Potato is the most popular vegetable on our table. First and second courses, side dishes, salads, snacks are prepared with him. But rare housewives use different spices for them. Usually it is salt and pepper, sometimes seasoning from a bag, designed specifically for potatoes. In fact, this vegetable can be given a variety of tastes, if seasoned correctly.
By the way! The most delicious spices are those that are ground immediately before use and not a coffee grinder. It is better to do this with a pestle in a mortar.
What spices to add to boiled potatoes
Boiled potato itself is not very tasty and rich. And if you forget about salt, then the dish is completely upset. Therefore, even the most modest side dish needs to be seasoned properly. Usually boiled potatoes sprinkled with dill. In fact, there are tons of other spices that suit her. When cooking in water, you can add the onion in the husk, it will improve the color. For taste, throw a clove of garlic, a bay leaf. But what spices to add to the finished dish?
What suits boiled potatoes:
- dry and fresh garlic;
- dried sweet paprika;
- white pepper;
- rosemary;
- marjoram;
- coriander;
- basil.
All this can simply be chopped together and added to the potatoes as soon as the water is drained. Or enter at the end of cooking, for about three minutes, let it boil, drain.
In addition to spices, it is customary to add butter to boiled potatoes. If the dish is for lean or vegetarian fasting, you can use vegetable fats. It is not necessary to take sunflower oil or olive. There are other interesting options. Sesame, nut, mustard, camelina oil is good for health and goes well with potatoes.
By the way, potatoes are not very high-calorie, as many people think. In boiled form without oil, it certainly will not hit the figure. If you add the appropriate spices, you get a pretty decent dish.
Spices for fried potatoes
Chips themselves are very aromatic, thanks to the butter and crust that forms during cooking. But even such a simple dish can be turned into a masterpiece, if seasoned with suitable spices. They are not added immediately, but only at the very end. Otherwise, the dish just burns and the taste goes bad.
What to add to fried potatoes:
- pepper of any kind, including black, paprika;
- basil, rosemary;
- Italian, Provencal mixtures of dried herbs;
- coriander;
- dry garlic;
- dry dill, parsley.
You can season fried potatoes with fresh garlic. Even better, it goes well with chopped dill. But it is important to add correctly. These ingredients are mixed and sent to the pan at the very end. Sprinkle potatoes on top, cover and turn off the stove. Leave for ten minutes, let it stand, soak in the aroma.
By the way, professional chefs say that more than two kinds of fresh herbs are not added to one dish. And in no case can you combine dill with parsley. As for dried herbs, you can sprinkle up to five different species at a time.
Spices for french fries
Unlike regular fried potatoes in a pan in a small amount of oil, deep-fried vegetable does not need spices. More precisely, they are not added during cooking. Small pieces of herbs and vegetables will burn, smoke, give an unpleasant aroma, and create tan marks.
But you can safely season the finished french fries with something. Dill is great, but chop it very finely. Sweet paprika or turmeric will give a beautiful color, you can mix them and gently fry them over the dish through a strainer. Sometimes potatoes are sprinkled with fried sesame seeds. This is better not to do, as it will still crumble to the bottom of the plate.
The taste of french fries largely depends not on spices, but on the variety of vegetable and oil used. You should not take unrefined species for deep fat, they not only spoil the taste, but also when they reach the smoke point form dangerous carcinogens.
Spices for potatoes in a rustic way
Crispy and rosy slices of potatoes from the oven - a favorite dish for many. Now it is popular not only at home, but also in catering establishments. To make it work, you need spices. Unlike french fries, they are added quite a lot. You can buy dry seasoning. In stores there are bags marked that they are for this particular dish. But it’s better to mix everything yourself.
What spices to use for a rustic potato:
- 0.5 tsp dried garlic;
- 1.5 tsp Paprika
- 0.5-1 tsp a mixture of peppers (white, black, optionally red);
- 1.5 tsp salts;
- 3 cloves of fresh garlic;
- some thyme, rosemary.
This amount of spices is enough to cook a kilogram of potatoes. The number of hot spices, in this case pepper, can be independently adjusted. Usually, in addition to spices, vegetable oil is added. Approximately 45-50 ml goes per kilogram of potato. May be mixed with spices.
Helpful advice! You can boil sliced potatoes for 3-4 minutes in salted water, then mix with spices and butter. Then it will turn out very juicy and tender inside.
What can not be added to potatoes
Potato seems to be combined with all kinds of herbs and spices. So many things are listed, now it’s just that dishes from this vegetable will sparkle with different tastes. But it is not so. In fact, there are spices that can ruin even a simple and versatile potato. Some of them are found in mixtures of prepared spices, but in very small quantities.
What can not be added to potatoes:
- Cloves. These stars give too rich, spicy aroma, it is very difficult to calculate the dosage, so as not to overdo it.
- Cilantro. It goes well with meat, vegetable stew, but is just not friendly with potatoes. Although its seeds (coriander) fit perfectly into dishes from this vegetable.
- Anise. This spice in itself is an amateur, but it does not fit potatoes at all.
- Cinnamon, dry perfumes and other mixtures. They are intended exclusively for sweet foods and pastries. In rare cases, add to bread.
In many ways, the choice of spices is a matter of personal taste, and not just your own. If someone from the household is against some ingredient, then you can always look for alternative options. Fortunately, now in stores a huge selection of seasonings.
