Saute Potatoes
Sauté means using a pan to cook uniformly cut pieces of food in a small amount of oil over high heat. The technique is used for cooking vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish. Experts consider sauteing a simple yet important cooking technique that lets cooks prepare dishes quickly. Here is how you can sauté potatoes.
Steps
- Clean 3 lbs. (1.4 kg) of medium-sized unpeeled potatoes.
- Put the whole potatoes in a cooking pot of salted, cold water.
- Boil the potatoes until they are nearly tender. This will take approximately 20 minutes.
- Drain the water from the potatoes. Let the hot potatoes cool slightly to avoid burning yourself when handling them.
- Peel the potatoes while still warm.
- Chop the potatoes into uniformly sized chunks.
- Pre-heat a non-stick frying pan. Choose a pan that is large enough so the potatoes won't be bunched together during cooking.
- Place a dry pan on a burner set to medium-high. Don't put oil or butter in the frying pan during pre-heating.
- The pan is ready for cooking when a few drops of water flicked onto the surface sizzle and evaporate.
- Add 4 tbsp. (60 ml) oil to the heated frying pan.
- Add 2 ounces (50 g) butter to the frying pan. Wait until the butter stops foaming.
- Add the potatoes to the frying pan in 1 layer.
- Sauté the potatoes at medium-high heat. The cooking time will be roughly 7 minutes.
- Turn or flip the potato pieces only after the bottoms begin to brown. Turn them all 2 or 3 times until they are golden brown on both sides.
- Transfer the cooked potatoes to a serving bowl using a slotted spoon. You may want to briefly drain the potatoes on paper towels to blot some of the oil before putting them in a bowl.
- Add ground black pepper and sea salt to taste. Sprinkle on 4 tbsp. (60 ml) of freshly chopped parsley if desired.
- Serve the sauteed potatoes.
Tips
- You can vary the flavor of sauteed potatoes by substituting beef drippings, bacon grease, or goose fat for the vegetable oil and butter.
- When sauteing any dish, you may have to adjust the amount of cooking fat to accommodate the pan dimensions. You should Sauté with just enough cooking fat to cover the pan bottom. This may not be the same amount that's called for in recipes.
Warnings
- Raise your pan off the heat for a moment if the pan starts smoking during cooking.
Things You'll Need
- Medium potatoes
- Cooking pot
- Water
- Salt
- Slotted spoon
- Potato peeler
- Knife
- Non-stick frying pan
- Vegetable oil
- Butter
- Serving bowl or platter
- Paper towels
- Black pepper
- Fresh parsley
