Potato Recipes: Two Ways (Herb Roasted & Garlic Mashed)

The humble spud unfortunately is often labelled, well, humble… boring or bland.  This couldn’t be further from the truth!  In fact, potatoes are one of the most versatile foods out there and can be cooked and served in many exciting and enticing ways.  It’s true, they’re not often the star of the meal, but their beauty lies in the fact that they pair so well with other foods, absorbing and reflecting a range of different flavours and textures.

Here’s just two easy yet impressive potato recipes that we hope will help to change your mind about potatoes and elevate them to hero status on your plate.

If you’re worried about potatoes being fattening, don’t be.  With the exception of the deep fried type, potatoes are actually a very healthy and lean vegetable, packed with nutrients.  One medium sized potato with the skin on boasts the following nutritional profile:

• Only 110 calories.
• Zero fat and cholesterol.
• Extremely low in sodium.
• Nearly half your daily amount of Vitamin C.
• More potassium than a banana.
• Good dose of fibre and resistant starch.
• Source of Vitamin B6, magnesium and antioxidants.

Potatoes are in season throughout Autumn and Winter.  Serving suggestions for these potato recipes include Baked pork + veal meatballs Veneto style, Chicken saltimbocca w preserved lemon butter, Prosciutto wrapped pork + veal meatloaf.

Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potato Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 medium sized potatoes (pink skinned Desiree are very common and work well for this recipe as do Sebago).
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons parmesan, grated (use less or more, depending on your taste preference)

Method

1. Put the potatoes and whole garlic cloves in a pot. Cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt and set on a hot stove.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, warm the butter and milk. They are much harder to incorporate when cold and they also cool down the hot mash.
3. Once the water is boiled, poke potatoes with a knife to check when cooked. The potatoes should be tender all the way through.
4. Drain well and return to stove for an additional minute or two on very low heat. Shake occasionally to remove any excess moisture.
5. Mash potatoes well and add milk, butter plus salt and pepper to taste. Make sure the garlic is well mashed and distributed throughout (or you can extract the cloves and push through a garlic press first).  Add extra milk if mash is not creamy enough.
6. Lastly add the grated parmesan cheese and mix through.
7. Try not to over work the potatoes or they can turn into a paste instead of being fluffy.

Herb Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

• 800g potatoes (King Edward or Nadine are your common white washed potatoes and are perfect for this recipe, or try Sebago or Desiree)
• 2 tablespoons fresh or dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons fresh or dried rosemary
• 2 tablespoons fresh or dried parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Wash potatoes and cut into equal sized halves, quarters or cubes.
3. Set aside half the parsley to use later as a garnish.
4. In a bowl, mix together all the remaining herbs, garlic, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Then add the potato pieces so they are well coated.
5. Place potatoes on an oven tray and roast for approx 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they are golden brown, tender and crispy on the outside.
6. Place cooked potatoes in a serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.