Mmmmmm...hmmmm! Those are some gorgeous potatoes! I can't believe the slider buns were made from scratch. There's a lot of love rolled up into that meal.

Well I don't know if they were around before the Beatles, but I instantly thought...

Jojo was a man who thought he was a loner
But he knew it wouldn't last
Jojo left his home in Tucson, Arizona
For some California grass...

Get Back, Get Back...

But then I am a Beatles fan, so what do I know, eh?! Still, maybe another Beatles fan loved the song and called the wedges Jo Jo potatoes. They're just called wedges here... sadly!

Lovely post..love those crispy potato (deluxe)..wedges..:D

An extremely cute dog, miniature burgers and great potatoes? Sounds like a sublime evening.

I grew up calling them "mojo" potatoes. I always found the coating masked the potato flavor and made up my own recipe of a tablespoon of olive oil, s+p, smoked paprika, 5-6 medium 'taters cut into wedges and a 435 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. the trick is to put the metal sheet pan into the oven as it pre-heats so you're putting the raw potatoes onto a smoking hot pan - they get crisp and don't stick (woohoo)...because who wants to do clean-up after a batch of potato deluxe?

I'm scared of frying too -- I've heard too many scary stories of pots boiling over or stoves catching fire! One day I will overcome that fear, but in the meantime, I'll make these potatoes :).

WOW! this looks yummy and fall-ish. i will try them (especially since they're baked). i have NEVER heard of jo-jo potatoes; i think in california they would be called potato wedges. and though i'm sure somewhere here in the states 'deluxe potatoes' refers to frozen hashbrowns and canned soup, i can promise you that's not a nationally accepted recipe. sounds like it might have originated in the mid-west or the south. (i'm sure you know this, but i'm feeling the need to say that not all americans prefer processed foods.)

Hi... Thank you for teaching me the term sliders, had no idea... I clicked on the link explaining them, and lo and behold I was sent back through a time warp to those days way back when in my teens when I ate at White Castle (about only once or twice) in Queens.....

Thank you for the trip down memory lane, and the recipe I'm dying to try....

hi, for the first time.
I find idea of "hidden kitchen" so exciting but to go to "underground restaurant" just as friend sounds even more thrilling!
Cute dog, delicious recipe and another wonderful post!

I've never heard the phrase Jo Jo Potatoes. I live in the Chicago area and we call those American Fries as opposed to the skinny French Fries.

Oh, and sliders here refer only to hamburgers from one certain fast food restaurant.

I've lived in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, and Vermont and I have never heard those potatoes called JoJo Potatoes. They are just called potato wedges. And I like them better "oven fried," too.

And, to be fair, it is a pretty common American thing to mix vegetables (usually frozen or canned) with condensed soup. The result usually isn't half bad. Not gourmet but edible.

Please, please, please post your recipe for sliders.

So! When I was teenager-y there was a restaurant, in the same way that Denny's is a restaurant, called JoJo's. And I remember that they had these potatoes, and they called them JoJo's Famous or Original something like that.

Should have asked how JoJo like his hamburger!

Mmm. I grew up in Oregon but we never called them JoJo potatoes, just always potato wedges or oven fries. I make them whenever we have burgers--so easy and so good! Sometimes I'll dust them with truffle salt for an extra bit of flavor.

I too knew these potatoes as "mojos" when I was growing up. Are you from southeast Wisconsin by any chance Jen? I still get some from my favorite Italian restaurant whenever I visit the relatives.

Here is Texas, we call them potato wedges. I've never heard the term "Jojo" potatoes. (Lived in Georgia and NC as well.)

Those sliders look much better than the fast food version which are, at best, something you eat after many drinks and are fairly vile.

These look gorgeous. I wonder what they would be like made with sweet potatoes.....

Anyway, your lot have to face Us next weekend in the rugby.... who will be saying "oh dear", I wonder. We were so not supposed to get past Australia. The Northern Hemisphere rules, right?

I'm embarrased to type this, but the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain makes a phenomenal hash brown casserole like the one you describe. Geez, I only eat there once or twice a year when I'm taking a road trip, but damn it's good. Oh, and I live in KY, right across the river from Cincinnati, OH and I've never heard them called Jo Jo's either.

This sort of potato is also very good seasoned with zaatar--I've done it! ( I discovered zataar through your Feb. 23, 2007 post.)

Also, forgive me, but I think the expression is "dishwater blond", not "dishwasher"--it means dark blond/dirty blond--a common color, my color, unexciting/unlovely.

O my, those potatoes look delicious! I can't wait to try making them! I hope someday to come try the underground restaurant..not only is the idea of it exciting, but the food sounds and looks amazing! (I only wish there were better words to describe how beautiful is is..)

The hashbrown/soup casserole is popular among the Mormons in Utah, along with green jello, under the name 'funeral potatoes'. I have made it myself, although I'm not Mormon. It's not too bad.

Bien appétissantes ces jojo patatoes!

PLEASE don't knock the hash brown/condensed soup casserole until you've tried it. I make it for potlucks in a giant crock pot, so it is super easy, and I never have any left - and usually find someone trying to scrape the last bit out! It's just not a good idea to eat every day (or week, for that matter.)

Oh, and here in Ohio sliders definitely only refer to the onion-steamed wee ones at White Castle. They are delicious but are known to be slightly dangerous (on the gastric system), hence the double meaning of "sliders".

For fast-food fries my personal favorite forever will be Quick's frites rustiques (wedges like this) with the sauce basiliqe - I so charmed the attendant with my enthusiasm for this delight that she opened a new box of sauce and gave me some to take back to America with me. Anyone who's paid extra for more ketchup in Europe will know how extreme this action was. How I love you Quick Burger!

These sound so delicious! I'd love to have some right now, in fact. Potatoes are my favorite side dish to every meal.

I haven't heard the term Jo Jos since I was in college (in Washington state) and my friends and I would sometimes find ourselves craving salty fried things after drinking late into the night--or the wee hours of the next morning--and would make a pilgrimage to an awful 24-hour store that sold such things. I don't think I would fancy them now, but they did seem to do the trick back then.

Thanks for bringing back a funny memory I had lost along the way!

In Australia wedges (without the cheese coating) are generally served with sour cream and Thai-style sweet chilli sauce - mmmmm.

I grew up in Washington State. Yep... these are the JoJo's I remember. As a "kid" we preferred to dip them into ranch dressing. I am currently making the recipe now! I have not eaten JoJo's in about 15 years. My taste buds have matured a bit since then, so I don't think I will eat them with ranch, but rather as a side to my salmon tonight. Yum.

that's really interesting. in the past two years i moved to San Diego (SoCal) and discovered they called potato wedges "JoJo's" at mexican-esque fast foodie joints. (i've heard them pronounced both "hoho's" and "jojo's" i always thought it was a mexican influenced name for potato wedges, not that it was so wide spread.

The Safeway hot deli up the road from my college in Portland, Oregon called their spiced potato wedges "Jo Jos," and that was the first I had heard it. However, Shakey's Pizza calls their potato wedges "mojo potatoes," which I remember from their commercials as a kid. Regardless, these look totally awesome.

I'm from Seattle and I loved Jojos when I was a kid! I got some from Safeway the other day just for old times sake and you're right, they just taste like greasy cardboard now. The ones my dad made where way better.

I too am extremely wary of large amounts of hot oil and as a consequences don't do frying either. The final straw for me came when a friend and I got slightly distracted while frying some chips and had the beginnings of a chip pan fire on our hands. Thankfully we averted the crisis. Not only do oven baked, skin on potatoes taste better, they are healthier too. That's my excuse anyway ....

My mom used to make JoJo Potatoes when I was growing up. Haven't thought about them in years!

I grew up in Enumclaw, Washington, which is near the Seattle/Tacoma area and I definitely remember Jojos! I'm kind of ashamed to admit that the best ones we bought were made in a local gas station. But it was a small town and they were really good!! Thanks for bringing back the memories! I moved to Texas 16 years ago and I haven't had them since. I'm definitely going to give this recipe a try! Thank you!

i grew up in ohio mostly, and have always loved and known them as JoJo potatoes! yum.

These look so delish!

Judy's right, potato casserole is a staple among Mormons in the western US (I am one!) but I've seen recipes in Lutheran cookbooks also. I've tried many versions -- usually in a church kitchen cleaning up after a funeral (really) and it can be quite delicious. There are many ways to put one together, some soupier than others. Some cooks insist on using fresh instead of frozen potatoes. My favorite version uses frozen shredded potato, Cream of Chicken condensed soup (I know! But it's better than the Cream of Mushroom) and LOTS of sour cream and cheese. Oh, and you must top it with a mixture of melted butter and crushed corn flakes (cereal). Generally I'm a bit of a food snob, but after something traumatic like a funeral these taste really nice.

"Slyder" is a registered name given to squarish-looking mini-burgers by an old school fast food chain in the midwestern United States, called White Castle. Here in California, you can find a box of White Castle slyders in the frozen food section of some grocery stores (but you wouldn't want to). Many posh caterers and restaurants here offer sliders on their hors d'oeuvres menus and now the term has become interchangeable with what is just a mini-burger.

I would love to go to that Hidden Kitchen, "off night" or not! The simple sliders and potatoes meal sounds just as excellent as the last meal of theirs you described.

In Florida, sliders are raw oysters. There is even a restaurant by the name that my SIL worked at for many years.

I first encountered Jo Jo potatoes at Roscoe's BBQ in Rochester, MN. Unlike the Jo Jo's posted here, Roscoe's are sliced about 4mm thick and fried. When done well, they're lovely pillows of potato. Poorly, though and you get a greasy mess of misery.

RE funeral potatoes--every Mormon funeral I've ever attended has them. The variations range wildly in quality and healthfulness. :)

producestories, we went to the same college—but I never encountered these Safeway JoJos. As a native New Yorker, I've only heard them called "potato wedges," or variations on "steak fries."

Hi, those sound great!! I am a big fan of starchy foods so I can't wait to try those potato wedges. I am so envious that you got to try the hidden kitchen during the on and off nights. I will be in Paris in December and tried to get a RSVP but understandably so, they will be back in the US for the holidays. Another unfortunate event is that your book of Paris' hidden treasures will not be out by then either. Oh well, too bad. I will just have to come back to Paris another time. À la prochaine!

I actually read through all the comments just to see if anyone really used the term "jojo," I'd never heard of it. We just call them oven fries. The best part is you can also use sweet potatoes or winter squash, and you can add all sorts of additions: herbs, minced olives, etc. Our favorite are butternut squash-rosemary fries.

Um, YUM!!! Those look SOOOO good!

Hmm up here in Canada we just call them potato wedges. And indeed, they're much better than what we call French fries. But if you want something really tasty and potato-y, don't bother with a casserole; just make poutine!

Oh and by the way Clotilde, although this is the first time I'm commenting, I really enjoy your blog and I've loved every recipe I've tried so far!

I love those. I always order them at Quick. :)

Sliders are burgers and rollers are hot dogs, obviously. ;) I believe it's a navy thing.

Congratulations on your 4th anniversary. Love your blog!!!

I grew up in Ohio, and they were definitely known as jojos, we would usually get them at local pizza and fried chicken places in the Canton-Akron-Massillon area.... haven't seen them much outside of that area (live in AZ now). Cool post!

Yummy!!!! Total comfort food!

xox Girl and the City

When I lived in Chicago, the Jewel supermarket sold the frozen potato wedges as, if I remember correctly, "Texas fries" or "steak fries", to be baked in the oven. Her in Mali with no oven, I have to be a bit inventive, so I boil them first for about 20 minutes, or until about 3/4 done, then sauté them in a medium amount of oil in a skillet until crispy. I serve them with a dipping sauce which combines Dijon mustard, garlic, and mortared hot peppers. After seeing you picture, I want to serve them tonight, they look so good!

Use ecological potatoes, you'll avoid some nasty pesticides in the potato skin. love from me.

I just tried out the "Deluxe Potatoes" recipe--absolutely delicious. Thanks for another great addition to my recipe box!

I grew up in Deep East Texas and "Jo-Jo's" were something we only ate after church night when Dad would stop by the local convenience store on the way home. They were deep fried, spicy with paprika and black pepper, longer than my hand, perfect when fried to a crisp, too hot if the potato center was too thick, and eaten with packet ketchup squeezed onto the warm center with each successive bite. I can't imagine eating them now, but all that spice, fat, and heat paired with the sweet tang of that cold spot of ketchup--that's sort of what comes to mind when I think "Southern comfort." Oh, and Caro syrup pecan pie and deviled eggs (loaded with paprika) and sweetened ice tea. Oh, Southerners...

These sound wonderful! For a slightly different take, I make spicy roasted potatoes using both baking potatoes and sweet potatoes--very colorful on the plate too. I use olive oil instead of butter and don't add cheese, so these are a little lighter.

I've never heard these potatoes called Jo-Jo's. I'm from Tennessee and we call them simply potatoe wedges. I've never had them seasoned like that, just fried in oil with a little bacon grease in them. (Hey, everything is better in bacon grease, or so they seem to think here) Also, I've always considered the term "slider" to be a negative term, sort of like they have so much grease in them they will "slide" down your throat.

Too bad potato wedges/deluxe potatoes are always way too hot to be eaten right away! I'm particularly intrigued by the fact that these are baked in an oven. Deep frying is indeed quite scary. Think I'm going to try this very soon with a nice sour cream dip!

I grew up in Tacoma (outside Seattle) and live in Seattle now, and I know these as Jo-jos! Most of the gas stations, 7-11s, etc, have them, plus most of the big chain grocery stores, and even the ferry cafeterias. The best ones, in my opinion, come from Stadium Thriftway, in Tacoma. They're great in ranch! I must make these--never occurred to me to make them myself.

JoJo potatoes! Yum. I'm from the Pacific Northwest and I use that term, although I think that if it's on a menu or in a store, they're called "oven fries" or "potato wedges". Tasty though, whatever they're called. Haven't had any in ages, so I'm very tempted to try these out (especially since they're baked).

I've never heard the phrase "deluxe potatoes" or of any dish of hash browns and canned soup. Not a common meal anywhere I've lived, apparently.

(And hello! I've been reading and enjoying recipes for a while now, but never commented before.)

As a naval term, sliders are the hamburgers served on ship (so greasy they "slide"). Cheeseburgers are "sliders with lids".

My father-in-law is retired Navy, was on the USS Tennessee during WWII, and was happy to give me this information.

Mmmm...just saw a delectable plate of sliders pass me by last night while I was out.

So would sweet potatoes work baked as Jo Jo potatoes are? I'm thinking that might be a nice spin...

I was not impressed with these jo-joes, the seasoning was fine, but next time I shall delete the flour and add garlic. Of course, I have nothing with which to compare them, as they have never been served in New Orleans, but I did a little research and it seems that they were originally broasted, which is deep-fried under pressure. I think that is a process used by Dairy Queen, a chain that does not exist in New Orleans.

I just tried these tonight. They're absolutely fantastic. Thanks for a great (and unexpectedly easy, as I can't cook worth a d@mn and they still turned out fantastic) recipe. :)

You should also try seasoning your fries with a little lavender and salt. It's so yummy!

I am from SE Wisconsin (Kenosha), and these are definitely called "Mojos" not "JoJos"! I get these all the time from Infusino's or Luigi's or whatever Italian-American restaurant is on the dockett tonight--well, not anymore since I'm living in Paris ;) Now I miss my mojos. And just for the record, I have no idea why they're called mojos.

Mojo-jojo?
Truth is, can't resist them. Drooling over the picture, just made them - gosh they're good. Dip them without hesitation in the mayo/moutarde/ketchup. Delicious!!!

Down here in Oklahoma, you can buy 'em with greasy fried chicken at any quick shop/gas station worth its salt - and they're called JO-JOs!

Although Mo-Jo Jo-Jos has a ring to it! It rings, this name Mo-Jo Jo-Jo! Mo-Jo Jo-Jo as a name, rings! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

DeLuxe Potatoes is how I'll order them from now on, though, in order to seem more Continental! ;)

What a delightful article -- it produced a nostalgic (and virtual) trip to the Midwest U.S., where I first tasted these great potatoes -- and many similar hamburgers. Thanks so much.

Lyn Gosz

Ok i am leaving this blog now! I am sitting here staving and awaiting some food to arrive and every wonderful picture of yours i see makes me hungrier! These potatoes were the final straw!

Here in Spokane WA, every fast food chain that isn't a McD's or large national has Jo-Jo's on the menu, as do most grocery stores, taverns, and some convenience stores. They are great after more than a few drinks :)

I'm from Western Massachusetts and my friend and I used to order Jo-Jo's from a local pizza shop back in the 1980s - we loved them! I'm sending her a link to this blog just for fun. They look delish and I will definitely serve them to my family. I also know them as steak fries.

We call them Mojo potatoes not JoJo

We have had the #2 version of deluxe potatoes minus the butter, but plus buttered cubed bread topping (in the last fifteen minutes of cooking) for more than 25 years at our holiday meals. Both my sons phoned for the recipe as they weren't able to make it home for Thanksgiving. One is a chef and it wouldn't be a holiday without what we call Granny's potatoes (the recipe came from my mother) for either of them. The Jojo potatoes look great, but try the deluxe potatoes minus the butter-you might like them!