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"The best thing about scalloped potatoes in the contrast between the creamy center and
the crusty edges. We engineered a recipe in a muffin tin to get the most of both
attributes" -a direct quote from the recipe. |
Tonight for dinner we made ham, green beans, and Crispy, Cheesy Potato Cups from the new issue of Cook's Illustrated magazine. I love this magazine. The reason is that they test every single recipe, hundreds of time if needed, until they are perfect.
In every recipe, they explain the process they took to get it just right. What worked, what didn't.
Photography is a lot like cooking! You have basic ingredients, which you need to get in the right proportions, in order to get the recipe right. If you don't know what you are doing, or you change one little part of the recipe, it could come out terrible. But sometimes, it comes out better than you could ever imagine.
Just because you make a mistake, doesn't mean that it won't come out ok in the end!
My notes are indicated in PURPLE and are NOT part of the original recipe. If you try this and like this please let me know!!
Cheesy Potato Cups
Make 12 potato cups
1/2 c panko bread crumbs
1 t unsalted butter, softened
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled (about 6 medium potatoes)
1-1/4 c half-and-half
1-1/4 t salt
3/4 t black pepper
5-1/2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded ( 1-1/3 cups)
1-1/4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (2/3 cup)
2 t cornstarch
1) Adjust oven rack to lowest possible position and preheat to 425 degrees. Pulse panko in food processor until finely ground, about 5 pulses (I put mine into a Ziploc freezer back and rolling pinned it). Evenly coat each muffin cup with softened butter and then with ground panko. (be generous with the butter, and I put about 1T of panko into each cup and I was able to coat them all at once.) Cut each potato in half lengthwise, then cut each half into thirds. Cut each third into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Combine potatoes, half-and-half, salt and pepper in a large bowl and microwave, covered, until just tender, 12-15 minutes, stirring once.
2) Meanwhile, toss cheddar, Parmesan and cornstarch together in a bowl; reserve 1/3 cup for topping. Add remaining cheese mixture to the hot potato mixture, stirring until smooth. Divide potato-cheese mixture evenly among the muffin cups and smooth. Sprinkle cups with reserved cheese. (The next time I do this, I think I will add some small cubes of cheese at the very end to make sure there are some nice cheesy pockets)
3) Cover muffin tin with aluminum foiled generously sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes. Discard the foil and continue to bake until golden brown, another 13 to 15 minutes. (Watch out, those buggers are HOT!!) Run a thin paring knife around perimeter of the muffin cups. Let potato cups cool in muffin tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes. (I suggest waiting a little longer, like 8-10) Place rimmed baking sheet on top of muffin tin and invert potato cups, tapping on muffin tin to release cups. Turn cups over and place on wire rack and let cool for another 5 minutes before serving.
