Potato: A tuber with staying power

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - The potato _ nutritious, accommodating and unassuming; a species (Solanum tuberosum) with thousands of varieties _ has certainly been taken for granted more than it should have been throughout its history.

It originated 8,000 years ago near Lake Titicaca (in the Andes, between Bolivia and Peru), according to the Farm and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, but it took native hunters and gatherers 7,000 years to cultivate the wild plant.

When it arrived in Europe, as Spanish plunder from the Incas, the potato was dismissed and mistrusted by the European population. To the nobility and the gentry, it was deemed food for peasants and pigs; to the peasants, it was considered poisonous.

And once farmers throughout Europe did begin to exploit the potential of the potato, they made the mistake of believing it would always be there to sustain them. When the potato blight struck, so did famine, especially in Ireland where potatoes were a disproportionately large part of the national diet.

Today, the potato has not only persevered (some, especially enemies of McDonald's, might say gotten a bit out of hand), it has begun a new life as cheap food source in emerging countries as well, so much so that the United Nations has proclaimed 2008 the year of the potato.

And, in spite of the fact that many people believe the russet baker and the red-skinned new potato are the only games in town, for now, our agribusiness urges have yet to produce a single monolithic uber-potato.

In fact, delving into the charming varieties that show up at green markets _ the nooksack, the gemchip, the blossom _ can make a person appreciate the potato's unique steadfastness, all over again.

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BUBBLE AND SQUEAK, PLUS SOUFFLE

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 1 hour

Makes: 4 servings

Legend has it Sir Walter Raleigh introduced Elizabeth I to the potato. The old queen was reportedly not amused by the newfangled tuber from South America. Today, the potato is more British than the British, turning up in such iconic national dishes as fish and chips, cottage pie, and bubble and squeak. This recipe for the latter comes from "The Duchy Originals Cookbook," by Johnny Acton and Nick Sandler. Originals is the company founded by the current Prince of Wales (Bess' first cousin 15 times removed) to promote top-quality sustainable, organic foods grown or created in the "olde" English manner. This recipe contains an extra step whereby the bubble and squeak becomes individual souffles. You may omit this step if you wish, but the souffles were delicious and elegant.

1 ˝ pounds potatoes, peeled, diced

˝ head cabbage, leaves separated, boiled 5 minutes, cooled under running water

7 slices Canadian bacon, chopped

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3 tablespoons butter or lard

˝ teaspoon salt

Ľ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Optional souffle:

Flour for dusting

2 eggs, separated

Ľ cup whipping cream

2 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 slice white bread, crumbled into crumbs

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Heat two saucepans of salted water to a boil; add potatoes to one, cabbage to the other. Cook until tender, 10 minutes for potatoes, 5 minutes for cabbage. Drain. Mash potatoes in a medium bowl. Chop the cabbage. Stir cabbage and Canadian bacon into potatoes.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet; add the potato mixture. Cook over medium heat until browned, about 20 minutes. Turn the mixture from time to time with a spatula; season with salt and pepper.

3. For the souffles, heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 4 individual souffle dishes with butter; sprinkle each with a light layer of flour. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Combine the bubble and squeak with the egg yolks, cream, most of the Cheddar cheese and salt in a large bowl. Fold in the egg whites. Mix together the bread crumbs with the remaining cheese and nutmeg. Divide the souffle mixture among the 4 dishes; sprinkle with bread crumb mixture. Bake until the souffles rise, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 317 calories, 34 percent of calories from fat, 12 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 46 mg cholesterol, 39 g carbohydrates, 14 g protein, 949 mg sodium, 6 g fiber

Note: If you follow the optional souffle steps, the nutrition values will be: 478 calories, 47 percent of calories from fat, 25 g fat, 14 g saturated fat, 187 mg cholesterol, 43 g carbohydrates, 22 g protein, 1,192 mg sodium, 6 g fiber

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PURPLE HEDGEHOG POTATOES

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

This style of cooking potatoes is sometimes called Hasselback (after a Stockholm restaurant; bread crumbs and butter are involved), but this name is cuter, and the potatoes do look a bit like hedgehogs. To prevent cutting all the way through the potatoes, place each one in a large spoon or between two parallel chopsticks before cutting. Adapted from "In Season," by Sarah Raven.

1 ˝ pounds small purple potatoes

12 cloves garlic

Leaves from 1-2 rosemary branches

˝ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

˝ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Slice the potatoes deeply_but do not slice entirely through them_at Ľ-inch intervals, leaving the potato held together at the bottom. Carefully place the potatoes in a lightly oiled baking dish.

2. Peel 2 cloves of the garlic; slice thinly. Leave skins on remaining garlic. Place garlic slices and rosemary leaves between some of the slices of each potato. Scatter the remaining garlic cloves around the dish. Sprinkle the olive oil, salt and pepper evenly over potatoes; stir gently to coat.

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3. Roast in oven, until the potatoes are cooked through and skin is crispy and brown, 40-45 minutes.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 393 calories, 62 percent of calories from fat, 27 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 33 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 594 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

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© 2008, Chicago Tribune.