Corn ribs are a top-notch eating experience!! Seasoned juicy corn kernels and garlic butter bursting in your mouth with every bite in a way you’ll never get with whole corn cobs. Epic app or side dish, ideal for the BBQ or make these in your oven!

Corn ribs

Named as such because of the rib-like shape and the manner in which it is eaten (like ribs!), corn ribs are apparently a food trend that went nuts a couple of years ago. I’m so unfashionable when it comes to anything – food, fashion, or otherwise – I didn’t even realise this was a trend until I started writing this post today and did my usual obligatory Google research!

Also, truthfully, I find most food trends disappoint. This one, however, did not!

Why corn ribs are so good – It’s so much more than just the novelty factor of the curled corn. The beauty of cooking corn this way is that the kernels open up in a way they never do when you cook whole corn on the cob. So you can get your flavour of choice (seasoned garlic butter, in my case) to seep all the way into the cob. Which means every time you take a bite of corn kernels you get a squirt of the flavourful garlic butter in your mouth as well. It’s just insanely delicious!!

* Just to clarify, after a number of reader messages, you do NOT eat the cob! It gets soaked in the seasoned garlic butter and you sort of suck it out when you bite the kernels off the cob. It’s a delivery vehicle for flavour, not part of what you eat!

About these particular corn ribs

A lot of recipes seem to sparingly brush or sprinkle the corn ribs with oil and seasoning. I tried…but personally found it lacking and seemingly unworthy for a dish with such great eating potential.

Also, I’m not going to lie – cutting the corn takes more effort than slicing bread. (Read my steps, learn from my mistakes!). So if I’m cutting corn ribs, then the end result needs to be worth it!

So in the spirit of extra amazing-ness, these corn ribs are tossed in a generous amount of spicing (it will seem like too much – until the first bite), cooked (BBQ or oven) then doused in garlic butter which seeps into the kernels that open up like flowers as the corn ribs curl up.

Flavour before and after cooking makes it exponentially good. I promise you, this is worth making. I’m absolutely addicted!

What you need for corn ribs

Here’s what you need to make corn ribs. Firstly, corn. Yes, corn! 😂

Whole corn on the cob. At its prime in summer, albeit the mild climate here in Australia means we get good corn year round, and generally for very good value too.

And for all the flavour…

• Seasoning – smoked paprika (or plain), garlic powder, salt and pepper. For tossing the corn. There’s a generous amount for the amount of corn because so much of it gets stuck on the cut side of the corn! Trust me on this. You want a LOT of seasoning!

• Garlic and butter – for dousing at the end. Dream of all that butter seeping in between the kernels….

• Parsley, coriander/cilantro, chives or something else green finely chopped, for optional garnish.

How to make corn ribs

After suffering through more corn rib cutting grievances than I care to confess (how did that tiny girl cut those corn ribs on TikTok??🤯), I think I’ve figured out the easiest and safest method that doesn’t call for brute strength.

(PS That tiny girl did not show cutting her own corn ribs on TikTok… #cynic!)

Cutting corn ribs

Heads up – If you’re a first timer, you’ll probably end up with some crooked and broken pieces. I’ve had considerable practice and I still end up with broken ribs every now and then. So what? Still delicious!

1. Knife – Use a large sharp knife. Don’t attempt this recipe if your knife is blunt! The risk of the knife slipping as you cut the corn is just too great. Not even corn ribs are worth losing a finger for!

   Non-slip cutting board – Put a wet cloth or similar under your cutting board to ensure it does not move. I always have a wet chux under my cutting board before cutting anything. First thing I do when I walk into the kitchen!

2. Trim ends – Cut the base and end off the corn. This will create a stable flat base to stand the corn upright. And it’s easier to cut straight down if you create a flat top to start the knife on, rather than a pointy end. Trial and error discovery.

3. Bang knife to cut down – Stand the corn upright. ⚠️ DO NOT HOLD THE CORN with your hand under the knife. This is dangerous as the knife jerks down through the corn as it cuts down. Again – a corn rib is not worth your finger!!

   Hold the knife with one hand then use your other hand to hit the knife so it catches on the top of the corn. Then keep banging the knife to make it move down the middle of the corn, guiding it and making little adjustments if needed to keep it on track to cut straight down the middle.

   TIP: The sharper your knife and fresher the corn, the easier it is to cut straight and without the corn breaking.
   

4. Cut into quarters – Take one half of the corn. Stand it upright, then cut it in half.

   PS I know you’re thinking “gee, surely it’s easier if you lie the corn cut face down then cut in half!”. It’s not. Go ahead and give it a try. I certainly did!

5. Congratulations! You’ve just cut your first corn rib! 🎉

   Too hard? Broken / wonky corn? So what? It’s still going to be delicious! But if it’s proving too hard for you, try the easier method in step 6 below.

6. Easier method – It’s easier to cut corn into ribs if they are shorter. So cut the corn in half, stand it upright, then cut into quarters using the method above.

Seasoning & cooking corn ribs

1. Season corn – Using a large bowl, toss the corn ribs with oil first. Then sprinkle over the seasoning progressively as you toss. This helps coat the corn more evenly.

2. Garlic butter – Melt the butter in a small skillet or saucepan then add the garlic and stir for just 20 seconds. Keep the butter warm/pourable while you cook the corn – usually I just pop it on the side of the BBQ.

3. Cook corn – Preheat the BBQ on high. Then cook the corn kernels side down for 6 to 8 minutes or until it has black spots. Watch the corn curl into “ribs”!

4. Turn and cook each cut side for just 1 minute. There’s loads of flavour on the cut face so don’t skip cooking it because everyone is going to be sucking out the buttery goodness from the cobs!

5. Butter it! Place the cooked corn back in the bowl, pour over the garlic butter and toss using a rubber spatula.

6. Serving – Pile the corn onto a platter, sprinkle with parsley or coriander/cilantro and extra paprika if desired. Then serve!

Sauce for corn ribs

As I ranted on at the start, this method of cooking corn means the cobs soak up all the seasoned garlic butter, so there’s stacks of juicy flavour in every bite. So if you’re serving these hot and fresh, there is absolutely no need for sauce.

However! If you are a sauce person (I get it), or if you are making a huge pile of these ahead to serve as apps and want to pep them up a bit by providing a sauce, here are some sauce options:

• Creamy Sriracha Dipping sauce – (mayo + yogurt + sriracha or ketchup). The freshness of the yogurt pairs well with the buttery goodness and sweetness of the corn. Recipe is in the notes of the recipe card.

• Avocado Sauce – dead set perfect match with the seasoning on this corn! Also, corn plus avocado = 💯

• Plain ketchup or Aussie tomato sauce.

• Chipotle mayo – Blitz chipotle in adobo with sour cream + mayo. Add lime and salt to taste.

• Thousand Island / Marie Rose – recipes here.

If you’re a corn rib first timer and you make this, you must tell me what you think!! I need to know it’s not just me who lost her mind over corn ribs!! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Corn ribs

Recipe video above. Cutting the corn can be a bit daunting for first timers. But the eating experience is 100% worth it, I promise! Seasoned garlic butter plus juicy corn kernels bursting in your mouth with every bite, in a way you'll never get with whole corn – because the butter never really stays on the corn, does it??!

PS Seasoning before you cook then dousing with garlic butter is essential for sheer amazingness you never thought possible from a vegetable.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Western

Keyword corn riblets, corn ribs

Servings 16 ribs

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 4 whole corn cobs
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp parsley or coriander/cilantro , roughly chopped (optional garnish)

Seasoning:

• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or ordinary), plus more for garnish if desired
• 2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 2 tsp black pepper

Garlic butter:

• 50g/ 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 garlic clove , finely minced

Instructions

Corn cutting (Note 1 tips!):

• Cut corn – Using a sharp knife and a non-slip cutting board, cut off the base and the pointy end of the corn. Stand the corn upright then cut the corn into half then half again to make quarters. My way: Bang the knife with your hand to lock it into the top of the corn, then keep hitting the knife to move it down the corn. Halfway, you might be able to stop banging and just rock the knife down.
• Easiest method – Cut half length ribs. Shorter ribs = easier to cut. See note 2.

Cooking:

• BBQ (best!) or oven – Heat BBQ on high or oven 200°C/375°F (180°C fan).
• Garlic butter – Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Then add the garlic and cook for 20 seconds until it smells amazing! Remove from the stove and keep warm/liquid (I usually put it on the side of the BBQ).
• Seasoning – mix in a small bowl.
• Season corn – Place corn in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil. Then sprinkle the seasoning over gradually, tossing in between, to coat as evenly as possible. Most will get stuck in the cob – tasty "bone" sucking!
• BBQ – Place corn on the BBQ kernel side down. Cook for 8 minutes or until you get charred spots – watch it curl into "ribs"! Then cook each cut side for 1 minute.
• Oven – Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, kernel side up. (Note: the corn doesn't curl as much, also, no charred spots).
• Butter it – Transfer corn back into the bowl. Pour over garlic butter and toss.
• Serve – Pile onto plate, sprinkle with parsley then grab and eat like ribs! Optional pink sauce pictured in notes. Don't forget to suck all the seasoned garlic butter from the cob "bone" – it might be the best part.

Notes

1. Corn cutting safety notes! Put a wet cloth under the cutting board to make it non-slip. Use a sharp kitchen knife. If yours is blunt, don’t make this – it’s too risky. Make whole corn instead. Do NOT hold the corn upright with your hand under the knife. The knife jerks down fast when you cut down – you don’t want to lose a finger!

Corn breakage? Doesn’t matter! Still delicious

2. Easier method – Cut shorter ribs. Lie the corn on its side and cut it in half to create 2 shorter pieces. Then stand upright and cut into quarters. Much easier than cutting full length corns!

3. Pictured creamy Sriracha Sauce – 2 tsp sriracha + 1/4 cup each mayo + yogurt (or just yogurt) + pinch of salt.

4. Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Don’t think freezing is ideal, feel like there will be too much loss of quality.

Nutrition per rib (recipe makes 16 ribs).

Life of Dozer

Seriously wondering if he’s surrounded by food.

(Autumn leaves is a new thing to him – we didn’t really have deciduous trees in the Northern Beaches. But they’re abundant in the new area we call home!)

The post Corn Ribs – your new favourite way with corn appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Purple rice is a garlicky, butter rice side that owes its vibrant colour to red cabbage! Love this 2-in-1 that combines starch plus plenty of vegetables in one dish, rather than making a salad plus a starch separately. Goes with everything – Western, Asian, Mediterranean, Indian, Mexican!

Purple rice

You know those nights when you feel all smug because you got ahead on the weekend and marinated some chicken so you could whip up a “quick dinner” during the week, only to realise you didn’t plan for sides to fill out the meal?

Well, today’s recipe is just the sort of thing that will save you. It’s one of those side dishes I call a two-in-one because it includes plenty of vegetables as well as a starch to fill out the meal. As opposed to making two sides, like mashed potato plus a garden salad.

What it tastes like: Buttery and garlicky, and very mild cabbage flavour actually which will appeal to people who don’t jump up and down at the mention of cabbage for dinner. Bonus: it’s such a fun colour!!!

Ingredients in purple rice

Here’s what you need to make this colourful, veg loaded rice!

• Jasmine rice – I like using jasmine rice in this dish because you get that lovely subtle fragrance.

  Other rice – the recipe will work with long grain rice, medium grain rice and basmati rice, though you will need an extra 1/4 cup of water or vegetable stock/broth. This is because jasmine rice requires less liquid to cook than other varieties of rice (more on this in my plain jasmine rice recipe!).

  The recipe is not suited to brown rice, arborio/risotto rice, paella rice, wild rice or faux rice (cauliflower rice, quinoa etc) as the cook times and methods differ so I’d need to alter the recipe.

• Red cabbage – Also called purple cabbage, this is what gives the rice the vibrant purple hue! You can use plain ole’ green cabbage if you want, but where’s the fun in that?? 😎

• Garlic and onion – Flavour base aromatics. You will adore the butter garlic flavour in this rice!

• Butter – As above, for promised buttery flavour! You’ll be surprised how buttery it tastes even though we’re only using 30 grams / 2 tablespoons of butter.

• Vegetable stock – The rice cooking liquid, tastier than water! Use low sodium stock. If yours is full salt, skip the salt in the recipe.

• Salt and pepper – Seasoning for the rice.

• Green onion – For fresh garnish at the end, though I wouldn’t say it’s critical.

How to make purple rice

One big, fat rice-making rule that applies to ANY rice you cook: DO NOT STIR, DO NOT PEEK once your put the lid on the pot! Unless, of course, you like your rice unevenly cooked, gluey and mushy. 🤷🏻‍♀️

1. Use a large saucepan or small pot, around the size of mine which is 28cm/11″. If you use a saucepan that is too small (~20cm/8″) then the rice-cabbage mixture will be too deep which will cause the rice to cook unevenly.

   Sauté the garlic and onion in the butter until it smells amazing / onion is translucent. Then cook the cabbage for a few minutes until it starts to soften (rather than being stiff and pokey). Don’t let it get completely wilted and soft because it will cook more with the rice.

2. Add rice and stir to coat in the garlic butter.

3. Add stock then scrape down the sides and push the cabbage-rice under the surface of the liquid, as best you can. The main thing is that you want all the rice under the liquid. A few grains poking above the surface will be fine, they will steam-cook.

4. Cook 12 minutes – Bring the liquid to a simmer, then put the lid on and lower the heat to medium low, or low if your burner is very strong. Leave to cook undisturbed for 12 minutes. Do not lift the lid to peek and most definitely do not stir! That will disrupt the rice cooking and you’ll end up with unevenly cooked rice that’s mushy and gluey.

   Check – At the 12 minute mark, working quickly, remove the lid and tilt the saucepan to ensure all the liquid has been absorbed. If it has not, leave it on the stove for another minute or two.

5. Rest 10 minutes – Remove the saucepan from the stove with the lid still on and rest for 10 minutes. Never skip the rice resting step! The rice will finish cooking and the liquid on the surface of each rice grain gets absorbed = fluffy rice.

6. Fluff then serve, garnished with a sprinkle of green onion!

What to serve with purple rice

This cabbage rice is fairly neutral flavoured, with a lovely buttery, garlic flavour. Which means it will go with pretty much any dish, and any cuisine, both Western and Asian.

While the possibilities are endless, here’s a starting point for you – some quick mains that I’d serve alongside purple rice:

Crispy Garlic Chicken Thighs

Killer Lemon Butter Sauce for Fish

Chicken Rissoles (chicken patties!)

Garlic Prawns (Shrimp)

Salmon Patties

Greek Chicken

Sesame Crusted Tofu Steaks

Asian Glazed Baked Barramundi recipe

Ayam Goreng (Malaysian Fried Chicken)

And of course, it goes without saying that your purple rice will taste even better if you serenade it with Prince’s Purple Rain while it’s steaming on the stove. 🎶 Go on, do it. You know I did!! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Purple rice

Recipe video above. Purple rice is a garlicky, butter rice side that owes its vibrant colour to red cabbage! Love this 2-in-1 that combines starch plus plenty of vegetables in one dish, rather than making a salad plus a starch separately.

Goes with everything – Western, Asian, Mediterranean, Indian, Mexican!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Western

Keyword cabbage and rice, purple cabbage recipe, purple rice

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Rice resting 10 minutes

Servings 5

Calories 206cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1/2 onion , finely diced
• 3 cups finely shredded red cabbage (tightly packed)
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt (kosher salt)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup jasmin rice , no need to rinse or soak (Note 1 for other rice)
• 1 1/4 cup vegetable stock , low sodium (or chicken stock or water + 1 stock cube- Note 2)

Garnish, optional:

• 1/4 cup green onion , finely chopped

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Melt butter in a large saucepan or small pot over medium heat. (Note 3)
• Sauté veg – Cook onion and garlic for 1 minute until soft. Add cabbage, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the cabbage starts to soften but not completely floppy (as it will cook more with the rice).
• Coat rice – Add rice and stir well to coat in the flavour.
• Add the vegetable stock. Scrape down the sides and press the cabbage-rice mixture down so all the rice is submerged.
• Cook 12 minutes – Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid, turn the stove down to medium low (or low on a stronger burner) and cook for 12 minutes. Do not peek or stir!
• Rest 10 minutes – Turn off the heat, remove the saucepan from the stove and let to rest for another 10 minutes (with the lid on).
• Fluff & serve – Use a rubber spatula or rice paddle to fluff the rice then tumble into a serving dish. Sprinkle with green onion and serve!

Notes

1. Rice types – Recipe will also work with long grain, basmati and medium grain rice BUT you need to increase the stock by 1/4 cup (60ml), because jasmine rice needs slightly less liquid to cook through. (See plain jasmine rice recipe for more info.)

Rinsing – Not required to prevent rice from being mushy because this recipe uses the right water-to-rice-ratio for jasmine rice (which is 1 cup rice to 1 1/4 cups water). Most recipes get it wrong = mushy rice. Also no need to rinse to clean the rice if it was purchased in a packet at the supermarket as it will be clean. If you do need to wash the rice to clean it then shake excess water off very well and reduce stock by 2 tablespoons (to account for waterlogged rice).

2. Liquid – stock will make this rice tastier. If using using water, add 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube (dissolved) or 1 tsp stock powder.

3. Cooking vessel size matters! Use a large saucepan, mine is 28cm/11″ wide, use one around this size. Don’t make this in a small one (~20cm/8″ wide) because the rice-cabbage mixture will be too deep for the rice cook evenly.

4. Leftover rice will keep for 2 days. Freezing will work but the cabbage will go a tad watery though if you toss through well this shouldn’t be a problem.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 206cal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 486mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 928IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

What do you think – will he spit it out?? 😂

The post Purple rice (red cabbage rice) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Mashed Potato Casserole is an outrageously delicious yet highly practical way to make mashed potato ahead of time! A layer of cheese and bacon prevents the mash from drying out as it reheats in the oven, while transforming this humble side into something extra-devilish and decadent. Oh the power of cheese (plus bacon)!

Make it fresh, or assemble ahead and reheat when required. Serve in place of plain ole’ mash.

Make-ahead mashed potato

With the holidays fast approaching, I thought it would be timely to share my favourite way to make mashed potato ahead of time.

The thing with make-ahead mash is that you cannot simply reheat it in the microwave or oven. You might think a splash of milk and good stir is all it takes to restore it. But I can tell you that’s the path to a mouthful of gluey horridness.

While there are nifty ways to reheat cold mashed potato successfully*, a big dish of creamy Mashed Potato Casserole takes the prize for the most foolproof-yet-show-stopping way I know! It also wins the prize for the lowest effort on the day-of because you literally just pop the pre-assembled dish into the oven. It’s a win-win, 10/10 – nothing could be more fitting for your holiday feast menu!!

* How I reheat plain mashed potato: Cold mash in hot cream (recipe here, but note it’s more work on the day) or in heavy duty piping bags submerged in boiling water, a trick caterers use (see my demo here on Instagram).

Is there such a thing as too much bacon??

Confession: I think I was a little heavy-handed with the bacon in the photos while being a tad short on the stuff for the recipe video!! So the recipe card as written is a happy medium. 😊

But actually, looking at the photo below, it does look pretty enticing with almost full bacon coverage on the surface. And … is there even such a thing as too much bacon?? (Yeah nah)

What you need for Mashed Potato Casserole

Here’s what you need to make Mashed Potato Casserole:

• Potato – Floury and all-rounder potatoes work best to achieve a fluffy yet creamy mash without fussing with potato ricers and other gadgets.
  – Australia: the cheap dirt-brushed potatoes sold everywhere (called Sebago) are ideal
  – US: Russet
  – UK: Maris Piper

• Milk – Our liquid to loosen the potato up to form mash. If making ahead, we add extra (see How To Make section for more).

• Sour cream – I prefer using sour cream rather than cream in mashed potato casserole because the slight tang makes a nice counterpoint to all the other richness going on here (butter, cheese, bacon). It doesn’t make it sour in the least. It sort of adds creaminess into the mash without adding cloying richness. Does that makes sense??

• Butter – Mash without butter is not mash. #strongopinions!

• Cheese – I use a combination: Mozzarella for excellent melty-cheesy-stretchiness. Then Red Leicester for flavour (it’s savoury and a bit sharp, like aged cheddar), and to add a lovely orange hue to the mash surface. If you’re in the States, your orange cheddar is ideal here.

  Otherwise, use any melting cheese you like (colby and Monterey Jack are other personal favourites). If you opt to use mozzarella as your main cheese, add a handful of parmesan for flavour because mozzarella alone is actually quite bland and lacks saltiness.
  Shred your own – One of my five non-negotiable rules stated loudly on the first page of my cookbook is, “Always shred your own cheese”! Store-bought pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agents which prevent it from melting as well as freshly-grated. I use a standard box grater for the work.
  Pack your cups of cheese – For consistency I prefer weight over volume to measure cheese. So I’ll weigh a hunk of cheese before grating it. But if you are using cup measures, be sure to pack your cups tightly when measuring the shredded cheese otherwise you will be short. Nobody wants to be short on cheese, ever!

• Bacon – For sprinkling over the casserole surface. Note: I always use streaky bacon. Because fat = flavour! Also, fatty bacon crisps up and colours better, without drying out.

• Green onion – For a touch of oniony freshness and colour.

How to make Mashed Potato Casserole

No rocket science here. We make mash, spread it into a casserole dish, top with cheese, bacon and then stop here if making ahead. Finally, on the day of your do, bake it!

1. Cut potatoes – Peel and cut the potatoes into even sized pieces.

2. Boil until soft – Place the potatoes in cold salted water. Bring it up to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat down to medium high or medium so it is simmering rapidly. Cook for 15 minutes (no lid) or until the potatoes are very soft. They should fall apart when you jab it with a fork.

3. Mash – Drain the potatoes well in a colander and pour them back into the empty pot. Mash with the butter, milk, sour cream and salt.

   MAKE-AHEAD ADJUSTMENT – If you are making this dish with the intention of serving it the next day, then add an extra 2/3 cup milk. The mash will seem too loose, but this is intentional. It is to factor in the fact that mashed potato firms up when refrigerated overnight. So once reheated, it has the same consistency as when it is freshly made!

   Potato masher – I like to use a potato masher that is like a round disc with holes in it, as pictured above. It’s the fastest and most effective tool for a smooth mash without using a potato ricer (which I reserve just for Paris Mash, when seeking that next-level-luxe, ultra-smooth, 3-Michelin-restaurant result!).

4. Spread in a casserole dish.

5. Top with the cheeses and bacon. (Yes you eagle-eyed spotters, I was short on bacon for these shots 😂)
   For make ahead – At this stage, the assembled dish can be popped in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just take it out of the fridge 2 hours ahead so it has time to de-chill. This will make it reheat faster and more evenly in the oven.

6. Cover with foil then bake for 20 minutes at 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan), if freshly made. Add an extra 15 minutes if you’re reheating a make-ahead casserole you prepared the day before.

7. Uncover – Remove from the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes until bubbly and golden.

8. Voila, ready to serve! Crack through that molten cheese surface and marvel at how creamy the mash underneath is!

How to serve Mashed Potato Casserole

This is a dish designed to be a side. (I know we can all picture it moonlighting as a standalone dish after a big night on the turps or a shocking day at work, but it’s meant to take the place of traditional plain mashed potato, I swear.) Because actually, though this has cheese and bacon on it, underneath is all creamy plain mashed potato.

So place it on the table or on the buffet alongside the mains and let everybody dig in and help themselves! Try to get in first though. Because you know full well the first in line are going to take more than their fair share of that cheese bacon topping – and we know full well we also cannot blame them….. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Mashed Potato Casserole

Recipe video. This is an outrageously delicious yet highly practical way to make mashed potato ahead of time! A layer of cheese and bacon prevents the creamy mash from drying out as it reheats in the oven, while transforming this humble side into something extra-devilish and decadent. Oh the power of cheese (plus bacon)!

Make it fresh, or assemble ahead and reheat when required. Serve in place of plain ole' mash.

Course Potatoes, Side Dish

Cuisine Western

Keyword mashed potato bake, mashed potato casserole

Servings 10 – 12

Calories 333cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1.75kg/ 3.5 lb potatoes (Sebago (Aus), Russet (US), Maris Piper / King Edwards (UK)(Note 1)
• 1 tbsp cooking / kosher salt , for cooking potatoes
• 2/3 cup milk (preferably full fat/whole milk but lite ok)
• 2/3 cup EXTRA milk , for make-ahead option only (Note 2)
• 75g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 1cm / 1/2″ cubes
• 1/2 cup sour cream (or yogurt), full fat best
• 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt , or to taste
• 1 1/2 cups (tightly packed) mozzarella , freshly shredded (Note 3)
• 1 cup (tightly packed) Red Leicester, cheddar or other flavoured cheese(Note 3)
• 200g / 6 oz bacon (streaky), chopped (Note 4)
• 1/4 cup green onion , finely sliced

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Cook bacon:

• Place bacon in a cold non-stick pan over medium heat (no oil). As the pan heats up the bacon fat will melt. Once you see some melted bacon fat, turn the heat up to medium high and stir for 3 minute or until golden.
• Drain on paper towels.

Mash:

• Potatoes – Peel then cut into 3cm /1" chunks.
• Boil – Place in a large pot and cover with water so it’s 10cm / 4” above the potatoes. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat so it’s simmering rapidly. Cook 15 minutes or until potatoes are very soft (jab with fork to test, they should fall apart).
• Drain well, then return into pot. Leave for 1 minute, shaking pot every now and then, to encourage evaporation of water.
• Mash – Add milk (including EXTRA milk if making-ahead), butter, sour cream and 1 tsp salt. Mash until smooth. (Do not use food processor, blender or beater, makes it gluey!)

Make-ahead directions:

• Fridge – Allow to fully cool on the counter then cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate.
• Dechill – Take out onto counter 2 hours prior to reheating.

Assemble:

• Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan).
• Spread the potato in a 2 litre / 2 quart baking dish (Note 5). Smooth the surface.
• Sprinkle – Sprinkle potato with the cheeses, then bacon.
• Bake covered – Cover loosely with foil. Bake for 20 minutes covered (if freshly made) or 35 minutes (make-ahead option).
• Bake uncovered – Remove foil then bake a further 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
• Serve – Sprinkle with green onion then serve! It stays warm for a good 20 minutes thanks to that protective layer of cheese. Oh, the powers of cheese!

Notes

1. Potatoes – Any starchy or all-rounder potatoes suitable for making mash will work great.

2. Extra milk for make-ahead option makes the mash looser to factor in that mash firms up when refrigerated. This is the amount required so that the reheated dish ends up with the same consistency as when it was freshly made!

3. Cheeses – Mozzarella for excellent melting qualities, plus Red Leicester or US cheddar for colour and flavour (sub with other cheese of choice like colby, gruyere, Swiss, tasty).

SHRED YOUR OWN for the best result! Store-bought pre-shredded is coated with anti-caking agents so it doesn’t melt as well.

PACK your cups tightly when measuring shredded cheese, else you’ll be short. And nobody wants to be short on cheese, ever!

4. Bacon – You need to use streaky/fatty bacon to use this no-oil method of cooking bacon. If you use lean bacon, you will need to preheat oil. I know which option I prefer!

5. Dish – A 2 litre / 2 quart baking dish is the ideal size, it will be filled to the brim. A 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ dish (3L/3 qt) works fine too – will be filled about 2/3 of the way up.

6. Make-head – Keeps for 3 days in the fridge, uncooked, fully assembled except for the green onion. Be sure to take it out of the fridge 2 hours prior to reheating to take the chill out of the it so it reheats more evenly.

Freezing – A former team member reported excellent results freezing the assembled dish, thawing then reheating. But I never tried it myself – I will come back and update if (no, when!) I do.

Leftovers will keep for 3 days, but the mash won’t be as creamy. Consider using it to make mashed potato cakes instead!

7. Nutrition per serving assuming 12 servings, as part of a larger banquet.

Nutrition

Calories: 333cal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1057mg | Potassium: 668mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 478IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

People have been wondering how Jeff is, our friendly local who lives at my local dog park (Bayview, in Sydney’s northern beaches), an official RecipeTin taste tester. He is doing well! This is how I start every weekend – coffee for Jeff, a ham and cheese croissant for his dog Cubby (sometimes Jeff gets a bite) and Dozer, waiting for scraps – until he gives up and gallops down to the beach to join his mates in the water!

Photo captured by Kevin of Unleashed Northern Beaches, a local photographer. Wonderful gift idea: voucher for a private pooch photo shoot!

The post Make-ahead Mashed Potato Casserole appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Finally, here it is – The perfect french fries recipe! Based on a ground-breaking method from the legendary Kenji López-Alt’s The Food Lab, these hot chips are so crispy they stay that way even after they’ve gone cold. It’s rare to find fries this good even at up-market bistros!

No false promises – these french fries really stay crisp!

There’s nothing more deflating than going to all the effort of making your own fries from scratch, only to find they start losing crispiness before they even hit the table. Which is what happens if you use the standard way of cooking homemade fries – soaking in water followed by a double fry.

Well, it’s taken me years but with the help of the impressively thorough french fry research documented in Kenji López-Alt’s The Food Lab, Chef JB and I have finally nailed down the recipe for the perfect homemade french fries. Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside – and stays crispy well beyond the time it takes to eat the fries and, say, a big juicy Cheeseburger. The ideal french fry!

Really, the crispiness endurance is insane. These french fries are still crispy even after they’ve gone cold!

Heads up – this post is quite long because I cover the “why” and also want to arm French fry first-timers with the confidence to make this recipe. So if you’re a pro, skip to the recipe , recipe video or better yet, Dozer!

French fries recipe overview

1. Cut fries with a serrated knife (secret crispiness tip #1)

2. No soaking, just rinse

3. Gently simmer 10 minutes in vinegar water (secret crispiness tip #2! And no, you can’t taste vinegar)

4. Shallow-fry twice

Skip to the Recipe | Video | Dozer

Background: Rethinking the french fry method

The conventional way of making french fries involves firstly soaking the raw fries in water followed by a double fry. This was (still is?) the way students were taught at cookery school and is still the default method used by many restaurants and pubs.

This method will yield crispy fries when they are piping hot, straight out of the fryer. But the first problem is that within minutes, before they even hit the table, they start to lose crispiness. I also found this classical method is heavily dependent on the potato. You get varying levels of crispiness depending on the potato quality and even season, as the starch / sugar levels of potatoes vary throughout the year. This is true even if you use the ideal variety of potato.

Well, this won’t-stay-crispy problem and unpredictability just won’t cut it anymore. So, old school method ditched. It’s time to look at modern methods with better and more reliable results!

Actually it’s not just me. Times have changed generally and restaurants around the world use all sorts of methods these days in pursuit of the ultimate crispy French fries. Some go to extreme lengths like triple or quadruple frying, overnight resting, or frying in pure beef drippings.

But we don’t need to dabble in any such tedious restaurant kitchen shenanigans. This method I’m sharing today is one that any home cook can do. It is adapted from Kenji Lopez-Alt’s french fries recipe from his iconic cookbook The Food Lab. It’s not particularly technical. But you do need to be comfortable frying in oil. That said, in this recipe we only shallow fry and not deep fry – always a bonus!

What you need

Here’s all you need to make your crispy french fry dreams a reality. Yep, this is all!

• Potato – The type is important. Starchy, floury potatoes are the potatoes you need for crispy fries.

  • Australia: Sebago (the common dirty brushed potatoes you see everywhere)

  • US: Russet (also known as Idaho potatoes)

  • UK: Maris Piper or King Edward.

• Vinegar – For simmering the potatoes, it is one secret weapon for perfect fries. There is no trace of vinegar flavour once cooked. See Step 4 below for the why.

• Salt – For seasoning the water so the potatoes are seasoned all the way through.

• Oil – For frying. I use vegetable or canola oil which are neutrally-flavoured oils. Re-using the oil: The oil can be re-used 3 to 4 times, or more. It won’t even need to be strained. Just cool, pour into jars and keep in the pantry, and have a browse in this recipe collection to decide what to make next!

How to make stay-crispy French fries

To get ahead or cook big batches, make the fries up to the end of Fry #1, cool then freeze until you’re ready to cook. Then do Fry #2 from frozen. Handy!

1. Cut fries

First, we have to cut our fries. A neat little crispy fries trick you may not have seen before: use a serrated knife to cut the potatoes. Though not visible to the eye, it makes the surface rougher therefore creating more surface area to crisp up = crispier fries!

What size to cut the fries: 6 mm / 1/4″ batons is the ideal size for optimum crispiness and fluffy insides. Thicker = less crispy. Thinner = not enough fluffiness inside.

How to slice: Cut a whole potato into 6 mm / 1/4″ thick slices. Stack 2 or 3 slices then cut into 6 mm / 1/4″ thick batons.

2. Keep in water to prevent browning

Keep cut fries in water to prevent them from browning as you continue cutting. No soaking time is actually required. A simple rinse followed by simmering the potatoes in vinegar water takes care of this for us.

3. Rinse

Once all the fries are cut, place in a colander then rinse under tap water for 15 – 20 seconds. This is the first step to remove excess sugars from the surface of the potatoes (more on the “why” of this below, but in short it’s to aid crispiness – of course!). Meanwhile, the insides remain untouched by water so they’ll cook up nice and fluffy.

4. Cook in vinegar water = superior crispiness

Once the potatoes are rinsed, place them in a pot with cold tap water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil on high heat then immediately turn down to low so the surface is barely rippling. Cook for 10 minutes. See below for the “why” for this step!

What is the purpose of cooking in vinegar water?

This is the really clever part, a no-extra-effort step discovered by Kenji Lopez-Alt from Serious Eats which makes all the difference. There’s a lot of technical science behind the why, but in a nutshell:

• Simmering the fries in water washes away the excess sugars that can cause the fries to brown too much before they have a chance to properly crisp up when frying

• The water also activates the starches in the potato. Starch, when fried, is what creates that crispy surface we want!

• Meanwhile adding acid (the vinegar) to the water prevents the potatoes from disintegrating for the 10 minute simmering time required. (Like how tart Granny Smith apples don’t turn into baby food mush when cooked whereas sweet red apples do.)

In case you are wondering, yes I tried variations like no-vinegar, shorter and longer cooking times, rapid boil versus gentle simmering. The vinegar water simmering method for 10 minutes works. Don’t skip it or shortcut it!

5. Drain and dry

Use a spider or large slotted spoon to remove the potatoes from the water into a colander. Then carefully spread the potatoes out on two tea towel-lined trays to steam dry for 5 minutes. No need to pat them dry, the residual heat will do the job for us.

6. Cooking vessel and oil

• Cooking vessel – Use a heavy-based, large pot that is at least 10 cm / 4″ deep. We need:

  • Oil depth – 3 cm / 1.2″ of oil (1 litre/quart for the pictured 24cm / 10″ pot). It’s barely deep-frying, it’s more like shallow-frying!

  • Safety headroom – 7 cm / 2.8″ headroom above the surface of the oil for safety purposes as the oil bubbles up quite a lot when we fry. ⚠️ THIS IS IMPORTANT! Oil overflow is a real risk if you do not do this. It’s scary and dangerous, as I found out first hand! Learn from my mistakes. ☺️

• Oil temperature – Preheat the oil to 205°C/400°F. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature. I use a Thermapen, see my Essential Kitchenwares post for more details.

7. Fry #1

⚠️ IMPORTANT: For safety reasons, please follow the directions to pause 10 seconds between adding batches of more potato into the oil! As you can see in the photos below, the oil bubbles up quite high and vigorously as soon as you add some potato. If you add all the potato in one go, the oil will bubble up even higher and faster, which is risky. I’m speaking from first hand experience here!

• Cook the fries in 3 batches – Separate the cooked potatoes into 3 even piles (batches). We will be doing Fry #1 in three batches in a 24 cm / 10″ pot. If your pot is larger or smaller, adjust the number of batches accordingly so all the fries in one batch can float in a single layer in the oil.

• Add 1/3 of Batch #1 – Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully add 1/3 of the first batch into the oil.

• ⚠️ WAIT 10 seconds then add another 1/3 of batch #1. Pausing before adding more fries is important to ensure the oil doesn’t bubble up too high. Use this time to load up, ready to add more fries.

• Repeat – Wait 10 seconds, then add the final 1/3 of Batch #1.

• Fry 50 seconds – Once all the fries are in, start the timer and fry for 50 seconds, moving the fries around once or twice.

8. Cool 30 minutes

Remove the fries from the oil using a slotted spoon and spread onto a paper towel-lined tray in a single layer. They will be pale and not yet crispy.

Carry out Fry #1 for the remaining two batches using the same staggered approach (ie. 1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3) within each batch. Ensure the oil is back at 205°C/400°F before starting each batch. Then cool all the fries for 30 minutes on some paper towel-lined trays.

9. Fry #2 – crisp them up!

After cooling the fries, heat the oil to 205°C/400°F again. Now fry half all the french fries for 4 minutes until they are a gorgeous golden colour and wonderfully crispy.

Remove with a slotted spoon into a large paper towel-lined bowl then repeat with the remaining fries.

Why a bowl instead of tray to hold the fries? A bowl keeps the cooked fries warmer whilst still allowing for oil drainage. This way the first batch you cook will still be hot by the time you finish cooking the second batch. The bowl also doubles as a suitable tossing vessel once sprinkled with your favourite seasoning, as you’ll see later!

How to cook lots of fries and serve them all hot? Completed fries can be flash-fried for an extra 30 seconds to 1 minute to reheat. This way you can serve up all the fries piping hot!

10. Seasoning!

Now that your fries are done, sprinkle with salt or your favourite fries seasoning while hot so the salt sticks. Toss, then serve! Remember, these fries will stay crispy for more than 15 minutes, though of course they are best consumed piping hot!

Tip: Remember these French fries are also pre-salted inside because we blanched them in salted water. So don’t go too crazy with the seasoning salt. Sprinkle judiciously, taste (I know, I hate to ask that of you), and then sprinkle more if you think it needs it.

Seasoning options:

• Salt – table salt or sea salt flakes. Larger-grained cooking or kosher salt doesn’t stick as well.

• Rosemary salt (recipe) – made with fresh rosemary. My favourite!

• Fries seasoning (recipe) – a savoury fries seasoning blend. Addictive!

• Nori seasoning (coming soon) – made with finely ground nori (dried seaweed). Très trendy!

Phew!

I know that’s a lot of information to digest for just some bits of fried potato 😂. But for this recipe, I thought some people might find the why behind certain steps interesting (we tested these fries a LOT!!!). Also, I want to give everyone the confidence to try this even if you aren’t experienced frying in oil. Remember, these chips are shallow-fried not deep-fried! Shallow-frying is easier, cleaner, safer and less resource-intensive than deep-frying – all good reasons why you should give this a go. ☺️

Truly worth making

I know frying is something that many people are not so comfortable with, or at least gives pause to wonder if it’s worth all the effort.

These fries? Hand on heart, they are worth the effort! It is rare to find fries this good even at really up-market bistros and restaurants, never mind the money you’ll shell out for them. Maccas fries (McDonalds, to you non-Aussies!) are incomparable – they’re dry and tasteless compared to homemade. Believe me – my memory is still fresh from when I ate them side by side as a test yesterday! 😂

I really hope you try these one day, so you get to experience the rare pleasure of truly amazing french fries, cooked fresh in your own home. And if you do, share your thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to know what you think – especially all you french fry connoisseurs!! – Nagi x

Serve with…

Cheeseburger – double or single

Crispy Beer Battered Fish

Fried Chicken

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with BBQ Sauce

Doner Kebab Meat – beef or lamb

Homemade Chicken Doner Kebab recipe

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with BBQ Sauce

Oven Pork Ribs with Barbecue Sauce

Watch how to make it

Print

Perfect Crispy French Fries

Recipe video above. If you want French fries that stay crispy for a good 15 minutes – even after they've gone cold(!) – this is the recipe for you. Adapted from a ground-breaking method documented in The Food Lab by the legendary Kenji López-Alt, read in post for why this recipe works and makes the best French fries!

I really hope you try this one day so you can experience the awesomeness of homemade French fries. McDonald's is incomparable!

Course Side

Cuisine Western

Keyword french fries, homemade chips

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Cooling 40 minutes

Servings 4

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 kg / 2 lb (3 – 4) floury potatoes (Note 1, Aus: Sebago/dirt aka brushed, US: Russet/Idaho, UK: Maris Piper, King Edward)
• 2 tbsp white vinegar (Note 2)
• 1 tbsp cooking salt / kosher salt (Note 3)
• 1 litre/quart canola/vegetable oil

Seasoning (choose):

• Salt – table salt or sea salt flakes
• Shaker fries seasoning
• Rosemary salt
• Nori salt (coming soon)

Instructions

• Cut: Peel the potatoes. Cut into 6 mm / 1/4" French fries using a serrated knife. (Note 4)
• Keep cut fries submerged in a bowl of water to prevent them from going brown while you cut the remainder. (No need for actual soaking beyond this.)
• Rinse: Transfer potatoes to a colander and rinse under tap water for 15 – 20 seconds.
• Simmer: Place fries in a large pot with 2 litres/quarts of cold tap water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat then immediately reduce stove to low so the surface is rippling gently (Note 5), not big bubbles. Cook for 10 minutes then carefully remove using a slotted spoon into a colander (do not tip into colander, fries will break).
• Dry 5 min: Spread the fries on 2 tea towel lined trays. Leave to steam dry for 5 minutes.
• Pot: Pour 3 cm / 1.2" of oil in a pot that is at least 10cm/4" high (⚠️for safety, need at least 7 cm / 3" from oil surface to rim of pot, Note 6)
• Separate the fries into 3 Batches (for cooking).

Fry #1

• Heat oil to 205°C/400°F over medium high heat.
• ⚠️10 sec pause (Note 7): Lower 1/3 of Batch 1 fries into the oil using a slotted spoon. WAIT 10 seconds, add another 1/3 of the fries, wait 10 seconds, then add the remaining Batch 1 fries.
• 50 sec fry: Fry for 50 seconds, moving them around once or twice. Then remove with a slotted spoon onto 2 paper towel lined trays, spread out in a single layer. The fries will still be white and floppy.
• Repeat Fry #1 with Batches 2 and 3, ensuring the oil is back at 205°C/400°F before cooking.

Fry #2

• 30 min cool: Leaves fries to cool for 30 minutes.
• Line a large bowl with paper towels – for draining and tossing.
• Fry #2: Heat oil to 205°C/400°F. Fry half the French fries for 4 minutes, moving them around twice, or until golden brown and crispy. Drain in the lined bowl, then repeat with remaining fries.

Season & serve!

• Sprinkle fries with salt or seasoning or choice. (Note 8) Toss and serve!
• Fries will stay crispy even once cool. See note for large batch cooking tip.

Notes

1. Potato – the potato type matters! Floury/starchy potatoes make crispy fries with fluffy insides. Waxy potatoes won’t be as crispy. If you aren’t familiar with the potato types listed in the ingredients, google the potato you have – “Are XX potatoes starchy?”. If yes, or it’s an “all-rounder”, it’s fine to use!

2. Vinegar – just plain white distilled vinegar. Keeps the potato from turning into mush with 10 min blanch time required to remove sufficient starch so the fries become crispy. See in post for details!

3. Salt – If you only have table salt, use 2 teaspoons.

4. Serrated knife creates a rougher surface = crispier fries. But not the end of the world if you don’t use one – still super crispy!

Cutting fries: slice the potato into 6 mm / 1/4″ thick slices. Stack 2 or 3, then cut into 6 mm / 1/4″ fries.

5. Simmering for 10 minutes is a key step for ultra crispy fries. This washes away excess sugar from the surface which causes fries to brown too quickly, before they have a chance to become crisp.

You don’t want bubbles because if the water is bubbling too rapidly the fries will cook too much / too fast and break.

6. Pot size – Important to ensure there is sufficient head room to allow for oil bubbling. My pot is 24cm / 10″ wide and 10cm / 4″ deep.

My pot requires 1 litre/quart of oil to have a 3cm/1.2″ depth.

Re-use oil 3 to 4 times. Cool then store in jars. The oil shouldn’t need to be strained after cooking the fries. Browse Fried Recipes collection to choose what you’re making next!

7. 10 second pause between adding more fries into the oil for Fry #1 is important to reduce the amount the oil bubbles up. If you add them all in one go, the oil bubbles up more rapidly and higher.

8. Seasoning – Remember the fries already have some salt, so season then taste and adjust as needed.

9. Large batch – If you scale up the recipe, you can flash-fry earlier batches for 30 seconds to 1 minute to reheat.

10. Freezing – Freezes 100% perfectly! After Fry #1, fully cool the fries then freeze on a tray (you can stack them all on one tray). Once frozen, they can be tipped into a container or ziplock bag for freezing – just like store bought frozen fries! Cook from frozen for 4 1/2 minutes.

11. Nutrition – Impossible to calculate but I know every calorie is worth it. 😇 Have salad tomorrow.

Life of Dozer

Behind every door, there’s a Dozer….

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