The story of the potato is that of an adventurer who began her journey more than 8,000 years ago in the Andes Cordillera before conquering the whole world. If it establishes itself fairly easily on the old continent, it has long been shunned by France, which reserves it for animal food. It was only in the XVIIIe century that France began to take an interest in it. And this thanks to the tenacity of one man, Antoine-Augustin Parmentier.
This army pharmacist did not simply leave his name to a famous dish. By highlighting the nutritional qualities in a France then ravaged by famine, he somehow became the promoter of the tuber.
The “potato” then declines little by little. In 1865, in his “Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine” Alexandre Dumas gave 15 recipes.
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Choose your variety carefully
Depending on the culinary use you will make of the potato, it is in your best interest to choose one variety over another.
- Potatoes with firm flesh. Annabelle, Charlotte or even Pompadour hold up very well when cooked. They are particularly recommended for cooking in water (for salads, raclettes, etc.) and for cooking in a frying pan (fried or sautéed);
- Potatoes with tender flesh such as Agata or Monalisa are particularly recommended for full oven cooking (in their jackets, for example);
- Potatoes with floury flesh, like Bintje, disintegrate during cooking. They are therefore particularly recommended for the preparation of purées and soups.
And if you want to play the originality card, some varieties are distinguished by their shape and color. This is the case of vitelotte, with purple flesh.
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A healthy food
Many of us find potatoes to be of very little nutritional value. Worse, they would make you fat. Well it is not!
Good source of fibre, they also contain a lot of starch, but also vitamins (mainly B and C) and minerals (magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, etc.).
In fact, like many foods, it’s how you prepare them that will affect the scale. It suffices to cite typical winter dishes such as raclette or tartiflette to understand this state of affairs! It is also steamed that they will retain most of their nutritional benefits.
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How to choose ?
Buy potatoes that are firm, smooth-skinned, evenly colored and germ-free. Avoid greenish ones. This indicates the presence of solanine, a toxic substance. They will keep for one to two weeks in a cool place, away from light, humidity and heat.
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