As children of the Soviet country, we fell in love with fried potatoes at an early age and periodically indulge ourselves with this delicacy in Cadiere. In Provence grow incredibly delicious potatoes and garlic, which make this traditional dish magical.
Usually we fry Agatha, this is a potato variety with medium-sized tubers of a light yellow color. Peeled potatoes are cut into slices with a length of 3-4 and a width of 0.5 cm, then placed in the water for thirty minutes. Drain the water, squeeze the potatoes with a towel.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet with vegetable oil (colza or light olive oil) on high heat.
- When the oil is hot, throw the potatoes in. Give the slices the opportunity to brown, add two crushed garlic cloves, continue to fry over high heat, stirring the potatoes.
- When the slices are browned, salt is added from all sides and, sometimes, dry thyme.
- Fry for two minutes and remove the pan from the heat. Fried potatoes should be eaten immediately, it very quickly loses its appearance and taste.
The potatoes go well with the Malorussian salad, with pickled or fresh cucumbers, fried chicken, grilled cote de boeuf (which we somehow stopped making) and many other dishes, but we often eat it without any extras. And we wash it down the Provencal rose – divine!
There is another variation of this dish – fried potatoes with mushrooms, which we also call Belarusian-style mushrooms. The recipe is simple.
- We cut fresh white mushrooms into fairly large pieces, put them into a large frying pan with vegetable oil, add fairly finely chopped onions, one bay leaf and fry until 80 percent cooked.
- Simultaneously fry the potatoes (see above). Combine the contents of two pans in one and bring to a beautiful crispy state, a few minutes before readiness add finely chopped parsley.
You do not have to combine the mushrooms with the potatoes, but instead add a spoonful of sour cream to them and boil it alone (with parsley). And then eat with potatoes.
To go with this dish we recommend a not very old red Bandol – Gros Nore 2010 or Cahteau-neuf-du-Pape.
