Happy Potato Day

Two inspirations for this post …

1. Today is May 4 – the lovely birthday of my loveliest little sister who also happens to be the biggest fan of potatoes (in every form). Happy birthday!
2. A recent dinner conversation I had with some friends over ‘super foods’ and the sad reputation that fad diets have given to wonderful starchy foods such as potatoes

So on May 4, a tribute to the wonderful food that is the potato, with some random here and there's on potatoes ...

• My fondest potato memory: The surprise potato potluck I threw my sister before she left overseas; friends brought potato salad, potato chips, roasted potato wedges, McD French fries, and more ... she thought it was ridiculous (I'm convinced that is sister language / code for fabulous ;))
• My favorite ‘potato’ varietal: Not really a potato varietal but a close family member. I love sweet potatoes in all forms – but the simplest preparation of just roasting the sweet potato is my favorite ... the natural sugars having oozed out to leave a sweet burnt skin, which is so loose that you can peel it off at one go. Mmm ... I have such fond memories of winter lunchtimes where I would leave the office factory (in Shanghai’s industrial zone) to see the nice sweet potato vendor on the side of the street for a hot steaming sweet potato. 2 RMB (~30 cents)!
• My simplest potato recipe: Roasted rosemary potato slices. Wash potato, slice, drizzle with olive oil and chopped rosemary, and roast in oven until crispy brown. So simple yet so fragrant!
• My all-time favorite potato dish: Delica’s wasabi potato salad – the famous potato salad found at the organic Japanese deli in SF’s Ferry Building and my daily lunch (literally) for about six months before I moved to China. 'Half of a half pint of the wasabi potato salad please ... and a salmon onigiri rice ball. Thank you!' The healthiest I think potato salad can get, with crispy snap peas, edamame, fresh lettuce, and a hint of wasabi.
• My random potato nutrition 101: I always tell my friends on ‘no carb’ diets that carbohydrates themselves are not evil. Carbohydrates in excess (a heavy restaurant serving of pasta) or carbohydrates laden with sugar and preservatives (white wonderbread) are not good for you. But everything in moderation in good, particularly if it is of the natural variety. And a potato is as natural as you can get. A medium potato has Vitamin C (45% of daily value), Potassium (18%), Vitamin B6 (10%), and other trace minerals. Moreover, the sweet potato, which is extremely high in fiber, beta carotene (Vitamin A equivalent), Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6, it is known as one of today’s ‘superfoods.’

Now all I’m missing is a great potato picture. Your pictures all welcome. :)