How to make oven-baked potatoes taste like fire-baked potatoes

Do you want to make potatoes baked in a regular oven taste like fire-baked potatoes? Well the older of us remember the unique taste of fresh potatoes baked in ashes. Fire-baked tubers certainly bring back childhood memories but and now, when we live in cities we do not have that many chances to try it again. Well, do not be sad, because we have a trick for you, which should make your oven-baked potatoes taste “like they came from a fire”.

Potato chips baked in ashes

It is not difficult at all but, you need to use high-quality ingredients. If you do not, you will not be happy with the result.

Photo: Pixabay

Here is what you need

• about 1 kg of smaller potatoes, preferably the same size
• about 3 handfuls of hay
• 2 tablespoons of oil

You will also need

• butter
• salt
• buttermilk or herb cottage cheese

Procedure:

1. Wash potatoes thoroughly with a brush and dry them. Do not peel them. You need them whole.
2. Put clean and dry potatoes on a baking tray, season with salt, add oil and mix thoroughly. Make sure to coat potatoes evenly – use your hands.
3. Now spread them out on a baking sheet and bake at 200 °C. It should take about 30-40 minutes depending on the size of potatoes. Test with a skewer. The skin should be wrinkled and should have brown spots.
4. Put hay on the bottom of a large stainless steel bowl, add potatoes and place the bowl on a stove. If you have a kitchen hood switch on powerful hood otherwise you will smell burning hay in your kitchen for quite a long time. A good idea is to open a window while doing so.
5. Now when you have ventilation on, light the hay in the bowl and let it burn. It only takes a couple minutes.
6. Now, wrap potatoes in the ash. They will absorb the fire aroma from the smoke, the ash will enhance the flavour and you have fire-baked potatoes.
7. Place potatoes on a large cutting board and squeeze them a bit to break them. Just like you would do in the field. Even the ash will be the same. Now, everyone can season potatoes as they prefer, add butter and cottage cheese, or eat it just like that. Many times we didn’t even had salt in the field but it was great, right?
8. Enjoy and happy memories!

A less daring recipe

If you do not want to light hay in your kitchen (or you have a sensitive fire alarm or a partner), you may try another trick. It is not as authentic as the previous one, but it also works well.

Potatoes in a salt crust

You will need:

• 1 kg of smaller potatoes preferably of the same size
• 2 kg salt (approximately)
• fresh herbs (optional)
• butter
• cottage cheese mixed with salt and milk, possibly with herbs (chives are an obvious choice)
• milk, buttermilk, kefir

Procedure:

1. Wash potatoes and dry them. Do not peel them.
2. Preheat oven to about 200°C.
3. Pour salt on baking tray – to cover the bottom.
4. You can add fresh herbs of your choice (parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.).
5. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on top of the salt layer, close to each other but make sure they do not touch.
6. Sprinkle with salt. They must be completely covered.
7. Put the baking tray in the oven and bake for an hour or two, depending on the size of potatoes. One hour should do for small potatoes. You need to do some testing.
8. When done, quickly remove the salt so they are not too salty.
9. Squeeze potatoes to break them, put a piece of butter on each and eat just like that or serve as a side dish. Dairy products go well with potatoes and add nutritional value to your meal.

Source: https://www.recepty.cz/recept/brambory-pecene-v-soli-18777, https://recepty.cuketka.cz/brambory-v-popelu/, https://www.nikosuvrohlik.cz/single-post/2017/03/19/brambory-v-popelu, https://www.albert.cz/recepty/brambory-z-popela-s-tvarohovym-dipem

Preview photo: Pixabay