{"id":1434,"date":"2020-09-17T06:17:05","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T06:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/?p=1434"},"modified":"2023-09-02T20:30:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-02T20:30:41","slug":"potatoes-veggie-kingdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/potatoes-veggie-kingdom\/","title":{"rendered":"Potatoes \u2013 the Real MVP of the Veggie Kingdom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve recently been binge-watching The Lord of the Rings extended versions and the 60-odd hours of documentary footage behind the making of the films (lockdown life means we party hard, you know how it is) and I always get excited in The Two Towers when Samwise Gamgee gears up for his iconic line. \u201cPo-tay-toes. Boil \u2018em, mash \u2018em, stick \u2018em in a stew. Lovely, big, golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish\u2026Even you couldn\u2019t say no to that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"giphy-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/q7kofYLObTVUk\" width=\"480\" height=\"204\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>And you know what, Sam? No, no I cannot say no to that. And I am not just saying that because you are A-grade husband material. I\u2019m saying that because potatoes are the MVP of vegetables. Grab a bag of potatoes and what do you get?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Buttery mashed potatoes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Possibly the easiest thing in the world to make. I boil mine with their skin on (partly because I\u2019m a lazy bugger but also because I have convinced myself there is nutritional value to doing so, while conveniently ignoring the amount of cream and butter that I chuck in there. My husband maintains that my mashed potatoes are the reason he married me, but he also says this about everything I cook, so let\u2019s take that (and our potatoes) with a pinch of salt.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Crispy roasted potatoes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>I recently discovered the world of slow-cooker roast potatoes. Add a tablespoon of a fat\/oil, cut your potatoes into quarters (if they\u2019re small) or eight pieces (if they\u2019re big) and chuck them into your slow cooker for four hours. Pop a dish towel under the lid to absorb the moisture, turn them every hour and you are golden\u2026just like those crispy potatoes accompanying your Sunday roast.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Crunchy baked potatoes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Okay, I lied when I said mashed potatoes are the easiest thing to make. Baked potatoes deserve that title. Prick them with a fork, grind some seasoning, chuck in the oven and after an hour, you have a meal. Adorn your potatoes with cheese, sour cream, salsa, butter, anything else that seems vaguely palatable and you have a winner.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tangy potato salad<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Ever heard the wisdom that boiled water hardens the egg softens the potato? So it\u2019s about what you\u2019re made of, rather than the circumstances you find yourself in? I don\u2019t really pay enough attention to pick up the moral of the analogy because I find myself daydreaming of tangy and zesty potato salad on warm summer days, piled high besides thick slices of garlic bread and whatever comes off the barbecue (or braai, as we say in South Africa).<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Creamy potato soup<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Potato soup is delicious. You can also couple it with anything else if your soup is in need of a creamier consistency. Watery pea soup? Add a potato. Is your broccoli soup too loose? Add a potato. Got dumped before Valentine\u2019s Day? Add a potato. Here are some<a href=\"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/?s=potato%20soup\"> potato soup<\/a> ideas!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<table border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"10\" cellpadding=\"10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/recipes\/creamy-potato-kohlrabi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/recipes\/creamy-potato-kohlrabi\/ noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-422\" src=\"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"recipe-creamy-potato-kohlrabi-turnip-soup\" width=\"113\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min-388x517.jpg 388w, https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min-315x420.jpg 315w, https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min-251x335.jpg 251w, https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min-72x96.jpg 72w, https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min-19x25.jpg 19w, https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min-15x20.jpg 15w, https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min-257x343.jpg 257w, https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_4684-min.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 113px) 100vw, 113px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<h4>Ready to make soup?<br \/>\nFind the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/recipes\/creamy-potato-kohlrabi\/\">Creamy Potato, Kohlrabi and Turnip soup<\/a><\/strong> recipe here!<\/h4>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Salty chips\/French fries<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Everyone has a favourite fast-food chain that does the best chips. I\u2019m a die-hard McDonald\u2019s chips fan but the Canadian husband favours Five Guys. In South Africa, you\u2019re going to want to check out Steers \u2013 the burgers leave something to be desired but the chips seasoning is something special.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Crisps flavoured to your liking<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Finally, what other vegetable gets bagged the way that potatoes do? (Don\u2019t tell me kale chips taste the same because I will fight you). The variety of seasonings\u2026the ubiquity of availability\u2026the comforting familiarity of buying a bag half full of air and the other half full of salt-and-vinegar goodness?<\/p>\n<p>Potatoes also last forever, grow in a bag on your patio and make vodka. I therefore formally petition the humble potato to be declared the MVP of all vegetables. Comment below with any other contenders for the title\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether potatoes are mashed, roasted, or baked, Simply Souperlicious contributor, Tayla Blaire shares why they are &#8220;the MVP&#8221; of veggies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":1459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_aioseo_title":"","_aioseo_description":"Whether potatoes are mashed, roasted, or baked, Simply Souperlicious contributor, Tayla Blaire shares why they are \"the MVP\" of veggies.","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[380,381,46,384,395,495],"class_list":["post-1434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soup_and_soul","tag-fruits-and-vegetables","tag-harvest","tag-potatoes","tag-soup-and-soul","tag-soupsoul","tag-tayla-blaire"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1434"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49085,"href":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434\/revisions\/49085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplysouperlicious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}