Wednesday 29 May 2013

Accordion Potatoes


These Accordion Potatoes will entertain your taste buds and play a melodious tune to cherish your soul. Ok, not really, but they sure are fun and cute!  I guarantee when you make these your dinner guests will be impressed and you'll be known as the "hostess with the mostess" or the "host with the most" -depending on who is doing the cooking.

Ingredients:

2-3lbs Red Small or fingerling potatoes
1/2 C olive oil
2 tbsp Smoked or Sweet Spanish Paprika
Salt + Pepper

Whisk together the olive oil and paprika and set aside. Preheat oven to 375.


You can choose whether you want to use Sweet Spanish Paprika or Smoked Paprika.  I noticed that Smoked Paprika gives these potatoes a "bacony" flavor -which is AWESOME!  Sweet Paprika gives it a more mild flavor but is still delicious. I have even done a combination of the two paprikas and it still is, yes you guessed it, delicious!


Wash potatoes thoroughly (do not peel). Cut approximately 1/8" slits down the potato but do not cut all the way through. As seemingly simple as this may sound, I guarantee you will have at least one potato that gets "ruined" because you sliced it all the way through...or maybe I just hope that happens to you because I wouldn't want to be the only one that it happened to.  You could also put a thin skewer (wooden or otherwise) horizontally through the bottom of the potato so that you don't cut all the way through.


After you cut the slits into the potatoes, you'll notice some starchy liquid begin to emerge. After all the potatoes have been sliced, it would be a good idea to rinse them again so as to remove this excess starch.


Arrange potatoes on the baking pan and drizzle the paprika oil over the potatoes (you may need to rewhisk it again because the paprika and oil probably separated). Start with about half of the oil, then increase as you like.  Then season the potatoes with salt and pepper. By putting the oil on first the salt and pepper will adhere better.  After you've drizzled all the desired amount of oil, try to turn it several times in the oil.  This will work the oil into the slits and flavor each slit.


Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour and test for doneness, you may find that it needs a bit longer in the oven. If you like, drizzle with more oil after it comes out of the oven. Enjoy!


Note: if you do not like paprika then simply just do olive oil, salt and pepper (just rub the potato with plain oil then season with salt and pepper). Mix it up with any other combination of seasonings and oils you like such as Garlic Infused Olive Oil, Chili Infused Olive Oil, Creole seasoning, Italian seasoning, Curry...The possibilities are endless!  Oh yeah...you could also do this for veggies too! Try "accordion slicing" zucchini or carrots and bake them.




Try not to be too impressed with my slice and dice skills...

Sweet Spanish Paprika + Olive Oil patiently ready and willing to impart greatness to the otherwise monotonous potato. (you like my nail polish and nicely manicured nails dont'cha?)

Ready to for its "spa treatment" aka a piping hot oven. Don't worry, the other one was not neglected but also got the same luxurious oil treatment.

OK...let me explain...I was so excited to eat one that I almost forgot to take a picture for you! I couldn't take a picture of the other one because my husband ate it too fast....

In case Paprika isn't your thing, here is one with salt, pepper and olive oil. 


Recipe adapted from F&W Magazine.

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