THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

For lyonnaise potatoes, place a spider over the fire containing two level tablespoonfuls of butter.  When it is melted, stir in a heaping teaspoonful of chopped onion and let it cook until slightly colored before adding two cupfuls of cold boiled potatoes cut in cubes.  Lightly toss the potatoes until they have absorbed the butter and taken on some color.  Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper and some chopped parsley.  Serve very hot.  The juice of part of a lemon may be used in place of the parsley.

~The Hamilton Spectator, March 3, 1897.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• 2 Tb. butter
• 1 Tb. chopped onion
• 2 c. boiled potatoes, cubed or sliced
• 1 Tb. chopped parsley
• ¼ tsp. salt
• generous dash of black pepper.

Chop the onion and parsley, and dice (or slice) the cooked potatoes.

In a 10-inch diameter cast-iron frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Sauté the onion in the butter until it becomes golden and slightly transparent.

Add the potatoes, and agitate continually with a fork, until they are golden and have absorbed the butter – approximately 10 to 12 minutes.

Add the parsley, salt and pepper, and continue to toss over medium heat for about half a minute longer.

Serve immediately, while piping hot.

Yield:  2 to 3 servings.

These are rich and flavourful, especially if prepared with new potatoes and parsley, fresh from the garden.

Note:  For best results, do not overcook the potatoes when boiling them.

A note from Patricia: I’m always happy to eat potatoes, and this recipe looked lovely and simple, so it was next on my list to try. With just a few simple ingredients, these were really easy to make, and the result was fantastic – crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside and buttery good. What’s best is that this side dish is so versatile, it can easily be a side dish to any meat that you’re serving. It’s a French classic for a reason, and I’m here for it! After reading a variety of other Lyonnaise potato recipes online, I decided to slice my potatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds vs. cubing them, as it looks like that’s the typical way the French slice them for this dish. And I added a bit more parsley than the recipe called for, because I love the freshness of it and the additional colour it adds to the plate. I’ll be honest, I had seconds of this because it was so flavourful and buttery. I’ll definitely be making these gorgeous potatoes again.

KEEPING PARSLEY FOR USE DURING WINTER. – Housekeepers who value this for seasoning and for ornamenting dishes, can have it all winter with very little trouble. Take up a stock of roots and set them in a box of earth. …. in the kitchen, will give a supply of parsley….

~Clarke, W.F. (Editor). The Canada Farmer. Vol. I January to December. Toronto: George Brown, 1864.

PARSLEY.

Very useful for flavoring soups, stews and for garnishing. The green leaves are used for flavoring, or they may be dried crsip, rubbed to a powder, and kept in bottles until needed.

~Universal Almanac and Catalogue of Seeds. Detroit Michigan: D.M. Ferry & Co. Seed Merchants, 1896.