Nuking potatoes instead of parboiling them makes skillet-sautéed potatoes even quicker to fix. Fresh herbs add a nice finish. Recipe below.
A FRIEND OF OURS—AN AMBITIOUS, ADVENTUROUS HOME COOK—does not own a microwave oven. He announces as much with the smug tone usually reserved for saying you don’t own a television.
I don’t get it. I mean, I understand when some chefs ban them from restaurant kitchens, refusing to use them to rewarm plated orders that sit too long because of bad timing on another order. They rightly expect their line to get the timing. But home kitchens are another story, I think. Our microwave sees regular use, from reheating leftovers to warming carryouts that have traveled too far to—increasingly—actually cooking.
Mark Bittman first got me thinking about cooking fresh foods with a microwave several years ago, when he was still writing his regular cooking column, The Minimalist, for the New York Times. In “You Use It Every Day. But Can You Make It Cook?” he sings the praises of artichokes, asparagus, eggplant, cauliflower and other vegetables nuked briefly with a tiny bit of water. The colors are brighter, the flavors fresher and the vitamins more in tact.
Bittman also mentioned microwaving potatoes instead of parboiling them before frying them. This was brilliant. We occasionally like skillet potatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper, browned in a hot skillet and seasoned with fresh herbs. But parboiling them takes time, occupies a a burner and dirties another pot.
Microwaving the potatoes is much faster than parboiling. We’re talking maybe three minutes. And after a quick sauté, the finished potatoes are tender inside, crispy and brown outside.
The recipe below is as much a technique as it is an actual blueprint. Feel free to experiment with various fresh herbs (or some dried herbs, for that matter—see the Kitchen Notes). Swap fingerlings or even sweet potatoes for the Yukon Gold I used (with sweet potatoes, I would peel them).
Print Pin
Quick Skillet Potatoes with Herbs
Microwaving potatoes instead of parboiling them makes skillet-sautéed potatoes even quicker to fix.
Servings 2can easily be scaled up
Ingredients
2medium Yukon Gold potatoes, about 12 ounces
3tablespoonsolive oil, divided
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2tablespoonschopped fresh herbs(I used chervil)
Instructions
Scrub potatoes, but don’t peel them (or do peel them, if you wish). Cut into chunky, bite-sized pieces. Place in a microwave-safe dish, add 1 tablespoon of water, partially cover with a lid or waxed paper and microwave for 3 minutes.
Drain and let cool slightly—a few minutes will do. Place in a large bowl and blot dry with a paper towel. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil over the potatoes, season generously with salt and pepper and toss to coat potatoes. (The oil will help the seasonings stick to the potatoes and help the potatoes brown more evenly.)
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick skillet large enough to hold potatoes in a single layer, over a medium flame. Give the pan plenty of time to get hot, then add the potatoes.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are nicely browned and crisp on the outside, 7 to 9 minutes. Be careful to make sure all surfaces of the potatoes get a chance to brown. I used a pair of wooden spatulas to turn them individually, as needed.
Transfer cooked potatoes to a bowl with a slotted spoon and gently toss with fresh herbs. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, as needed, and serve.
Some thoughts on herbs. We just happened on the chervil and thought it sounded good. A member of the parsley family, this mild herb with undertones of anise is often used in French cuisine. Italian parsley is another good choice, as are fresh thyme, tarragon, oregano, dill or rosemary (add this to the pan halfway through cooking the potatoes). Each will of course add its own distinctive flavor.
For dried herbs, try tarragon, thyme or oregano. Use 1/3 to 1/2 as much as you would with fresh and add it when you put the potatoes in the pan. This will allow the dried herbs time to share their flavors and soften a little. I would not use dried rosemary—the needles will remain stubbornly stiff and crunchy.
With all due respect: Skillet Roasted Potatoes with Parsley
Fresh parsley and garlic turn small potatoes into a stellar side. Recipe below. Parsley has long been the Rodney Dangerfield of herbs, getting little or…
Half-baked: a microwave start speeds baked potatoes to the table
Starting baked potatoes in the microwave and finishing them in the oven cuts cooking time and still yields crisp skin and fluffy potato flesh. Recipe…
A little something on the side: Simple, Spicy Roasted Potatoes
Baking and sweet potatoes join forces with cayenne pepper for a lively side. Recipe below. First things first. I’m doing two postings today—so after you…
Microwaving the potatoes is much faster than parboiling
parboiling
Parboiling (or leaching) is the partial or semi boiling of food as the first step in cooking. The word is from the Old French parbouillir, 'to boil thoroughly' but by mistaken association with "part", it has acquired its current meaning.
While microwaving to completely cook the potato will result in a soft and mealy Russet, cooking in the microwave for just 5 to 6 minutes before transferring it to the oven will retain the potato's original texture.
The rapid heating can cause the granules to burst, and release sticky, gelatinized starch. The result: A gluey potato that's also often marred by hard nodules where the starch has crystallized.
For faster weeknight potatoes, use the microwave as a first step before roasting or sautéeing. To get potatoes onto your weeknight dinner plate faster, start by cooking them in the microwave.
Scrub potatoes, but don't peel them (or do peel them, if you wish). Cut into chunky, bite-sized pieces. Place in a microwave-safe dish, add 1 tablespoon of water, partially cover with a lid or waxed paper and microwave for 3 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly—a few minutes will do.
Try this some time: Buy the loose potatoes, and wash and pierce them with a fork a few times to keep them from bursting. Wrap a paper towel loosely around each potato and microwave. The towel absorbs some of the moisture when it bakes.
These little holes allow steam to escape while the potato is cooking. Forget to poke, and your potato could end up exploding in your microwave from the pent-up steam. It's both messy and a serious dinner let-down.
Why do potatoes get hard in the microwave? Potatoes get hard in the microwave when they're overcooked and the overcooked sections lose too much moisture and become dry and hard.
A: First let's talk about why cut potatoes need to be immersed in water to begin with. The reason is to prevent the potatoes exposure to air, which causes dehydration, oxidation, and discoloration. Immersing cut potatoes will also help rinse off excess starch.
Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.
According to USDA data, microwaving potatoes is the best way to retain its nutritional value, boiling potatoes causes the most nutrient loss, and frying adds fat and extra calories. None of the cooking methods destroy fiber. Still, potatoes are rich in key nutrients regardless of how they are cooked.
Whether you're short on time or don't have a working oven, making a baked potato in the microwave can provide a great alternative. While you may sacrifice the crispy skin you get in the oven, you'll also save 30 minutes or more.
Step 1Wash potato thoroughly and pat completely dry. Pierce 3 to 4 times with a fork. Step 2Place potato on microwave-safe plate and microwave 7 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking. If your potato isn't fork-tender after 7 minutes, continue microwaving in 1 minute increments until fully cooked.
Once boiling, reduce heat, adjusting as needed to maintain a simmer. Cook potatoes until they offer no resistance when pierced: 10–12 minutes for baby potatoes, 15–20 minutes for small potatoes, or 30–40 minutes for large cubed potatoes.
Reheating a baked potato in the microwave may be the quickest method, but it can result in dried-out potatoes if you aren't careful. To prevent that, cut the potato in half, place it in a microwave-safe dish, and cover each half with a damp paper towel—heat for two to three minutes or until the potato is heated.
Prep – using a fork, poke holes in each potato. Then, wrap each potato in a damp paper towel. Microwave – place the paper towel-wrapped potatoes in the microwave and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Simply parboil your potatoes, wrap them in an airtight container, and place them in the fridge as you would any leftovers. When you're ready to finish cooking them, you're ready to go with delicious potatoes every time that will cook much faster than if you started from scratch.
Hobby: Shopping, Table tennis, Snowboarding, Rafting, Motor sports, Homebrewing, Taxidermy
Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
