Did you freehand the cuts or use the chopsticks/skewers assisted method?
Not op, but they definitely used laser eyebeams. You can tell from the precision and crispy edges that they shot laser beams from their eyeballs. Final answer, Regis.
Gourmet potato chips
Gourmet potato chips
Yet without the key prep-work that makes good chips and french fries taste so great. In other words, standard-recipe Hassleback doesn’t include the classic 2-3 steps of getting the starch out via cold water baths before cooking. Do that, and I bet this tastes worlds better.
This would also work well in an air-fryer, I think. You’d brush lightly with oil of choice, cooking a few minutes, turn upside down, re-brush and re-cook until eventually done to preference. That way you’d get a nice even bake.
I do something similar with spiralised potatoes, and they taste great. The cold-water baths are certainly some extra work, but if you do several taters at once I think it works out pretty well.
This is quite literally the same thing I made for dinner tonight as well. I’m sorry you struggled with the potatoes. Even with chopsticks it can be a little challenging. A very sharp knife makes all the difference.
There was no struggling, and they turned out perfect, they just were not worth the effort invested for the flavor return.
What dish is the most worth the effort?
Maybe not the absolutely most, but in strict terms of “tastiness divided by work”, I have made crock pot pork chops that have got to be in the top 5% for that ratio.
Basically get small boneless pork chops when they’re on sale, and put however many you want (I usually do 4-6) in the crock pot with two cans of Cream of Chicken soup and a packet of dry ranch seasoning.
Stir that shit all together and turn it on low, then go to work.
When you get home enjoy your delicious, savory, juicy pork chops.
Really the only way you can get lower effort than that is something that’s pre-made (like a boxed oven meal or something that is microwaved) or something that requires no prep at all, like just eating an apple or something.
Can get the same crispiness just using a mandolin to completely slice it up. Leaving it connected makes little sense, considering how much more effort it takes cutting it by hand.
I would never make this again.
I mean, I could tell based on my understanding of physics and cooking that it was not going to turn out as one would hope.
But I plowed through and made it anyways. In the end, every single concern I had about this preparation rang true.
I knew going in that it couldn’t possibly cook consistently because the bottom would be a solid mass and the top would be split apart with varying gaps.
I knew that convection would not carry the moisture away from the bottom of the fins but it would desiccate the tops properly. I felt that the tops 1/3 would have crispy delicious skins but the base would have tough leather. I was right.
I knew that both ends would be rock hard and inedible but it had to be that way in order for the thicker parts to absorb enough heat.
I knew that applying an oil to the top was a very delicate game because it would just saturate into a grease pool if it dripped/pooled to the lower part.
I feel like this is a misbegotten recipe. A big series of fanciful ideas that are visually impressive but do not deliver in the taste department. Seems like it’s from a time before cooking science was well understood.
Maybe next time you could try lower heat for longer. Or not, if this is not for you, you do you.
Mandolin and a skewer to keep them togehther-ish in the oven.
it’s how I keep onion rings together while grilling them. (actually, i use poultry dressing scewers for that. they’re the perfect size. Tab them through the layers, then slice between them. Marinade in salt, vinegar and olive oil. Grill on high till… uh… grilled.)
