Showing posts with label National Potato Lovers Month. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Potato Lovers Month. Show all posts

Monday, February 7, 2011

Turkey Burgers and Oven Fries

What better way to celebrate the potato than with fries! While I could definitely just eat fries alone, I thought a spin on the classic combination of "burgers and fries" would be more apropos (bonus - did you know potatoes are naturally fat free? AWESOME!).


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Turkey Burgers with Honey Mustard Dressing
Makes 4 burgers

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium stalk celery, minced
1/2 apple, peeled and diced small
2 shallots, minced
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes OR 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon Bell's Seasoning
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
4 poppy seed kaiser rolls (or bread of choice)
2 cups spring mix or other baby lettuce
4 slices American cheese

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil.

2. In a large bowl, mix together turkey, egg, garlic, celery, apple, shallot, salt, pepper, parsley and Bell's Seasoning. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. The turkey mixture will be very wet. Form into four patties and place in skillet.

3. Cook burgers for 4-5 minutes. Turn, and cook for an additional 4 minutes.

4. In the meantime, split and lightly toast kaiser rolls. In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard and honey.

5. Spread 2 tablespoons of honey mustard dressing on one half of toasted kaiser roll. Layer spring mix on bottom half of kaiser roll, top with one turkey burger patty, American cheese (if desired) and top half of kaiser roll.* Enjoy!

*On second tasting, I substituted honey mustard dressing with Silly Goose Farm ginger-peach chutney (available for purchase soon!) and the American cheese for bleu cheese - it was equally delicious!

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Oven Fries with Spicy Ketchup
Serves 4*

4 large potatoes, peeled**
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon cracked pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.

2. Cut potatoes into "sticks" as uniformly as possible. Place in a large pot and with enough cold water to just cover. Boil over high heat until potatoes are just pierced with a folk.

3. Remove potatoes from boiling water and place on baking sheet. Coat with olive oil. Top with garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and allspice. Toss to coat.

4. Bake potatoes on top shelf in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn and bake for another 10 minutes (or until desired "browning" is reached).

5. In the meantime, combine ketchup, cumin and chili powder in a small bowl. Mix to combine.

6. Serve oven fries with spicy ketchup. Enjoy!

*This recipe can easily be increased or decreased.

**I used Red Chieftain potatoes from this year's crop, but the potato gold standard (Yukon Gold, that is) is a wise choice.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

National Potato Lovers and Sweet Potato Month

Did you know that February is National Sweet Potato Month and National Potato Lovers Month? To commemorate, I thought I'd provide you with some fun tidbits about potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as recipes to help praise the spud. September is National Potato Month, so I'll be back with more factoids and recipes then.


The Potato Eaters, Vincent Van Gogh, 1885

The potato chip was invented in 1853 in a restaurant in Saratoga Springs, NY (a city not far from Silly Goose Farm!). A patron complained the french fried potatoes were too thick, and sent them back to the chef in complaint. The disgruntled chef then sliced new potatoes as thinly as possible before frying and added salt. Instead of insulting the customer, the "potato chip" ended up being a huge success and changed our snacking habits forever.

The average American eats 132.7 pounds of potatoes (or approximately 365 potatoes) a year.

The potato is the second most consumed food in the United States - trailing only after milk products.

The sweet potato is the 6th principal world food crop, and approximately 90 percent of the worlds' crop is grown in Asia.


Sweet potatoes have been grown in the Americas as early as 750 BC.

George Washington Carver developed 118 different products from sweet potatoes, including a mucilage for postal stamps, sizing for cotton fabrics, and an alternative to corn syrup.

During World War I, when supplies for wheat flour were low, the USDA used sweet potato flour to stretch out the wheat in baked goods.

Stay tuned for yummy recipes!