Crushed Baby Rose Potatoes

"I'm crushing your potato!" "Crush!" "Squish!"

It's not always affordable to cook well. This frustrates me because it forces those at the lower end of the economic ladder to compromise in terms of flavor, freshness and variety. For many people, it's literally cheaper to eat fast food than to cook for themselves. Eric Schlosser explored the issue in depth in his now classic Fast Food Nation, so I don't need to elaborate.

The cost of food has influenced the way I cook in that I don't present and entree with two sides, which is fairly standard it seems. I'm perfectly happy with a protein, like a steak, accompanied by a salad. A third dish is an added expense I can't always afford. It also takes time and there isn't always a lot of that to spare.

The potatoes in the recipe below are are great because they are inexpensive (I never use the word cheap. Nothing is cheap in this economy.) It will take about a hour to prepare the potatoes, longer if you stop frequently like I do to sing along to Devo.

Crushed Baby Rose Potatoes

Ingredients
2 baby rose potatoes per person
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions
1. Boil the potatoes in 3-4 quarts of water for 25 minutes or until very tender.

2. Remove from water and let cool slightly. With a dish towel, slowly crush the potatoes.

3. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high flame.

4. Cook potatoes until lightly browned on both sides. Season and serve.

Notes

When crushing the potatoes, be careful not to completely destroy the skin. You want them flattened somewhat, but not mashed. They still need to hold their shape. Also, clarified butter might be a nice alternative to the olive oil. If using olive oil, though, you might infuse it with some crushed garlic for added flavor.