Nashville-Style Hot Potatoes

I’m all about indulging every once in a while with something that is probably not all that good for us, but it’s just so satisfyingly delicious that we can’t help ourselves. Whatever it is, it’s typically not something we’d eat every single day, but from time to time I think it’s important for us to live our lives to the fullest. I say just have those fries or that extra slice of cake. You want a doughnut in the morning? Go for it. Life is too short, especially nowadays. Consider these Nashville-Style Hot Potatoes the next time you’re looking to treat yourself. What I’ve done is basically just taken my chicken fried potatoes and mashed them together with that Nashville hot chicken sauce for a vegetarian take on a classic. Serve with ranch and pickles with a beer (or chilled glass of wine) and you’ll be in heaven. Trust me. It’s heaven.

In a large bowl, toss together the buttermilk, potatoes, hot sauce, thyme, salt, pepper, mustard powder, garlic, onion, paprika, oregano, and ground thyme until evenly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

**Note: You don’t want anything longer than 2 hours or else the potatoes will begin to turn brown. This marinating time is crucial because it’ll really flavor the potatoes.**

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, and a large pinch of salt and pepper until evenly incorporated. Working with a few potato slices at a time, carefully remove from the buttermilk and place into the seasoned flour. Toss around until evenly coated, and then place on a baking sheet. Allow to air dry for about 10 minutes to ensure the coating sticks to the potatoes.

**Tip: Add in about 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk from the potatoes and toss until coarse crumbs are formed. This will give the coating a bit of a crunchier texture when fried.**

Meanwhile, fill a large, heavy-bottom pot, about halfway with oil. Set over medium-high and heat until the temperature reaches 365 degrees F with a deep-fry thermometer. Once hot, carefully drop in a few potatoes at a time and fry until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Keep warm in a preheated 200°F oven while you continue frying the rest. As soon as the potatoes come out of the oil, season lightly with salt.

To make the hot spicy sauce, carefully whisk together the spices (cayenne, chili powder, garlic powder, and paprika), brown sugar and 3/4 cup of the hot frying oil until dissolved and evenly combined.

**Note: If you want to tone down on the spice heat level, you can cut back on the cayenne pepper. The chili powder and paprika give it a nice depth of flavor and don’t really add too much heat. Most of the spiciness will come from the cayenne.**

Transfer the warm potatoes onto a large serving platter and then immediately pour the sauce over the fried potatoes.

**Tip: If you find that your spicy sauce has thickened to a point where you can’t pour it, you can whisk in a splash or two more of the hot cooking oil to loosen it up.**

Serve right away with a drizzle of ranch and a couple slices of pickles. Both of those are a classic Nashville chicken situation for me, but also they help cool down the heat from the spice. Serve with some ice cold beers or a super chilled glass of wine and you’ll be good to go.

You really want to serve this as soon as possible as the potatoes will lose that crunchy exterior the longer they sit once the sauce has been poured on. If you want to make these ahead of time, you can fry them up, keep them warm in a 200°F oven and then pour the sauce over them just before serving. If you do go that route, you can just rewarm the oil before mixing with the spices and sugar.

These are a great Labor Day snack or appetizer if you’re keeping things indoors this year. They’re tasty, hearty and are just the perfect comfort food for when you’re feeling like indulging a bit. Go ahead and do it, you deserve it. Let me know what you think below, and thank you so much for reading and following along.