2008 has been declared the year of the potato, because almost 450 years after its introduction in our regions, fries remain the most popular meal companion in our kitchen. Boiled potatoes are the most common, followed by chips and mash. For most kitchens the fries are also the basic ingredient of the stoemp and contrary to popular belief, fries are really not fattening.
Index
- Several types
- Culinary use
- Nutritional value
- Buying tips
- Storage tips
- Recipes
On the barbecue
-
Potatoes with rosemary
In the shell
-
Potatoes crushed with Brussels cheese
Puree / gratin
-
Shrimp puree with Parmesan cheese
-
Mashed potatoes with minced meat and cauliflower
-
Potato gratin with bacon cubes and Belgian cheese
Baked
-
Potato dish with smoked bacon
Several types
The potato family is very extensive. Each variety has its own characteristics in terms of taste, appearance and culinary use. According to experts, Corne de Gatte with its nutty flavor is ?? the crème de la crème ?? under the potatoes. Bantam is usually cooked in the skin, on the barbecue or fried. They have a neutral taste and are suitable for almost all preparations. This way they can also be perfectly processed in aperitif snacks. Ratte is ideal for game, beef, poultry, rabbit or fish preparations due to its typical aroma. Real gourmets prepare this potato with a little bit of butter, garlic, thyme and a sprig of parsley.
Characteristics
- Small and large potatoes.
- Round, irregular, cylindrical or long potatoes.
- Potatoes with white, yellow, pink, red or even black skin.
- More or less floral etc.
Culinary use
- Cooking, steaming, ragout and stew: Belle de Fontenay, Charlotte, Corne de Gatte, Nicola, Ratte, Rosa, white and red (first fruits).
- In the shell: Corne de Gatte, Bantam, Première, Ratte.
- In the oven, au gratin or on the barbecue: Nicola, Rosa, White and red (first fruits).
- Puree, stoemp and soup: Bintje.
- Potato Salad: Belle de Fontenay, Charlotte, Ratte, Rosa, White and red (first fruits).
- Baked: Belle de Fontenay, Charlotte, Corne de Gatte, Nicola, Ratte, Rosa, White and red (first fruits).
- Fries: Bintje, Kriel, Première.
- Barbecue: Bantam.
- Stoemp: is often considered a hearty winter food, but you can also enjoy it perfectly in the other seasons, such as adding sun-dried tomatoes or seasonal vegetables to the mashed potatoes.
Nutritional value
- Potassium: 450 mg / 100g
- Magnesium: 25 mg / 100g
- Phosphorus: 50 mg / 100g
- Iron: 0.8 mg / 100g
- Starch: 18 to 20 percent: The cooking process converts that starch into sugars.
- Potatoes also provide a lot of fiber such as: vitamins C, B, B1 and B3. Most of those nutrients are just below the skin.
Potatoes are absolutely not fattening: 80 Kcal / 100g, but this value can of course increase during preparation, for example: in butter, cream, frying oil, etc.
Buying tips
- Choose firm, unwashed potatoes without sprouts. You can wash away the earth yourself.
- Buy potatoes in an opaque, but breathable bag. Potatoes left in a plastic bag for too long will rot more quickly.
- Pay attention to the packaging date.
- Definitely don’t buy green potatoes. Remove any green stains you encounter during peeling (toxic solanine). Other spots are harmless, but you should also cut them away.
Storage tips
- Potatoes are best kept in the cellar.
- Dark, well ventilated and fresh. (10 °)
- If you do not have a cellar, do not store them in the refrigerator or in any other place that is too cold. Alternatively, you can buy smaller quantities and store them in a dark cool place.
- You can display them on a grid or in a wooden tray.
Recipes
Potatoes with rosemary
You need this for 4 people
- 1 Qbag
- 800g potatoes (Bantam)
- rosemary
- 2 shallots
- 2 thin slices of bacon
- pepper and salt
- nutmeg
- 1 dl white wine
That’s how you make it
- Wash the potatoes. Boil them with the peel almost hair in salted water.
- Place the potatoes in the Qbag.
- Finely chop the shallots, rosemary and bacon. Sprinkle this over the potatoes and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg
- Pour over white wine and close the Qbag.
- Place the Qbag on the barbecue for about 15 minutes.
Potatoes crushed with Brussels cheese
You need this for 4 people
- 4 large potatoes (Bantam)
- 2 smoked herrings
- 200 g Brussels cheese
- pepper and salt
- nutmeg
- 1/2 bottle of lambic
- 50 g butter
- flat-leaf parsley
That’s how you make it
- Wash the potatoes. Boil them with the skin in salted water.
- Skin and cut the herrings.
- Remove the skin from the potatoes.
- Crush the potatoes and mix with the cheese.
- Add the herring and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Butter sauce: reduce the lambic, add butter and continue to boil.
- Arrange the crushed potatoes on a plate and cover with butter sauce.
- Finish with the flat-leaf parsley.
Shrimp puree with Parmesan cheese
You need this for 4 people
- 8 potatoes (Bintje)
- 1 knob of butter
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 200 g peeled shrimps
- 4 eggs
- Curry seasoning
- 4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 sprig of chervil
That’s how you make it
- Boil the potatoes in salted water.
- Puree them with butter and add the olive oil.
- Poach the eggs
- Mix the puree with the shrimp.
- Sprinkle the mash with some Curry herbs and cheese.
- Finish with a sprig of parsley.
- Serve the mashed potatoes with the eggs
Mashed potatoes with minced meat and cauliflower
You need this for 4 to 6 people
- 600 g mixed minced meat
- 600 g potatoes (Bintje)
- 1 cauliflower
- 30 g butter
- 10cl of milk
- bread-crumbs
- nutmeg
- pepper and salt
That’s how you make it
- clean the cauliflower and divide them into florets.
- Boil or steam the cauliflower in salted water for about 10 minutes.
- Fry the minced meat in a pan and mash it finely with a fork. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Peel and cut the potatoes.
- Boil them in salted water.
- Puree them with butter and milk and generously season with nutmeg, pepper and salt.
- Divide the meat in a buttered fireproof dish.
- Cover the meat with cauliflower florets.
- Cover the cauliflower florets with puree. Make sure the three different layers do not mix.
- Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and small lumps of butter.
- Place the dish in a preheated oven at 180 ° for 30 minutes.
Tip: if you think this family dish is too dry, you can pour a light béchamel sauce over the cauliflower before adding the layer of puree.
Potato gratin with bacon cubes and Belgian cheese
You need this for 4 to 6 people
- 1 kg potatoes (Nicola or Rosa)
- 400 g smoked bacon
- 250 g abbey cheese or raclette cheese
- 2 onions
- 60 g butter
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- ½ liter of milk
- Pepper and salt
That’s how you make it
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 cm thick slices.
- Boil them in salted water.
- Cut the bacon into cubes, the onions into rings and the cheese into thin slices.
- Fry the bacon cubes together with the onion in a large pan.
- Béchamel sauce: melt 50 g of butter. Add the flour and mix well. Add the milk little by little, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper.
- Mix the potatoes, bacon cubes and onions through the béchamel sauce.
- Pour the mixture into a buttered fireproof dish.
- Cover the potatoes with cheese slices
- Place the dish in a preheated oven at 190 ° for 15 to 20 minutes
Potato dish with smoked bacon
You need this for 4 to 6 people
- 1 kg of potatoes
- 300 gr smoked bacon
- 10 small onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 herbal bouquet
- 1 level tablespoon of flour
- 1 glass of stock
- 1 dash of sherry vinegar
- Pepper and salt
That’s how you make it
- Cut the bacon into long strips. Let it blanch in boiling, unsalted water for 5 minutes.
- Remove the bacon strips from the water and let them drain on kitchen paper.
- Peel the onions into thin rings.
- Peel and crush the garlic cloves with the flat side of a human.
- Peel and wash the potatoes.
- Fry the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Pour half a glass of stock.
- Put a lid on the pan and let it cook for 20 minutes on a low heat.
- Cut the potatoes into large dice.
- Let the bacon simmer gently in the pan.
- Add the garlic and onion rings to the bacon and turn up the heat.
- Let it cook for about 3 minutes, until they start to color.
- Remove all ingredients from the pan.
- Add some flour to the gravy and stir. Deglaze with a dash of sherry vinegar.
- Add all ingredients back to the pan and the cooked potatoes. Pour half a glass of stock and stir the ingredients gently.
- Let the pan with lid simmer for another 5 minutes.