The Potato Underground — Discover the Goodness of America's Favorite Vegetable

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means hosts and hostesses have started to search for the best recipes, read classic cookbooks and develop dinner menus.  Even the most seasoned party planner can suffer stress trying to balance varying tastes and traditions.  Folks may argue about dressing versus stuffing in their turkey recipe, or whether to serve green beans or peas, but almost everyone will expect some kind of mashed potato dish to grace the dinner table. 

Who better than America’s potato farmers to offer advice on the very best mashed potato recipes? Here are recommendations from the United States Potato Board (USPB), representing 4,000 potato growers and shippers throughout the U.S., for hosts and hostesses of every personality persuasion.

The Traditionalist: Perfect Mashed Potatoes
There is no recipe more fitting for the honor of “best mashed recipe of all time” than the USPB’s Perfect Mashed Potatoes. The essential trick here is to return the drained potatoes to the saucepan for a few minutes to dry them a bit over medium-low heat before mashing. Trust us, it makes a difference!

The Procrastinator: From-Scratch Mashed in About Ten Minutes
Forget the instant mashed potatoes. For a quick fix that’s guaranteed to wow the crowds, try the USPB’s new “Microwave Mashed Potatoes.” If you’re short on time (and who isn’t?)  but want from-scratch fresh mashed potatoes, try these. Watch a quick demonstration video at and get mashing!

The Health Nut: Browned Butter Smashed Potatoes with Butternut Squash
Want to serve a healthy recipe with two vegetables in one dish?  Combine the vitamin C, potassium, and fiber of potatoes with the vitamin A of butternut squash and you have a nutritional winner.  A little browned butter drizzled over the top adds the crowning holiday touch.

The Diplomat: Chipotle Mashed Potatoes
Celebrate the United Nations’ declaration that 2008 is the “International Year of the Potato” by serving Chipotle Mashed Potatoes.  These south-of-the-border flavors marry well with a chili-rubbed turkey and cornbread dressing.

The Hedonist: White Chocolate Mashed Potatoes
Send guests swooning by combining perennial favorites: potatoes and chocolate. Yes, that’s right, chocolate.  A little bit of white chocolate here substitutes for the butter. Its sweetness is tempered by a dash of Tabasco sauce, but the creaminess chocolate imparts  is unmistakable.

For additional holiday-worthy potato side dishes, visit www.healthypotato.com.  Happy Thanksgiving from America’s potato growers!

By David Fairbourn 

I first learned of the new, convenient recipes using fresh potatoes during the March 2007 annual meeting of the United States Potato Board (USPB) in Denver, CO. These were presented by the Turover Straus Group with help from several USPB grower volunteers. Microwave Mashed Potatoes, French Onion Chicken and Potatoes, and other meals were prepared and cooked in microwave ovens.

I was enthralled and captivated by the absolute deluge of entrees that were demonstrated at the meeting. In just over an hour, everybody had sampled and taste-tested all of these meals created by these impromptu chefs, showing just how easy these were to make. These recipes weren’t just convenient, they really did taste good. The “ohs!” and “ahs!” and applause from the crowd were overwhelming!

Watch “How to Microwave Mashed Potatoes” featuring Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough here or on You Tube:

Microwave Mashed Potatoes (Basic Technique)

4 medium Russet, Yukon Gold, or White potatoes, or 6 - 8 Red potatoes
Milk, to taste
Butter, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Step 1
Wash potatoes; peel, if desired. Place the whole potatoes into microwave safe dish.  Cover dish.  (If covering the dish with plastic wrap, poke a small hole in the plastic.)

Step 2
Place potatoes in microwave. Microwave on HIGH for 8 minutes* or until potatoes are done. Use oven mitts to carefully remove dish from microwave with hot pad, and due to steam build-up, use oven mitts or tongs to remove plastic wrap from dish.

Step 3
Pour contents into bowl and use a potato masher to mash potatoes. Add milk, butter, salt and pepper. Use potato masher to continue mashing potatoes until reaching the desired consistency.  Serve.

The new recipes are a tremendous breakthrough in showing just how convenient cooking with fresh potatoes can be. I will never boil potatoes again. These recipes offer a new, exciting and colorful palette of flavors, tastes and presentation.

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By Tim Straus  

The innovating cooking techniques developed by the Turover-Straus Group for the United States Potato Board use the characteristics of the microwave and the potato to its best advantage.  We call it “changing the physics” of the potato.

For example, the microwave mashed potato technique (coming soon) preserves both the flavor and nutrition of potatoes by leaving the skin on, not poking holes in the potato and placing the potato in a vented, microwave-safe bag or dish.  The microwave energy heats the water in the potato and creates steam.  This steam is then trapped inside the container and helps cook the potato uniformly. 

For the Southwest Potato and Chicken Casserole the fat in the meat creates a very hot environment which “bakes the chicken.”  Microwaves bring the temperature of the water in the potato to 212 degrees but the temperature of fat goes to 400+ degrees.  The layer of potatoes over the chicken creates a Dutch oven effect, trapping the heat and baking both the meat and potatoes. 

The Roasted-style Microwave Potato recipe hits a middle ground.  Slicing potatoes more thinly has the effect of microwave-drying the slices similarly to the way an oven would dry.  Added fat gets extremely hot (400+ degrees) and “browns” the potatoes. 

 Watch “How to Microwave Roasted-Style Potatoes” here or on YouTube:

Microwave Roasted-Style Potatoes (Basic Technique)

4 medium Russet, Yukon Gold, or White potatoes or 6 - 8 Red potatoes
Seasonings of choice, i.e., salt, pepper, parsley, rosemary, thyme, or any other seasonings
Oil

Step 1
Cut potatoes into uniform-size cubes.  Place into microwave-safe dish.

Step 2
Drizzle a small amount of oil over potatoes.  Sprinkle with seasonings.  Toss to evenly disperse oil and seasonings.

Step 3
Tightly cover with lid or plastic wrap and place in microwave.  Microwave on HIGH for 10 minutes or until potatoes are done.  Carefully remove from microwave and serve.

Any of these recipes can be flavor adapted for your family’s taste preference.
For all 20 innovative recipes to go www.HealthyPotato.com and click on new and innovative recipes.

For the college student version go to http://www.onebeermeals.com/.