Problem: You intended to boil those new potatoes just until fork-tender. But when you drained them, they collapsed into mush.
Solution: "Make mashed potatoes,'" Rozanne Gold, a chef and author of the 1-2-3 series of cookbooks, says. Not in the mood for a mash, make home fries: Drain the potatoes and fry them in a skillet with
a small amount of fat―olive or peanut oil, butter, or bacon drippings―stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about
20 minutes.
Next time: Gently simmer the potatoes instead of boiling them. The lower temperature causes the starch in them to swell more slowly.
As a result, only a bit of the gummy starch leaks out of the potatoes and into the cooking water, says Shirley O. Corriher,
a food scientist and the author of CookWise: The Secrets of Cooking Revealed ($35, amazon.com).
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