Patatas, Potatoes, Taters, Kamja, etc.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

THE humble potato. We call it ‘patatas’ like our Spanish brethren, Taters in American slang, and here in Korea, it is called ‘kamja’. Those on a low carb diet avoid potatoes at all cost but me and my family, we love this starchy vegetable in our meals. As a side dish, snack, even as an entrée, the potato is very versatile and can even help stretch out a meal for the budget-conscious.

I remember a couple of years ago when I went downstairs to throw wet trash in the food garbage bins, I saw a couple of guys unloading boxes. I asked what were in the boxes and they told me that they were freshly harvested potatoes. And one box (with over 10 kilos of potatoes in it) would cost only 10,000 won (a little over $10). I thought it was a great deal so I bought one box for us.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

Now what to do with a huge box of taters? I began a list and saw a lot of possibilities: French Fries, Baked Potatoes, Hash Browns, Mashed Taters, etc. The list was getting longer.

For the first potato dish, I went with Baked Potatoes. We had an all-meat dinner extravaganza and Baked Potatoes are a great side dish to the meal. Hubby had his baked potato (topped with sautéed onions and bell pepper strips) with baked ribs while Billy had his (smothered and drowning in butter) with fried chicken. Jai, our eldest, loves it with butter and crumbled bacon. I ate mine with butter, some salt and pepper.

The topping combinations are endless – sour cream and onion, shredded cheese, chives & butter, etc. There's nothing more heavenly than a perfect baked potato (soft and creamy inside).

And with a lot of leftovers, I figured out the next potato meal. The rest of the baked potatoes were reincarnated into hash browns for breakfast. To make hash browns, just peel a cold baked potato and coarsely grate it on a plate. If you don’t mind the skin, you can leave them on for a more rustic appeal. Grab a handful of grated potato and form a firm, flat patty about 1 to 2cm. between your fingers. Heat up some oil in a nonstick pan and drop the patty in. Press down with a spatula and let cook over medium heat until one side is golden brown.

Flip the patty and cook the other side until its golden brown and crispy. How to know when to flip? Move the pan around, if you can see the hash brown moving and feel it making a grating sound, it means it’s crispy and ready to flip.

Another way to use up leftover baked potatoes is to make them into this Spanish tapa dish called ‘Tortilla Espanolla”. According to the “What’s Cooking in American” website, “The Spanish omelet is, without a doubt, Spain's most commonly served dish. It is a favorite appetizer served in Spanish cafes and bars. It can also be eaten at breakfast or as a light supper. As the omelet is traditionally served cold, it is also the perfect dish for a picnic.” In the Philippines, I remember my grandmother, Mamang Chit, would simply cut up potatoes into julienne strips and fry them until they are done and then cover them with scrambled eggs. It was a favorite breakfast of mine.I wanted my potatoes to be cut into little cubes before frying them golden brown. I also wanted it to be folded in with the scrambled eggs.

The recipe I am going to share today is for Mashed Potatoes. I always known Mashed Potatoes from the KFC dinners we would order or from an instant mix in a box. Hubby, who is a professional cook, taught me how to make them from scratch. The secret?Lots and lots of milk and butter.

Mashed Potatoes Recipe:
4-5 large potatoes (preferably floury ones), washed and peeled
2 cups of milk, maybe more
1 stick butter
1 tsp. Garlic Powder

Salt & pepper to taste
1. Cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes (for easier cooking).
2. In a large heavy bottom pot, add all the potatoes and enough water to cover them. Salt the water and cover and let the potatoes boil in the water.
3. How long do you cook the potatoes? Boil them to death, which means until they are very soft (this will help in the mashing).
4. Drain all the water from the pot and with a potato masher; mash the potatoes in the pot. Make sure you have mashed all the potato cubes before adding ½ stick butter. Mash some more.
5. Add 1 cup of milk and mash it in with the potatoes. Then add the rest of the stick of butter plus 1 cup milk and thoroughly mash them together. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
6. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
7. Serve hot.