Potatoes are a versatile food at any meal

The lowly potato has been scorned by those on low-carb diets, but it has much to offer.

Potatoes are fat-free, cholesterol-free and a good source of minerals, vitamin B6 and dietary fiber. They are also high in potassium and vitamin C.

Potatoes are high in fiber and complex carbohydrates as well.

They are also a versatile vegetable, ideal in main dishes or sides. They can be served at any meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner.

And what’s a better snack than potato chips, whether homemade or store bought?

Potatoes are delicious on their own and can be prepared numerous ways — fried, roasted, mashed, baked or boiled, for example — and can be made with or without their skins.

It is best to eat potatoes with their skins because that’s where many of the nutrients are.  If you need to peel potatoes, it’s best to boil them in their skins and peel them afterwards.

Potatoes are also a vital, and delicious, component of many dishes.

One medium potato is only about 100 calories. However, high-fat toppings can cause that count to increase rapidly.

There are alternatives. Try topping potatoes with toasted sesame seeds, whipped butter and poppy seeds, a spoon full of stewed tomatoes and a bit of grated cheese, melted butter or margarine thinned with lemon juice, a mix of dried herbs such as parsley, chives, basil and dill, some chopped onion with coarsely grated black pepper, chive-spiked yogurt or salsa.

When buying potatoes, don’t buy spuds that are soft or have excessive cuts, cracks, bruises or discoloration and decay. Choose potatoes that are free of sprouts, green skin or spots.

Potatoes should be stored in a dark, dry place that is well ventilated.

Following are a few potato recipes from themodernproper.com.

 

Sausage, Kale and Potato Skillet Dinner

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

24 ounces red potatoes, cut in half and boiled in salted water until fork tender

Salt

Pepper

2 teaspoons dried thyme

6 fully cooked chicken sausage links, sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 bunch curly kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped

1 lemon, juiced, optional

Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a 15-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, cut side down, and cook without stirring until they begin to turn golden brown. Stir and continue cooking five to seven minutes, until all sides are crispy. Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in a few batches.

Season potatoes with salt, pepper and thyme.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the chicken sausage to the potatoes. Cook four to five minutes, until all sides of the sausage are crisp. Then add onions and cook five minutes, stirring often, until just tender.

Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and cook one minute, stirring until fragrant. Add kale and cook about three minutes, stirring often, until kale is wilted. Squeeze a lemon over the top of the dish and serve.

If the kale overcrowds the pan, remove the potato sausage mixture and sauté the kale by itself before adding everything back to the skillet.

 

 

 

Corned Beef Hash

2 russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons shallots, minced

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered

2 cups cooked corned beef, diced

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter

4 eggs

4 slices crusty bread, optional

Place a 10-inch nonstick sauté or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Heat olive oil, add diced potatoes and sauté 15 minutes, until potatoes begin to brown slightly and begin to become tender.

Add shallots and Brussels sprouts and sauté five minutes. Add corned beef and sauté three minutes longer. Stir in cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and simmer about five minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the cream has thickened enough to bring the hash together.

In a separate sauté pan, fry eggs in melted butter over medium heat and make toast.

Spoon hash onto plates and serve topped with egg and toast on the side.

 

 

Crispy Roasted Potatoes With Gremolata

2-1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup olive oil, duck fat, pork fat or ghee

2 teaspoons sea salt

For gremolata:

3/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup fresh mint, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Soak potatoes in a large bowl of water for one to two hours. Drain and add to a large pot of boiling water. Boil five minutes checking periodically. Potatoes should not be mushy, just barely tender once pierced with a fork.

Drain potatoes and toss in a bowl with oil and salt. Spread evenly, cut side down, on an unlined baking sheet. Roast in a 400-degree oven for 40 minutes, until bottoms are brown and crispy.

Place gremolata ingredients in a small bowl, toss to combine and set aside until ready to serve. Gremolata can be made up to a day ahead.

Once potatoes are done, serve on a large plate topped with gremolata.

 

 

 

Braised Chicken With Potatoes and Chive Butter Sauce

1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs, fat trimmed

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 large shallots, cut into 1/2-inch slices

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2/3 cup chicken stock

1 lemon, sliced

1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons salted butter, cold

Freshly cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Cooked rice or couscous, optional

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat and salt it. Add potatoes and cook five minutes, until just fork tender, then drain. Once cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes in half.

Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet or braiser over medium-high heat. Season the chicken all over with the salt then, working in batches, add chicken, skin side down, to the braiser and cook four to five minutes, until the skin is browned. Flip the chicken and cook three minutes, until browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add as many potatoes as will fit in the skillet, cut sides down, and cook one to two minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer potatoes to the plate with the chicken. Repeat until all the potatoes are browned.

Add shallots to the skillet and cook two to three minutes, stirring, until lightly browned. Stir in garlic and cook one minute, until fragrant, then add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Place chicken in the broth, skin sides up. Nestle the potatoes in and top chicken with lemon slices.

Bake in a 400-degree oven about 35 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees and the potatoes are tender. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Stir lemon juice and butter into the sauce until melted, then taste and season with salt. Return chicken to the sauce and garnish with pepper and chives.

Serve over cooked rice or couscous, if desired.

 

 

Creamy Potato Soup

6 slices bacon, diced

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large leeks, trimmed, leaving white and light green parts only, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup flour

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese, plus more for serving

2 green onions, thinly sliced for serving

Place bacon in a large pot over medium heat and cook five to seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp and the fat is rendered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate.

Add butter to the bacon fat and cook until melted. Stir in leeks and garlic and cook about four minutes, until leeks are softened. Sprinkle flour over the mixture and stir about one minute, until incorporated.

Add potatoes, chicken stock, milk and heavy cream. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 10 minutes, until potatoes are very soft.

Transfer half the liquid to a blender, let cool briefly, then blend until smooth. Return the blended soup to the pot. Stir in the bacon, salt, pepper and cheese until melted.

Ladle soup into bowls. Top with green onions, pepper and cheese before serving.

 

 

 

Zuppa Toscana

10 slices bacon, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound ground Italian sausage, mild or spicy

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, about 1 tablespoon

32 ounces chicken stock

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 large russet potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick, then quartered

2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch half circles

1 cup heavy cream

1 bunch kale, stem removed, roughly chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then cook bacon until browned and crisp. Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon pieces to a paper towel lined plate, set aside. Reserve the bacon dripping in the pan.

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage, crumbling it as it cooks for about 10 minutes. Drain sausage, then add to the plate with the bacon.

Turn heat to medium heat and add two tablespoons reserved bacon fat. Add onion and cook five minutes, until translucent. Add a little chicken stock to deglaze the pan if necessary. Add garlic and cook one minute.

Pour in chicken stock, scrapping the bottom of the pot. Add chili powder, potatoes and zucchini and turn the heat to high, until boiling.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and boil five minutes longer, until potatoes and zucchini are tender. Return cooked sausage, 3/4 of the bacon, heavy cream, kale and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Stir and cook two to five minutes, until kale is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in bowls topped with remaining bacon, remaining Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

 

 

 

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

1-1/2 pounds baby potatoes

1 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons granulated garlic

3 tablespoons fresh herbs such as dill, chives and or parsley

Add one tablespoon salt to a large pot of water and bring to a rapid boil. Add baby potatoes and cook 20 minutes, until very soft. Remove potatoes from water and allow to sit in a colander five minutes, until completely dry.

Brush a large baking sheet with one tablespoon olive oil. Arrange potatoes on baking sheet. Using the bottom of a glass cup, gently press down on potatoes until they are 1/4-inch thick. Brush with remaining olive oil and season with remaining salt and garlic.

Bake in a 450-degree oven for 25 minutes, until crispy. Transfer to a platter and top with fresh herbs.

 

Baked Gnocchi With Broccoli

3 cups broccoli, florets roughly chopped

16 ounces gnocchi

1-1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

4 ounces cream cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add broccoli and cook two minutes. Add gnocchi and cook one minute longer. Drain.

Add the broth to a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. When it begins to simmer, add cream cheese and cook, stirring until it’s mostly combined. Stir in garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Add one cup mozzarella and stir until fully incorporated.

Stir in the broccoli and gnocchi. Top with remaining mozzarella and bake in a 400-degree oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired, before serving.