Dig These Potatoes
Potatoes may be one of America's best-loved vegetables, and notmerely because French fries are the only kind some people knowinglyconsume. Even among those of us who eat―and enjoy―avariety of vegetables, potatoes rank as favorites. The reasons boildown to these: comfort, ease, and versatility. Plus, of course,flavor. The tuber tastes good. And it couldn't be simpler toprepare―whether baked, roasted, boiled, or mashed. They needlittle in the way of cleaning and prepping.
As for versatility, you can do a lot of things with potatoes,and easily. In addition to the basic approaches, they can be turnedinto a soup, salad, or side dish; thrown into a stew; formed intocakes; and flattered with a seemingly endless array of seasoningsand pairings. Adaptability is the advantage of their neutrality andprobably the reason why so many standard cookbooks have moreoptions for potatoes than for any other vegetable.
