The almighty potato slashes your hunger in half, and satisfies even the hungriest (or hangriest) person for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but you can do other things with this root vegetable besides what you might typically do already. Read on to learn some new ways of preparing and using all your potatoes:
1. Boil
Boiling potatoes is the simplest way of cooking them besides sticking them in the microwave, and after doing so, you can do multiple things with them, but the most common thing to do is to make potato salad. Try this potato salad recipe, featuring cilantro and dill, or this comforting and warm recipe with spinach and chickpeas.
2. Mash
No Thanksgiving is complete without this creamy dish, and they’re just as satisfying in the summer too. Try these smashed spuds with celery root: they are wicked awesome, lower in carbs than normal mashed potatoes, and are full of delicious undertones. Dance around the kitchen with some of these magnificent mashed potatoes on your wooden spoon, and freely lick the spoon to your heart’s content.
3. Stick ’em in a Stew
If you’ve noticed, this number completes one of Samwise Gamgee’s lines in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, because what he needs is a few good taters, some lovely golden chips with fried fish. Follow Sam’s advice, and boil, mash, or stick your po-ta-toes in a stew, and you’re good to go! Uniformly chop up some spuds for this recipe, and see what evil stew making genius you can be.
4. Fry
Frying a spud is not the healthiest thing to do, but the starch transforms into a delicious, crispy delight when you do. If you’re looking to splurge or just want to have some French fries (dangit!), then check out this recipe for the perfect French fries. For a more old world recipe, check out this recipe for fried potatoes and onions!
5. Bake
Flaky baked potato, vegan cheese sauce, broccoli, and chili, oh my! What’s better than that combo? A baked potato is like vanilla ice cream—classic, but so (irreplaceably) delicious. Jump on the baked potato bandwagon, and discover the best way to bake your spuds with this article as a guide. Or, try these fingerling potato rounds which are also baked.
6. Grilled
Check out the first part of this recipe for a great grilled potato dish. Sure, they aren’t regular, ‘ole white potatoes, but if you wanted to alter the recipe, you sure could; however, sweet potatoes are more nutritious and more flavorful. If you’re feeling up to it, then you can go on with the recipe to make the whole sandwich, and taste a slice of vegan grilled cheese heaven.
7. Sauté
Sautéing potatoes is a fast way to cook up some taters. All you have to do is: parboil your potatoes, throw some oil or veggie broth in a skillet, cut up your spuds, chuck them in the pan, and wait until they get nice and crispy. This recipe will show you more details on this process, but don’t overthink it—its way easy.
8. Dutch Oven
You don’t often come across vegan Dutch cooking, but here is a recipe for Dutch oven fingerling potatoes that is sure to knock your socks off! With a wealth of amazing spices and a punch of tomato and sweet red onion, these oddly shaped potatoes will have you jumping for joy! Make them today!
9. Grow Roses
Roses are beautiful, but potatoes, not so much. If you have some sad-looking potatoes and don’t feel like eating them, stick some rose clippings inside of them and place the spud in the dirt. With some tender love and care in the form of water and sunlight, you’ll have roses in no time. For more detailed information on this trick, consult this article!
10. Gift Wrap
My dad has told me a simple story countless of times that may or may not be fictitious, and that is of a potato as his Christmas present. He said that his mom wrapped up a raw potato, and gave it to him for Christmas, telling or reassuring him that it was not a potato but a ‘shy turtle’ that didn’t come out of its shell. I’m not sure if he totally believed her, but he said that he went on stroking the potato and being ever so careful with it, just as if it truly was a turtle. This story serves as the namesake for this last bullet point, and wrapping up a potato in this way would be a fantastic white elephant gift or just a regular old gag gift for any occasion. But, the fact remains that this is still something you can do with the beloved spud.
Don’t be shy — try some of these ways of cooking and using your potatoes today!
Image source: Ralf Roletschek/Wikimedia
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Hey! Wanted to let you know that the second recipe link under "boil", which is for the "warm, comforting salad with spinach and chickpeas" is the same as the first, with cilantro and dill. I really, really want the second recipe..if somebody could fix it? Please and thank you :)