The Perfect Potato

Though we’re on the cusp of real, uninterrupted spring sun, there are still a few lingering cold and damp days left to weather. The kind of days that make burly sweaters a welcome choice, and slippers a justifiably sensible shoe.

In the kitchen, that means there’s still time for those last few stews, cassoulets, and root vegetables, cooked long, slow and into submission. Namely, there is still time for potatoes.

Chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nsar of Minetta Tavern, where potatoes are elevated from side dish to main event, decode the wintry root vegetable. They’re experts, in a word, and we’re inclined to trust them. Read as they identify, and correct, the most common mistakes home cooks make when preparing the seemingly simple starch. Most importantly, read how the micromanaging of tubers will almost always result in failure, at least as far as browning is concerned. They cover all of the roasting, mashing, and frying bases, while injecting a bit of their potato politics:

"I completely disagree with people who like chunky mashed potatoes. They may say that it's 'rustic,' but I don't get it."

This may not be objective reportage, but at least you’ll never micromanage your potatoes ever again. And that, it seems, is all that matters.

How to Ruin Roasted Potatoes and Other Spuds from The Huffington Post