Sauté Potatoes Lyonnaise

This recipe is from Delia's Complete How to Cook.

This is the basic method for making sauté potatoes, but if you prefer them plain, simply leave the onion out.

The secret of really crisp sauté potatoes is, first of all, to use olive oil and, secondly, to use two or three frying pans so that the potatoes can cook in a single layer and not overlap each other.

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Method

First thinly peel the potatoes and cut them into even-sized pieces – but not too small.

Put them in a saucepan, cover them with boiling water, add some salt, bring to simmering point and cook for 15 minutes. Then drain them, arrange them on a wooden board and slice them thinly and evenly. For the next stage you need two medium frying pans and a small saucepan. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in the saucepan, add the onion and fry gently.

Now heat 2 tablespoons of oil in each frying pan and when it begins to sizzle, add the potatoes, dividing them between the pans so that they don't overlap. Fry them over a high heat, turning them after 5-7 minutes to cook on the other side until they are golden brown and crisp all over. Then, using a slotted spoon, transfer them to the crumpled paper to drain and scatter on the fried onion. Loosen the top of the pepper mill a little to get a really coarse grind and sprinkle over the potatoes; crush some rock salt between your finger and thumb and sprinkle on.

Lastly pull out the paper from underneath and serve at once – if you delay, the potatoes will go soggy.

Ingredients

2 lb (900 g) Red Desirée potatoes

4-5 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

coarse rock salt and freshly milled black pepper

Equipment

You will also need two medium frying pans, a small saucepan and a warm serving dish with some crumpled greaseproof paper or kitchen paper placed in it.