Potato Recipes
The humble potato is probably the most versatile food in the world and is relatively easy to grow. It can be boiled, sautéed, roasted, baked and sliced for fries. It’s also the main ingredient of potato chips. Potatoes are used in many countries and there are hundreds of potato recipes. It can go into soups, stews, pies and casseroles. Simple mashed potato with lots of cream and butter is delicious without any additions.
Soup, when potato is an ingredient, has a chunky texture. The classic French creation, Vichyssoise is normally served cold with some crusty bread. It also contains onions, leeks, cream and chicken stock. Potato and Cabbage Soup is popular in some countries, e.g. Albania. Potato and Caraway Soup is also tasty, containing caraway seeds, milk or stock and seasoning.
Dauphinoise Potatoes are commonly seen as Potato Recipes in cookery books. The potatoes are sliced and baked in the oven with milk, onion, nutmeg and seasoning. Haggerty is a similar dish but with grated cheddar cheese. The addition of garlic or mustard to mashed potato adds a bit of spiciness. Some people like to fry potato slices in butter and add some cayenne pepper. Grated potato is sometimes added to pancake batter to make a tasty savory pancake.
Different cultures have developed recipes around the world. The United States has always included a lot of potatoes in their diet and there are many potato recipes in various regions. A dish known to many Americans is baked potato with cheddar cheese or sour cream and chives. Mashed potatoes in New England often have the peel mixed in.
The harsh climate of Northern Europe has created a fondness for the potato. Scandinavian countries have a tradition of serving pickled herring with the first of the season’s new potatoes with dill. In Italy, the popular Gnocchi dumplings are made from either semolina or potatoes. Britain too has its classic potato recipes, one of the favorites being Shepherd’s Pie. This is a dish of minced beef, onions and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and baked in the oven until the topping is golden and crispy. Sometimes, grated cheese is sprinkled on top. Another dish is one, which is ideal for using up leftovers. Bubble and Squeak, as it is known, uses slices of fried potato, strips of cabbage and diced bacon. It’s all fried up with a dash of Worcestershire Sauce. There’s no need to ever waste a potato!