Did you know that potatoes are one of the most popular types of vegetables as well as easy to process into a variety of dishes? In fact, most recipes require you to cut the potatoes into small, uniform dices or squares before processing them, especially since the potatoes will cook faster because of this. Although it takes considerable patience to cut potatoes into cubes, the process you need to go through is actually very easy as long as it is assisted by a sharp knife! Once the potatoes are diced, you can simply sauté them or bake them, then serve them as a delicious side dish.
Ingredients
Sauteed Potato Dice
- 1 kg waxy potatoes (high in sugar and low in flour), cut into cubes
- 4 to 6 tbsp. (60 to 90 ml) olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp. (11 grams) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Baking Diced Potatoes with Rosemary
- 1.4 kg waxy potatoes (high in sugar and low in flour), cut into cubes
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 59 ml olive oil
- 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Step
Method 1 of 3: Cutting Potatoes
Step 1. Wash the potatoes thoroughly
Since potatoes are tubers that grow underground, they are likely to look dirty when you first buy them. That's why, you should first clean the potato skins with a vegetable brush, then rinse them thoroughly with running tap water before processing them.
To keep the texture from getting soggy, it's best to rinse the potatoes in a perforated basket under running tap water
Step 2. Peel the potatoes if desired
Although it really depends on the type of potato preparation, you can peel the skin of the potato before cutting it. To make the process easier, use a vegetable peeler or knife to remove the outer skin of the potatoes.
- If the potatoes don't cut right after you peel them, don't forget to soak them in a bowl of cold water so they don't turn brown.
- When peeling potatoes, also remove any shoots or greenish parts with the tip of a vegetable peeler.
Step 3. Cut the potato in half
If the potatoes are going to be diced, you will need to first cut the whole potato in half with a sharp knife vertically. Then, place the potato wedges on the cutting board with the flat side down.
Use any knife with a sharp edge
Step 4. Slice each piece of potato lengthwise
Once the whole potato has been cut in half, you'll need to re-slice each piece of potato lengthwise. Adjust the thickness to your wishes or needs.
After that, place each potato wedge back with the flat side down to make it easier to cut at a later stage
Step 5. Cut back each potato wedge lengthwise
Ideally, the end result will look like a fairly thick slice of French fries.
Step 6. Stack the potato wedges, then flip them over so that the flat side is facing you
Once all the potatoes have been sliced, try to stack them, then rotate them 90° until the flat side is facing you.
If you want, you don't have to stack the potato wedges and cut them one by one, although this will certainly take a lot longer
Step 7. Cut the potatoes into cubes
After stacking the potatoes, use a very sharp knife to cut all the potato wedges at once into cubes. Although it can be adjusted to your liking, it's a good idea to uniform the size so that the potatoes are cooked more evenly when cooked.
Delicious diced potatoes are made into mashed potatoes, stir-fried potatoes, or baked potatoes. If you want, you can also turn them into homemade fries
Method 2 of 3: Preparing Potatoes for Saute
Step 1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan
Fill half of a large pot with water and add salt to taste. Then, bring the water to a boil over medium to high heat, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Salting the water is an optional step. In other words, you can ignore it to reduce the sodium content in your food
Step 2. Boil the potatoes for a few minutes
After the water boils, put 1 kg of waxy potatoes that have been diced into a saucepan. Then, boil the potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes, or until they are slightly soft in texture.
- Some types of potatoes that you can use are golden yukon potatoes, red potatoes, or new potatoes.
- Don't boil the potatoes too long! Potatoes that are boiled too soft can crumble when sautéed.
Step 3. Drain and cool the potatoes
Once the potatoes are finished boiling, immediately drain them using a slotted basket. Shake the basket to make sure no excess liquid remains, then let the potatoes sit in the basket for 5 minutes until they are dry in texture and cool.
Step 4. Heat the oil
While waiting for the potatoes to cool, pour in 4 to 6 tbsp. (60 to 90 ml) olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Heat the oil over medium heat until the surface looks glossy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
If you want, you can substitute olive oil for butter
Step 5. Put the potatoes in the pan and sauté for a few minutes
Once the oil is hot enough, put the diced potatoes in a non-overlapping position. Saute the potatoes for 1 minute, stirring occasionally so that they cook more evenly.
If your skillet is not large enough, you can sauté the potatoes in stages. Make sure the pan is not too full and the potatoes are not overlapping so that they cook more evenly
Step 6. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté the potatoes again until they turn golden on the surface
After the potatoes have been sautéed for a minute, add the 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped, to the skillet. Saute the potatoes again until the onions are cooked through and the potatoes are golden on all sides, about 4 to 6 minutes.
Adjust the amount of garlic to your taste. If you really like the taste of garlic, please increase the amount. If not, please reduce it
Step 7. Season the stir-fried potatoes with salt and pepper
Once the potatoes are golden in color, add a little kosher salt and ground black pepper to the pan to season the potatoes. Then, stir the potatoes again so that the seasoning can be spread more evenly.
Step 8. Reduce the heat and sauté the potatoes for a few minutes
Once the potatoes are seasoned, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking the potatoes for another 5 minutes or until they are really soft.
The potatoes are done when they can be pierced easily with a fork
Step 9. Transfer the potatoes to a serving plate and sprinkle the surface with chopped parsley
After the potatoes are cooked, immediately turn off the heat and transfer the potatoes to a serving plate. Then, sprinkle the surface of the potatoes with 3 tbsp. (11 grams) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, then serve the potatoes with your favorite protein dish!
If you want to sauté the potatoes before cooking any other food, make sure you place the cooked potatoes in the cookie sheet and place them in the oven on the lowest setting to keep them warm
Method 3 of 3: Baking Potatoes with Rosemary
Step 1. Preheat the oven
To make sure the potatoes bake perfectly, preheat the oven while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Set the oven to 220°C, and wait until it is really hot before using.
Step 2. Boil the potatoes in salt water
Place 1.4 kg of diced potatoes in a large saucepan. Then, pour cold water and kosher salt to taste in a saucepan and boil the potatoes over medium-high heat until boiling, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Yukon gold potatoes, red potatoes, and waxy/new potatoes (high-sugar and low-starch potatoes) are perfect options for making baked potatoes.
- If you wish, you can also boil the potatoes without salt.
- Potatoes should be slightly soft when drained.
Step 3. Drain the potatoes
Once boiling, immediately drain the potatoes using a slotted basket. Let the potatoes sit in the basket for 2 to 3 minutes until all the steam is out and they are completely dry in texture.
Step 4. Crush the rosemary leaves
To make baked potatoes, you will need to prepare 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Then, remove the rosemary leaves from the stems, and crush them using a mortar and pestle to release the aroma and flavor.
Don't have mortar and pestle? You can also crush the rosemary leaves with the help of the back of a spoon
Step 5. Heat the oil in a pan
Place a special baking sheet on the stove, then pour 59 ml of olive oil into it. Heat the oil over medium to high heat until the surface looks glossy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
If you want, you can also replace the olive oil with butter
Step 6. Combine potatoes, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper
Once the oil is hot, turn off the stove. Then, add the potatoes, mashed rosemary leaves, 5 cloves of garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Make sure the entire surface of the potato is well coated with oil.
Feel free to add any herbs or spices you want. In particular, thyme, oregano, parsley, dill, and/or dried red pepper are delicious options
Step 7. Bake the potatoes in the oven until they are crunchy in texture and turn golden brown in color
After brushing the potatoes with oil, immediately bake them in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until they are crispy in texture and golden in color.
Step 8. Serve the potatoes while they are warm
Once the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the oven and immediately transfer them to a plate or serving bowl. Potatoes can be served as a side dish while the temperature is still warm.
Delicious baked potatoes served with grilled chicken, roast pork or your favorite steak
Tips
- The process of cutting potatoes will be easier if you use a very sharp knife.
- In fact, cutting potatoes into cubes takes longer than chopping them roughly to be processed into mashed potatoes or other stew preparations. However, potatoes will definitely cook faster if they are cut into cubes of the same size and thickness.
