RSSPotatoes
Peak season: Look for new potatoes (potatoes harvested before reaching full maturity) in the spring and freshly dug mature potatoes in the fall and early winter.
Recipe shown above: Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes
My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with.
—Oprah Winfrey
Potatoes have been revered for centuries. The Spanish Conquistadors must have seen value in this humble tuber when they first carried the potato to Europe from its home in South America in the sixteenth century. From there, the potato traveled across the globe and became a staple crop in many cultures, including Ireland, Russia and even the Nepalese Himalayas and Rwanda in Africa. During the Alaskan Klondike gold rush in the late nineteenth century, gold was traded for potatoes because of their high vitamin C content; in Tristan de Cunha, a remote island in the south Atlantic, potatoes were once the unofficial currency.
Healthy Potato Recipes
- Braised Fennel with Tomatoes & Potatoes
- Honey-Mustard Turkey Cutlets & Potatoes
- Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Oven "Fries"
- Pea & New Potato Salad (Nye kartofler og Ærte Salat)
- Salt & Vinegar Roasted Potatoes
- Spicy Potato & Kale Soup
- Spicy Stewed Potatoes & Spinach with Buttermilk (Aloo chaas)
- Steak & Purple-Potato Salad
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What you get
Rich in carbohydrate, vitamin C and potassium, the potato often gets a bad rap because it is a high-glycemic food. However, the potato offers some fiber, especially when eaten with the skin on, and has a place in a healthful eating plan.
Tips
- Shopping Tips
- Potatoes are classified by the texture of their flesh:
- Waxy potatoes, like red skins and fingerlings, have moist, dense flesh and keep their shape when cooked, so choose them for salads and soups.
- Mealy potatoes (also called baking or floury potatoes), such as russets, have drier, starchier flesh, perfect for baking and mashing.
- All-purpose potatoes, like white and Yukon Gold potatoes, are in between the other two kinds, so they function well in most recipes.
- Look for firm potatoes that are free of soft spots. Avoid potatoes that have begun to sprout—they have been stored too long.
- Storage Tips
- Potatoes should never be refrigerated. Store them in a cool, dark place with good air circulation, to discourage softening, sprouting and spoiling.
- If potatoes begin to sprout during storage but are still firm, remove the sprouts and any eyes that are beginning to sprout before eating.
- Potatoes turn green when exposed to light; that green skin is mildly toxic, but it can be peeled and the potato is safe to eat, although not of highest quality.
- Properly stored, potatoes will keep 10 to 12 weeks.
- Small, thin-skinned potatoes and new potatoes should be used within a few days.
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