Potatoes

Potatoes
The potato is the fourth most important crop in the world, following wheat, rice, and corn. It originated with the Incas in Peru, where it was used as a staple food and to heal the tribe. The Incas attached raw slices to broken bones to fix them, pressed raw slices against their heads when they had a headache, and rubbed the potato on their body to cure skin diseases.
When the Spanish conquistadors robbed the Incas of their gold and silver to ship back to Europe, they also took potatoes to feed the sailors on the long voyage home. From Spain, the potato eventually spread throughout all of Europe. Queen Elizabeth I of England didn’t favorably accept this new plant because her cook cooked the leaves and threw away the potato tubers. Yuck! But luckily, Queen Elizabeth I didn’t influence the rest of Europe. France’s queen, Marie Antoinette loved potatoes so much that she set a fashion for the women of France by wearing white potato blossoms in her hair. From Europe, the potatoes were carried back to the colonies of the New World. They have grown plentifully in the United States ever since, with Idaho growing the most potatoes, followed by Washington. Maine, Oregon, North Dakota, California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin also contribute to the potato harvest in the United States. However, Russia and China continue to contribute the most potatoes to the world.
The potato is packed with nutrients, including the following: Vitamin C, vitamin B6, niacin, folic acid, thiamin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, iodine, iron, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, potassium, protein, complex carbohydrates and fiber. Many of these nutrients lie right under the skin, so when peeling potatoes, keep the skin as thin as possible to prevent loss of some of those vitamins and minerals.
When selecting potatoes, choose ones that have a regular shape and are firm and smooth. Avoid potatoes with bruises, cracks, a green tint, or that are flabby.
Store your potatoes in a dark, dry place, loosely covered and unwashed. Don’t refrigerate them, though, as the cold temperature will cause the starch to change into sugar. Warmth and moisture will wither and sprout your potatoes that’s why storing them under the sink isn’t a good idea.
When baking potatoes, choose ones that are similar in size. That way all of your potatoes will be done at the same time. Remember to prick each potato with a fork before baking or you might get a popped potato all over your oven.

Potato-Chive Souffle

Yield: 10 servings
Chilling the dish ahead of time will make the souffle rise even higher.
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
8 medium Yukon Gold potatoes - (3 pounds), peeled, cut into eighths
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 1/4 cups skim milk
3 tablespoons snipped chives
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 2 1/2-quart souffle dish with vegetable-oil cooking spray, coat dish with breadcrumbs, and lightly tap to rid dish of the excess. Place the dish in the freezer to chill.
Place potatoes, garlic, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small stockpot. Fill with cold water to cover potatoes, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium high, and cook until potatoes are very soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove stockpot from heat, and drain potatoes, making sure to remove any excess water. Discard bay leaves.
Pass potatoes through a potato ricer or food mill into a large bowl. Stir baking soda into buttermilk, and mix into potatoes with milk, chives, sugar, remaining teaspoon salt, and pepper. Mixture should be thick and soupy, not stiff. Set aside.
Place egg whites and cream of tartar in an electric mixer, and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold egg whites into the potato mixture. Remove the souffle dish from the freezer, and pour in the potato mixture. Transfer to the oven, and bake until souffle has rise above the dish and the top is browned, about 45 minutes. Remove souffle from the oven, and serve immediately.

Smashed Potatoes and Broccoli

Yield: 6 servings
4 pounds Yukon gold or russet potatoes - quartered
2 (about 6 cups) broccoli heads
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick butter
Salt
freshly ground black pepper
Boil potatoes in salted water until very tender; about 20 minutes. Cut the florets off the broccoli and add to boiling potatoes, about 7 minutes. Drain and place back into pot.
Heat the milk, cream, and butter in a small saucepan. Pour sauce into the potatoes and broccoli, mash together. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Cornish pasties

Filling:
3/4 lb ground chuck
3/4 C carrots - diced
3/4 C onion - diced
2 C potato - chopped
2 Tbsp water
Crust:
3 C flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp shortening
1/2 C shortening
2 eggs - beaten and water to make 1 C
Mix crust ingredients together. Divide into 12 balls. Roll each ball out.
Mix filling ingredients together.
Place 1/12 of filling in center of pasties crust. Fold over and crimp edges to seal.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes Print this post