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POTATOES - The 8th Wonder of the World!
by Alice Osborne
 The Quecha Indians of Peru called it “papa” before Spanish explorers christened it “patata” in the 16th century. With more nutrition than soybeans, less calories than a cup of yogurt, and yielding nearly twice as much food per acre as grain, the potato has come a long way from its roots in the Andes Mountains.
It’s hard to find someone that doesn’t just love potatoes. They’re so versatile, so easy to store. Here’s a little chart to help you with any conversions you might need to make for a recipe:
And here are a couple tips on successfully storing peeled potatoes:
Potatoes darken if not cooked soon after they are peeled. To help keep them white, toss with an ascorbic acid mixture or a little lemon juice.
Do NOT soak potatoes for prolonged periods. Long soaks cause a major loss of vitamins.
Finally, how about a few tested and applauded potato recipes:
Heidelberg Vegetable Casserole
Serves 8-10
 8 C mashed potatoes, at room temperature
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
½ C butter, at room temperature
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp salt
3-4 C lightly steamed fresh veggies (asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower are excellent)
½ C grated Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside. Combine potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, garlic and salt in large bowl; beat with electric mixer until smooth. Spoon into prepared baking dish, making a depression in the potatoes to hold the steamed veggies. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top. Cover with foil and bake about 30 min., or until heated through. Remove foil and bake 5 min. more so cheese can brown. This has amazing flavor.
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Here’s another variation on paring potatoes with broccoli:
Potato Broccoli Bake
Serves 4
 3 large potatoes, washed, peeled, thinly sliced
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen broccoli spears (or substitute fresh)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 C milk, heated
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp paprika
1 (4 oz) jar diced pimientos, drained
1 C shredded Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Arrange potatoes on bottom of pan. Arrange broccoli spears on top of potatoes; set aside. Melt butter in small saucepan on moderate heat. Add flour; while stirring constantly, gradually add milk. Cook just until thickened. Add salt, pepper, and paprika. Pour over vegetables in pan. Sprinkle with pimientos and cheese. Cover with foil. Bake 45-50 min., or until potatoes are tender.
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Ham & Potato Quiche
Serves 12, unless I’m at your table, then it might serve 6!
 1 C flour
½ C shortening or lard
¾ tsp salt, divided
3-4 Tbsp cold water
1 ½ C cubed, cooked ham
1 medium boiled potato, peeled and cut into 3-inch strips
1 ¼ C grated Swiss cheese, divided
1 C milk
4 eggs
1 tsp onion flakes
¼ tsp white pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, shortening, and ¼ tsp salt in large bowl; mix with fork or pastry blender until mixture is consistency of fine crumbs. Gradually add water; stir until dough holds together. Gather dough into a ball. Roll out on lightly floured pastry cloth to a circle of 2 inches larger than a 9-inch pie plate or quiche pan. Ease crust into pie plate; trim and flute edges.
Lightly prick crust and sprinkle with ¼ grated cheese. Bake for about 10 min. to set crust bottom. While crust is baking, combine milk, eggs, onion flakes, remaining ½ tsp of salt, and pepper in small bowl and mix lightly.
After removing crust from oven, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees. Sprinkle ham, potato, and remaining cheese evenly over bottom of crust. Pour egg mixture over ingredients in pan. Bake 45-50 min., or until center is set. This is wonderful!
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