Hill House Writers

Recipes

The Recipes for all of the food prepared at Hill House will be available on line and in Justin's forthcomming cookbook: Hill House Recipes. Until the book is offered, however, we can provide recipes from some of our other favorite sources.

Care of Cooks Illustrated May, 2000

Home Fries at Home

Diced, precooked Yukon gold potatoes make terrific home fries when sauteed in a heavy skillet.

The challenge: Even truck-stop diners can go wrong when making home fries. The potatoes aren’t crisp, they’re greasy, they taste too bland or too spicy. We wanted to develop a recipe that produced potatoes with a crisp, deep golden brown crust and a tender, moist interior.

The solution: Clearly, we were not the only ones after potatoes with a crispy exterior and a tender interior. The recipes we consulted suggested several different ways of cooking or parcooking the potatoes to get them close to tender on the inside before subjecting them to fat in a hot skillet, where they were to brown. While most such methods resulted in overcooked potatoes that couldn’t hold their shape when finally fried, one worked like a charm. In this approach, the potatoes are diced, placed in a skillet, and covered with water. The water is then brought to a boil, at which point it is completely drained from the pan. This way the potatoes cook briefly—just enough—without having the chance to absorb water, which is what makes them susceptible to overcooking and breaking down.
Browning and crisping the potatoes, we learned, meant letting them sit undisturbed in hot fat. We found we had to let them sit for full four to five minutes before the first turn. A total of three or four more turns over another 10 to 15 minutes gave us delectably golden brown nuggets—otherwise known as home fries.

DINER-STYLE HOME FRIES
Serves 2 to 3

If you need to double this recipe, instead of crowding the skillet, cook two batches of home fries separately. While you make the second batch, the first can be kept hot and crisp by spreading them on a cookie sheet and placing them in a 300-degree oven. The paprika adds a warm, deep color, but can be omitted. An alternative is to toss in 1 tablespoon minced parsley just before serving the potatoes.

2 1/2 tablespoons corn or peanut oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
1 pound (2 medium) Yukon Gold or all-purpose potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon paprika
Ground black pepper

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer onion to small bowl and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, place diced potatoes in large saucepan, cover with 1/2 inch water, add 1 teaspoon salt, and place over high heat. As soon as water begins to boil, about 6 minutes, drain potatoes thoroughly in colander.

3. Heat butter and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until butter foams. Add potatoes and shake skillet to evenly distribute potatoes in single layer; make sure that one side of each piece is touching surface of skillet. Cook without stirring until potatoes are golden brown on bottom, about 4 to 5 minutes, then carefully turn potatoes with wooden spatula. Spread potatoes in single layer in skillet again and repeat process until potatoes are tender and browned on most sides, turning three to four times, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Add onions, paprika, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; stir to blend and serve immediately.

TECHNIQUE: Rough Dicing
First, slice a potato lengthwise into quarters.
Next , make two stacks and cut each stack lengthwise into quarters.
Finally, turn stacks 90 degrees and cut horizontally to complete dice.