That would be the potato. I love its many variations. Growing up, however, I was not such a huge fan of potatoes, and I trace my disregard to the staple boiled and mashed potatoes that we ate in my house. I may be alone among my siblings in not loving mashed potatoes. I’ll eat them, but they aren’t my favorite, and I am sure I am guilty of some sort of Irish-American heresy by not being wholly in love with potatoes. I don’t even buy them that often. Sure, I put them in soups and stews, but just to cook ’em and eat ’em, well I guess that’s why I joined the home cooks of French Fridays; I have no choice but to experiment.
This week, as you might have guessed, broth-braised potatoes were on the menu. Here’s another complication — my husband is doing a low carb post-holiday diet, so who will eat these potatoes? I did pawn off a bowl of them to the neighbors who were watching some football game or other. Apparently, the potatoes were a hit, and KK came over to find out what was in them, so she could make more for the next football game party in the barn.
So, the potato — yes. I know it is a perfect food. Lots of vitamins. Nutrients. The problem with how most Americans consume potatoes is our problem, too. We love frites and chips. All that fried goodness and salt.
Dorie’s simple recipe is something of a revelation to me. Who knew you could boil potatoes in something other than water, and for such a short time, in order to keep the potatoes tender and prevent that mushy texture that I loathed when boiled cabbage and potatoes were on the menu?
Even if the potato is not my favorite food, I do have to admire the simplicity of this dish, and the subtle flavor that comes from the herbs and garlic/lemon infused broth. In about 25 minutes, from opening the frig to sampling the potato, I made a filling and nutritious meal that had subtle flavors. The most perfect food on earth.
Necessity is the Mother of Invention 
That’s quite an endorsement 🙂
It was such a simple, but clever idea – it made me wonder why I hadn’t thought of it before.
Enjoyed your post. Glad you were able to find someone to share your potatoes with. 🙂
I’m more of a sweet potato girl myself. But, I do love roasted potatoes, especially fingerlings. Another FFwD blogger mentioned that she should’ve smashed and then roasted the potatoes after boiling. Yum.
I’m glad you enjoyed these! Truth be told, they were not my favorite Dorie side dish but I can see how some people enjoy the subtle flavors. I did love the smell of the chicken stock with all the aromatics.
I know! I felt the same way about these potatoes! Just add some broth, garlic and herbs and you’ve got delicious, low fat potatoes!
I’m happy to hear that this recipe changed your perception of potato a little bit. Cooking vegetable in broth is the default cooking method I was brought up on. Actually, Mom would cook a whole variety of vegetable in order of how much time they needed in the pot. Potatoes typically go in first and tender greens last. Then we drank the broth as a soup course.
I thought these were really good – particularly without all of the butter and cream! It’s nice to have something where the potato shines through. I’ve also been interested in how people have used their leftovers in salads and other things – inspiring! So happy that you enjoyed yours.
I liked these. I’m glad you found someone to share them with.
Lovely photos! Glad to hear that you enjoyed them!
We both loved these, simple, easy and even a tad elegant with the broth bath. Glad you liked these, it’s always a great surprise when you make a recipe you aren’t excited about at the start.