Pushkin-Style Potatoes
A marvelous side dish made the old-fashioned way! These days we usually fry raw potatoes in a skillet, but back in the 19th century they were mostly fried after boiling — which gave you fragrant potatoes with a golden crust and a fluffy interior. Let's make them the way they did in Pushkin's day!
Cooking method
-
Step 1:
To make Pushkin-style potatoes, you need just three ingredients: potatoes (preferably new potatoes), good butter, and salt. Choose potatoes that are on the smaller side but not tiny — smooth, medium tubers are ideal, so they cook evenly. Tip: pick potatoes from the same batch and variety so they all cook through at the same rate.
-
Step 2:
Wash the potatoes well, scrubbing them thoroughly with a brush or stiff sponge under running water. Put the unpeeled potatoes in a pot and cover with clean cold water — the water should cover them completely. Add the salt right away.
-
Step 3:
Set the pot over the heat. Bring the water to a boil and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Test for doneness with a knife: if it slides in easily, the potatoes are done. No need to poke every one — just check the largest, and if it's ready, the rest will be too.
-
Step 4:
Drain the water and let the potatoes cool in the pot. Peel them with a knife. Cut any large ones in half; leave the small and medium ones whole. I fry them whole, but if you prefer, you can cut them into slices — rounds or quarters.
-
Step 5:
Melt the butter in a skillet.
-
Step 6:
Add the potatoes and, stirring occasionally, fry on all sides over medium heat until golden and crusty.
-
Step 7:
Transfer the golden potatoes to a platter and serve. Enjoy!
- These potatoes don't need any extra seasoning, but if you like, you can give the finished dish a grind of pepper and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt — it's delicious that way.
- They pair with all sorts of mains: meat, fish, or poultry. It's a versatile side that can even stand in as a main course — after all, potatoes are called the "second bread" for good reason, since they're packed with nutrients and minerals.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Ripe potatoes - 80 kcal/100g
- Baked potatoes - 70 kcal/100g
- Mashed potatoes - 380 kcal/100g
- Boiled potatoes - 82 kcal/100g
- Potatoes in uniform - 74 kcal/100g
- Fried potatoes - 192 kcal/100g
- Butter 82% - 734 kcal/100g
- Amateur unsalted butter - 709 kcal/100g
- Unsalted peasant butter - 661 kcal/100g
- Peasant salted butter - 652 kcal/100g
- Melted butter - 869 kcal/100g
- Salt - 0 kcal/100g
