Crispy Potatoes and Peppers

The humblest vegetables can turn into amazing meals when prepared with fresh ingredients and a little attention to detail. In this case, it was very humble ingredients—potatoes, peppers, and onions—that turned into a truly delicious and simple meal with a few key additions and a little care in the prep. The key additions in this case are indulgent, true, but a little goes a long way: duck fat and creme agria. The duck fat came from some roasted duck legs that I'd made a while back, and the crema agria is Mexican style sour cream, I get mine from Darigold because it's what's commonly available (and delicious). It's extra smooth, extra tangy, and extra delicious, and while I'm basically required to love sour cream because I'm half Hungarian, this stuff is my absolute favorite, and can stand in equally for both regular sour cream and creme fraiche, for significantly less money than creme fraiche, I might add.

Crispy Potatoes and Peppers
Serves 2

12–14 baby yukon gold potatoes
2 small bell peppers, sliced into strips
2 large wax peppers, sliced intro strips
2 large green onions, sliced thinly
1–2 TB duck fat
1 TB olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 TB sour cream for garnish
Hot sauce (optional; this is Iguana XXX habanero sauce)

Fill a medium saucepan with water and 2 tsp salt. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer until tender, approximately 8–10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool just a bit.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the peppers in olive oil over medium-high heat until tender and a little brown, about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. When done, reduce heat to very low and keep warm.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, crush them lightly with the back of a large wooden spoon. In a large skillet, heat the duck fat over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, and fry a few minutes each side, until golden brown and crispy.

When potatoes are done, drain and serve in a shallow bowl. Top with peppers and garnish with sour cream, green onions, and hot sauce if desired.

Use a mixture of butter and canola oil if you'd like to make this vegetarian.