Potatoes come in a variety of colors, flavors, and sizes.

Storage
Keep unwashed potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a loosely closed paper bag in a cupboard. They will keep for weeks at room temperature, longer if you can provide their ideal temperature of 40 to 50 degrees. Beware: the low temperature of your refrigerator will convert the starch to sugars. However, new potatoes—which are young and thin-skinned—can be refrigerated if you don’t plan to eat them within a few days. Moisture causes potatoes to spoil, light turns them green, and proximity to onions causes them to sprout. (You can still use a potato that has sprouted, however; simply cut off the “eyes” before use.)

Handling
Scrub potatoes well and cut off any sprouts or green skin. (Clean delicate new potatoes gently.) Peeling is a matter of preference. Cut potatoes according to your recipe. If baking a whole potato, be sure to prick the skin in at least two places to allow steam to escape.


Potato, Onion, and Roquefort Soup
This soup is not quite for dieters—it will dazzle you with its rich, deep flavors. It’s very filling, so if you’re serving it as a first course, a small cup is plenty. If you’re not a fan of Roquefort cheese, you can substitute Gruyère. Angelic Organics Kitchen.
Serves 4 to 6

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
3 medium boiling potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock plus more if needed to thin the soup
1 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup cream
1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort cheese plus more to taste
salt
freshly ground white pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook, stirring, until the onions are limp but not brown, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for 30 seconds more.

2. Add the potatoes and stir until well coated with butter; cook for 5 minutes, stirring them up a few times.

3. Add 2 cups stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

4. Add the half-and-half and the cream; gently reheat the soup, but do not boil. Stir in 1/2 cup Roquefort cheese.

5. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor in batches and purée until smooth. Thin with additional stock if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with additional cheese if desired and serve hot or cold.


Colcannon
You’ll find this classic dish on the menu at any real Irish restaurant. It’s a recipe that takes two staples of the island, potatoes and kale (or sometimes cabbage), and transforms them into a dish truly worthy of the word classic. Angelic Organics Kitchen.
Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds medium boiling potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes)
2 teaspoons salt, divided, plus more to taste
1 1/2–2 pounds kale (15–20 large leaves)
1 cup chopped leeks or scallions
1 cup half-and-half or milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Put the whole potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and boil until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and mash. Put in a heatproof dish and keep warm in a 200° oven.

2. Meanwhile, put the kale in a pot, cover with water, and bring to boil. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and cook until the kale is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. (There you go Mrs. Nesbit, it’s in the directions. Don’t worry, everyone will do it this way now that it’s spelled out exactly.) Drain and finely chop the kale.

3. Place the leeks or scallions in a small pot, cover with the half-and-half, and cook over low heat until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Add the kale to the warm potatoes and mix well. Add the half-and-half with leeks or scallions. Add the pepper; season with salt to taste.

5. Spoon a little of the melted butter over each serving and serve hot.


All of the above info excerpted from Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables: Seasonal Recipes and Stories from a Community Supported Farmby Farmer John Peterson & Angelic Organics (Gibbs Smith Publisher). Check with your local farm or bookstore for availability. Additional recipes, charts, signed copies of this book, and quantity discounts available at www.AngelicOrganics.com/cookbook.

Olivia's Potato & Cucumber Salad
Slightly modified version of a recipe in How it all Vegan cookbook.

• 3 C. potatoes, cubed
• 3 C. cucumber, cubed
• 1/3 C. onion
• 2 T. fresh parsley
• 1 T. Dijon Mustard
• 2 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 T. wasabi sauce
• 1/4 C. flax oil (or extra virgin olive oil, if you prefer)
  
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 t. Spike brand seasoning (or your favorite seasoning blend)

1. Boil potatoes.
2. Whisk together oil, parsley, mustard, vinegar, wasabi, salt, pepper, and Spike.
3. Once potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork (be careful that they aren't too mussy/overcooked), drain and rinse them with cold water until cool.
4. In a large bowl, mix potatoes, cucumbers, and dressing. Adjust seasonings to suit your tastes.

Garlicky Kale with New Potatoes

• 1 large bunch of kale or collard greens
• 24 small new potatoes (2 lbs.) scrubbed
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 to 1/2 C water
• Juice of 1/2 lemon to 1 lemon, to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove stems and thick midribs from greens. Discard stems; midribs may be finely diced and used if desired. Rinse greens several times to make sure that all sand and grit are removed.
2. Steam or microwave potatoes in skins until tender. When cool enough to handle, cut in half. Meanwhile, in large pot or stir-fry pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Add greens, cover and steam until just tender, adding 1/4 to 1/2 C water as needed (steaming time varies greatly, so check frequently, but a good estimate is 10-15 minutes). Drain and transfer to colander. Remove and discard garlic.
3. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out excess liquid.
4. In a serving bowl, combine chopped greens, potatoes and lemon juice; toss to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

(Recipe from All Creatures.)

Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup
Recipe from CancerProject.org.

Serves 8

• 4 cups water or vegetable broth, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 10 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 4 cups kale (stems removed and finely chopped)
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
• 6 ounces Gimme Lean sausage style, or other sausage-style meat substitute

1. Heat 1/2 cup water or broth in a large pot and add onion, garlic, and chipotle pepper. Cook over high heat, stirring often, until onion is soft, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add remaining 3 1/2 cups water or broth, potatoes, and salt, if using. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes.
3. Add kale and crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. Stir to mix. Cover and cook until kale is tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Crumble vegetarian sausage into the soup, stir to mix, and heat until very steamy.

Basic Potato Salad
Serves 8

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 pounds potatoes scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup white-wine vinegar
• 4 scallions, white part minced, green part thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup light mayonnaise

1. Steam potatoes with salted water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine vinegar, scallion whites, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and teaspoon pepper.
3. Add hot potatoes to vinegar mixture; toss to combine. Cool to room temperature, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour.
4. Add mayonnaise and scallion greens to cooled potatoes; mix gently to combine. Serve, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.

Nasoya Curry Potato Salad

• 3/4 c Nasoya Nayonaise
• 1/4 c minced onion
• 1/4 c pickles or green olives, chopped
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 package (14oz) Nasoya Extra Firm Tofu, diced
• 1 c chopped green peppers
• 1 t curry powder
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 T fresh parsley, minced
• 2 t prepared mustard
• 3 c potatoes, cooked and diced

Mix all ingredients together, chill and serve.