Thursday 27 October 2011

Cartofi Taranesti

"Country-style or 'peasant' potatoes"

Cartofi taranesti are a particularly common side dish in Romanian restaurants and the recipes for them vary from place to place, region to region. The essential recipe, however, remains more or less the same. They obviously originate from the home cooking of the countryside being cooked on the open hearth or wood burning stove. When done well they are soft on the inside, a little crispy on the outside, and perfumed by the other added ingredients. Many recipes simply add onions but I've always loved them with the bacon lardons and a touch of garlic, but you can omit them if you like (or if you don't eat meat, of course). They would also work well with rosemary or thyme.

Ingredients
5 or 6 smallish potatoes (larger potatoes can be used but would need to be boiled longer)
One onion, roughly chopped
Two or three cloves of garlics, crushed and chopped (optional)
A scant cup of diced fatty bacon, smokey works well (optional)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Chopped parsley (or any fresh herb you have handy)
Cooking oil (can be olive oil or even butter - again, whatever you have to hand)

Method
1. Wash any mud off the potatoes and put them into enough cold water to cover them plus an inch. Bring to the boil and allow them to boil until a fork can pierce them easily. Be careful not to over-boil them, you want them to hold their shape when you fry them later.
2. Once sufficiently part-boiled, probably 20-30 minutes depending on their size, drain them and fill the pan with cold water to stop the cooking process and cool them quicker.
3. Peel off the skin with your fingers (it comes off easily, no need to use a peeler) and cut them into rounds, each about 10mm thick. (Note: alternatively you can peel them first, cut them into rounds or wedges, and then boil them.)
4. Put another pan on a medium heat and add the bacon pieces (if using) and fry them till some of the fat is extracted, then add a few more splashes of oil, butter, or lard. If you aren't using bacon, just add oil and heat.
5. Once the bacon has taken on a brown colour (or the oil has warmed up, if not using bacon) add the chopped onion and allow to soften for a couple of minutes, stirring ocassionally. Then throw in the garlic (if using) and continue to fry for another minute or two. It should be smelling lovely by now!
6. Arrange the sliced potatoes in the pan and allow to fry for about 10-15 minutes. Flip them from time to time, move the top ones to the bottom, but don't stir them too vigorously or too frequently or you won't give them time to develop a crispy brown coat, and too much stirring will mean you end up with an oily mash.
7. When they are nicely brown, serve them in a bowl or alongside the main, season with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of parsley (or another fresh herb). A dash of paprika is also a popular addition.

Gorgeous, hearty, warming, and moorish. They'll go with more or less anything or will happy stand alone as a centre-of-the-table nibble. Easily as good as a nicely roasted potato (and those are hard to beat).

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had never been to a Romanian restaurant until this weekend. Some friends and I decided to go for Romanian food and I have to say that the food was delicious. That is the reason I am visiting this blog, because I want to learn how to cook some traditional dishes. This recipe looks delicious and I will cook it very soon. In the mean time, if you need Romanian Translation for your recipe do not hesitate to contact professionals, they will make sure everything is perfect for you.

Romfoody said...

Hi Anonymous. Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you've taken an interest in Romanian cuisine. These potatoes are delicious, although not particularly good for the waistline. Thanks for the translation link recommendation.

Anonymous said...

I am looking for a recipe which I think is Romanian. My mothers friend used to make them they were a pastry filled with I think ground beef and probably spices. I remember she would make a batch of them and freeze them,. She would het them up in the oven. They were so good Can you help me

Romfoody said...

Hello there! Sorry for the slow response. I've seen some meat-filled pastries in various bakeries. What kind of pastry was it? Puff pastry or something more robust? Try Googling 'pateuri cu carne' and switch to images and see if anything look familiar. If you don't know Romanian, post the link and I'll have a go at translating the recipe.

Patty said...

Wowee - Im Romanian and always looking for new recipes - this is awesome - ya...need to go hiking in the Romanian Carpathians to work this one off, but this is definitely going to be a staple in this momma's kitchen.

Multaim fain!!
-Patty

BattleSausage said...

Just made this dish and it was fantastic! I will be making this again however this really should be a dish on its own, I am very full.

Anonymous said...

Hi,I ate a similar recipe when we stayed with a family which I am trying to replicate.It is very similar,however the potatoes are rolled in fine herbs, not garlicky or spicy.The herbs were very fine which appeared to be rolled in them and the potatoes were not browned.Do you know of this recipe.I rolled mine in mixed herbs,but I think the herbs are not fine enough.Please help if you can,my husband really likes them and does not like garlic.I use fry light for traditional roast potatoes.Where can I get the fine herbs in the Uk.
Thank you

Romfoody said...

Hi. I've never seen potatoes cooked like that before. Which area of Romania where you staying in? Perhaps it's a particular regional recipe. Hopefully a reader will be able to help.

Anonymous said...

Coud be "suberec" from dobrogea region ?!..

Toni said...

Hi, pretty much every region has their own way of making these. They are considered a “peasant” dish so it might not be something you’ll find at a high end cosmopolitan restaurant in the major cities. The essentials are then same, the potatoes are preboiled, you can also steam or bake them. We use bacon lardons that we fry up, set aside, and add in later, we also fry the up a generous amount of chopped onions—usually 2 till caramelized. The potatoes are added in once chopped and allowed to cook together to absorb the grease, bacon is added back in, salt and pepper is added along with smoked paprika and anything you like. Dried savory is popular. I find a teaspoon or 2 of curry powder, I’ve also used tikka Marsala seasoning it really brings all the flavors together. I also add fresh chopped dill and parsley. It doesn’t have to have garlic in it, the spices I suggested have enough. Romania is a culinary crossroads, so there are some strong Turkish/Persian influences in the food, especially with seasonings.

Toni said...

Hi, pretty much every region has their own way of making these. They are considered a “peasant” dish so it might not be something you’ll find at a high end cosmopolitan restaurant in the major cities. The essentials are then same, the potatoes are preboiled, you can also steam or bake them. We use bacon lardons that we fry up, set aside, and add in later, we also fry the up a generous amount of chopped onions—usually 2 till caramelized. The potatoes are added in once chopped and allowed to cook together to absorb the grease, bacon is added back in, salt and pepper is added along with smoked paprika and anything you like. Dried savory is popular. I find a teaspoon or 2 of curry powder, I’ve also used tikka Marsala seasoning it really brings all the flavors together. I also add fresh chopped dill and parsley. It doesn’t have to have garlic in it, the spices I suggested have enough. Romania is a culinary crossroads, so there are some strong Turkish/Persian influences in the food, especially with seasonings.

Anonymous said...

Turkish/Persion influences in South of România,.........
where I come from, Transylvania , we have more German/Hungarian influences. Cuisine quite different.
Delicious food, good wine and incredible beautiful countryside.