Potatoes - always popular

What better way to celebrate the International Year of the Potato than by making a delicious potato dish? No matter who you are cooking for, potatoes are always popular, can be prepared in so many ways, they taste awesome and nutritionally they are a goldmine! The Potato Product Group of Horticulture New Zealand has organized a competition to win Alison and Simon Holst's new cookbook Popular Potatoes. Read on to be in to win && With world wide attention on potatoes as the perfect food to feed the worlds' growing population, it is time to reflect on another reason that the United Nations wants us to acknowledge this remarkable food. Nutrition. Quite simply potatoes are amazingly nutrient rich, bursting with vitamins and minerals, virtually fat free, containing no cholesterol and when served in their skins are a great source of fibre. They are perfect as part of a healthy balanced diet. Another nutrition accolade is that all fresh potatoes carry the Heart Foundation's Pick the Tick. What's more potatoes count towards your 5+ A Day target - baked, boiled, microwaved or mashed they all count as one serving. By themselves, potatoes are low in fat and calories. But as you will no doubt be aware, potatoes can be cooked in ways that don't make them such a great food choice. You can keep healthy by following these useful tips& - When roasting, leave the skin on and cut each potato into thick wedges or chunks. The larger the size, the less oil they will absorb - making them healthier. Spray oils are fantastic for potatoes - you add much less oil but still get the wonderful crispy crunchy result.
- When boiling use as little water as possible. Vitamin C and B group vitamins are water soluble, which means some of them will dissolve into the cooking water. By using only a little water you will keep this to a minimum. Keep the pieces large, and you will not have as much surface area for the vitamins to escape.
- Add low fat milk and a splash of olive oil to your mash - much healthier than cream and butter and tastes divine too! Fresh herbs and or saut?ed onions added to mash are also a lower fat alternative.
- Most of the goodness in potatoes is found in or just beneath the skin so serving the potatoes with the skin increases the fibre content. If you really want no skin, peel them after cooking.
- Coloured potatoes have even more antioxidants - the red skins give anthocyanins and yellow flesh provides carotenoids.
- The way potatoes are stored and cooked can affect the nutritional content. To retain the nutrients peel the potato just before cooking, don't leave them standing in water or exposed to the air for any longer than you have to. Celebrate the International Year of the Potato by trying some of the recipes from Alison and Simon Holst's new cookbook Popular Potatoes. The cookbook is a wonderful mix of classics, like the cottage pie, and exotic recipes like Thai Green Curry - see the recipes below! Whatever your taste, if you are a potato lover you are bound to enjoy this collection. We have 100 free copies of the cookbook available to readers of community newspapers. Simply visit www.vegetables.co.nz/potatoes and enter!