The Crispiest Potatoes You’ll Ever Make

Welcome to the latest edition of Food52 Founder Amanda Hesser’s weekly newsletter, Hey There, It’s Amanda, packed with food, travel, and shopping tips, Food52 doings, and other matters that catch her eye. Get inspired—sign up here for her emails.

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Some big news today:

First. Over at Schoolhouse: Katie Elliott, our VP of Design, launched Design School on Substack! Katie has been the creative force behind designs like this blanket and this sconce. Every week, she’ll share short dispatches from her world—styles, colors, and objects that are inspiring her, vintage designs she’s found, and what went into a product that she and her team created for Schoolhouse. I hope you’ll check it out and sign up.

Second. Coming soon to your inbox: I’ll be launching a Substack as well—it’s called Homeward, and is going to be about everything that goes into creating a home. My husband and I are renovating a house, so I’ll be sharing updates on that project, and using the newsletter as a jumping off point for topics from selecting a kitchen faucet to how to organize your laundry room to being a good neighbor. I’m looking forward to it being a conversation with all of you. After reading through your feedback on pizza ovens—we’re going to have a great one!—I’m even more excited to exchange ideas with you about all things home. Here’s the about page (not much to see yet, but the design is cool), and you’ll be receiving the first installment as soon as it goes live in a couple of weeks.

Nea

Have you been following Nea? She’s part of our Test Kitchen team and is a cooking dynamo. You can see her twice-weekly videos here. And the many, many videos she posts in her time off here. Last week, she posted this Chocolate Cherry Pavlova, a dessert often confined to summer. Nea smartly found a way to make it feel at home in March.

Peelers

My favorite peelers are back in stock after the first batch sold out. They’re my new housewarming gift for friends.

Hot Sheets

This duvet set has been an outlier hit—people are ready for spring and for gingham. Punxsutawney Phil can shove it with his delayed spring forecast.

Pantry Find

On my last trip to Portland, I had dinner at Luce with Food52 Editorial Director Julie and former editor Leslie. There was a lamb and saffron pasta, a charming waiter, and this minerally pine bud syrup served with a buttermilk pannacotta.

A few newsletters ago, I mentioned that I went to Hawksmoor for a Sunday roast. The highlight of the lunch was the roasted potatoes. So I got the recipe and gave it a whirl. Warning: You need beef drippings, which I didn’t have lying around. I picked up suet and demi-glace to replicate drippings; it’s worth the detour to a butcher shop.

Here’s the recipe:

Hawksmoor’s Beef Drippings Roast Potatoes

Serves 4 to 6

2 ½ to 3 pounds russet potatoes

Salt

1 head garlic, halved

3 sprigs rosemary

5 sprigs thyme

½ cup + 2 tablespoons beef drippings (alternatively use ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons beef suet and 3 tablespoons demi-glace)

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into 2-inch chunks. Rinse the potatoes until the water runs clear, 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Place the potatoes in a steamer basket and steam until the edges are soft and potatoes are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the steamer pot and add the potatoes to it, cover with a lid, and shake the pan to “chuff” (aka rough up) the edges of the potatoes. Let cool completely, then season the potatoes with salt.

3. Heat the oven to 375 F. Melt the drippings (or suet and demi-glace; if you can’t get demiglace, use more suet) on a roasting pan or heavy baking sheet in the oven. Once melted, add the potatoes, coat them in the drippings, and spread them evenly around the pan. Add the garlic and herbs. Roast, turning every 10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp, 30-40 minutes. If your oven has convection, turn it on!

Yours in roasted taters and tater tots,

Amanda