Celebrate National Baked Potato Day – August 19 with 7 Mouthwatering Recipes.

Celebrate National Baked Potato Day – August 19 with 7 Mouthwatering Recipes.

As we celebrate National Baked Potato Day on August 19, we’d like to remind everyone that there’s nothing that makes a potato taste better than umami-rich mushrooms! (Recipes below). It is actually crazy to think that people was once thought to be poisonous? Thank goodness some one was brave enough to chance it – and today we have so many different varieties too choose from I mean we get red, brown, yellow and even purple potatoes.

This little humble veg is rich in potassium (which by the way helps to maintain a normal blood pressure); contains more than 1/3 of your daily intake of Vitamin C; fiber (better digestion) and a bunch of flavonoids and protective phytochemicals especially in the skin.

Potato Shopping

Luckily potatoes are available through out the year and freely available at any veg vendor or supermarket.

When purchasing potatoes they should be firm, dry and well formed. Avoid purchasing potatoes that have already sprouted or got bad cracks, cuts and blemishes. Blemishes normally mean the potato has been exposed to some pathogen or been attacked by creepy crawling insects.

Potatoes in the Kitchen

Storing

Keep your potatoes in a cool, dark and dry place with good air circulation.

Prepping

It is important to scrub your potatoes well before cooking even if they have been washed. Peel if you wish. I normally keep my skins on and yes I am too lazy to peel them!

Cooking

This humble veg is practically the most versatile veg out there. Reason why it should be celebrated. I mean seriously you boil, bake, roast, fried, mashed, microwaved and cooked over the coals.

There is so many conflicting sources when it comes to boiling potatoes. Some say add them when the water is boiling to help preserve the Vitamin C, however from all the cooking shows I have watched many Chefs like both Gordon Ramsey and Jamie says you should boil your potatoes from cold to hot as this cooks your potatoes nice and even. I have always cooked my potatoes from cold to hot.

If you microwave or bake your potatoes whole just remember to pierce your potatoes several times. By doing this you release the steam build up inside the potato preventing it from being one massive explosive mess in Chef Mike. It also makes your potatoes to be more fluffy on the inside. We love fluffy potatoes don’t we.

Adding a twist to everyone’s favourite potato dish!

I mean there is nothing more soul comforting when tucking into mashed potatoes. Here are a few really cool ideas to jazz up your mash.

Add a little garlic or even better roasted garlic.

Turning into a cheesy business by stirring in some cream cheese, some well matured cheddar or Parmesan cheese.

Use other ingredients like cream, sour cream and add some finely chopped chives for an extra kick.

Use olive oil instead of butter and between Willow Creek and Lions Creek they have a wonderful selection of different flavoured oils to play around with.

My ultimate secret to a plain and simple mash, just a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice, it is amazing how it elevates the mash to another level.

Some Potatospirations

If you are looking for a more thicker consistency in your soup, how about adding mash potatoes to thicken the soup instead of adding flour. It will also give your soup some extra flavour.

Instead of using breadcrumbs for binding a savoury dish like burger patties, meatballs, meatloaf or fishcakes use mashed potatoes instead.

Then we have baked potatoes, you can keep it simple with sour cream, fresh herbs, salt and pepper or adding mushrooms for a rich umami flavour.

7 Baked Potato with Mushroom Recipes

Baked Potato Stuffed with Lamb Mince and Mushrooms.

Mushroom and Potato Bake

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Pesto Mushrooms

Baked Potatoes with Smoky Chipotle Mushrooms with Steenberg Brut MCC

Who said you can’t enjoy a glass of wine with a humble baked potato?

Ultimate Baked Potato with Mushrooms, Sour Cream, Bacon & Chives

Mushroom Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Broccolini, Mushroom & Cracked Baby Potato Tray Bake With Garlic Butter

We hope you enjoyed these recipes and feel free to share your baked potato creations and tag @MyBoozyKitchen 🙂 I would love to see your cookingspirations.

Baked potatoes images and recipes proudly brought to you by The South African Mushroom Association