Can I substitue a Cast iron enamel dutch oven for a clay pot

Going to make a "Potatoes roasted in sea salt" recipe from a Patricia Wells book and it calls for the use of a clay pot, will my cast iron Dutch oven work ok?

No expert, here, but my inclination is probably not. I'm guessing she's asking for something culinarily akin to a pizza stone or tandoor that's porous and will wick moisture away from your potatoes. That being said, I roast potatoes in the oven all the time in a plain-old roasting pan, and I've always been happy with the results.

Alton Brown made a homemade terracotta cookerout of a planter and a pizza stone; it's worth a shot.

jpeac2 wrote:Going to make a "Potatoes roasted in sea salt" recipe from a Patricia Wells book and it calls for the use of a clay pot, will my cast iron Dutch oven work ok?

Does the recipe call for a glazed or unglazed clay pot? If glazed is specified, a dutch oven will make a good substitute.

Most recipes that call for a clay pot do not use oil or other fat. The clay pot is soaked in water, and steam very slowly releases from the clay during the cooking process, creating a moist environment that prevents sticking/ burning of the food, and creates a unique, tender texture other cooking vehicles can't quite produce. I haven't seen the Wells recipe, but if it is oil-less, I would not use it without the clay pot.

I just noticed Mhays' reply, which in some ways sounds like the opposite of mine, though the concept is actually the same. Sometimes the intent of the clay is what I said - a slow release of steam that produces a steady, tamed moisture cooking environment. Other times the porous clay is indeed used for exactly the opposite: moisture leaves the food and enters the walls of the pot instead of condensing back into the food environment, so the cooking environment stays close to absolutely dry. Either way, the clay usually serves a distinct purpose that can't really be replicated with metal. That's not to say you can't make delicious roasted potatoes in any old pan, or even just wrapped up in some aluminum foil. I just doubt it'll come out the way Wells intended.

Note that there are clay pots and clay pots. European recipes usually mean a Romertopf-type pot that's totally unglazed. Asian recipes usually mean a sand pot that's unglazed on the outside and glazed inside. Either way you soak them first, but they have different cooking qualities. Chinese recipes are more likely to work in a cast-iron dutch oven. In lieu of a Romertopf you can get a large terracotta flowerpot with a saucer at the hardware store, using the saucer as the base and inverting the pot over the top for a lid.

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