes well with almost anything, it’s Italian roast potatoes. Again, there’s not a lot of ingredients but there’s quite a lot of flavor to be brought out of the humble potato. What you need is a good quality virgin olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and a little parmesan cheese. Gently grill the potatoes in a skillet. Add seasoning and when the surface has hardened a bit, sprinkle the herbs over the top and flip. Place the skillet into the oven at 400 F and wait until they’re golden brown. Take them out and add the cheese, allowing it to melt from the steam.
Potatoes are simple to cook but depending on what kind of ingredients you bring, you can make the best side dishes in the culinary world.
