This was a nice finding by Kenji ( click here if you want the whole detailed info ). The short story is by boiling your potatoes in alkaline water ( with baking soda), it breaks down the surface of the potatoes. I assume this is what happened when you parboil pretzel in water with baking soda and give that nice texture.
Depending on the variety of potatoes you use you will get different results. For instance, red potatoes will brown much faster on the outside but the inside will be creamy. Russet will remain white and be very very crispy. Yukon is in the middle and my favourites.
In any case, this recipe gives off amazing potatoes with very little effort so go ahead and try it!
You need :
- ~2 litre water
- 4g baking soda
- potatoes ( Yukon work best )
- 20g sea salt
- salt/pepper
- olive oil
- seasoning of your choice ( garlic, rosemary, parsley etc )
Instructions
- First, cut your potatoes into whichever shape/size you desire. Just make sure to cut them all about the same size so they cook evenly.
- Put the potatoes in a pot with the water and bring to a boil. Add the salt and baking soda and cook for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Drain the potatoes, cover with olive oil, put the cover back on and shake gently to cover all the potatoes in oil. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, season and bake for 20 minutes. Flip them over and season them with salt/pepper/minced garlic/etc. Cook for another ~30minutes until crispy