Saturday, October 23, 2010

The Humble Potato


Sometimes there is nothing more comforting than a boiled potato… Its skin rubbed clean, I place a large potato in the sauce pan, fill it with water, bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer for ½ an hour or so till cooked through.

While still piping hot, I peel the potato with a paring knife, extricate the "eyes", and gently mash it with a fork in a bowl. Then I sprinkle some olive oil, sea salt, dried basil or an Italian seasoning on it and mash some more.  The olive oil and seasonings add to the subtle aroma and taste of the potato.  Best of all, it's simple, warm, satisfying food.

Whenever you feel "a cold coming on", the boiled potato is a terrific way to sneak 2 cloves of raw garlic into your system.  Simply prepare the potato as above and add 2 cloves of freshly minced garlic into the mash.  (I usually do this anyway because I like the added flavor!) The antibiotic qualities of the raw garlic will help your immune system ward off any lurking "bug".  And for those who are averse to simply swallowing 2 scored cloves of raw garlic whole, in preventive measure, the humble boiled potato is a perfect medium for conveying the garlic's curative boost.

As this delicious vegetable ranks high on the glycemic index, I limit myself to no more than 2 (large) potatoes in a week (if that), and only 1 at a time.  One potato, two potato…. (never three or four!)

2 comments:

  1. Have u seen this japanese video about how to peel a potato? Its awesome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anZBo2FmaL8

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ha! It's definitely quick if you have ice at the ready. But there's also an art to using a knife while balancing the potato on a large cooking spoon…… Thanks "chefpandita" for your comment AND the RT :D

    ReplyDelete