Potatoes and yams
Dried PotatoesParboil, Then Dry: Drying Time, Storage and a Recipe
Dried potatoes get sweeter and take on a pleasantly chewy texture. With the water gone, they soak up flavor well in simmered dishes.
Cut raw and dried, the cut surfaces turn dark as they’re exposed to air. For fully dried potatoes, the key is to boil them in salted water first. We used Inca no Mezame, a yellow-fleshed Japanese variety, but the method is the same for any potato.
| Drying time | Storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Dry (boiled first) | 3–4 days | 3 weeks at room temperature (fridge in humid summer) |
| Semi-dried (raw) | 3 hours–half a day | 3 days in the fridge |
Drying times assume drying during the day in sunny weather and bringing them in at night.
How to dry potatoes
- Remove sprouts and green parts: Potato sprouts and skin that has turned green in the light contain natural toxins such as solanine. Dig out the sprouts from the base, and peel away green parts thickly.
- Cut: Scrub the skin well and slice into rounds about 1 cm (⅜ in) thick, skin on.
- Boil in salted water: Boil for 5 minutes in 1% salt water (about 2 tsp salt per liter / quart of water), until a skewer almost goes through easily.
- Pat dry and dry: Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels and spread on a basket without overlapping. Put them somewhere sunny and breezy, turn about once a day, and bring in by evening.
For semi-dried potatoes, don’t boil them. Cut, soak in water for 10 minutes to remove starch, pat dry, and dry for about half a day.
Where and when to dry is covered in How to Dry Vegetables, and tools in Tools for Drying Vegetables.
When they’re done
Dry (3–4 days)
They’re done when the rounds have shrunk, the surface has turned deep brown, and they’re rock hard (the color depends on the variety).
Semi-dried (3 hours–half a day)
The surface is dry. Roasted or fried as is, they come out crisp outside and fluffy inside.
Day by day
Before drying
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Storage
- Dry: Put completely dry rounds in a bag or airtight container with a desiccant, and keep somewhere cool and out of direct sun for about 3 weeks. In humid summer weather, keep them in the fridge.
- Semi-dried: Keep in a bag in the fridge and use within about 3 days.
- Frozen: Dry potatoes can be frozen for 1–2 months.
Fuzzy white or green growth, black spots or a bad smell are signs of mold or spoilage. Don’t eat them; throw them away. More in How to Store Dried Vegetables.
Rehydrating and using them
- Rehydrate: Soak dry potatoes in hot water for about 15 minutes.
- Use them dry: Add straight to curry, stew, pot-au-feu and miso soup, and simmer a little longer. They hold their shape and turn pleasantly chewy.
- Good in: Simmered dishes, stir-fries, German-style fried potatoes.
Recipe
Dried potatoes braised with ground pork and spicy oyster sauce
- Dried potatoes from 2 potatoes
- 120 g (4¼ oz) ground pork
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 knob ginger
- Dried red chili, to taste
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp sake
- 400 ml (about 1⅔ cups) water
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- Dried green shiso (optional)
- Soak the dried potatoes in hot water for 15 minutes. Finely chop the garlic and ginger.
- Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the garlic, ginger, chili and ground pork over medium heat.
- When the pork is no longer pink, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, add the drained potatoes, and stir-fry until coated in oil.
- Add the sake and water. When it boils, cover and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, uncover, and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Serve sprinkled with dried green shiso, if you have it.
Dried green shiso adds a lovely aroma and a pop of color.
