Potatoes: A Blank Canvas (part 1)

Phoebe Snell
Mar 5, 2017
2 min read

The potato is such wonderful vegetable because of it's versatility. A potato may seem boring, but you can add all sorts of flavors and fun ingredients to make it much more than a dull root veggie. I personally love using potatoes in my cooking because I can be so creative with them.

First of all, let's have a quick lesson on the potatoes themselves. Potatoes are root vegetables that are high in starch. They originated in Peru and parts of Bolivia. There are many different types of potatoes, and among them are Idaho Russet Potatoes, Red Bliss Potatoes, and Yukon Gold Potatoes. Some popular ways of preparing potatoes are frying them, baking them, sautéing them, and roasting them.

One of my favorite things to do with potatoes are use them to make a flavorful, interesting, and tasty, hash. A great thing about a potato hash is you can throw almost anything into it. Add other veggies like peppers, mushrooms, or corn, and experiment with spices like cumin or cayenne. I will give you basic recipe that I came up with, but when you try this out, be sure to make it your own and put your own creative twist on it!

Here's the recipe:

Potato Hash MAKES: About 4-6 servings

YOU'LL NEED:

Vegetables:

-4 Potatoes (I like using red potatoes but you can choose your favorite kind)

-1 Medium Onion (I use a sweet onion)

Spices:

-A bit of garlic powder

-A bit of onion powder

-A bit of salt

-A bit of pepper

-A bit of basil

-A bit of oregano

Other:

-1/4 olive oil (or as much as you need to thinly cover the pan)

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse potatoes and cut into small (but fairly thick) cubes. Pour oil onto a skillet and add potatoes. To ensure that the potatoes are all cooked the same, keep the pan on medium-low heat for about five minutes. While the potatoes are starting to cook, chop the onion into small pieces, about the same size as the potato pieces and add to the pan. Cook until the potatoes are all golden-brown and soft. While the potatoes and onions are cooking, add the spices (I don't have exact measurements because I like to experiment with the amounts based on what my taste buds are telling me:). Taste as you go, and add more of any spice as needed. Serve as a hearty breakfast or add kielbasa sausage to it to make for an excellent lunch or dinner.

Enjoy!

Thank you for reading my first post of my new series about the potato. I hope you'll come back for my next post! If you try this recipe and it makes your taste buds pleased, be sure to send me a picture of what you came up with at prskie101@gmail.com.

-Phoebe