Tag: potato

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(118) Guernsey – Crunchy Potato Peel Pie

The island of Guernsey is apart of the islands of the English Channel found between France and England. It is apart of the Bailiwick of Guernsey which is a British Crown Dependency. Although English can be spoken on the island, the locals also speak a native language known as Guernésiais, their own variation of French. Guernsey is also known for one of the largest tidal ranges in the world of 33ft.

Saint Peter Port, Guernsey. Source: Insightguides.com

I’m sure you’ve heard of Guernsey cows, these cows are native to the island and are known for their rich dairy products with high protein and butterfat quantities. As for particular cuisine of the island it was difficult to find, but I found for the Channel Islands collectively local seafood and dairy products. There is a popular dish called “bean jar” from Guernsey which is slow cooked beans that traditionally was cooked over night in the oven and eaten for breakfast. Guernsey bean jar has been around for centuries and is one of the better known dishes.

I decided to try “potato peel pie” which caught my eye as I was scouring for recipes. There are several variations, but I picked one that had the peels on top which was appealing (pun intended) because the potential for a heavenly crispy top layer. The origins of the pie comes from the WWII time period when food was rationed. At the time Guernsey was occupied by Germany making food even more hard to come by. Most farm animals were taken away so farmers relied on their crops which included potatoes. Beet root can be found in a lot of the recipes, but the one I decided on had omitted it.

The cooking process is simple, just a lot of prep work. I used my mandolin to get evenly cut potatoes. I opted for cheddar cheese to get that nice rich flavor. You don’t have to use a baking dish, a pan works too but it could alter your cooking time. I thought dish since the recipe is for a “pie.”

We loved how unique this dish was! The crispy potato peels on top brought a fun texture to the meal and the cheese of course made the potatoes very creamy. The onions also were a good pairing and brought more dimension to the flavor profile. What a great way to use veggie scraps too! I will definitely think twice before I toss potato skins and see if I can repurpose them for a crunchy topping! We rated this one 8.5/10 🔥🥔

Next we head southeast to Israel!

Potato Peel Pie – Guernsey

Don't throw out the potato peels! This dish uses all of the potato- consisting of layers of thinly sliced potato, onions, and cheese this pie is topped with potato peels. It is baked in the oven for a nice crispy crust.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb potatoes thinly sliced (I used a mandolin)
  • 1 medium onion thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup grated cheese I used cheddar
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • salt and pepper to preference
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp bread crumbs
  • 4 tbsp butter diced
  • parsley to garnish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 390 and grease pie dish, set aside.
  • Wash potatoes with water and peel them setting the peels aside in a separate bowl. Thinly slice potatoes- a mandolin works great to get perfect consistency!
  • Thinly slice onions and set aside. Grate cheese if needed and set aside. Layer potatoes, onions, and cheese with desired amount of salt and pepper per layer.
  • Add flour and additional salt and pepper with potato peels mixing well to evenly distribute over peels. Place peels on top of the layered potatoes, onions, and cheese.
  • Lastly pour the milk over the pie and sprinkle the bread crumbs and butter evenly over the top. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes rotate pie (if not convection) and bake for an additional hour at a reduced heat of 350. The potatoes should be fork tender in the center when its done.
  • Allow pie to cool for at least 5 minutes and enjoy! This dish can be eaten alone or makes for a great side dish, I'm looking at you Thanksgiving! 👀
Keyword Pie, Potato, Potato Peel Pie
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Ireland Day 3 – Irish Boxty

For Ireland’s third dish I bring you more potatoes! This simple and tasty dish was first made in the 1700s and was easy enough to make due to the use of potatoes, a widely available staple.

The first preparations of boxty used the following ingredients of grated potatoes, either oatmeal or flour, egg yolk, milk, and butter or animal fat. Many would transform tin cans into graters. Traditionally these “potato cakes” were cooked over the stove in a pan. The more modern approach to this meal does not differ dramatically, you can find the recipe here.

The combination of mashed with raw potatoes gives this dish a nice texture. Sometimes the cakes are served with a rich stout reduction sauce or a simple tab of butter- we used sour cream! 😍

Often times it’s recommended to serve these cakes with sausage and veg. We opted for honey glazed carrots and parsnips with thyme and rosemary along with kielbasa which is not traditional but what we prefer.

Oh the versatility of a potato. This recipe forever changes the game for leftover mashed potatoes! It was a wonderful surprise especially with the addition of sour cream. The carrots and parsnips were a lovely side and completed the meal. Don’t underestimate the ack of meat in this dish because these little cakes will fill you up! We rated them 8.5/10.

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(31) Suriname – Pom

Kasikasima Mountain, Suriname. Source: Wallpapercave.com

We are finally circling back to South America to Suriname. Suriname is found in the Northern part of the country bordered by Guyana, French Guinea, and Brazil. 80% of the country is made up of rainforests and is home to 467 species. One of these being the world’s deadliest poison dart frog which can only be found in these forests. Suriname is a large exporter of gold making up 67% of South America total exports.

The Blue Poison Dart frog (only found in Suriname). Source: ZME Science – (Dendrobates Azureus)

Today I made a dish known as Pom which is a very well known dish in Suriname. It has Jewish and Creole origins and was introduced by the Jewish-Portuguese plantain owners in the 17th century as a potato oven dish. The dish was adapted to the Surinamese culture by substituting potatoes that were difficult to grow in this region with the root of pomtajer which is a native root vegetable.

Pom is made up of three main ingredients: citrus juices (commonly orange with lemon or lime), chicken, and pomtajer (or potato). The use of citrus juice when cooking chicken is how Jewish cooks “cleansed chicken of their smell.”

I had also read with my research on this dish that how a woman prepares this dish for the first time is a rite of passage into the Surinamese culture and a wife’s success can be measured on how well she can make pom. No pressure.. 😅

Ready for the to bake!

I found the recipe relatively straight forward, but was glad I made it on my day off as it was a time consuming process. I did use a combination of chicken breast and chicken apple sausage (Creole version).

We thought the orange juice was the stand out of this dish and definitely dominated our palettes. I would taste some of the other flavors like the sweetness of the chicken sausage or mild spice of the relish, but orange was the one that dominated the others. I feel like after my research that I should have had a thicker potato crust and slightly less juice so I could have experienced a nice crisp top layer.

We ended up rating the dish 6.75/10, Ian rating it higher than myself for above reasons. Let us know what you think if you try to recreate the Suriname sensation!