Posted on 02/28/2021 5:08:01 PM PST by Jamestown1630
In honor of Mr. Potato Head’s ‘transitioning’ - (from what-to-what I’m not exactly sure, as I’ve always understood potatoes to be, in Nature, self-pollinating and containing both sexes in one plant anyway) - I thought we’d do a thread on SPUDS this month.
I like potatoes done certain ways, and despise them other ways. I like baked potatoes (with plenty of butter and sour cream), and home-made potato salad, mashed potatoes, scalloped, etc. I do NOT like potatoes cut up into soups, or store-bought potato salad (in the latter, the potatoes are always undercooked, and the salad is always strangely sweet.)
This video from America’s Test Kitchen presents a way of making baked potatoes that interests me; it involves brining them a little, and I’m anxious to try it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr-o01qiRYI
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My favorite recipe for potato salad, which my Grandmother made the best and one of my co-workers does a close second, is really a sort of ‘dump’ recipe:
Boil a few pounds of thin-skinned potatoes until easily pierced with a sharp knife, but not TOO soft; and then peel them (I usually use red potatoes, and leave about a third of the skin on. )
Cut them into ½ to 1 inch pieces. Make a mixture of about 2/3 Mayonnaise and 1/3 prepared Mustard, a few tablespoons of finely chopped onion and finely chopped celery; salt and pepper, with a little cayenne thrown in. Add more mayo/mustard as may be needed for your quantity of potatoes, taste for seasoning, and then pour all of this over the potatoes. Mix well, taste again for seasoning, and chill. (If you like throwing in pickle relish, you can do so; but that is verboten in my house, just as any ‘sweetness’ is disallowed in a deviled egg, here ;-)
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I’ve only had the French cold potato soup – Vichyssoise – once, in a fancy French restaurant in Virginia; but it was excellent. Here, from the website ‘Mother Would Know’, is Julia Child’s recipe for that soup. (You can eat this warm or chilled, though I think chilled is classic in the so-called 'haute cuisine'):
http://motherwouldknow.com/julia-childs-vichyssoise-html/
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When Rush Limbaugh died, by husband had a birthday coming up in a few weeks.
I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, and he said that he wanted the Rush Revere series of books by Mr. Limbaugh.
I said that I thought those were books for kids; and husband said, “Yes; and I want them”.
So, I ordered; and they are really beautiful books. Very well-bound and high-quality production, with lots of illustrations (including some reproductions of historical paintings) and lots of supplemental information.
The history is told in a very engaging, modern ‘story’ way which incites one to seek out more information on the issues presented.
I would suggest that people order this collection, whether there are young people in their network, or not. Even adults will enjoy them very much and find many references that they would like to follow up further. And the more we order, the more they will have to print – and the more will be in circulation for young people to find in the future.
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(The picture at the top of this post is of the flower of a potato plant; it is taken from the USDA website of John Bamberg, plant geneticist and devotee of The Potato, q.v.)
This month, the old high-utility, high-nutrition standby, The Potato.
(If you would like to be on or off of this monthly cooking thread ping-list, please send a private message.)
-JT
Too funny. I love potatoes but don’t have any fancy recipes. Mostly stick with baked, mashed or scalloped.
My Grandmother made great breakfast pan-fried potatoes; but I’ve never tried that.
I make stove topped scalloped now.
Love potato pancakes and also hassleback potatoes
I leave the skins on.
I used Russet.
Authentic German Schupfnudeln Potato Dumplings
Roasted finger-shaped dumplings with sage butter.
Ingredients
1 lb starchy potatoes
1 egg*
2/3 cups flour
pinch of salt
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
knob of butter
handful of sage leaves
Servings:
Units:
Instructions
Wash the potatoes, and cook in simmering water until they are soft. Peel them while they’re still warm and press through a potato ricer. Spread onto a baking sheet and set aside to allow the water to evaporate.
Once cooled, knead the egg and flour into the potatoes. Season with salt and nutmeg, and form into a long, thin roll.
Cut into one-inch pieces and use your hands to form bite-sized, finger shaped dumplings by rolling them with your palms.
Cook them in lightly boiling salted water until they come to the top. Take out with a skimmer, and leave to cool a bit.
Melt the butter in a pan. Add some sage leaves and wait for them to become crispy.
Add the dumplings and sauté for 5-10 minutes until golden brown.
Serve immediately, garnished with some fresh sage leaves.
Why dip in corn starch?
That sounds very good!
(One potato thing that I really like but left out is potato Pierogi.)
My grandma used to make a sort of potato pancake out of leftover mashed potatoes.
And so easy!
Somewhat like gnocchi.
They get a little crust on them....but doesn’t change the taste except for your spices. Had them at a roadside stand and they were delicious. Was surprised that there were recipes for them.
Couldn’t agree more on potato salad. If I go a get together I always take a small dab so I can taste it . If it’s sweet I don’t load up. Some people use that horrid Miracle Whip. Awful stuff.
Yay! Taters!
We had an excellent crop of potatoes this past growing season, and they are storing nicely in cardboard boxes in our 55 degree basement.
My favorite potato recipe, among MANY:
Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/garlic-mashed-red-potatoes/
I’d never had these until they were a side selection at our favorite steak house...and the next day I went looking for recipes and this was the closest to what we had had the night before. Enjoy!
A little crumbled Blue Cheese in there never hurt anybody, either! ;)
And seriously? If you don’t have a decent potato masher, get yourself one. I like/own the one made by Zyliss.
https://www.zyliss.com/store/products/zyliss-potato-masher-stainless-steel-e980044u.htm
I’ve never understood ‘Miracle Whip’. I agree, it’s nasty.
Hellman’s all the way, here (but I know in some areas Duke’s is preferred.)
would that work for thin sliced rather than cubed as well?
This is hilarious, Martin Yan teaches us to make Crap soup, Seaweed Rose, and an interesting potato birds nest..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwI-PoawRhU&feature=emb_logo
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