Some History and a Few Great Free Potato recipes

In celebration of the "humble potato".

Potatoes probably originated in the area of modern day Peru and then spread from South America to Europe and Britain and from there to the rest of the world in the late 1400s and early 1500s by sailors using them as a staple of their onboard diet.

Legend has it, that after the wreck of the Spanish Armada ships on the west coast of Ireland in 1588, Irish coastal villagers rescued potatoes and planted them. Unfortunately the local population had come to rely heavily on the potato.

This "sowed the seeds" for a series of famines and a resentment towards Britain and Queen Victoria. In 1845, a fungal disease, spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland, resulting in the Great Irish Famine.

The potato still forms a major part of western people's diets and many recipes have been devised to combat the rather bland taste.

Common dishes are: mashed potatoes, which are first boiled (usually peeled), and then mashed with milk and butter; whole baked potatoes; boiled or steamed potatoes; French-fried potatoes or chips; cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried (home fries); grated into small thin strips and fried (hash browns); grated and formed into dumplings, Rösti or potato pancakes. [source: wikipedia.com]

Read on to discover some great ideas to enrich the taste of the humble potato!

The Author of This Liberated Article Is: Jonathan T. Teng ARTICLE SUMMARY: I was really tempted to try something different when I had guests all throughout the weekend. I decided to break the slim summer tradition by preparing something different for breakfast. A 5 Stars Omelet For Breakfast

If you are looking to slim down then summer is the perfect season to do it. This is the time when you look at recipes with least amount of fats. Techniques like grilling are most used during this season. You can eat many fruits too in order to substitute some meals. However, I was really tempted to try something different when I had guests all throughout the weekend. After we munched on some pancakes and waffles on the first day, I decided to break the slim summer tradition by preparing something different for breakfast. If you hate carbohydrate or food rich in fats and want to lose some weight... sorry guys! This dish is definitely not for you... It is very simple to prepare; potato cake forms the base and is topped with grated cheese and egg. These are the only ingredients in this simple dish. 1) Toss the potatoes with onions after they are chopped. You can also use bell peppers, garlic and chilies while tossing. You can remove the bacon and just brown the potatoes in olive oil. 2) I prefer using the standard cheese. Gruyere or Cheddar cheese is what I use. But it is up to you which cheese you are going to use. If you wish to give the dish some kick, you could add Parmesan or pecorino Romano. I prefer topping the dish with cheese after the eggs are broken on the potato cake. If I do it this way, I get cheese over eggs in its rare form with the yolk in its natural form. You may wish to take the other way by adding cheese on the potato cake first and then adding the eggs. You will get superbly cooked eggs in a nest of melted cheese. -- Cheese, Eggs & Bacon Potato Cake -- ~ 3 or 4 potatoes, about 1 1/2 pounds ~ 6 to 8 eggs ~ 1 cup shredded cheese, like Gruyere, Emmenthal or Cheddar ~ 1/2 pound slab or other good bacon, cut into 1/4-inch chunks ~ Salt and pepper to taste Put bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat; while fat is rendering, peel and grate potatoes (shredding disk of a food processor works great). When bacon is about halfway crisp, spread it evenly in pan, and put potatoes over it; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press the potatoes down with a plate almost as big as pan, and leave plate in place for about 5 minutes. Remove plate, and continue to cook, undisturbed, so potatoes form a cake, and adjusting heat so potatoes brown without burning. When potatoes are brown, slide cake out onto a plate, invert it onto another plate, and slide it back in, cooked side up. Turn on broiler while potatoes brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on potatoes and carefully break eggs into the cheese. Broil until cheese melts and eggs are set, about 5 minutes. Serve hot. Yield: 4 to 8 servings.

Article Republished From: Liberated Press Releases and Other FREE Information a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adsense text links in or around articles. Author Resource:- Jonathan writes for Secret Recipes - The place where he reveals how you can quickly & easily duplicate over 600 Restaurant Copycat Dishes in your own kitchen. Also Check: Quick Easy Recipes

Recipe from Another Age 1898 by Rufus Estes

POTATO BALLS—Mash thoroughly a pound of boiled potatoes and rub them through a wire sieve. Mix in a quarter of a pound of grated ham, a little chopped parsley, and a small onion chopped very fine, together with a small quantity of grated nutmeg, and the beaten yolks of two eggs. Roll this mixture into balls of equal size, then roll in flour and egg-breadcrumbs, and fry in dripping or brown them in the oven, and serve on a hot dish.

POTATOES AND ONIONS SAUTED—Take an equal amount of small new potatoes and onions of equal size, peel and place in a saute pan with a good-sized piece of butter, tossing them over the fire for a quarter of an hour, being careful not to let them burn. Put in enough water to half cover the vegetables, add a little salt and pepper, place the lid over the pan and stew gently for half an hour, then squeeze a little lemon juice in it and turn on a hot dish, and serve.

POTATOES LYONNAISE—Cut into round slices eight boiled potatoes, lay in a frying-pan with an ounce and a half of butter and the round slices of a fried onion, seasoning with[Pg 65] a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for six minutes, or until they become well browned, tossing them all the while. Sprinkle over with a small quantity of chopped parsley, and serve.

GLAZED SWEET POTATOES—Put two rounding tablespoons of butter and one of sugar into a casserole and set on the back of the range to heat slowly. When hot lay in raw, pared sweet potatoes cut in halves, lengthwise. Dust with salt and pepper and put in another layer of seasoned potatoes and enough boiling water to stand one-half inch deep in the dish. Put on the close-fitting cover and set in the oven to cook slowly. When the potatoes are tender serve in the same dish with the sweet sauce that will not be entirely absorbed in the cooking. This way of preparing sweet potatoes pleases the Southern taste, which demands sugar added to the naturally sweet vegetable.

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