Boiled Potatoes

Most head chefs have a favorite way of testing the abilities of anyone applying for a job in their kitchens.

One I knew used to ask "What's the difference between a waiter and the slops bucket?" If you answered "the bucket", you got the job. He wasn't a very good chef.

One of the tests I used to use was to ask the trainee to boil four potatoes. The initial look of surprise was nearly always followed by a slightly contemptuous shrug. Less that one in twenty got it right. You can tell a lot about a cook by the way he or she treats the humble spud.

The first thing to remember, and which most people know, is that the potato is very rich in vitamin C. That's how it starts out, anyway. It often ends up with less than 10 per cent of the original.

That's because the greatest concentration is close to the surface of the vegetable, and vitamin C is soluble in water. Peel and drop the potato into salted water, leave it for 20 minutes, and almost 50% of your vitamin C has already disappeared into the water.

Therefore, do not peel your potatoes and do not leave them in cold water. Instead, wash them carefully, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and drop the potatoes into it.

Cook them whole and half-cover the pan, which will also help to preserve vitamins.

To see if they are done, pierce one through with a skewer and try to lift it. If it slides off the skewer, it's ready. Drain* the potatoes at once, return them to the pan off the heat, and cover them with a clean cloth. Allow them to sit in their own steam for 5 to 10 minutes.

You can now serve them exactly as they are, or allow them to cool enough to handle and then rub the skins off with your thumbs. I suggest you only do this if you intend to mash them, or you want to do something like roll them in warm olive oil and chopped herbs for a more festive finish.

*When you drain the potatoes, reserve the cooking water for stock or gravy. It will contain trace elements, minerals and vitamin C in a much more usable form than any vitamin pill.

First published on Qassia