Transform the everyday spud from lacklustre to centre stage-worthy. These loaded potatoes deliver the goods, both in taste and nutrition.
In the world of vegetables, potatoes can be perceived as a little plain, but you can make this work to your advantage. As neutral vehicles, potatoes accommodate a variety of fillings from salads to stir-fries to classic nacho toppers. The steadfast spud can be loaded up with flavour.
With a variety of shapes, colours, tastes, and sizes, potatoes also pack a load of nutrition. The humble baking potato delivers fibre, potassium, vitamin C, and a surprising amount of plant-based protein. Sweet potatoes (though not really a potato at all) provide beta carotene, fibre, potassium, and complex carbohydrates.
Roasting potatoes helps to caramelize the natural sugars found within, allowing you to experience a more complex taste that boiling and steaming just can’t muster. As a side, a snack, or a main course, these loaded potatoes are a healthy way to get stuffed.
Recipes
- Brunch Baked Potatoes with Kale and Poached Eggs
- Quinoa Waldorf Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Feta and Onion Stuffed Accordion Red Potatoes
- Teriyaki Tofu and Broccoli Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Southwestern Fingerling “Nachos” with Avocado Cream
Potato varieties
Red
It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, with a waxy, thin skin and a creamy interior. It’s delicious roasted.
Russet
The classic baking potato has a floury interior and edible brown exterior. It’s excellent for baking, mashing, and roasting.
Fingerling
Bred to look like fingers, they come in many shapes, sizes, and colours (red, white, yellow, and purple). They’re best for roasting and steaming in appetizers and salads.
White
Similar to the red potato in taste and texture, it’s good steamed or boiled for potato salads and mashing.
Yukon Gold (Yellow)
The ultimate mashing potato, this Canadian-grown variety looks like a pale golden nugget and tastes creamy and buttery.
Baby (Petite)
A smaller version of larger potatoes, it’s more concentrated in flavour and makes the perfect roasting potato.
Sweet Potatoes
Not a true potato, but a member of the morning glory family. Sweet potatoes are the most flavourful spud, ideal for roasting, mashing, making salads, and using in desserts in place of squash or pumpkin.
How to buy and store potatoes
At the store
- Choose potatoes without green marks, sprouts, bruises, or cuts.
- Look for fresh new potatoes at the markets.
- Sweet potatoes have a tendency to go soft. Look for ones with thin skins and give them a squeeze to make sure they’re very firm.
- Don’t be afraid of ugly produce. Potatoes have a tendency to be gnarly. As long as they aren’t old, bruised, or discoloured, funny shapes still taste great.
At home
- Store potatoes in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place—never refrigerate them. If you have a cold cellar or basement, this is ideal.
- Store out of direct sunlight, as this can lead to green spots, a buildup of the toxic chemical solanine, which can cause illness. Throw out any green potatoes.
- If stored in a bag, make sure perforations allow the potatoes to breathe to avoid mold.
Allison Day, RHN, is a nutritionist, blogger, and cookbook author. Check out her cookbooks, Whole Bowls and Purely Pumpkin (Skyhorse Publishing, 2016).
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