“What (strong accent) are those?” asked my daughter.
“ Purple potatoes,” I said.
“But, why?” she continued.
“Why not?” I answered.
My eye caught sight of this small bag in the grocery store. I picked it up. Hmm…Klondike petite purple Idaho potatoes? Wonder what would happen if I mashed them; would they turn lavender?
I returned home and opened the bag, keen to see inside. I sliced open a small spud and found a gleaming royal gem!
To cook, I decided to cover and boil the potatoes until tender, then cut into chunks; forget mashing. Afterward I slathered on butter and a pinch of salt and pepper. Amazing. The potatoes glimmered like jewels.
“Hey, these don’t taste purple, said Laura.
Yeah, they’re actually good,” said my husband.
And there you have it—the perfect vegetable for Easter. Oh, did I mention these taters are loaded with antioxidants?
For fun check out The Spud Syllabus .
Here’s a recipe I discovered on Smitten Kitchen, a food blog, after I winged my own. Thank you Michael Anthony and New York Magazine.
Directions and ingredients are very similar to mine, but substitute olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice. Next time I’ll try Michael’s recipe.
Michael Anthony’s Fork-Crushed Purple Majesty Potatoes
New York Magazine, Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Purple Majesty Potatoes, washed
- 4 small shallots, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons good extra-virgin olive oil (the food blogger used half)
- Sea salt to taste
- White pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Directions
- In a large pot, cook potatoes with skins on in heavily salted boiling water until tender, approximately 15 minutes.
- Remove potatoes from pot, and peel them while still warm.
- Place potatoes in a large bowl and, using a fork; gently smash them, maintaining a fairly chunky consistency.
- Fold in minced shallots, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and white pepper.
- Finish with parsley.
