On Friday, Ryan and I decided we wanted to pick up some Lentil Sloppy Joes from our neighborhood coop, since their deli is amazing. They also had potato wedges to go with the Sloppy Joes, but since potatoes are quite heavy, and the whole meal is priced by the pound, we decided to get their Sloppy Joes and make our own wedges to go with them to save some money. We looked around online for a recipe, but they all took quite awhile to do, since they were all baked potato wedge recipes, and thick potatoes wedges take awhile to be cooked through by baking. Usually at least an hour. Heck, when we make home fries they are thin cut and still take about 45 minutes to bake.
How could we speed things up so we could make them and get to work on time? (We both work second shift). Microwave them!
I have used this method before to make quick breakfast potatoes. So, why not just cut them differently and have wedges?!
This plan definitely speeds things up. The microwave cooks the potatoes through quickly, then you just need to slice them up and pan fry them to get that crisp outside. These can be seasoned any way you'd like. Try tossing them in smoked paprika, cayenne, or chili powder. Or go for a savory flavor with garlic powder and rosemary. We went simple with ours, letting our sloppy Joes take the lead of the meal, and just did salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
Ryan cooked these ones up. He added the seasonings before he cooked them, so it burnt the garlic and pepper a little... so to avoid doing that, it's better to add the seasonings after the wedges are already cooked.
Serves 2
2 medium russet potatoes
2 tbsp cooking oil of choice (we used olive oil)
1 tsp salt
black pepper (optional - to taste)
garlic powder (optional - to taste)
1. Wash the potatoes to remove any dirt. Use a fork and stab the potatoes to make little holes for steam to vent out, around 6 stabs per potato.
2. Put the potatoes on a plate in the microwave. Microwave time will vary depending on the power of your microwave and the thickness of your potatoes.
*We have a 1000W microwave and cooked the potatoes for 5 minutes. You can check if they are done by poking it with a fork. If it slides into the potatoes smoothly, they are done. If it doesn't go in smoothly, try microwaving them for another minute or two.
3. Take the potatoes and cut them (carefully, they are hot!) in half, and then into quarters to create 8 wedges per potato.
* I find that using a serrated knife helps to get through the skin of the potato better without just pulling it off. Feel free to use a clean dishcloth to hold the hot potato in place while cutting it.
* After you cut the potatoes in half, it is easier to cut at an angle to get the wedge shape while you cut the potatoes into quarters, so the potato is lying flat on the cutting board, rather than trying to cut the potatoes into quarters and then stand each quarter on its edge to halve those.
YES NO
4. Heat the oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add the potatoes and cook for about 3 minutes, or until crisp. Then, turn the potatoes onto another side and cook another 3 minutes. Repeat for the third and last side.
5. Turn off the heat and put potatoes in a bowl. Add salt and whatever other seasonings you'd like and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
