The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (21 page)
Chicken is the most popular poultry in the world. This may be because compared to cows, sheep, and goats, it costs much less and is easier to raise, it can be prepared in a staggering number of different ways, and very little of it goes to waste.
1 medium onion, sliced into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch chunks
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 3-pound roasting chicken
Olive oil for brushing on the chicken
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup water
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lay the onion slices in a roasting pan and scatter the celery, carrots, and garlic cloves on top.
Pat the chicken dry. Place the chicken in the roasting pan, breast side up, wings tucked under. There is no need to truss the chicken. Brush the olive oil over the chicken and sprinkle it with the salt and pepper. Pour the water into the roasting pan.
Put the pan in the oven and roast for 50 minutes. Raise the temperature to 450°F. Rotate the pan and continue roasting for 30 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 170°F. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Serves 4
One of the astounding variety of dishes that magically appear before an astonished Harry at his first Hogwarts feast is boiled potatoes (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 7).
When you think “history of the potato” (if you think “history” at all), you probably think “Ireland and the potato famine.” But actually the Irish weren't so keen on the potato at first. The Spanish brought the potato back from South America in the 1500s and it took a very long time before the English and Irish started eating it. They thought it was poisonous, because, like the tomato, it belongs to the nightshade family.
3 pounds small new potatoes
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar (you can substitute a different vinegar, such as balsamic)
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Scrub the potatoes and place in a pot. Fill the pot with water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork, about 25 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and dill, and toss to combine. Serve warm.
Serves 6
A traditional vinaigrette is made by whisking the ingredients to form a temporary emulsion (a process that suspends the oil in the vinegar), but in this recipe we take the easy way out and just toss all the ingredients together.
Ron stuffs his mouth with so many roast potatoes that no one can understand a word he's saying. What can he do? He's hungry, after all. It took a while for the feast that kicks off the school year to get started because of the extra-long sorting, when the hat sang an extra-long song warning everyone to stick together in the troubled times ahead (see
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
, Chapter 11).
If you've been reading this book in order, you know that it took a long time (two centuries, in fact) from the introduction of the potato into England to its being eaten. Some people knew potatoes were safe to eat, but no one believed them. So they resorted to tricks. One Benjamin Thompson realized that the government could save lots of money feeding potatoes to poorhouse residents. He boiled the potatoes behind closed doors until they fell apart and no one could tell what food it was. Otherwise, no one would have eaten it. Sneaky, sneaky… but this way, the residents were well-fed, the government saved loads of money, and everyone was happy.
6 red potatoes (about 2 pounds), scrubbed and chopped into ½-inch cubes
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the potatoes with the oil, salt, rosemary, garlic, and black pepper, taking care to coat the potatoes thoroughly and evenly.
Spread the potatoes in a large, shallow roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Roast the potatoes for about 45 minutes, until the potatoes are slightly crisp around the edges and soft in the middle. Halfway through baking, remove the pan briefly to toss the potatoes again, then replace it in the oven and continue baking.
Serves 4
Ron is starving — as usual — at the start-of-term feast, where the Triwizard Tournament will be announced. He loads up on mashed potatoes, observed by a wistful Nearly Headless Nick (see
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
, Chapter 12).
There are a zillion and one ways to prepare potatoes, and it seems as though at least half of them are mentioned in the Harry Potter books. But this is one of the best ways to eat them. For mashing, use starchy potatoes, such as russet. Waxy potatoes like the red-skin variety don't lose their shape after a long cooking time and are best reserved for roasting and stewing. They don't make good mashed potatoes.
6 Idaho or russet potatoes (about 2½ pounds), peeled and quartered
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper to tast
Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer about 25 minutes or until the potatoes break apart when pierced with a fork.
Drain the potatoes. Add the butter, milk, salt, and black pepper. Mash with a potato masher until the potatoes are light and fluffy.
Serves 4
You can have a lot of fun with mashed potatoes. Boil 2 peeled cloves of garlic along with the potatoes and mash them together with the potatoes, along with a dash of garlic powder, for garlicky mashed potatoes. Add a sautéed onion and 1 tablespoon onion powder for onion mashed potatoes. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top for cheesy mashed potatoes. Or mash in your favorite herbs, minced. And serve with lots of gravy.
Harry is about to have his very first Halloween feast at Hogwarts, complete with live bats (for show, not for eating), when Professor Quirrell bursts into the Great Hall to warn everyone about a troll, throwing the Hall into chaos. Harry doesn't get to finish the baked potato he had been about to help himself to, but he has adventures far more exciting than eating potatoes (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 10).
Another interesting fact about potatoes: They used to be called “earth apple” in English and German (
Erdapfel
). They are still called “earth apple” in French (
pommes de terre),
Hebrew (
tapuchei adama
), Dutch (
aardappel
), and other languages.
6 Idaho or russet potatoes, scrubbed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Butter, sour cream, or plain yogurt, for serving
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and spread them, cut-side up, on a baking sheet.
Bake the potatoes for 1 to 1½ hours, until the tops are crusty and golden and the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with lots of butter or with sour cream or plain yogurt.
Serves 6
For a hearty meal on its own, bake the potatoes whole, then split them in half and scoop out the insides. Mash with tuna and mayonnaise — using the proportions of tuna and mayo to potato that you like — and return the mixture to the shells. If desired, pop them into the oven for a few minutes to reheat just until hot throughout.
Fried potatoes, one of the three ways potatoes are served at Harry's first Hogwarts feast, appear magically on the table in front of Harry, who tastes all the foods except the humbugs (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 7).
To get the French to start eating potatoes — like other people, they too were reluctant — scientist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier got creative. He gave Queen Marie Antoinette potato blossoms to wear and he planted a potato field and had it heavily guarded. He figured, rightly, that the locals would be curious about the valuable crop. Indeed, they snuck in at night and stole potatoes, which they then planted and ate, finding that they were quite good after all. Such shtick! But it worked. So grateful are the French to Monsieur Parmentier that today any dish with the word
parmentier
in it means the main ingredient is potatoes.
6 large Idaho potatoes, peeled