Best Italian Home Fries Recipes

HOME FRIES TRIESTE STYLE

Steps:

• Put the potatoes, whole and unpeeled, in a large pot, with cold water covering them by a few inches. Bring to a steady boil, and cook just until they are easily pierced with a fork or a sharp knife blade-don't let them get mushy or fall apart. Drain, cool, and peel the potatoes. Break them up into irregular chunks, roughly 1 inch or larger, with a sharp utensil. I use a large serving spoon with a thin edge, so the pieces have curved surfaces; avoid forking them apart, as the potatoes tend to crumble.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the skillet over moderate heat. Stir in the onion and heat until sizzling gently. Gather it on one side of the pan to cook and soften in a small area, and spread the cut bacon in the rest of the skillet. Fry the bacon, tossing and spreading it out, until the fat is rendered and the pieces are getting crisp, while the onion wilts and starts to color, 5 minutes or more.
• Stir onion and bacon together, spill the potato chunks in the pan, and toss to mix everything. Raise the heat slightly, season with the salt and freshly ground pepper, and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil all over. Keep tumbling and tossing until the potatoes are hot and sizzling, spread them to fill the pan in an even layer, and press the top flat with a spatula.
• Lower the heat, and cook without disturbing until the underside of the potato disk is caramelized and crispy, 5 minutes or longer. With the spatula, lift and turn the potatoes, breaking up the disk and bringing the crusty bits to the top. Stir and spread the potato chunks, and press flat, as before, and cook until the bottom is golden.
• Repeat the sequence of turning the potatoes, pressing them into a flat disk or cake, caramelizing the bottom for a few minutes, then tumbling it over, about a half-dozen times.
• After 40 minutes, or longer, when the potatoes have been crusted all over-and there are browned bits in every bite-season with salt and pepper to taste, press flat, and crisp the bottom well for a couple of minutes over medium heat. Place a large plate on top of the skillet and invert, dropping the cake out of the pan, then slide it back into the skillet for a final crusting.
• Slide or invert onto the plate, and serve right away.
• Garden vegetables are very important in Trieste, especially salads. Radicchio zuccherino, a small, green, leafy cluster from the chicory family, might as well be on the local flag, it is so popular; it is enjoyed with just some wine vinegar and olive oil tossed in a bowl that has been rubbed with garlic. The first cut, or primo taglio, is the most prized, each leaf being no bigger than a thumbnail. As the season progresses, the radicchio grows dense like grass and is recut at the root four or five times, each time becoming a little tougher and a little more complex and bitter. I love it at that stage, but I also love when it gets older and is mixed with hard-boiled eggs and cooked cannellini beans to soften it.
• Radicchio goes well with fish preparations such as grilled branzino (Mediterranean sea bass) or grilled orata (gilded bass) as well as grilled or fried calamari or seppia (cuttlefish) braised in a sauce and served with polenta. So try some of these dishes at the local eating places when you are in Trieste.
• You'll also find mussels doused with white wine and finished with some bread crumbs (Steamed Mussels Trieste Style, page 43) in bowls on trattoria tables. And in season there are mackerel and sardines in saor (Sardines in Onion-Wine Marinade, page 45), an onionand- wine-vinegar marinade. It is all good, straightforward eating that you'll get in Trieste.

JADE'S HOME FRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven as it preheats for about 10 minutes.
• Place the russet potatoes and sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the seafood seasoning and salt. Toss well to coat evenly.
• Using a hot pad or towel, remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and pour in the wedges.
• Bake, stirring halfway through, until deep golden brown and beginning to crisp, 25 to 30 minutes.

ITALIAN FRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Spread 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread out the potatoes. Overlapping is fine.
• Sprinkle the dried herbs evenly over the potatoes. Liberally spread the cheese and parsley on top. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the cheese. Scatter the cubed butter around the pans.
• Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, rotating the pans after 30 minutes, for 45 to 50 minutes total. Use a spatula to lift off the potatoes with all the crusty cheese adhered to them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

QUICK & CRISPY HOME FRIES

Steps:

• Arrange potato pieces evenly on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high until just tender, about 4 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Cut potatoes into bite-size chunks.
• Heat butter and olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When butter melts and starts to turn brown, swirl the pan and add the potatoes. Shake pan to arrange in an even layer. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
• As potatoes brown, toss them and keep turning them every few minutes until they are crusty and crispy-edged and a rich reddish-brown color, 10 to 12 minutes. If potatoes seem to be cooking too quickly, reduce heat to medium. Serve topped with chopped chives.

ROSEMARY HOME FRIES WITH PANCETTA, PARMESAN AND PARSLEY

Steps:

• For the oil: Combine the oil, rosemary, garlic and some salt and pepper in a blender and blend for 2 minutes. Let the oil sit for 30 minutes, and then strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl. Set aside 1/4 cup, plus more as needed, for the home fries, and reserve the rest in an airtight container for another use.
• For the home fries: Heat 1/4 cup of the rosemary oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate. Add more rosemary oil to the skillet, if needed. Add the potatoes in one layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the potatoes, pressing the firmly with a spatula, until they are golden brown and crusty on the bottom. Turn the potatoes over, and repeat, adding more rosemary oil if needed. Stir in the parsley, red pepper flakes, reserved pancetta and cheese and serve from the pan.

CRISPY HOME FRIES WITH PIMENTO AIOLI

Steps:

• For the fries: Fill a large Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed saucepan two-thirds of the way with the oil. Heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack.
• Add 2 quarts water with 2 tablespoons salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, bringing the water back to a boil, and cook, about 5 minutes. The potatoes will be soft on the outside while still firm in the center. Drain in a colander and add to a large bowl to toss with the cornstarch and a heavy pinch of salt.
• Add the potatoes to the hot oil a few at a time, stirring and flipping constantly until they are golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove to the wire rack, sprinkle with salt and repeat with the remaining potatoes.
• For the pimento aioli: Add the mayonnaise, pimentos, red wine vinegar, garlic, chipotle and paprika to a food processor and blend until smooth.
• Add potatoes to a serving bowl and serve with the aioli drizzled over the top and on the side for dipping.