Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Yes, dammit, potatoes ARE good for you!
-Righteous Red Potatoes


Righteous Red Potatoes
Biker Billy’s Hog Wild On A Harley Cookbook Copyright 2003

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
6 medium-size red potatoes, quartered

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, cayenne, paprika, rosemary, salt and black pepper, stir well to mix, and microwave at half power for 1 minutes or heat in small saucepan over medium heat.
3. Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl, add the flavored oil, and stir well to completely coat the potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Pour the oil remaining in the bowl over the potatoes. Bake, turning a few times, until golden brown, 60 to 75 minutes. I didn't cook them nearly this long. Serve hot.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.
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Almost every time I check my stats, I see that someone reached my blog through a search query asking if potatoes are good for you. Are there many people out there wondering about the nutritional value of potatoes? Is it the same person asking over and over? I have no idea but it amuses me.

I'd just like to set the record straight that in moderation, potatoes are a healthy food choice. I think they've been getting a bum deal lately, along with other starches. The key is to eat potatoes in moderation and to eat them without the addition of unhealthy fats (french fried or smothered in butter and sour cream).

Due to time constraints, I cooked these potatoes until they were tender but not quite crispy. This was fine though because the garlic didn't get bitter as it sometimes can during oven roasting.

This is my contribution to Sweetnick's ARF/5-a-Day Tuesday because, POTATOES ARE GOOD FOR YOU.

This cookbook is from the library and it actually has a nice variety of recipes. Definitely a must-have for anyone into Harleys and cooking.

Blast From The Past: Grilled Potatoes with Olive Oil and Thyme from January 2006 - the original 'potatoes ARE good for you' recipe.

Question of the Day: What type of potato (Russet, red, etc.) do you buy most often?

14 comments:

Mindy said...

Mmmm...those potatoes look yummy. And I agree...potatoes ARE good for you. :)

Hands-down, I buy Yukon Gold potatoes the most.

Anonymous said...

I love potatoes and yours looks good. :-) I really like sweet potatoes but no one in my house will eat those except me...

As for what I buy the most does Potato Buds count? That's one of the few side dishes my younger one will eat. (No, I don't care for them).

Okay, okay, honestly I usually buy whatever potatoes Costco has that looks the best. Right now I have Russets in the house.

M Smith said...

We eat potatoes quite a bit in our house. meaning we eat them often, but in small quantities. So we always have a variety in our house. Sweet, red bliss, yukon gold, russets... It really depends on what we are doing with the potatoes that dictates which variety we use. Like I would never make a potato salad with russets...

The favorite lately is a diced variety of potatoes (yukon gold, red bliss, purple peruvian and sweet) simply dressed with olive oil, S&P, chopped garlic (in the last 15 minutes) and fresh chopped rosemary. Roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes.

Heather said...

I agree that potatoes are GREAT for you! I don't eat them as often as I used to because there is a WHOLE WORLD of side dishes to choose from in addition to potatoes. However, in saying that, these potatoes look like something I would really enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Recently, Yukon Gold if I use potatoes at all (made a curry dish last night with them actually!).

Sara said...

Potatos are my favorite food, hands down. I like the little yellow and red ones, but it really doesn't matter, I'll eat them all.

Cate said...

Somewhere I actually have that cookbook. He's from my old hometown. :) Yukon Golds are usually what I choose.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

I LOVE potatoes! They are very good for you. Yours look wonderful and tasty...

jmv2101 said...

I parboil potatoes for seven minutes, then bake 180C for 45 minutes., sprinkle with some lemon juice before baking, it makes them really brown and crispy for some reason.

Georgia said...

I got to your site because I wanted to know what nutrients were in potatoes. This is the first time! Your recipe for potatoes sounds yummy. I just received a box of recently dug potatoes and don't want them going bad before we taste them. Thanks for the recipe.

lyn3939 said...

My nutritionist told me that I could only have Yukon Gold and I was wondering why. Any ideas?

The Cookbook Junkie said...

I can't imagine why Yukon Golds would be any better than another variety of potato. I would ask the nutritionist for an explanation (and I'd be interested to hear what it is.)

I did read this on Wikipedia
"Potatoes are often broadly classified as high on the glycemic index (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a “low GI” eating regimen. In fact, the GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on type (such as red, russet, white, or Prince Edward), origin (where it was grown), preparation methods (i.e., cooking method, whether it is eaten hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole, etc), and with what it is consumed (i.e., the addition of various high fat or high protein toppings) (Fernandes et al. 2006)."

But I can't find any more information on the nutritional differences between variaties of potatoes.

Unknown said...

I found you while googling to see if potatoes are good for you. But I've never done it before...honest.

Anonymous said...

I found you while looking for a recipe.

I don't like Yukon Gold potatoes. They are a hybrid and I would rather stick to the old-fashioned varieties while they are still around.

One little caveat to your article. I know a lot of people who have been brainwashed into believing that butter is bad for you. It's not. Butter is good for you, much better than most oils which can be hydrogenated (especially vegetable oils). Coconut oil is great, avocado oil (unrefined) is great. Ghee (homemade) is excellent. But real butter (homemade if you can manage it) is the best. I buy raw cream and make my own. I have a whole freezer full of the stuff and I use it for baking and eating.

Read up on butter. Saturated fats are NOT bad for you or for your heart. Cholesterol is a good thing, not a bad thing. Really.

Check out butter and saturated fats by reading this: http://www.westonaprice.org/making-it-practical/taking-the-fear-out-of-eating-fat

You won't be sorry you took the time.

To learn about cholesterol and it's benefits for our health, go to the top of the page at the link I posted above, find the search box and type in cholesterol. Be ready to read!