Adam's Breakfast Potatoes

I have mentioned before that Adam is in charge of weekend breakfasts at our house (but in case you didn't catch it before: pancakes! Adam's have no sugar, so they don't fight with the maple syrup. Yum).



When we have eggs (most of the time I want eggs. For some reason I do not like to diverge from routine at breakfast), he often makes home fries. He's been working on this method/recipe pretty much since we started dating, and friends, I think he's got it down.



It's a short list of ingredients: potatoes, onions, herbs, butter. We use thyme a lot, and sometimes tarragon in the summer, it really depends what we have around. Rosemary is always nice with potatoes, too. The secret is in the butter (isn't it always?), so don't be shy about it. If you don't use enough, even in a well seasoned cast iron skillet the potatoes will stick. And make sure you give yourself enough time- the potatoes take at least 30 minutes (closer to 40, usually) but much of that time is down time, so pour another cup of coffee and enjoy your morning, my friends.



Adam's Breakfast Potatoes
serves 3-4 as a breakfast side dish

6-8 medium yukon gold potatoes (a little less than 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, more as needed
1/2 a medium onion, sliced or diced, your preference
1 teaspoon or so of chopped fresh herbs - tarragon, thyme, or marjoram. If you use sage or rosemary, use a little less.
salt and pepper

Scrub potatoes, but don't peel them; dice into rough 1/2 inch pieces. Heat a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, add the butter and allow it to melt. Add the potatoes, toss to coat in butter and season with a big pinch of salt, and cover the pan - we use one of those universal lids, it doesn't have to be a tight fit, just enough so that the potatoes can steam a bit. Stir it once or twice, but keep the lid on it for ten minutes. After ten minutes, uncover it, add the herbs and begin the stir-and-wait process.

Stir the potatoes every few minutes, but make sure you let them sit still enough so they begin to brown. If at any point the potatoes begin to stick to the pan, add more butter. Adam says "I know, it seems like a lot. Just add more butter." When you begin to ask yourself if the potatoes are almost done, that's when you add the onion. Adam says "when most of the sides of the potatoes are brown that's when I add the onions". I say, when the potatoes are about 80% as brown as you want them to be, add the onions. You might have to add a little nub of butter here. When the onions are soft and the potatoes are brown, yay! they're done. The whole process usually takes 30-40 minutes for us. Enjoy next to your eggs with or without ketchup and hot sauce.

Let's Talk Pancakes

First, a disclaimer: I am not the breakfast cook in my house. I have exactly two breakfasts on my weekday rotation (but honestly I have eggs and toast 9 days out of ten) and Adam takes over the kitchen on weekend mornings.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth in the morning, but he has finally won me over with these pancakes. Oh, and the secret to a pancake-ready kitchen is this stuff, dried buttermilk powder. I like the King Arthur brand, but Saco is the kind they sell in my grocery store. No worrying about whether the buttermilk you bought for biscuits two weeks ago is off or if it's supposed to smell like that, hooray!

The reason I like these pancakes is that they (eek!) don't have any sugar in them. Pancakes are really just a vehicle for maple syrup, right? So why must they be crazy sweet themselves? I like that the subtlety of these lets the maple flavor shine. Adam also uses a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flours so there's a hint of nuttiness from the whole wheat.

Adam's Pancakes
makes 6-8 pancakes depending on how big you like them

1 cup flour (we use 3/4 cup all purpose and 1/4 cup whole wheat or white whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons buttermilk powder
1 egg
1 cup plus two tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
butter for cooking the cakes

Combine the flours, salt, baking soda and buttermilk powder in a bowl. Measure the water into another bowl, then crack the egg into the water and beat it up a little bit so it's all combined. Add the melted butter to the liquid, then add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir just until all the flour is hydrated but no longer. It will be lumpy, but that's ok! If you try to beat out all the lumps you'll develop too much gluten in the flour and your pancakes will be tough.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then add a little bit of butter, about a teaspoon or so, swirl the pan to coat the bottom. When the butter is foamy, add a drop of pancake batter. It should sizzle just the slightest bit. If it doesn't, up the heat a little bit.

Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. Let it cook on the first side until bubbles start to form and pop on the raw side. Carefully flip the pancake and cook the other side until golden brown. Continue with the rest of the batter. The first pancake will be ugly, so you should eat that one and then keep cooking. Keep pancakes warm in a 200 degree oven until you finish cooking, then serve with butter and (real, obvi) maple syrup.