As sales of potatoes fall, we share recipes for how to spice up your spuds from pizza potato skins, to tornado fries and breakfast spuds
New figures show we eat 20 per cent fewer spuds than we did ten years ago... so we help to revive the British classic
POTATOES were once a dining table staple but new figures show we now eat 20 per cent fewer than ten years ago.
Trendy alternatives such as cauliflower mash are thought to have contributed to the decline.
But don’t give up on spuds, they don’t have to be bland.
Here, NICK PRITCHARD shares six apeeling recipes.
BACON-WRAPPED POTATO BITES
YOU NEED:
1lb small or medium potatoes,
salt,
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary,
olive oil,
black pepper,
1lb thick-cut bacon,
sour cream,
hot sauce.
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 200C, then wash and dry the potatoes and cut into one-inch cubes.
Put the potatoes in a medium-sized pot, cover with water and bring to the boil. Season the water with some salt.
Cook the potatoes for three to four minutes until you can stick a fork in them without too much resistance.
Drain the potatoes and put them in a large bowl along with a handful of chopped rosemary, 1tbsp of olive oil, 1tsp of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
Toss until the potatoes are well coated.
Cut the bacon into strips and wrap each around a cube of potato, then secure with a toothpick.
Pop them on a baking tray lined with tin foil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes turning occasionally.
Serve with sour cream and hot sauce.
LOADED HASSELBACK POTATOES
YOU NEED:
Four russet potatoes,
unsalted butter,
salt,
black pepper,
cheddar cheese (grated),
four slices of bacon,
sour cream,
chives.
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 200C. Use a sharp knife to make parallel cuts along each potato, making them nice and close together. Leave a centimetre gap at each end.
Thinly slice the butter and poke it in between the gaps. Season with some salt and black pepper.
Put the potatoes in the oven and bake until the outsides are crispy and brown, which should take approximately an hour.
Top with grated cheddar cheese and pop back in the oven for an additional five minutes until the cheese has melted.
Dice the bacon and cook in a large pan over a high heat until it is brown and crispy.
Load up the potatoes with sour cream, chopped chives and the bacon bits, then serve immediately.
PIZZA POTATO SKINS
YOU NEED:
Baking potatoes,
melted butter,
marinara (pizza) sauce,
mozzarella cheese,
mini pepperoni slices,
oregano,
salt and pepper.
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 200C. Prick each potato with a fork and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the potatoes and set the oven to grill.
Slice each potato into two. Using a spoon, scoop out the inside of each, leaving most of the filling.
Brush the potato with the melted butter and pop under the grill for two minutes on each side.
Top each potato with pizza sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, oregano, salt and pepper.
Stick them back under the grill until the cheese has melted.
Let them cool and then dig in.
MOST READ IN LIVING
TORNADO FRIES
YOU NEED:
Small russet potatoes,
olive oil,
1/2tsp each of onion powder,
garlic powder and dried chives,
1/4tsp each of dried parsley,
sea salt.
METHOD:
Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, dried chives, dried parsley and sea salt. Mix until well blended.
Attach the spiralizer attachment to a stand mixer – these can be bought online or in homeware stores – and spiralize the potatoes, creating a tornado shape.
Toss each spiral in some olive oil and coat with the seasoning mixture. Put each on to a skewer, gently pushing it down until it resembles an open accordion.
Place the skewers in the oven on a tin foil-lined baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes until they are crispy.
BREAKFAST POTATOES
YOU NEED:
Two slices of thick-cut bacon,
three potatoes,
one onion,
two cloves garlic (crushed),
salt,
black pepper,
four eggs,
a handful of baby spinach.
METHOD:
Fry the bacon in a pan over a high heat until crispy, then remove from the pan and crumble.
Dice the potatoes into small cubes and add to the hot bacon drippings.
Spread the potatoes out into a single layer and cook for three minutes, without turning.
Once the potatoes have developed a crispy edge, stir and flip them over. Reduce the heat and add the diced onions, crushed garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Continue to cook until the potatoes are soft.
Fry all four eggs in a second pan, then take the potatoes off the heat and stir in the spinach until it wilts slightly.
Serve piping hot, with the fried eggs on top.
SAMOSA-STYLE MASH CAKES
YOU NEED:
Coconut oil,
1 bunch spring onions,
two cloves garlic,
2tsp ginger,
1tsp each mustard seeds,
ground turmeric and garam masala,
1/2tsp cumin seeds,
leftover mashed potato,
frozen peas,
salt,
natural yoghurt,
lime wedges.
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 200C. Heat 1tbsp of coconut oil in a medium frying pan, toss in the chopped spring onions, crushed garlic, mustard seeds, ginger, ground turmeric, garam masala and cumin.
Cook until fragrant – it should take around two minutes.
Transfer to a mixing bowl along with the leftover mash, frozen peas and a pinch of salt.
Mix well, then use an ice-cream scoop to portion out the mixture out into balls.
Using your hands flatten them to make two-inch-thick patties.
Heat more oil in a large skillet and add as many patties as you can fit – you might have to cook them all in more than one batch.
Fry them until golden brown on each side. Around two or three minutes on each side should do it.
Transfer the cakes on to a baking tray lined with tin foil and bake for approximately ten minutes.
Allow them to rest for a few minutes to firm up, then serve with natural yoghurt and wedges of lime for squeezing.