Roasting potatoes in advance
I like to roast veggies every Sunday for the week. Potatoes are great right away but they get mealy and dry by the next day. Is there a trick to roasting potatoes a day in advance to keep them from getting yucky?
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3 Comments
Blame it on the chemistry of starches. In simple terms, when a starch cooks a network of linked starch molecules unlinks, and some of the molecules bind with water. When the cooked starch cools, many of the once-unlinked starch molecules re-link (a process called retrogradation). That's what makes cold cooked potatoes mealy and cold cooked rice hard and day-old bread seem dry.
Reheating reverses retrogradation partially, but only partially. Which is why reheated potatoes and risotto and stale bread will never quite have the same texture as freshly made.
Use unpeeled Yukon Gold or another medium-starch potato. Russets will not really work.
Cut into approximately 1.5" pieces
Roast with olive oil, salt, pepper, and any herbs you like (rosemary and thyme are good)
Let cool completely, then wrap/cover well and refrigerate.
To reheat, I put them in a medium-hot skillet till they're crisped up again and heated all the way through. They probably won't need any additional oil - you'll see it on the surface as they get hot.
Hope that helps!