Lard + potatoes

[progenitive]

Hi all, I just got some rendered leaf lard at the butcher shop, and would like to make a potato side dish to complement a nice prime ribeye steak. It should be crispy! In fact potato chips are an idea, but I don't think I have enough lard to deep fry. Any ideas? what is the key to crunchy crispiness?

[EdF]

Though it may not be exactly what you have in mind, this method works: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2...es-recipe.html

Check the "read the whole story" link near the top. You can substitute your lard for duck fat.

[Mr. Bones]

Take them taters, wedge 'em up to desired size, add some seasonin' what floats yer boat, then fry in lard in Cast Iron skillet, (deep is preferable...)

(BTW, lard n' taters is two o' my favourite food groups!!!)

[RonB]

How about baked potatoes with crisp skin? I think this is also from Serious Eats. Anyway, bake the potatoes at 450* to 210* internal, then rub with your lard. Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes to crisp the skin.

[JCGrill]

American fries aka home fries are my favorite potatoes. You can get them REALLY crispy given enough fat. I think that is essentially what Mr. Bones is saying as well. The key is not to turn too often. As with many things, too much heat is bad.

[Mr. Bones]

American fries aka home fries are my favorite potatoes. You can get them REALLY crispy given enough fat. I think that is essentially what Mr. Bones is saying as well. The key is not to turn too often. As with many things, too much heat is bad.

Yeah, what JCGrill said!!!
At various times/places in my life, I've also seen/heard 'em called Cottage Fries, Steak Fries, etc. Fergot to mention: It goes without sayin', leave th' skin on. Yum. Crunch. Repeat.

[JCGrill]

Incidentally, a lot of restaurants deep fry their home fries. I'm not a fan. Pan fried are so much better.

[Spinaker]

Enter Cast Iron

[progenitive]

Hi All, thanks for the great suggestions. I decided to go with suggestion from SeriousEats linked by EdF .

Followed the recipe exactly except used lard instead of duck fat (and the recipe does say lard would work), and cut the quantity back for two people.

Lard + potatoes do indeed taste good. The resulting potatoes after roasting were creamy in texture inside, and crisp on the outside. But I think it would be a stretch to call them "ultra-crispy" as the name of the recipe indicates. One thing I might try is to cut them into smaller pieces next time. The recipe said "2 inch pieces", which is a bit ambiguous to me. I made the longest dimension on each piece about 2 inches.

Here's a photo of the potatoes before the roasting step.


And the final product can be seen on the plate below...

[RonB]

Congrats. I'm glad it worked out.