food & dining
Fun Facts About Potatoes
LINDA MOREL | SPECIAL TO THE JE
womue / AdobeStock
B ecause potatoes are ubiquitous,
people hardly notice them.

Mostly white in color and
always bland in fl avor, they fade into the
culinary background. But where would
soups, stews, casseroles, gratins, side
dishes and French fries be without them?
Besides being a fi lling comfort food,
potatoes are quite complex. Not every
potato is good for every recipe. And
some potatoes may harm you.

Low in moisture and high in starch
with rough skins, russet potatoes are
ideal for baking, mashing, French fries
and latkes.

Red bliss potatoes, new potatoes, fi n-
gerlings and most of the petit varieties
have moister fl esh and thinner skins.

Th ey hold their shape during cooking,
so they are great for roasting, potato
salads, gratins and simply boiling.

With their buttery color, Yukon
Golds are the ultimate all-purpose
potato. Fluff y and light, they’re not too
crumbly, nor are they dense. Boil, mash
and roast them. Th ey are an asset in
soups, stews and casseroles.

Although many people peel and dis-
card potato skins, they contain more
nutrients than the fl esh inside. Th ey are
full of fi ber, vitamin B and calcium.

Since potatoes are a vegetable, actually an
underground tuber, they are gluten-free.

On the safety front, potatoes retain
more pesticides than most produce, so
it’s best to buy organic. When potatoes
are green, they have been exposed to
light and have begun to produce chlo-
rophyll. If this greening is pale and
only skin deep, peel them to remove the
green layers. But if the green color is
dark and goes deeper into potatoes, they
could be toxic and should not be eaten.

If your potatoes exhibit a few small
sprouts, simply cut them out. But if
the sprouts have formed an extensive
network, the potatoes could be toxic so
it’s best to discard them.

If aft er peeling potatoes, you see
dark spots, don’t worry. Th is means the
potatoes got bruised, but are perfectly
healthy to eat. Scrape off the dark spots
if they bother you.

Th ere are at least 5,000 potato vari-
eties and probably double that num-
ber of recipes calling for this versatile
tuber. Believe it or not, potatoes are
this country’s most consumed produce
item. Americans eat nearly 50 pounds
per person per year. Th at’s a lot of pop-
ularity for overlooked spuds.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes |
Pareve Serves 4-6
Equipment: 11-inch-by-17-inch baking
pan and parchment paper
1½ pounds fi ngerling potatoes, on
the small side
¼ teaspoon each: onion powder,
garlic powder, curry powder and
cumin 1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
F. Line the baking pan with parch-
ment paper.

Rinse the potatoes under cold
water, and drain them on paper tow-
els. Cut them in half lengthwise.

Move them to a plastic bag and
reserve. In a small bowl, place the spices,
salt, balsamic vinegar and the olive
oil. Whisk until well combined. Drizzle
the mixture into the plastic bag over
the potatoes. With one hand, close
the plastic bag, and gently shake it
until the potatoes are well coated.

Move the potatoes to the prepared
pan. Arrange them cut side down.

Roast them for 25-30 minutes, turn-
ing once or twice, until crisp. Serve
immediately. Homemade Potato Chips |
Pareve Serves 4-6
els on two cookie sheets, about 4
paper towels per cookie sheet.

Rinse the potatoes under cold
water, and pat them dry with paper
towels. Scrape off the potato skins.

Using a sharp knife, slice the pota-
toes as thinly as possible.

Pour some of the oil into each fry-
ing pan. You won’t need the entire
½ cup now. Heat it over a medium
fl ame.

Arrange as many potato slices in
each frying pan as will comfortably
fi t without overlapping. Sprinkle
them with a generous amount of
salt. When the bottom sides are
golden, turn them over. Continue fry-
ing until both sides are light brown.

Add more oil when needed.

Move the chips to the paper tow-
els to drain, and continue frying until
all potato slices are crisp. When
the paper towels become saturated
with oil, discard them and move the
potato chips to a bowl or platter. Line
the cookie sheets with fresh paper
towels, when needed.

Serve immediately.

Creamy Smashed Potatoes |
Pareve Serves 4-6
⅓ cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, squeezed through
a garlic press
Kosher salt to taste
1 heaping tablespoon capers
drained on paper towels
6 Yukon Gold potatoes
are soft in the center. Drain them in a
colander, and move them to a large
mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil mix-
ture over the potatoes.

With a fork or masher, gently
smash the potatoes until lumpy and
retaining some shape. (This is not
a mashed potato recipe.) Add the
capers, and gently mix them into the
potatoes. Add more salt, if needed.

Serve immediately.

Italian Boiled Potatoes with
Garlic Oil | Pareve
Serves 4-6
¼ cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt to taste
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
10 new potatoes, peeled
In a small saucepan, heat the olive
oil over a medium-low fl ame. Add
the garlic and salt. Sauté until the
garlic is fragrant. Remove the pan
from the heat, and add the chives.

Stir briefl y. Reserve.

Scrape the skin off the potatoes.

Cut the potatoes into bite-sized
pieces. Boil them until soft in the cen-
ter. Drain them in a colander. Move
them to a serving bowl. Drizzle the
potatoes with the olive oil mixture,
and gently stir to combine. Add more
salt, if needed. Serve immediately. JE
In a small saucepan, heat the oil
over a medium-low fl ame. Sauté the
garlic and sprinkle it with salt. When
the garlic is fragrant, remove it from
the fl ame. Reserve.

Peel the potatoes and cut them
into quarters. Boil them until they
Equipment: 2 large frying pans
and 16 paper towels, or more if
needed 2 pounds russet potatoes
½ cup olive oil, or more, if needed
Kosher salt to taste
Arrange two layers of paper tow-
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 19