Potatoes are high in potassium, vitamin C and
both soluble and insoluble fiber. One serving of ½ cup diced potatoes equal to
about 75 grams has no fat and only 13 grams of carbohydrates about 4 % of the
daily recommend amount of carbohydrates. There is even a little protein in
potatoes. Potatoes also contain vitamins
B6 and B3, copper, sodium, manganese, phosphorus and pantothenic acid.
Potatoes are part of the nightshade family,
related tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers.
There are an estimated 100 varieties.
They vary in size, shape, color,
flavor and starch content. Most have
brown, red or yellow skins with white or yellow flesh. There are also purple-gray potatoes with
purple flesh. Potatoes are available in
two basic types. Mature potatoes are the
large potatoes often used for baking.
The tubers are allowed to grow in the ground. New potatoes are the smaller round potatoes
that are harvested earlier in the growing season and are usually boiled.
 |
| Mature potatoes russet and white |
 |
| New potatoes yellow, red and purple with a fingerling in the front. |
Selecting
and Storing Potatoes
When selecting potatoes, look for firm
potatoes with smooth skins without damage or decay. This is why it is best to select individual
potatoes rather than a bag of potatoes.
Potatoes in bags often retain moisture that can damage the potatoes. Also if there is a decayed or diseased potato
in the bag it can affect or infect other potatoes in the bag. Potatoes should be free of green and
sprouting eyes. Green on potatoes indicates
the presence of a toxin, solanine that can affect the flavor of the potatoes
and in high quantities can be dangerous.
Potatoes do best stored at 45-50 degrees in a
dark place. Storing them at room
temperature will allow them to sprout.
Storing them in the refrigerator will affect the starch content. They should not be exposed to sunlight as
this causes solanine to be produced in the potato. Do not store potatoes and onions
together. They both produce gases that
have detrimental effects on the other.
It is best to store potatoes in a cool, dark place like a root cellar or
closet. Store them in burlap or paper
bags.
Uses
Potatoes lend themselves well to
boiling, baking, frying, steaming, roasting and mashing. They are good in soups, salads, and as side
dish.
I
really like this website for getting to know your ingredients. The World’s Healthiest Foods at http://www.whfoods.com/
also provides recipes and nutritional information. Don’t be surprised to find potatoes on this
website. Potatoes are good for you. It is how we cook them and what we put on
them that makes them unhealthy. Another good site is http://www.potatogoodness.com/
This site has recipes and recommended uses of potatoes by variety.
This Week’s Challenge
–Potatoes
This week try a different variety of
potato. Try one of the recipes below or
do your own experiment. Find the variety
that you plan to use and research a recipe online. Don’t for get to record your findings.
Tip for this Week – Potatoes
love salt
Potatoes need more salt than you
think. Do not be afraid to salt a little
on the heavy side. When boiling
potatoes, salt the water heavily, add the necessary salt as you finish your
preparation.
If you accidently over salt a dish,
add a peeled potato cut in half lengthwise.
The potato will absorb some of the salt.
The potato can be discarded later, before serving.
This Week in Punkin’s Kitchen
Purple Potato Salad
1-2
lb. Purple new potatoes
1
T Salt
¼
C Olive oil
2
T Lemon juice, freshly
squeezed
1
clove Garlic minced
1
t Dijon mustard
2
t Rosemary, fresh and
finely chopped
 |
| The ingredients |
1. Wash
the potatoes and place in a pot of water with the salt and bring to a boil.
 |
| The washed purple potatoes in pot of water. Salt the water heavily |
2. Cook
the potatoes until tender about 10 minutes.
3. Drain
the potatoes and set aside.
 |
| Drained purple potatoes cooling. |
4. Make
the dressing by placing the remaining ingredients is a small bowl and whisking
until well blended. Set aside.
 |
| Making the dressing starting with the olive oil. |
 |
| Add the lemon juice and minced garlic. |
 |
| Lemon juice |
 |
| Dijon |
 |
| Remove the leaves from the stem and finely chop them. Add to the dressing. |
 |
| Fresh Rosemary. |
5. Cut
each of the new potatoes in half and place in a serving bowl.
 |
| Cut the potatoes in half and place in a bowl. |
 |
| Add the dressing and gently toss. |
6. Whisk
the dressing and pour over the potatoes.
Toss to coat the potatoes.
7. Serve
warm or cold.
 |
| Garnished with fresh green herb and serve. I used basil this time. |
Other
fresh herbs can be used like dill or tarragon.
Chives or sliced green onions can be added as garnish.
Fancy Roasties
Plan one potato per serving. Use russet or other large potato.
Enough
potatoes to serve
Olive
oil
Salt
and pepper to taste
 |
| The ingredients |
1. Wash
and peel the potatoes.
 |
| I used Yukon Gold this time, I usually use russet. |
 |
| Parboil for ten minutes for regular sized potatoes, less for new potatoes. |
2. Cut
the potatoes in half lengthwise and place in a pot of water. Make sure there is enough water to cover the
potatoes
3. Add
salt to the water and bring to a boil.
Parboil the potatoes for ten minutes.
4. Preheat
the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Prepare
a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed liberally with Pam. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil.
 |
| Drained potato halves cooling |
6. Drain
the water off. Hold the hot potatoes in
a dish towel. With a fork score the
rounded outside of each potato half.
Leave the flat cut side unscored.
Place the potato half flat side down on the prepared baking sheet. Arrange the potatoes so they do not touch.
 |
| Score the rounded tops with a fork and place on the baking sheet. Leave the flat, cut side of the potato half unscored. |
7. When
all the potato halves are scored. Rub the rounded tops with more olive oil and
sprinkle with salt and pepper.
 |
| The potatoes tend to stick to the foil, so spray with PAM and make sure there is oil under each potato. |
8. Place
the baking sheet in the oven and bake 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes are
golden brown.
 |
| The bottom may be darker than the tops. The potatoes should be crisp on the outside and moist soft on the inside. |
I
like to serve these on special occasions with roast beef or other fancy cuts of
meat like rack of lamb.
Boxtys
Boxtys are Irish potato
pancakes. They are made differently in
each family. They range from chunky
pancakes much like latkes to smooth like German potato pancakes to very light and
thin like crepes. In Ireland boxtys are
a common way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. They can be small pancakes
with several in a serving to one big pancake cut in portions. The light thin boxtys are often filled with
leftover stew or other main dish like chicken in gravy or even curry.
1
C Potatoes grated
1
C Mashed potatoes
1
C Flour
1 Egg, beaten
½
t Baking soda
½
t Salt
1
C + Buttermilk
or milk to the desired thickness
2
T Butter or oil
 |
| The ingredients |
1. Wrap
the grated potato is a cloth and squeeze out the excess moisture.
 |
| I used russet potatoes. Peel the potato. |
 |
| Grate the potato by hand or in a food processor. Work quickly so the potato does not oxidize and turns color. |
 |
| Dump the grated potato onto a towel. Roll the towel round the potato and squeeze the excess moisture out. |
 |
| Leave the grated potato covered until need. Work quickly until the batter is complete. |
2. Place
them in medium bowl with the mashed potatoes.
 |
| In a medium mixing bowl beat the egg. |
 |
| Add mashed potatoes and the grated potato. |
3. In a
small bowl mix the flour, soda and salt.
Add the beaten egg. Mix thoroughly.
 |
| Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk. it will take more than you think. Start with one cup and add more if needed. If you use milk it will not take as much as the buttermilk |
 |
| This makes a hardy pancake. If you would like thinner batter add more buttermilk. |
4. Pour
the flour mixture over the potato mixture.
5. Add
a little buttermilk at a time to get the desired thickness of the batter.
6. Heat
a heavy skillet on the stove and add a little butter.
 |
| Using a griddle or heavy skillet, melt the butter. |
 |
| Drop the batter on to the hot griddle in the desired size. |
 |
| The boxty is read to turn when the top is bubbly and the glossiness has fade. |
 |
| Continue to cook for a few more minutes. |
7. When
the butter melts pour a small amount of the potato batter and cook like
pancakes about 2-4 minutes on each side.
For
chunkier boxtys add more grated potatoes. For thinner boxtys add less grated
potatoes and more buttermilk. For crepe
like boxtys blend slightly in a blender or food processor. The thinner the batter the less cooking time.
Green
Beans Almandine
1
lb. Green beans, cleaned
¼
C Sliced almonds
2
T Butter
 |
| The ingredients |
1. Steam
the green beans to the desired doneness.
It is bet not to overcook them.
 |
| Steam the green beans |
2. In a
small skillet melt the butter.
3. Add the
almonds and stir.
 |
| When the butter is foamy, add the almonds and stir constantly. |
4. Continue
cooking the almonds until they begin to brown, stirring constantly.
5. Plate
the green beans in a serving dish and pour the almonds and butter over the
green beans.
 |
| Steamed green bean plated |
 |
| Almandine sauce poured over the green beans |
6. Serve
immediately.
Note. The almandine sauce is good on other
vegetables like asparagus. It is an easy
sauce that makes a simple dish a little more elegant.
Happy
Cooking!
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