America’s Leading Chefs Innovate with Potatoes at the Culinary Institute of America
Monday, October 29th, 2007By Ashley Kleckner
Last month I had the pleasure of joining 15 professional chefs in Napa Valley at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone for the U.S. Potato Board’s third “Menu Innovations with Potatoes” seminar. Combined, the chefs represented more than 14,000 restaurant and supermarket foodservice operations. The dynamic three-day event was led by CIA instructors and guest celebrity chef Nancy Silverton, co-owner of Mozza in L.A. and author of several cookbooks, including this year’s “A Twist of the Wrist: Quick Flavorful Meals with Ingredients from Jars, Cans, Bags and Boxes.”
Fall is harvest time in Napa and I can’t image a more idyllic setting for indulging in culinary exploration and conversation. The event began with a champagne and potatoes reception where the chefs mingled with potato growers from across the nation. It was inspiring to see how eager the chefs were to learn more about the source of the potatoes they cook with everyday.
During the seminar, presentations were given by Danny Johns and Linda McCashion, from the U.S. Potato Board, and Allison Beadle, M.S., R.D., L.D, who led the group in a discussion on potato nutrition. The chefs were surprised to learn about the impressive nutritional profile of potatoes and the role that they can play in healthy menu development.
The majority of the program was spent in hands-on ideation sessions in Greystone’s kitchens. It felt like I was on the set of Iron Chef watching the group select ingredients from the pantries at Greystone and turn them into surprising and impressive dishes. The chefs explored Mediterranean and Latin flavor profiles creating a wide range of potato applications, including using potatoes as ingredients in salsas, sandwiches and fresh salads. It’s impossible pick a favorite dish because they were all so different but there were a few that will surely find their way into my kitchen and perhaps restaurant menus nationwide. I fell in love with a crispy potato round with bruschetta topping and Nancy Silverton created a panini with thin slices of potato grilled right onto the bread that will certainly make an appearance at my next dinner party.
At the end of the event, the enthusiastic chefs had the opportunity to present their dishes to U.S. Potato Board members. One chef expressed what was on everyone’s mind when he said, “Potatoes are even more versatile than I previously thought. Even cutting a potato in different shape can bring ‘new news.’”
The recipes we tasted were too good to keep to ourselves so we’ll be compiling the recipe ideas into a foodservice brochure which will be featured on www.healthypotato.com.
