Potatoes O'Brien or O'Brien Potatoes (1905)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   Who is O'Brien and when/why did he do the potatoes?
   It's not in OED.  (Will it be?)  The Making of America databases drew a complete blank, as did Accessible Archives and the Gerritsen Collection.  The American Periodical Series had one 1919 ad for a dinner at a New York City hotel.
   Google has about 1,000 hits for each name.



   2 April 1905, NEW YORK TIMES, pg. X7:
   Pommes O'Brien
(Funny.  I searched for "Potatoes O'Brien" and this is what I found--ed.)

   10 October 1909, NEW YORK TIMES, pg. X5:
   A favorite dish of one New York chef is potatoes O'Brien.  It is nothing more than cold boiled potatoes fried with finely-shaped red or green pepper mixed through them.


   From Epicurious.com:

O'Brien potatoes
Although the origin of the name is vague, it seems to come from the longtime association between the Irish and potatoes. The dish consists of diced potatoes (sometimes precooked) that are fried with chopped onions and PIMIENTOS until the potatoes are crisp and brown. Some variations use sweet red or green peppers instead of pimientos.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.