MRS. MURPHY had a problem. There they were in her chowder, and even with the shouting, (and they shouted all the louder!) she must have had to start again.

We all know that Potatoes would appear in that pot, that being the Irish starch that held “body and soul together”.

The easiest, for me, is to roast all types of potatoes (cubed or sliced, white or sweet) in the oven with olive oil and seasonings;

But: expanding the thought, let’s talk White Potato:

(I must admit I have not tried the purple ones)

We have “The Big Three”

The Idaho white has been the star for years for baking and mashing.

Scrubbed, and rubbed with butter(option), wrapped in foil and baked at high heat, till tender when tested with a fork, it’s super. It will stay warm for a long time till the foil is removed. Then with the application of butter and/or sour cream, and cheese it becomes a meal in itself. Without the foil wrapping, the skin becomes crisp and super too.

Soon barbeques will begin for those of us that wait till all the snow recedes and foil-wrapped potatoes can share the grill with main dishes that require long cooking.

There is nothing like mashed potatoes in the winter, which I’ve talked about before, but here is a for mashed potatoes that have to be made the day before!...

Pommes Gourmet

serves 6-8

This recipe came from the Manchester Union Leader sometime in the early 80’s. It’s a family favorite and throughout the year on special occasions….Carol Crosby

10 potatoes*, boiled, mashed 1 cup sour cream 1 8 oz package cream cheese 1 teaspoon Onion salt 1/2-3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Butter, paprika

Beat together sour cream and cream cheese until well blended. Gradually add boiled, mashed potatoes, beating constantly until light and fluffy. Add salts and blend again.

Spoon mixture into a 2 quart casserole, dot with butter and paprika

Refrigerate as least 24 hours. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Note *Carol mentioned that she uses Idaho for above. “Ten” refers to ten medium.

“ I mash the potatoes before adding to the cream mixture and I also add butter to mashed potatoes prior to mixing with cream and cheese. Be sure to add the potatoes a little bit at a time.”

New Potatoes:

Red and White

Dill-Creamed New Potatoes

From Amy Vanderbilt’s complete Cookbook

1 1/2 pounds small new potatoes

1 cup commercial sour cream 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dill seed

Wash scrub and scrape potatoes or pare strip around each. Cook in salted boiling water about 20 minutes or until done. Drain. Combine sour cream, salt and dill seed. Pour over hot potatoes. Heat 1 or 2 minutes longer, turning potatoes to coat each. Makes 4 servings

Alternates;

Chive-Creamed Potatoes: substitute 2 tablespoons finely cut chives for dill seed in above recipe

Peas and Potatoes Creamed together: for this old-time favorite, combine 1 cup cooked fresh or quick-frozen peas, 1/1/2 cups medium white sauce or cream sauce. Heat 1 or2 minutes with hot potatoes. Makes 5 or more servings.

Calorie Conscious

New Potatoes

Prepare new, small potatoes as above, (the smaller the better) put in saucepan with lid, add about 1/4 cup of club soda, a couple of pats of butter and 1 tablespoon or two of fresh parsley, salt and pepper. Steam slowly, shake pan to turn potatoes, and watch periodically that all the water has not disappeared and potatoes are tender, serve immediately. All the water should be evaporated, and the butter coating the potatoes. (a little browning doesn’t matter)

New Potatoes Mashed

Many modern cookbooks call for using red or Yukon Gold potatoes in a “Mashed” recipe. This is certainly an option. Often they are mashed so that they are not totally creamy, but have bits of the potato still evident in the mixture. All sorts of things can be added to them, butter, sour cream, chives, grated cheese, roasted garlic…heavens, I think my family would have stirred in left-over meat loaf chunks….Why Not?

Be sure to add parsley to everything for St Patrick’s Day! Have a happy one! pgg.