Mining Yukon Gold Potatoes - Two Recipes
Crisp Fried with Cumin & Garlic or Smashed with Brie & Apple
Jun 21, 2009
Potatoes are often classified as either starchy, like Russets, or waxy like white or red potatoes. Yukon Golds fall somewhere in between, which accounts for their versatility. You may want the starchier Russets for latkes, or the waxier reds for potato salad, but Yukon Golds are gaining in popularity as the best all round potato.
A relative newcomer to your grocer’s shelves, the Yukon Gold was developed in 1981 at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. They bred it as a yellow-flesh European-style potato suited to North American growing conditions (though one might guess not in the Yukon territories).
You might not find Yukon Golds in France, but here they are paired with favorite French ingredients: Brie and garlic.
Yukon Gold Potatoes Smashed with Brie and Apple
Two classic ingredients in Normandy, Brie and apples, mix and mingle with their French Canadian cousins in this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
- ½ cup cream
- 1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and chopped
- 1/3 pound wedge of Brie, cut in pieces
Method:
- Add potatoes to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil until they pierce easily with a fork, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, simmer apple, cream and Brie in a small pot, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the apple mixture to a food processor and purée. Season with salt to taste.
- Drain and mash the potatoes until they are fluffy, adding salt to taste. Stir in the apple mixture and combine well.
Crisped Yukon Gold Potatoes with Cumin and Garlic
These have wonderful spice and heat. Reduce or omit the chilies if you don’t like break a sweat when you’re eating. Serve them as a side dish for meat or for brunch topped with a poached egg.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 2 dried red chilies, halved, or 2 Tbsp chili flakes (or to taste)
- 4-6 Yukon Gold potatoes, skin on, cut in ¾-inch dice
- 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- ½ Tbsp coarse sea salt
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
Method:
- In a large medium-hot frying pan, bloom the seeds and chilies in canola oil just until they release their aroma and seeds start to sputter. Be careful not to burn them.
- Stir in the potatoes and garlic and reduce the flame to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are nicely browned. Resist the temptation to over stir so the potatoes don’t get mushy.
- Cover the pan and let the potatoes steam and cook through.
- Uncover, sprinkle with cumin powder and continue to cook until the potatoes are crisp.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh cilantro, if using.
Buying & Storing Potatoes
Don’t buy potatoes if they have a green tint to the skin. That means that they have been exposed to too much light and they could end up tasting bitter. Potatoes store best at 40 to 50 degrees F, with adequate ventilation and relative humidity at 90 percent. It is important to exclude light to prevent greening.
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