Potatoes with Parsley

Pommes Persillade

Have you ever come across a recipe that you used to make all the time but it somehow got tucked away and forgotten for many years? I was looking for a side dish to make for our annual Bastille Day party and came across a "forgotten recipe" for Pommes Persillade (Potatoes with Parsley and Garlic). This recipe is standard fare on French bistro menus, uses only five ingredients and is elegant enough to serve for company. Although you can cut the potatoes by hand, using a French fry cutter helps speed the process and ensure uniform cubes and even cooking.


Pommes Persillade


3 large russet potatoes, peeled
Canola oil
Juice of half a lemon
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
Salt


Cut the potatoes into cubes. Keep the cubes into a bowl of cold water with a little squeeze of lemon to prevent the potatoes from discoloring.


Mix the parsley and garlic together to make the "persillade".


Heat about a quarter-inch in a deep skillet. Carefully pat the potatoes dry before adding some of them to the skillet in a single layer. Any water retaining on the potatoes will splatter when it hits the oil so be sure to dry them well.


Sauté the potatoes on high heat for 10 to 12 minutes until browned on all sides.


Remove the browned potatoes to a paper-towel lined bowl, salt immediately. Continue browning the rest of the potatoes, then remove the paper towel and toss the potatoes with the parsley-garlic mixture and additional salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.


Keep it French and do NOT serve the potatoes with ketchup! These taste particularly delicious with grilled Merguez sausage and little French Dijon mustard. Our favorite brand is the classic Amora mustard.