Flavor From Under The Soil:
Potato is a vegetable widely used in almost all world cuisines. Its versatility also makes it a main ingredient in many delicious meals. You can also find its health benefits in this link. Here are the top 10 most popular and easiest meals and recipes made with this wonderful vegetable:
1- How to Make Fried Potatoes?
Undoubtedly, this is one of the most beloved foods by almost everyone, especially kids. It can be a breakfast option, a snack, or a side dish to a main course. There’s always someone craving them at any time and place. Here’s a crispy fried potatoes recipe:
Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes
2 tbsp of cornstarch
2 tbsp of flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp of black pepper
Oil for frying
Preparation: Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Mix the slices with cornstarch, flour, salt and pepper. Fry in hot oil. With this recipe, you will make a crispy outside and soft inside frying.
2- How to Make Potato Gratin?
Gratin is a cooking technique where a food is baked with a crust typically made with grated cheese, eggs or butter.
Ingredients:
2 large potatoes
2 tbsp of butter
1/3 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of milk
1-2 cloves of garlic (optional)
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
120 grams of shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions: Peel the potatoes and thinly slice them into rings, then place them in a greased baking dish. In a deep bowl, mix together the milk, cream, optional crushed garlic, salt and black pepper until well combined. Then pour it over the potatoes. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top, and bake again until the cheese is melted and golden brown. (you can also boil them for 2 minutes before baking)
3- How to Make Kumpir (Baked Potatoes with Toppings)?
Kumpir, which means “potato” in some parts of Thrace, is a dish made by cooking it in the oven or on the grill and adding various toppings. It’a a delicious fast food.
Ingredients:
Potatoes, butter, sausage, pickles, corn, olives, any other toppings you like, such as grated cheese, and ketchup and mayonnaise for garnish.
Instructions: If you don’t have the chance to grill, bake them in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the sausages in a tomato sauce and slice them into rings. Boil the corn. Prepare and chop up any other toppings you like. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the oven and cut them in half lengthwise with a knife. Use a spoon to scoop out the insides without damaging the crust. Add butter and grated cheese to inside and mix well. Then add your desired toppings, garnish with ketchup and mayonnaise, and serve.
4- How to Make Potato Salad?
This is the best way to enjoy this delicious vegetable. This salad is still one of the most popular varieties on tables at all kinds of gatherings and celebrations in Turkey. We can also say that it is a food that goes well with especially meat and fish dishes. There are many different salad recipes in terms of the ingredients used, and we will share with you our recipe that we frequently make.
Ingredients:
4 boiled potatoes
A few sprigs of fresh onions
1 small red onion
Desired amount of cucumber pickles/capers
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp mustard
1/2 lemon juice
1/3 cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preparation: Dice the boiled potatoes into large cubes. Chop the red onion, green onion, and pickles/capers to the desired size. In a deep bowl, mix well mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add the red and green onions, pickles/capers, and diced cubes to this sauce and mix all ingredients well.
5- How to Make Smooth Mashed Potatoes?
Mashed potatoes are a common side dish made in world cuisine. The preparation of mashed potatoes is very easy but the taste is amazing. It always goes very well with meat or fish dishes.
Ingredients:
3 medium-sized potatoes
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Nutmeg
Preparation: Boil the potatoes, preferably without peeling, with salted water on high heat until it boils, then on medium heat for 20-25 minutes. After boiling, mash the potatoes with a masher or fork until they become smooth. Heat the mashed potatoes in a pot. Add the butter and stir. Then add the milk and cream. Continuously stir to make sure all the ingredients blend together and become smooth. Add salt, black pepper, and grated nutmeg, if desired and mix them. Serve after mixing well.
6- How to Make Potato Omelette?
The famous “Tortilla” or potato omelette, also known as the Spanish omelette. The difference with general omelette is that the Spanish omelette is quite thick, almost like a pie, and it includes onions. This delicious food, eaten as breakfast or as a tapa in Spain, is one of the popular and practical dishes made with this vegetable. The recipe we will provide you with is the original Spanish omelette recipe.
Ingredients: (serves 4)
500 gr potatoes (3 large potatoes)
5 eggs
1 medium onion
Salt
Vegetable oil
Preperation: Finely chop the peeled onion. Cut the washed and peeled potatoes into thin, small slices. Heat oil in a pan and add the onion, stir for 1-2 minutes and then add the potatoes, fry until they become soft. Remove it from heat and place in a strainer to drain its excess oil. If there is too much oil left in the pan, remove some of it. In a deep bowl, crack the eggs, add salt and black pepper, and whisk them well. Add the vegetable mixture to the egg and mix. Pour it into the pan and cook until the bottom is brown. Use a wooden spatula to fix the edges and then flip the omelette over with the help of a plate. Cook the other side in the same way until it turns brown.
7- How to Make Potato Soup?
Potato soup is a common soup dish in world cuisine. The soup made with this easily accessible and economical vegetable is prepared with different side ingredients and consistencies in many countries. Here is a simple and delicious soup recipe given by our German friend:
Ingredients: (Serves 6)
700 gr potatoes
350 ml warm water
1/2 liter milk
4 tblsp butter
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Parsley
Preparation: After washing and peeling the potatoes, chop them into small pieces. Put 2 tbsp of butter in a pot and add minced garlic, and sauté. Add the potatoes. After sautéing for a few minutes, add 240 ml of water and let it cook. Check occasionally and add more water if it needs. When the vegetables are cooked, pour them into a food processor adding some milk. After it reaches a smooth consistency, put it back in the same pot and add the milk slowly over medium heat while stirring constantly. Add the remaining butter, salt, and pepper. You can add more milk or water/vegetable broth to thin the consistency. You can also mix in some dried parsley, it goes very well.
8- How to Make Potato Meatballs?
This meatball, also known as Cypriot meatball, is one of the most delicious and practical meals made with this wonderful vegetable.
Ingredients:
4 medium-sized potatoes
250 g ground beef
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 medium-sized onion
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried mint
Parsley
Instructions: Wash and peel the potatoes, grate them. Squeeze out the juice and transfer to a deep bowl. Add the grated onion, finely chopped parsley, breadcrumbs, ground beef, egg, and spices, and knead well. Shape the mixture into balls and fry them in hot oil.
9- How to Make Potato Moussaka?
Ingredients:
3 potatoes
3 green peppers
400 g minced meat
2 tomatoes
2 tbsps tomato paste
(can be replaced with some pepper paste if desired)
2 cloves of garlic
2 medium onions
2 tbsps butter
2 tbsps olive oil
1 pinch of cumin
1 pinch of black pepper
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of ground red pepper
200 g grated cheddar cheese
Instructions: Click here for the detailed recipe of this delicious dish.
10- How to Make Potato Bread?
This bread, which is widely made in Anatolia, is a nutritious and filling bread. We guarantee that you will eat some of it as soon as it comes out of the oven. We’ve tried different recipes over time for this bread that we also love and occasionally make. We would like to give you a recipe that we’ve tried and are very satisfied with.
Ingredients:
2 boiled and mashed potatoes
1 kilo flour
1 packet of dry yeast
1,5 tablespoons of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
Warm water
Preparation: Put the flour in a deep bowl. Add salt and mix. Make a hole in the middle and add some water, sugar and yeast. Mix the sugar and yeast well until dissolved. Then add the mashed potatoes. Add water little by little and knead. Cover it and let it rest for 45 minutes. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for a few more minutes. Put it on a baking tray. Bake in a preheated 180 degree oven until golden brown on top and bottom.
Sometimes a person finds themselves sitting in the kitchen and wondering, “what can I make with the small amount of leftover vegetables at home?” Shopping every day and organizing meals can now be both costly and exhausting. Therefore, making use of what is left in the refrigerator or pantry, not throwing away any vegetables or ingredients, is among the things that we need to do. We’ll continue to compile practical dishes that can be made with different vegetables and present them to you.
Stay healthy!
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