Prairie Fare: Keep your eyes on potatoes as a menu option
We made our annual trip to a potato festival in Barnesville, Minn., in August. I enjoyed my bowl of potato dumplings. I also had mashed potatoes and meatballs for the rest of my "stick-to-your-ribs" dinner.
My husband and I texted our kids pictures of our food. They live 3-4 hours away from us. They were a little envious because they always attended when they lived at home. We all love potatoes.
I grew up in a "meat and potatoes" kind of family. Besides those two staples, we always had some kind of vegetable. Occasionally, we had potato dumplings as a tribute to our heritage.
We actually did not have dessert very often as part of the meal. This week, I am provided a special potato-based treat, Potato Brownies, from NDSU's potato breeder, Susie Thompson. By the way, we tried it, and it was a big hit among our taste testers.
Potatoes have a very long history, dating back more than 7,000 years. They were brought to Europe in the 1500s by Spanish explorers and made their way to America.
On average, a medium potato has about 110 calories, 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein.
Sometimes potatoes are perceived as not so healthy; however, I would disagree. Potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, so they are a good source of energy. They provide many essential vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C and potassium.
On the other hand, if you order your potato "loaded" with butter, sour cream, bacon bits, cheese and other toppings, your tasty menu item has extra calories and fat. In fact, a loaded potato might have 450 to 650 calories.
Potassium is a mineral that helps with good functioning of our heart, muscles and nerves. Vitamin C helps our skin heal from wounds and helps our immune system function properly.
In fact, the vitamin C in potatoes helped prevent scurvy among early populations. Scurvy was a potentially fatal illness linked to missing vitamin C in the diet.
Potatoes also provide some iron needed to help carry oxygen throughout the body and vitamin B-6 needed to help the nervous system and immune system function well.
If you eat the potato skin, you get the advantage of consuming fiber. Eating enough fiber helps our digestive system function well.
You may have noticed potatoes of various colors. Remember that different potatoes have various best uses.
Red potatoes are excellent for potato salad or soup and for mashing. Have you tried "smashed potatoes"? We have a recipe in the "Pocket Guide to Preparing Potatoes" on the NDSU Extension website.
Brown-skinned russet potatoes are excellent for baking, roasting and fries. White or yellow-skinned potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, often are used in chipping, frying or roasting.
Potatoes with purple skins are available and are rich in the antioxidant pigment anthocyanin. Sometimes small bags of potatoes with varied color skins are available.
Be sure to store potatoes in a cool, dark place out of the sun. When potatoes are exposed to sunlight, they may become green from the chlorophyll naturally contained in potatoes. While consuming a small amount of solanine is not harmful, avoid eating "green potatoes" in general. You can trim the green areas away.
If sprouts form on stored potatoes, remove and discard the sprouts, then continue with your recipe.
What type of potatoes do you enjoy? Potatoes are versatile in their preparation. They can be baked, boiled, roasted, grilled or fried. They also are available in different forms in most grocery stores, including canned, dried, frozen and, of course, fresh.
Do you like potato soup, potato salad, mashed potatoes or another potato dish? Here's a new twist on a favorite dessert. This novel brownie recipe has a not-so-secret ingredient.
Potato Brownies
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a saucepan, melt chocolate and butter/margarine on stove (or in a glass dish in the microwave). Cool slightly. Cream sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs. Add chocolate mixture and potatoes, flour and baking powder. Beat until creamy. Pour into a greased and floured 9-by13-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 F for around 30 minutes. Let cool. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top if desired.
Makes 24 brownies. Each brownie has 200 calories, 10 grams (g) fat, 2 g protein, 26 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber and 170 milligrams sodium.
Julie Garden-Robinson is an NDSU Extension food and nutrition specialist and professor.
