Old Potatoes

When cooking old potatoes try to match them in size as much as possible. This will help to ensure that they are all ready at pretty much the same time.

Scrub the potatoes well, but do not peel them unless the skins are in a really bad state and likely to create problems later on. Put them in the bottom of a saucepan with 1 tsp of salt and a sprig each of parsley and mint. Cover them with cold water, bring this to the boil and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Check they are done by pushing a skewer or thin bladed knife through one of the potatoes and lifting it. It should slide gracefully back into the water under its own weight. If it doesn't lift, it's overcooked; if it sticks to the skewer it's underdone.

One you can cook for a bit longer, the other is going to end up as mash.

Okay. Drain the potatoes and reserve the cooking liquid to make soup or gravy. Return them to a dry pan over a low heat and cover them with a clean cloth. Allow them to remain like that for about 4 minutes while you do something else.

Finally, remove the cloth, cool the potatoes under the tap if necessary and remove the skins. Add a little butter and some chopped mint and parsley to the pan. Turn the potatoes in this to coat them with the mixture and serve with pride.

Note: This is a basic cooking method for potatoes. Do exactly the same thing to get them ready for mashing, right up to and including the point where you allow them to sit in their own steam for 4 minutes before peeling. This removes a good deal of the excess water in the spud and helps to make it light and floury, perfect for mash or pan frying.

For boiling new potatoes, follow this link: New Potatoes

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