The Potato: From Prison Food to Culinary Classic

My little one has a game she absolutely loves: "Mr. Potato Head."
It's a plastic doll shaped like a potato, to which different facial features, arms, legs, and accessories can be attached.
This toy can keep her entertained for hours.

The real potato, that tuber from the nightshade family, can keep me busy for hours:
Soup, casserole, chips, mashed, stuffed, as a side or the star of the meal – endless possibilities.

This tuber, so popular in today's kitchen, wasn't always so loved.
In the 16th century, while Europeans were searching for gold in America, they met the Incas and their staple food – a kind of golden, interesting, tasty, and very satisfying vegetable – and brought it back with them to Europe.

In Europe, this new food was viewed with suspicion. Deep suspicion.
Many avoided eating it due to various myths: from causing severe diseases like leprosy to the belief that it might lead to moral decay.
Queen Elizabeth I went so far as to ban potato consumption at the royal court – a ban lifted only 150 years later.
Thus, the immigrant from South America became a food mainly for prisoners and animals.

The Irish, on the other hand, warmly embraced the potato. It was easy for them to grow – even in tough soil and harsh weather, making it Ireland's main agricultural crop.

King Frederick the Great of Prussia decided to follow the Irish example and use the potato to solve the recurring hunger in Europe.
Old Fritz (as he was affectionately called) played a marketing trick that would be studied in marketing schools for years: he rebranded and marketed the potato as a luxury food intended mainly for the nobility.
He created a potato field near his palace, fenced it well, placed guards, and made sure everyone knew how valuable these potatoes were.
But he also ensured that at night the guards "fell asleep," and left gaps in the fence.
Thus, the young and mischievous sons of farmers would "steal" potatoes and sell them on the black market.
"The king's luxury food, now at your table" – and the potato became a luxury dish among the nobility – and even more so among ordinary people.

Some attribute this marketing trick to the King of France, Louis XVI, who would host concept parties at the royal court, serving potato delicacies while his wife Queen Marie Antoinette adorned herself with potato flowers.
Either way, the potato conquered the heart and stomach of Europe.

As with any intriguing saga, there's a twist in the plot.
In the mid-19th century, a severe disease spread through the potato fields of Ireland, destroying their main crop.
More than a million people died of hunger, and two million had to leave their homes and migrate to America.
Notably, the famous Kennedy family, which is sometimes referred to as "America's aristocracy," are descendants of that wave of Irish immigrants.
The Irish immigrants brought with them to America a few potato crops that had not been damaged – and the potato made a U-turn back to its homeland – this time as a star.

So what's in it that made it such a star?
Rich in carbohydrates for instant energy, full of minerals like potassium and magnesium, contains B vitamins including folic acid, and even has vitamin C, plus it includes polyphenols that act as antioxidants neutralizing harmful free radicals in our bodies.

Each of us probably has several potato recipes in our recipe book, and I'll share my top three. I'd love for you to share your winning recipes in the comments;

Recipe #1 – Homemade Vegetable Schnitzel
Those who already know me are aware that I advocate consuming as little industrial food as possible and making food at home from raw ingredients.
Almost everything can be prepared at home, even vegetable schnitzel.
An easy and simple recipe to make, with a perfect taste – I haven't met a child who didn't devour their plate and ask for more:

1. Prepare mashed potatoes from 4 medium potatoes.
2. Add a cup of frozen corn or a cup of frozen peas and carrots.
3. Add a cup of spelt flour, 3 tablespoons of oatmeal, and 2 eggs (preferably organic free-range, as discussed in previous articles).
4. Season with salt and other favorite spices (I add turmeric and garlic powder) and mix well.
5. Place in the freezer for half an hour, not to freeze but to give the mixture a firm texture, making it easier to work with.
6. Take a handful of the mixture, shape it into a schnitzel form, dip in egg and breadcrumbs, and place on a baking sheet lined with oil-sprayed baking paper.
7. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
8. You can double the quantities and freeze the ready schnitzels. Important to separate them with parchment paper before freezing.

Corn Schnitzel

Recipe #2 – Potato and Sweet Potato Casserole

A recipe so simple and easy to make, yet so tasty and nutritious.

1. Thinly slice a large sweet potato, 4 large potatoes, and a large onion.
2. Mix together with half a cup of spelt flour and half a cup of oatmeal.
3. Add 3 eggs and your favorite spices.
4. Bake in a greased pan for 40 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius.

Potato and Sweet Potato Casserole

Recipe #3 – Creamed Pareve Potato
A fantastic pareve creaming recipe, not just for potatoes. You can add fried mushrooms to make "Fettuccine Alfredo," or blanch cauliflower (obviously from a trusted source), place in a dish, smear the cream over, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake for creamed cauliflower casserole, among many other options.
The creamed texture comes from cashews.
The downside to cashews, despite being marketed as natural, is that they reach us after being heated in large vats over 100 degrees Celsius. You can't eat them raw as picked from the tree on which they grow (within a fruit resembling a bell pepper or apple); they must be steamed to neutralize a toxic resin found in them.
Some nutrition experts even recommend an additional roasting in the oven before eating – or buying them pre-roasted.
Most importantly, cut the cashews in half to check inside and ensure no insect has sneaked in.
The advantage of cashews is that they offer numerous vital nutrients – essential minerals, important antioxidant phytochemicals, and proteins.
Another perk is all the fun things you can do with them in the kitchen.
Some prefer to soak the cashews in water overnight to soften them – though it’s not mandatory.
The pareve creamed potato recipe:

1. Peel an onion and cut into quarters, peel 2 potatoes and cut into quarters.
2. Cook until the potatoes are soft.
3. Blend half a cup of cashews with the cooked vegetables, one and a half cups of the cooking water, 4 garlic cloves, basil (fresh or the seasoning), and a pinch of coarse salt.
4. You’ve got a creamy sauce. If you want, you can fry mushrooms and add them to the sauce.
5. Cream anything you want to: pasta, baked potato in the oven, or anything else, and sprinkle nutritional yeast on top (we learned about the wonders of nutritional yeast in the previous article).
6. For a cheddar cheese creamed effect (like in the American dish "Mac and Cheese"), you can add a carrot or two in the first step for that unique orange color.

That's all for now,
try it, let us know in the comments how it turned out and if it was enjoyed at home.
I think we’re done with lunch, and with Hashem's help, starting next article, we'll move on to healthy plant-based fats and exciting recipes for afternoon snacks – fun, tasty, and nutritious chocolate snacks and candies.

Until then, lots of health,
Chen Tovi