Arrow-right Camera
Subscribe now

Potatoes Are Delicious And Good For You

Maggie Waldron Los Angeles Times Service

Although the potato has had some hard knocks along the way, it is without a doubt the world’s favorite vegetable.

Vegetable? Yes, although it was designated as a starch for many years before people learned now nutritionally rich it really was. I once had the nerve to paint a potato bright green for an educational pamphlet that read, “How far do we have to go before you think of us as a vegetable?”

Potatoes have lots of vitamin C and fiber, two nutritional elements recognized as cancer fighters by the American Cancer Society. The fiber in potato skins also helps lower blood cholesterol, which is good news for your heart. The high potassium content can reduce blood pressure and, along with it, the risk of stroke.

In addition, potatoes are low in calories - as long as they steer clear of the butter, sour cream and bacon bits - which is good news for those wrestling with their weight. The British believed that potatoes could be used to ease rheumatism, not by eating them, but by carrying one around in your pocket.

Bake them, boil them, cook them in a microwave or roast them over the coals - potatoes seem the most versatile and undemanding of vegetables.

In this age of designer potatoes, you can choose your color, flavor, texture and nationality. Try them all. You will soon discover the many personas of the potato.

Our gardening grandfathers would get a laugh out of the latest potato fashions. Organic farmers and independent growers are reintroducing some of the old-time varieties that aren’t mass-marketed in the same way as the four leaders of the field: the russet, the long white, the round white and the round red.

Generally, the uses of potatoes vary according to starch content. Russets have high starch content and a mealy texture, which makes them an ideal baking potato and a good choice for mashed potatoes.

Those with medium starch are most suitable for an all-purpose potato. The small reds or “new” potatoes are low in starch because they are harvested before reaching maturity. These are waxy in texture and work best in salads.

Best Scalloped Potatoes

Nobody knows how to make scalloped potatoes like the French. Their potatoes never curdle, never separate, never taste like cheese and never have to be cut with a knife when baked. The truth is, they don’t call them scalloped at all - they call them gratin. This is the way potato expert Lydie Marshall does one version.

2 tablespoons salted butter, cold

2 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes (6 medium), peeled and thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups half and half

1/2 cup whipping cream

Rub 1 tablespoon butter on bottom of 2-quart baking dish. Overlap potatoes in 3 layers, sprinkling each layer with a little salt. Pour half and half over potatoes, just enough to cover them. Dot top with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Bake at 325 degrees in middle of oven 45 minutes.

Spoon whipping cream carefully over top layer of potatoes and continue baking until golden brown, about 45 minutes longer.

Yield: makes 6 servings.

Best Baked Potatoes

I consider the baked potato to be the most healing and comforting of foods. I’m picky about its shape and size. It must have a well-netted, earthy skin which tells me that this boy was grown and harvested at the right time and place. It must be a russet, about 12 ounces more or less, because it will be my whole, well-balanced meal. If you are making potatoes as part of a meal, then shop for the ones that are about 8 ounces, but bake them for the same length of time.

1 russet potato

2 tablespoons salted butter

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Scrub potato well. Pierce skin with fork in several places. Place potato on middle rack and bake at 400 degrees until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour. Immediately slash potato horizontally and vertically and pinch with fingers into a snowy mound. Top with butter and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Yield: makes 1 serving.

Note: For the best hash browns, simply leave 2 baked potatoes in a turned-off oven overnight. The next day, peel, dice and saute them in a little oil until brown and crisp. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Yield: 2 servings.

Best Mashed Potatoes

I think the best mashed potatoes are baked first. Here they are. Earthy, light as a cloud, the most potatoey flavor and you don’t have to peel them.

2 pounds russet potatoes (6 medium)

1/4 cup whipping cream or creme fraiche

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup salted butter, cut into pieces

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Wash potatoes. Pierce skins with fork in several places. Bake at 400 degrees until flesh is very, very soft when pierced with fork, about 1 hour.

Heat cream and milk in small saucepan over low heat. Slash open potatoes and scoop flesh into ricer or pass it through coarse sieve into warm bowl. Whip in cream and milk mixture and butter with fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in some more milk for correct consistency. Serve right away or cover with plastic wrap and keep warm over pan of hot water, up to 20 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings.

Couch Potatoes

These unusual stuffed potatoes make good companions with poultry or pork. Use high- or medium-starch potatoes such as russets, round whites or Yukon Golds.

4 medium potatoes (about 1 pounds), uniform in size

6 slices bacon, cut into -inch pieces

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup milk

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Chopped fresh parsley

Applesauce and sour cream, optional

Wash potatoes and pierce skins with fork. Bake at 400 degrees until fork-tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in broad skillet over high heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towel. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in skillet. Slice off top third of potatoes, horizontally. Scoop out pulp with melon baller, reserving skins. Heat bacon drippings and add potato pulp and vinegar. Cook over medium heat until potatoes absorb all liquid. Remove from heat.

Mash potatoes and milk with potato masher. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in bacon, green onions and poppy seeds. Spoon mixture into potato skins. Bake at 400 degrees until heated through, about 10 minutes longer. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with applesauce and sour cream on side.

Yield: 4 servings.

Note: Couch potatoes may be prepared ahead and refrigerated. When ready to serve, cover potatoes loosely with foil and bake at 375 degrees until heated through, about 20 minutes.