October 29, 2024
It hit me hard as I prepped my mini samosas for my WGN-TV segment last week. I was showcasing a kid-friendly Indian recipe and talking about Pilot Light, an organization I recently joined that helps kids learn through food in the classroom.
The thing about TV is that you have to make your one dish in several stages — there's no time to wait for things to finish boiling and baking on set. So I had to boil potatoes for all three versions. And then, for the Big Feed at Harvest Market in Springfield, IL, I again had to boil potatoes. In this case, I made 300 mini samosa puffs to sample out. I was short about 50, so on the Friday night before heading out, I literally came back from dinner and got another batch cooking. Thankfully, I'd already boiled the potatoes and made the filling before leaving for the restaurant. Still, working till 1 AM and then getting up four hours later is no fun.
I find boiling potatoes is the most cumbersome part of the process — filling the pot with water, waiting for it to boil, adding the potatoes, spilling some of the water, cleaning up, and waiting again. So, I got to thinking. Could the Instant Pot help? Why can't I pressure cook my potatoes? I researched recipes, and many showed me how to cook 3-4 potatoes at a time. But by now, you know me better than that. I'm going to go big or go home. So, I tested pressure cooking my entire bag of potatoes at one time. It worked! Oh my goodness. Dance worthy!
I always boil potatoes with the skin and start by scrubbing them down, poke a few holes with a fork (I had one blow up on me in the oven once), and then boil. I can either peel them and use them right away or stick them in the fridge and peel them as needed — or use the peel if making, say, hash browns. If you peel them first, they tend to get slimier faster in the fridge.
The key to Instant Pot 'boiling' is to pour two cups of water into your pot, position your metal trivet in the bottom, and then stack your potatoes on top of the trivet. Cook according to the directions below and never look back. And, never ever have an excuse again to not cook up samosa puffs, mashed potatoes, hash browns, potato salad, or even a quick chunky potato soup. This is my Diwali and Christmas gift to all of you wrapped up in one blog post — because what kind of holiday would it be without potatoes on the table? And now that you don't have to babysit your pot of potatoes, you can focus on more important things.
BTW ... if you want to see photos from my recent escapades, just go to the new addition to my website, my Photo Album. If we took a photo together, I hope you'll download it and share it on your own pages and tag me. Know that you all mean so much to me. Why when I meet you I have to take a photo.
Huge shout out to baby Lily — the little one who loved my samosa puffs so much she asked for seconds and thirds (not to worry, her parents okayed the photo), and Christine, who just got engaged and who sports orange hair and eyelashes so well I think she should keep the look even post Halloween! I love you C. and I'm truly so happy for you!
xoxo Anupy
Pressure Cooker Size: 6 quart or larger
Warm Up: 19 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Cool Down: 10 minutes natural release plus manual release time
Total: 39 minutes plus manual release time
Makes: 9 cups
I will be adding directions for other types of potatoes. If using smaller varieties, I would reduce the cook time to 7 minutes. Again, I'll add that in as I go. Feel free to share your cook times in the comment section.
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