Cold Shredded Chicken Pie with Mashed Potatoes (Torta Fria de Frango)
Lanches-e-salgados
Glossário Culinário
Potato
The potato is the most versatile tuber in the kitchen: cheap, high-yielding and pairing with almost everything. With soft flesh and mild flavor, it can be boiled, roasted, fried or mashed into puree, and appears in everyday and party dishes. It is the base of gnocchi, escondidinhos, soups, salads and crispy fries, always well received.
Characteristics
The white potato, with yellowish skin and pale flesh, is the most common and suits almost every preparation. Firmer-fleshed varieties hold their shape in salads and stews; mealier ones fall apart and are ideal for mashes and gnocchi. The sweet potato, with orange or purple flesh and sweet flavor, is another ingredient in the same family of preparations. Good potatoes have smooth, firm skin, with no sprouts, green spots or soft parts.
Uses in the kitchen
Boiled in salted water, it becomes potato salad, maionese and the base of mashes. Roasted with olive oil, garlic and herbs, it accompanies meats and chicken. Fried in sticks or rounds, it becomes a crispy portion and fish and chips. Mashed with butter and milk, it forms the puree that tops escondidinhos and accompanies braised meats. In soups and broths, it thickens and adds creaminess. It pairs with rosemary, thyme, paprika, cheese, bacon, eggs and cream.
Substitutions
In mashes and escondidinhos, potato can be swapped for cassava, mandioquinha or sweet potato, each with its own flavor. In roasts and stews, yam and cará take its place well. For crispy fries, fried cassava is the closest alternative. In mayo salads, cooked chayote blends in well and stretches the recipe. In soup, pumpkin and mandioquinha give similar creaminess.
Fun facts
For crispier fries, the trick is to soak the sticks in cold water, dry well and fry in very hot oil without crowding the pan. For mash, ricing the potato while still hot and warming the milk before mixing prevents lumps. Storing potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place prevents sprouts; the refrigerator alters the texture. Cooking with the skin on preserves flavor better, and peeling after boiling is easier.
