Something healthy or rather tasty as a side? Check out this Roast potato recipe that’s in the league of both to qualify!
Nowadays few of us could imagine their Sunday roast without some potatoes but times were not always so gracious to humankind.
Not just because potatoes were an unknown entity before the Spanish brought them back to Europe from the New world but because before industrialized food production Sunday roasts often meant the only meal during the week when people could eat some meat.
Once potatoes were available, adding them to the roast plate was a no brainer, given their price compared to meat and their general appeal, due to its fairly high starch content.
Interestingly, there are about 5000 types of potatoes around, but similarly to bananas where the whole world production comes from the same breed (cavendish), 99% of potato types come from the varieties originated in the lowlands of South-Central Chile.
Once people get to know them, they can grow quite fond of them. Since its introduction to Europe, its popularity has not waned over the years. Potato remains an essential crop for Northern and Easter Europeans to this day with the highest per capita production in the world. China and India seem to be catching up to the race too or at least when it comes to overall potato production.
It is worth to note that potato consumption is not without dangers though. Like many other plants we like, such as tomato, eggplant or tobacco, potato is part of the nightshade family that is infamous for their toxin, called solanine which can harm humans.
If green parts of the plant like skin or sprout is exposed to light, the potato can accumulate dangerous levels of the toxin, so storing potatoes in a sunlight deprived environment is highly recommended.
Although not a foolproof method, but generally these toxins accumulate around the part of the potato that turned green so simply cutting out these parts works pretty well, given that we are out in the wild ridges of the Andes foraging for food or got some seeds from a Chilean heirloom potato farmer and we grow our own.
Commercially available potatoes do not generally pose a risk, not to mention that Cooking at 338F / 170C partly destroy these compounds so although roasting destroys most of the vitamin C and B6, it also eliminates possible toxins.
If we are after squeezing out all the nutritional benefits from potatoes, which less likely unless civilization collapses and we are forced to live on the nutritional allowance of middle age peasants, microwaving is the best option to save all the goodies in them.
Although, there are no rules how we should like our potatoes, some varieties are preferred over others for various preparation methods. Baking potatoes differ from the others by their elevated 20 – 22% starch content that results in a creamier softer texture compared to the more water content rich potatoes used for other cooking methods.
Some of us may have heard about the ethos of eating at least 5 portion of vegetables or fruits a day, which is championed by the UK government, but unlucky for us, potatoes haven’t made it onto the list, thanks largely for their high starch content and maybe our ingenuity when it comes to bend reality to our favors.
After all, there are places where people count ketchup as vegetable and pouring it on bread (thick crust pizza) considered as a balanced meal.
Roasting potatoes is far from such atrocities though and as long as we can keep ourselves from soaking them in some sort of fat, we can pretty much have them with our meals without worrying too much about its impact on our waistline.
Ingredients
- 4lb / 2000g Potatoes (Yukon gold)
- 2 quarts / 2000g Water
- ½ teaspoon / 3g Baking soda
- 3 tablespoons / 40g Cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon / 2g Paprika
- 2 teaspoons / 10g Salt
- 1 teaspoon / 2.5g Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon / 2g Onion powder
How to make Roast potates
- Peel and cut potatoes into 1″ / 2.5cm chunks. Although we can use any type of potatoes, some are better suited for crispy, golden brown crunchiness than others.
- Dissolve baking soda in water, add the potato chunks, put the lid on then bring it to boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer then cook until the knife meets little resistance when poked through the potato chunks, about 20 – 30 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the seasoning by mixing cooking oil, paprika, salt, garlic powder and onion powder in a large bowl.
- Drain the water.
- Mix the drained potatoes with the seasoning in the bowl.
- Arrange the potatoes onto a baking sheet.
- Place the potatoes with the baking sheet into a preheated 425°F/220°C oven and roast until the bottom gets golden brown color, about 20 minutes. Scrape them up so other sides will get a chance for crispiness too. Mind not to move them until the upper parts develop some skin that holds together the chunks when moving them around.
- Once the other sides are crispy, golden brown too, the roast potatoes are ready to be taken out, about 20 – 40 minutes, it depends on how many times we move them around. Decorate it with some green freshly chopped parsley for better taste.
Enjoy!
FitttZee
©
Roast Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lb Potatoes Yukon gold
- 2 quarts Water
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 3 tablespoons Cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
Instructions
- Peel and cut potatoes into 1" / 2.5cm chunks. Although we can use any type of potatoes, some are better suited for crispy, golden brown crunchiness than others.
- Dissolve baking soda in water, add the potato chunks, put the lid on then bring it to boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer then cook until the knife meets little resistance when poked through the potato chunks, about 20 - 30 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the seasoning by mixing cooking oil, paprika, salt, garlic powder and onion powder in a large bowl.
- Drain the water.
- Mix the drained potatoes with the seasoning in the bowl.
- Arrange the potatoes onto a baking sheet.
- Place the potatoes with the baking sheet into a preheated 425°F/220°C oven and roast until the bottom gets golden brown color, about 20 minutes. Scrape them up so other sides will get a chance for crispiness too. Mind not to move them until the upper parts develop some skin that holds together the chunks when moving them around.
- Once the other sides are crispy, golden brown too, the roast potatoes are ready to be taken out, about 20 - 40 minutes, it depends on how many times we move them around. Decorate it with some green freshly chopped parsley for better taste.
Notes
Pin now, Enjoy later!
