I was fortunate enough to know both of my grandmothers. Both of them were more than gifted when it came to the kitchen although it was in very different ways. My father's mother's regular cooking was never really to my taste. It was very Southern, and very WASPY, and just not what I was accustomed to. I've been assured that her fried chicken was incomparable, but I've never been a big fan of fried chicken so that would have been wasted on me. Same with her split pea soup. As a baker, though, no one could really compare with her. This is especially true when it comes to pastry. My mother's mother was never a baker. I literally don't think I can remember her ever making a dessert at home. For proper cooking, though, she was a veritable deity. I was fortunate enough to grow up more or less in her kitchen. She's the one who formed my tastes and ideas about food.
One dish she used to make on a more or less regular basis was what she called "home fries." Now, when I go to a restaurant and order home fries with brunch or whatever they bear no resemblance at all to my grandmother's home fries. They are tasty and involve potatoes but that's about it. My grandmother's home fries were whole potatoes, usually peeled, and sliced very thin. They were accompanied by fat and onion and, sometimes, salt. It is those potatoes that I still crave, and those home fries that inspired this dish. I wanted to make a starchy side to satisfy my husband's need for carbs after a particularly intense workout. I had all this duck fat left over, rendered from the duck recipe I posted yesterday. I wanted to add a little flavor to the dish, to tie the different dishes together a little better, so I added some chopped fresh rosemary. (Between the duck and the potatoes my poor rosemary bush is rather badly shorn, but it will grow back.) The potatoes were exactly what I wanted them to be, and you can't ask for more than that in a dish.
Rosemary Home Fries (serves 4; approx. cost per serving not available)
3 pounds potatoes, washed and very thinly sliced
About 8 tablespoons cooking fat - I used rendered duck fat from another recipe and duck fat matches very well with potatoes, but olive oil would be healthier
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 - 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped and divided
Equipment:
- Very large saute pan
- It may be helpful to have the lid to your pan nearby. I've never had the pan catch fire on me and I've never heard that my grandmother did either, but that doesn't mean it won't catch fire on you.
- Heat the fat in the saute pan until it is very hot.
- Add the potatoes. Fry until about half done.
- Add the onion and half the rosemary. Fry until the potatoes are entirely done to your desired degree of crispness. This involves careful attention, so make this the only dish you're focusing on right now.
- Transfer to the serving vessel and garnish with the remaining rosemary.
- Serve.
