By Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
 
Potatoes, the Ultimate comfort food. In fact the Latin word for potato is Solanum tuberosum, and solanum is derived from a word that means “soothing.” It is truly divine that this comfort food is also good for you. The only thing bad about potatoes is what we do to them. (can you say French fries?)
Unfortunately, this very regal vegetable was villainized with the carbohydrate phobia that surfaced in the 90’s. They were viewed as an evil food that would make you blossom into an obese whale overnight. Where in truth, they are an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, and B6, particularly if you eat the skin, and you get a lot of “bang for your buck” as potatoes as a staple food are low cost as well.
The question is; how does one prepare potatoes without frying them or loading them with butter?   One of the best ways is eating them whole and with as little of fat as possible. A great way to do this is to bake them up whole and add salsa and a little low fat sour cream and turkey or vegetarian chili for a delicious surprise.
Along the lines of baking, if you cut the potatoes in wedges, lightly spritz with a spray olive oil and sprinkle with salt and herbs, bake in a hot oven (425 degrees) for 20 mins or so, you’ll get healthy fries. Can’t go wrong with that! Also adding them to vegetable soups is a super nutritious and wonderful way to eat them. The potatoes will add a creamy depth to the soup that you normally get from cream and other “no-nos”.
Mashed potatoes?
Here’s one for you; boil 1½ lbs. of Yukon gold potatoes with six peeled garlic cloves. Drain and mash the mixture with ½ tsp. salt, black pepper, chopped scallions and 3 tbsp. olive oil. This American Heart Association recipe is very yummy. I like to boil a few potatoes in the morning and when they are done, I take them out and add an egg to the hot water to poach. While it is poaching, I mash my potatoes add a bit of salt and pepper and a teaspoon olive oil over them then put the poached egg on top. Very delicious and filling for a breakfast that stays with you. (add some broccoli and you’re in!) A little bit of creativity can go a long way here!
Here is a potato salad that is delicious and a great way to turn a very fattening dish into a healthy one. Make sure and don’t peel your potatoes! The skins are the healthy part. Enjoy your potatoes…..responsibly.
Roasted Garlic Potato Salad
The salad
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 pounds of small Yukon gold potatoes
2 pounds of baby red potatoes
1 pound of fresh green beans
1 sweet onion chopped
2 – 4 heads of garlic
A little olive oil spray
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 ribs of celery chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
Dressing
1/4 cup of olive oil
2-4 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
Zest of a half lemon
Juice of a half lemon
2 tablespoons of fresh herb(s), such as tarragon, dill or thyme
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley
A squeeze of Dijon mustard
The baked garlic
Fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and chop your potatoes, onion and green beans into bite size uniform pieces. Place in a large bowl spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using your hands, toss potato mix until all is coated. Spread them on a baking sheet. Take the garlic heads and chop off the top to reveal the top of each clove. Spray the top of the garlic head with the olive oil spray.
Tuck the garlic bulbs in the potatoes face up and put in the oven to bake. Bake for about 30 minutes till tender but firm, stirring once during the bake time. When the potatoes are done cooking, let them cool till room temperature. When the garlic blubs are cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves into a small bowl then mix together the dressing of your choice. I like to do the dressings in the blender but they can be whisked together as well.
Dump the potato mix into a large beautiful bowl and toss in the red onion, bacon crumbles and celery.   Drizzle the dressing over them all and toss together till well mixed then either serve right away or keep in the fridge till you’re ready. As with many of these kinds of dishes, they are better the next day. Enjoy!