March 2009

Tuesday, 10 March 2009

This month, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, we've got potatoes on our mind. The great famine that hit Ireland in the mid nineteenth century was at least in part the result of a blight on the potato crop in a country where a third of the population had become completely dependent on the potato. Of course there were other factors -- political, social and economic -- that contributed to the disaster, but that potato blight was certainly the result of over-reliance on a single variety of potato. In their original habitat in the Andes Mountains of South America, potatoes grew in an incredible variety of forms. If a late frost came or if the plants were infected with a particular pest, then at least some of the varieties were resilient enough to survive the hard times. These days, the vast majority of our own local crop is a single variety, the Russett Burbank. Most of these are processed into French fries or other forms of "value added potato products." But Washington State boasts some of the best potato growing areas on earth and we have access to a considerably greater variety of potatoes than we did in decades past. To learn more about the various potatoes grown in Washington and their culinary potential, visit The Washington Potato Commission. Russets, the potatoes grown most extensively in Washington are the best choice for Baked potatoes and French fries. Of course they’re good for mashing and roasting too, but we think some other varieties can be even better for those preparations. Yellow-fleshed potatoes like Yukon Golds and Yellow Finns are great for mashing. The texture though is less fluffy than russets, but handled correctly they are creamier and richer-tasting, even without butter or milk. They are perfect for steaming and for baking in gratin dishes with broth or cream. We like them cut into dice and tossed with olive oil and herbs for a quick weeknight roast. They are also good for thickening soups without using flour or cream. White-fleshed potatoes can be used the same way yellow potatoes are used. They are also perfect for potato salads. One great advantage of most varieties of white potatoes is that their delicate skin never needs peeling. It makes a smooth dish even if its left intact and of course this helps preserve the vitamins and minerals that tend to concentrate on the outer layer of all spuds. We appreciate being able to skip the step of skinning potatoes when we’re in a hurry. Waxy Red potatoes are another good choice for potato salads. And as long as they’re not over-whipped, they can make an excellent mash. One of our all time favorite dishes involves cooking sliced red potatoes in just enough salted water to barely cover them, then draining off the water and shaking them in the pan with a knot of butter and a handful of chopped parsley to approximate a dish that M.F.K. Fisher described as “Shook Potatoes.” Blue potatoes lend themselves to all the uses listed for white and yellow potatoes and their extra dose of antioxidants makes them the most nourishing choice. Of course, their distinctive color is a consideration too, so keep them in mind when you want to dazzle. Specialty fingerling potatoes like Russian banana or Ozette potatoes are especially dense fleshed and delightfully waxy. They are perfect for important dinners where each ingredient will be appreciated for its unique qualities. We never like to lose the look of these little charmers so we are reluctant to mash them. Try steaming them until they’re tender, then slicing them in half lengthwise and arranging them cut-side-down on a pan that’s been coated with olive oil and sprinkled with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Gently brown them on the stovetop or in the oven.   Storing: Try to keep potatoes in roughly the same conditions in which they grew. The skins are delicate and it’s important to keep the skin intact to protect the flesh inside. Also, excess cold and moisture might cause the potatoes to rot. So don’t wash potatoes until just before you plan to use them. It’s important to keep them in the dark too. Light will cause the potatoes to turn green. Store them unwashed in a brown paper bag. This week’s recipes: Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls We loved the way cinnamon rolls turned out when we baked them with a grandmother's recipe for potato bread in place of the usual dough, and when the food editor of Bon Appetit asked for recipes using Yukon Gold Potatoes, this recipe topped the list. Now it's at Epicuirous. Yukon Gold Wrapped Halibut The same thing happened with this formula for potato wrapped halibut filets with spinach. We first encountered the dish at Aureole Restaurant in new York and enjoyed something similar at Icon Grill in Seattle. We simplified the technique for home cooks. Psychedelic Blue Potato Mash Our hippie roots are revealed in this recipe that takes advantage of the brilliant and incidentally very healthy anthocyanine pigments found in naturally blue potatoes.

 

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