Iceberg to Arugula

I dig potatoes.

Literally….dug up a whole bunch the other day. Growing potatoes is rather easy and the foliage makes surprisingly attractive, albeit temporary, shrubbery studded with cute white and yellow flowers. Last year I began volunteering to help keep up the vegetable garden at my local elementary school during the Summer months and I’ll be doing the same this year. The perk is that in exchange for tending  the plots, you get to harvest whatever happens to be available the day you show up. This week, it’s potatoes: big hearty Russets.

I have to admit that pulling up the first clump of potato plants was something of a revelation. Examining the tangled mass in my hand, I realized I only had part of the haul which spurred me to excitedly fish through the soil like an overexcited child searching for eggs on Easter morning. It’s fair to say that I don’t normally get THAT excited about potatoes. But this is a similar point to the one I made in my sunflower post last year: If you shop for your produce mostly at the grocery store, it’s easy to develop a disconnect between the item itself and the fact that it did indeed come from a plant. Especially something as prosaic as the dirty brown, rough, lumpy Russet potato.

Doing your own vegetable gardening helps reestablish that connection. In the American food landscape of ubiquitous quick, processed foods, there is something inherently cool about seeing a food in it’s “just harvested” stage…..or maybe I’m just a major food dork. In any case, the harvest is a reminder of how precious and special unprocessed food really is.

If you want to grow your own potatoes, be sure to locate a source that sells organic seed potatoes. In warmer climates the time to plant has past, but there is always next year to think about….

Here are a few online sources:

Wood Prairie Farm

Maine Potato Lady

Peaceful Valley

Farm Fresh Living

In general there are two types of potatoes, waxy and starchy. Russets are the latter, which makes them ideal for mashing, whipping and thickening soups or stews. If you’re looking for a potato that will hold it’s shape in a potato salad recipe you want a “waxy” type potato such as a red new potato. Russets will simply fall apart and give a mushy texture. If you’re lucky enough to have some freshly dug Russets from garden or Farmers Market, here is a favorite Irish style mashed potato recipe.

Champ

2 large Russet potatoes

1 c. 1% milk

1/4 c. light sour cream

4 tbsp butter

1 bunch green onions, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced (white and light green part only)

½ tsp each salt and pepper (or more to taste)

1. Add 2 quarts water and 1 tsp salt to a large pot over high heat.

2. Peel and quarter potatoes and add to pot, leave pot uncovered.

3. While potatoes are cooking, add milk to small saucepan and place over low heat.

4. When water comes to boiling, reduce to medium high heat and simmer potatoes until tender. Insert a knife into one of the potatoes, when there is no resistance the potatoes are done.

5. Drain potatoes in a colander or sieve. Place foil over the top to keep warm.

6. Add butter and onions to the same pot over medium heat, stir until onions are tender. If using a sieve to drain the potatoes, take a rubber spatula and push the potatoes thru the sieve into the pot with the butter and onions. Alternately you may use a food mill, potato ricer to process the potatoes or an old fashioned potato masher after adding the drained potatoes to the pot.

7. Once the potatoes are sufficiently processed. Add the salt, pepper, sour cream and half the warmed milk to the pot and stir. If the potatoes are too dry, add the remainder of the milk and stir.

8. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish if desired with fresh snipped chives and serve at once.

Makes about 4 servings.